Page 129 of Snow

Nova exhaled shakily before finally reaching over and taking his hand again. She traced her thumb lightly across his knuckles.

“You know, this whole brooding Navy SEAL thing you do is getting a little dramatic now,” she teased.

She gave a weak smile even though he couldn’t see her.

“I mean, seriously. You’ve slept through like three doctors, six nurses, and Bear and Joker arguing which donut shop had the best glazed donuts.” Her voice cracked slightly. “You’re missing all the excitement.”

She got no response, and her eyes started to tear up. She was so tired—emotionally, physically, and mentally. She was a little sore. But none of that mattered as much as the fear sitting heavily in her chest.

She lowered her gaze to their joined hands. “I’m really trying not to freak out right now,” she admitted. “The doctors keep telling me you’re okay, and I trust them. But I would feel a whole lot better if you would wake up already.” Her fingers tightened around his. “You know what’s really unfair?” she continued. “A little over a week ago I didn’t even know you existed. And now apparently my emotional stability depends entirely on whether or not some annoyingly attractive Navy SEAL opens his gorgeous blue eyes.”

The room remained silent except for the monitors.

Nova swallowed hard before leaning back slightly in the chair.

“I don’t even understand how this happened,” she whispered. “Like, this is insane, right? People would say I’m crazy. They probably wouldn’t be wrong.” She shook her head. “I’m not saying I love you because, honestly, that sounds ridiculous after only knowing you for a week. But I do have real feelings for you.”

Tears blurred her vision now.

“You make me feel important. Like what I say matters.” A watery laugh escaped her. “And you somehow manage to make me feel safe while simultaneously dragging me into life-threatening situations, which honestly feels confusing but impressive.”

“And the sex.” She let out a breathy laugh, wiping her eyes quickly with her free hand. “We should probably address that too because wow. That alone might justify keeping you around.”

Her voice trembled again.

“You need to wake up, because I want more of that. I want to get to know you better. I want… I don’t know… normal things. Like a date where nobody is trying to kill us.”

Exhaustion finally started pulling at her hard. She carefully shifted forward in the chair until she could rest her head gently beside his arm on the mattress while still holding his hand against her cheek.

The steady rhythm of the monitor slowly lulled her.

“You scared me,” she whispered sleepily. “Don’t do that again.”

Her eyes drifted shut despite her efforts to stay awake. And still holding tightly to Snow’s hand, she finally surrendered to exhaustion.

◆◆◆

Nova felt as if she had just closed her eyes when she was stirred awake by someone gently raking their fingers through her hair.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the dim lighting in the room. She lifted her head, and the moment her eyes met those sexy blue eyes that had captivated her the first time she saw them, relief crashed through her so hard and fast that tears instantly pooled in her eyes.

“You’re awake,” she whispered, her voice full of sleep and emotion.

Snow gave her a tired smile as his hand continued to stroke her hair lightly. “Yeah. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“No, it’s fine,” she told him as she sat up and let out a small groan as her sore muscles protested.

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is it your arm?” he asked, squeezing her hand.

“How do you know about my arm?” she asked, looking surprised.

“Derek and the guys stopped in a little while ago.”

“How long have you been awake?”

“A few hours. You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.”

Nova glanced toward the window, noticing the little bit of sunlight that was now filtering in through the gap in the blinds.