Page 76 of Hot Girl Summer

I’ve never wished for anything to be more true. “I should go. Visiting hours start at ten.”

“Want me to come with you?”

I shake my head. “It’s fine, you don’t have to. Besides, you’ve already done enough.”

“I want to.”

In this moment, those three words mean everything to me, and although the sadness isn’t completely lifted, I can’t help the smile from spreading across my face.

“Let me give her a text and see if it’s okay first. But I’m pretty sure she’d love to meet a real-life rock star.”

Danny quirks an eyebrow. “Well, if I’m going to get into Rock star mode, I’m—and I hate to say this because it looks so good on you—going to need that shirt back.”

“You just want to see me naked. Perv.” Laughing and rolling my eyes, I reluctantly hand it over, and his scent leaves me. When he puts it on, I have visions of a young and iconic Tom Cruise sliding across the floor in Risky Business.

“Fact. I am a perv, and I’ll never have my fill of seeing you naked. So much so, that before we head out, I’m going to run you a bath and tend to your wounds, and you’re going to love every second of it. Right after I let Penny out.”

“I let her out already. I think she was ready to burst, poor thing.”

“You know, if you didn’t stink right now, you’d be pure perfection.”

“That’s probably true, but I smell like you. So technically, you also stink.”

“She’s such a charmer,” he says, flashing his dimples. “Bathroom. Now.”

Danny washes me while I lay there, letting the warm water cleanse and heal me. Immersed in his touch, his pure, wholesome act is the most beautiful, sensual and intimate thing I’ve ever experienced. Like he said he would, he tends to my wounds, treating me with the utmost care, respect and compassion. He’s every ounce the perfect gentleman, and I’ll be damned if I could fall any deeper than I already have.

“I still don’t know why you insisted on bringing your guitar,” I say, as Danny and I walk hand in hand in the hospital corridor.

“How else am I supposed to win her over, without demonstrating my mad skills?”

“You might want to start with never using “mad skills” in a sentence ever again.”

We’re almost at Kiki’s room when I spot my parents walking towards us. Instinctively, I drop Danny’s hand, and immediately curse myself for being so paranoid.

But the last thing I want is for Mum to start bombarding Danny with embarrassing questions and dropping hints about how she can’t wait to see me settled down. When they see us, she almost breaks into a run to give me a hug.

“Hi, sweetie,” she says.

“Hi, mum,” I say, my voice muffled and distorted in her embrace.

I wince as the ache in my shoulder magnifies from the pressure. Mum holds me at arm’s length and looks at me, then turns to face Danny.

“Hi, Mrs DeLuca. I’m Danny.”

He holds out his hand to shake, but she pulls him into a hug. “Please, call me Ale.”

After the most awkward hug I’ve ever witnessed, Danny holds out his hand towards my dad, and the two men embark on an even more awkward handshake.

“What’s wrong?” Mum asks me.

She always knows when something’s up, but now is not the time to mention my little accident. I don’t need her to fuss over me when all our focus should be on Kiki.

“Nothing, I’m just tired.” It’s not a total lie.

“We’re just on our way to grab some coffee, I’ll get you something. Danny, would you like anything?”

“I’d love a cappuccino, please.”

---