“Ah, well. I’ll need to recover a little longer,” Nellie said, a note of apology in her voice. “I get sore post-sex. It’s a not so fun side effect of endometriosis. Sex can cause inflammation to endometriosis tissues around the pelvic organs. I usually take an over-the-counter pain medication beforehand, but that doesn’t always work, anyway.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Nell, I had no idea.” I felt like a jackass. I’d done some research on Nellie’s condition, but I was mostly focused on reading up on the pregnancy related information, so that I’d know what to look for. “Let me run you a warm bath,” I added, standing up.
Nellie seemed surprised by my reaction. “It’s okay, Noah. It’s not your fault. It’s something that I’ve learned to live with over the years.”
“I’m running you that bath,” I told her, holding my hand out for her. The ensuite in the primary bedroom had a deep soaker tub that I barely used for baths. I was more of a shower guy, but in this moment, I was glad I’d had the foresight to add it into the build.
I led the way to my bedroom, holding Nellie’s hand. She sat on the closed toilet while I ran the bath. I dumped a few scoops of Epsom salt into the tub from the bag my mom got me when I’d injured my knee a couple years ago.
“Thanks, Noah,” Nellie said, her expression soft and full of wonder.
“It’s the least I can do, Nell,” I told her, swirling the water around so the Epsom salt would dissolve.
Nellie bit her lip and nodded, watching me. Once the tub was full, I offered to help her in. “I can manage, but thanks,” she replied.
While Nellie took her bath, I tidied up the great room to give myself something to do with my restless hands.
I hated that I’d invertedly caused her pain, even if she said it was a common side effect of endometriosis. I would have forced her into the bath sooner had I known how much discomfort she was in, but Nellie hid her pain behind the same walls she hid her heart.
I fully planned on dismantling those walls, taking them down brick by brick, but I knew it was going to take time.
When I heard the tub draining, I went back into my room and got Nellie one of my T-shirts and a pair of boxers for her to sleep in. I knocked on the bathroom door gently, and she opened it. Her hair was piled up in a messy bun, and she had a bath towel wrapped around her.
“Feel better?” I asked.
“Much,” she answered, smiling. I passed her the clothes, and she took them. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I told her.
I let her get dressed and turned down my bed while I waited for her. She opened the bathroom door and leaned against the doorframe, looking relaxed in my clothes and extremely sleepy.
“Tired?” I asked, chuckling.
“I don’t understand why, when I slept half the afternoon away,” Nellie said, fighting a yawn.
“Well, it’s almost midnight and you are growing a human. That’s got to be tiring work,” I reminded her.
“Yeah. I think I’m going to go to sleep now,” Nellie said, her eyes drifting to my turned down bed.
“Did you want to sleep with me?” I asked, hoping like hell the answer would be yes. “Because you’re more than welcome to.”
“Maybe we could try it?”
“We absolutely could try it.”
I brushed my teeth and went to the bathroom then joined her. She’d cozied up on the left side of my bed, closest to the window, looking like she belonged there. I crawled in beside her.
The next morning, I awoke with my arms around Nellie and her ass pressed against my throbbing erection. This is how mornings were supposed to start, I had no doubt about that. I’d die a happy man if I could wake up like this every day, with this woman in my arms, softly snoring.
I tried to stay still as long as I could, basking in the feel of her in my arms, but Nellie stirred and stretched, her ass pushing even more against my erection.
“Mmm,” she murmured, intentionally swiveling her hips. “Okay, I could get used to that.”
“Could you?” I asked, amusement dancing in my tone as I playfully rutted against her.
She shifted in my arms, turning so that she could look at me. “I think so, yes. It’s not as scary as I thought it’d be. Waking up in your arms feels kind of nice.”
“Gee, thanks. I’m glad I wasn’t a scary sight to wake up to.”
