Nora nestles closer to me in the backseat, interrupting my musings, and yawns delicately into my shoulder.The sound is so kitten-like that I laugh and wrap my right arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me.“Sleepy?”
“Hmm-mm.”She rubs her face against my neck.“You smell good,” she mumbles.
And just like that, my cock turns rock-hard, reacting to the feel of her lips brushing against my skin.
Fuck.I blow out a frustrated breath as the car stops in front of the house.Ana and Rosa are standing on the front porch, ready to greet us, and my dick is bursting out of my pants.I shift to the side, trying to ease Nora away from me so my erection can subside.Her elbow brushes against my ribs, and I tense in pain, mentally cursing Majid to hell and back.
I can’t fucking wait to heal.Even sex earlier today hurt, especially when I set a harder pace at the end.Not that it lessened the pleasure much—I’m pretty sure I could fuck Nora on my deathbed and enjoy it—but it still annoyed me.I like pain with sex, but only when I’m the one doling it out.
On the plus side, my erection is no longer quite as visible.
“We’re there,” I tell Nora as she rubs her eyes and yawns again.“I’d carry you over the threshold, but I’m afraid I might not make it this time.”
She blinks, looking confused for a moment, but then a wide smile spreads across her face.She remembers too.“I’m no longer a new bride,” she says, grinning.“So you’re off the hook.”
I grin back at her, unusual contentment filling my chest, and open the car door.
As soon as we climb out, we’re attacked by two crying women.Or, more precisely, Nora is attacked.I just watch in bemusement as Ana and Rosa hug her, laughing and sobbing at the same time.After they’re done with Nora, they turn toward me, and Ana sobs harder as she catches a glimpse of my bandaged face.“Oh, pobrecito…” She lapses into Spanish like she sometimes does when she’s upset, and Nora and Rosa try to soothe her, saying that I’ll recover, that the important thing is that I’m alive.
The housekeeper’s concern is both touching and disconcerting.I’ve always been vaguely aware that the older woman cares about me, but I didn’t realize her feelings are this strong.For as long as I can recall, Ana has been a warm, comforting presence at the estate—someone who fed me, cleaned after me, and bandaged my childhood scrapes and bruises.I’ve never let her get too close, though, and for the first time I feel a twinge of regret about that.Neither she nor Rosa, the maid who’s Nora’s friend, try to hug me like they did my wife.They think I wouldn’t welcome it, and they’re probably right.
The only person I want affection from—no,craveaffection from—is Nora, and that’s a recent development.
After the three women are done with their emotional reunion, we all head into the house.Despite the late hour, Nora and I are hungry, and we devour the meal Ana prepared for us with record speed.Then, replete and exhausted, we go upstairs to our bedroom.
A quick shower and an equally quick fuck later, I drift off to sleep with Nora’s head pillowed on my uninjured shoulder.
I’m ready for our normal life to resume.
The screamthat wakes me up is bloodcurdling.Full of desperation and terror, it bounces off the walls and floods my veins with adrenaline.
I’m on my feet and off the bed before I even realize what’s happening.As the sound dies down, I grab the gun hidden in my nightstand and simultaneously hit the light switch with the back of my hand.
The nightstand lamp turns on, illuminating the room, and I see Nora huddled in the middle of the bed, shaking under the blanket.
There’s no one else in the room, no visible threat.
My racing heartbeat begins to slow.We didn’t get attacked.The scream must’ve come from Nora.
She’s having yet another nightmare.
Fuck.The urge to do violence is almost too strong to be contained.It fills every cell of my body until I’m shaking with rage, with the need to kill and destroy every motherfucker responsible for this.
Starting potentially with myself.
Turning away, I draw in several deep breaths, trying to hold back the churning fury within me.There’s no one I can lash out at here, no enemy I can crush to take the edge off my temper.
There’s only Nora, who needs me to be calm and rational.
After a few seconds pass and I’m certain I won’t hurt her, I turn back to face her and put the gun back into the nightstand drawer.Then I climb back on the bed.My ribs and shoulder ache dully, and my head throbs from my sudden movements, but that pain is nothing compared to the heaviness in my chest.
“Nora, baby…” Leaning over her, I pull the blanket off her naked body and place my right hand on her shoulder to shake her awake.“Wake up, my pet.It’s just a dream.”Her skin is clammy to the touch, and the whimpering noises she’s making pain me more than any of Majid’s torture.Fresh rage wells up, but I suppress it, keeping my voice low and even.“Wake up, baby.You’re dreaming.It’s not real.”
She rolls over onto her back, still shaking, and I see that her eyes are open.
Open and unseeing as she gasps for air, her chest heaving and her hands clutching at the sheets in desperation.
She’s not having a dream—she’s in the middle of a full-blown panic attack, likely one caused by her nightmare.
