Page 140 of Bleed with Me

Shaking off the unpleasant memories with a wild drive through the city, I came home just in time for breakfast. However, my beautiful wife sat on the couch with a laptop on her thighs and a cup of coffee in her hand, glaring at something on the screen.

“Good morning,” I greeted, placing my phone and keys on the chest of drawers.

“Morning,” Nina replied mindlessly, her frown deepening.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, plopping on the couch beside her. The gentle aroma of her peach-scented shower gel tingled my nostrils.

“Yes,” she ground out, closing the website tab. “Where have you been? The note didn’t say much.” She turned to me with an expectant expression that shifted to horror in a millisecond.

“What the hell happened to you?” she yelled, spilling coffee on the laptop and her legs without caring. She slammed it against the armrest and cupped my cheeks, examining my face. I chuckled, but it only fueled her exasperation.

“Dorian!” Her thumb brushed the bruise on my jaw, surprisingly gently, considering the outrage in her voice. “Who the fuck touched you? I’m going to kill them.”

“Noooo,” I whined, trying to remove her hands from my face, but she didn’t let me.

“What happened?” she repeated, inspecting my nose. “Tell me right now who hit you?”

“Zyon,” I exhaled, suppressing a laugh.

“That motherfucker!” Nina exclaimed, abruptly standing up. “When I get my hands on him—”

“No!” I jumped to my feet. “Stop, ma vilaine.” I ran behind her because she was already at the door. “We sparred. It wasn’t anything serious. He’s just better than me.”

“Better than you?” she repeated in disbelief. “You look like you encountered the Hulk on your way home.”

“It’s not that bad.” I pulled her closer, curling my arm around her waist. Her palms pressed against my chest, a deep scowl contorting her beautiful features. “But I love when you’re protective of me.”

“Protective?” she echoed, raising a brow. “I’d murder him with my bare hands if he were here.”

“So fucking romantic,” I exhaled and pressed my lips against hers.

Easily, I lifted her and set her beside a Chinese vase, deepening the kiss. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer so there was no space between us. My hands clutched her delicious thighs, my mouth attacking her neck when the loud ringing of my phone made us both jump.

“Seriously?” Nina whined.

“It’s Mom,” I whispered, evening my breath. “I have to…”

I hit the green button before finishing, my chest squeezing with fear, but she sounded normal. Tired, but normal.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” she greeted. “I'm calling to tell you that you don’t need to come. I’ll stay with him.”

“What?” I tilted my head back. It got harder every day to get her out of Malin’s room. “No, Mom. I’m on my way.”

“You don’t need to—” she tried to protest, but I cut her off quickly.

“I need to,” I said sternly. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

I ended the call before she could object more.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, taking Nina’s hand. “She already looks like a zombie. I don’t want—”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted my apology, my heart pathetically missing a beat when she leaned closer and cupped my cheeks. “Go, but be prepared for stares. You look terrible.”

“Not handsome?” I pouted.

“No.” She shook her head firmly. “More like an abused husband who made a horrible mistake by opposing his wife.”

“It’s not that far from the truth,” I mused, chuckling when she slapped my shoulder playfully. “You love discipline.”