Page 38 of The Truth of Us

“You’re tense,” he said finally.

“I’m always tense,” I said, trying my hardest not to roll my eyes.

“Not like this.”

I exhaled slowly and immediately regretted it because my abdomen cramped hard enough that I visibly flinched. Elliot’s expression changed instantly.

“You’re in pain.” His voice had a soft quality that made me wonder what little Elliot was like, and I hated that.

“It’s nothing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I laughed despite myself and then winced again. Elliot was in front of me a second later, hands sliding lightly around my waist.

“Harper.”

“It’s just cramps.”

His brow pulled together slightly. “Just?”

I shrugged one shoulder weakly. “They are horrendous for the first three days of my cycle.”

Something unreadable moved through his expression then; concern, maybe. I had a feeling he had little experience in the girlfriend department or the girlfriend-with-cramps department. Not that I was his girlfriend…

I took a sip of my wine to distract myself from the way Elliot was looking at me, because it felt strangely intimate, more intimate than sex somehow.

“Come here,” he said quietly.

“I’m fine.”

“That was not convincing.”

Before I could argue further, Elliot took the wineglass from my hand and set it aside before steering me toward the couch.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Trying to be helpful, just go with it.”

“I don’t know how to respond to that without sounding like a bitch.”

Elliot snorted softly and sat down before pulling me carefully back against his chest.

I immediately tensed, and not because I didn’t want to touch him. I did too much.

“You can relax,” he murmured against my hair. “I’m not trying to seduce you.”

“That would honestly be less alarming.”

His laugh vibrated through his chest. Then his large, warm hands slid beneath my sweater, flattening gently against my lower abdomen. I sucked in a breath instantly and then groaned.

Because the way his hands felt against my skin, in this way…

“How are your hands this warm?” I asked, trying to redirect my thoughts and get control of my hormones.

“I’m powered by ego and expensive whiskey.”

I laughed softly despite myself. Then another cramp, that felt more like a spasm running through the lower half of my body, hit, and I instinctively curled tighter against him. Elliot’s hands pressed slightly firmer against my stomach. He was so comforting; it felt nice, as if I were safe. That last thought hit hard enough that I immediately tried to sit up, and that caused Elliot to tighten his arms around me automatically.