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I could get used to this.
It doesn’t take much convincing on Nor’s part for me to accompany him back to his room. I’m not ready to leave his side. I want to prolong every second we spend together in case he decides to be distant again tomorrow. I need to soak in every moment and burn them into my memory.
After we step into his room and the door clicks closed behind us, Nor rounds on me so quickly that I run into him. Warmth pools in my belly as his hand slips around my waist and up my back. He tugs at the string of my corset and my eyes widen.
“Didn’t we just do that?” I ask as my stomach turns nervously. I’m not sure I can go again so soon considering the tenderness between my thighs, but I won’t deny him if that’s what he wants. I’ll endure the pain if he wants to claim me again.
He chuckles, continuing to loosen the strings until my dress falls limp and slips to the floor. “I figure I’ll help you clean up before dinner. Unless you’re opposed.”
“Not at all.”
Leading me to the enormous stone tub on the far side of the room, he bends to turn a few knobs, and water gushes from the faucet. Another knob dispenses soap, causing bubbles to form and creep over the surface of the rapidly rising water.
“I can swim in here,” I say, watching as it fills.
He laughs and begins to strip off his clothes, tossing them aside and stepping down into the basin using a set of steps carved into the stone. He offers me his hand, which I take, and helps me down into the water. It’s already almost at my knees. If I take a seat, I’ll disappear underwater long before it’s full.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this big,” he says, taking a seat with his back against the side of the tub. “But once it was carved there was no redoing it.”
He waves me over and I take a seat between his thighs, my back resting against his chiseled torso. The hot water soaks into my skin, drawing the ache out of my muscles, and I drop my head back against him. I hadn’t realized how tired I was before, but exhaustion drags my eyelids closed.
“It’s nice,” I say.
His arms slide around me, forming a protective cage, and his chin rests on top of my head.
“That it is,” he agrees.
When the water slips up over my chest, Nor reaches up to cut it off, and we soak silently in the warmth. There’s so much I want to say, I don’t know where to begin. I doubt I can organize my incoherent thoughts into something that adequately explains how I feel, and I hope for the moment that the peaceful silence settled around us does the job.
Simply existing in Nor’s company is a comfort. We don’t have to be making jokes or having in-depth conversations for me to enjoy being close to him. From the feel of his skin against mine to the way his fingers gently trace shapes against my thighs underwater, I find solace in his closeness. He is my relief, a distraction from the mounting issues rising around us. He is strength and reassurance.
He’s everything I never knew I needed.
It’s a strange thought, considering how we got here. When I arrived, his hatred was almost palpable. I was nothing like the bride he wanted, and he was leagues away from an ideal husband. Now, I’m not so sure. While he has his downfalls, and we always find ourselves in a disagreement, I’ve never felt equally matched or entirely enthralled by anyone else.
“You’re not going to fall asleep on me are you?” he asks gruffly into my hair.
“No.” I smile softly, even though he can’t see it. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
“How much of an asshole you were when we met,” I say with a smirk. “And how much you’ve changed.”
“Make no mistake, I’m still an asshole,” he assures me. “Just less of one to you.”
“Why not to everyonebutme?” I ask, craning my neck to look at him.
He shakes his head, his chest shaking with a laugh. “Because it’s too much fun getting under your skin, making you flustered. Besides, you can’t deny that you enjoy our banter.”
“Yeah, that’s fair.” My smile widens as I relax into him more.
After bathing every inch of me, Nor drains the tub and sweeps me up into his arms to carry me to the bed. Every bit of tension has been drained from my body, and as he slides up beside me, I nestle against his warm body and close my eyes. His arm drapes over me, and his chin rests on the top of my head.
“Rest, Irissa,” he says, drawing his fingers slowly up and down the length of my arm.
“Will you be here when I wake up?” I ask sleepily, my words slurring. I’m not sure why I ask, but the thought of going to sleep and waking up to find him gone has me fighting to stay awake, to stretch this moment for as many seconds as I can manage. I don’t want him to push me away or be distant anymore.
“Yes. I’ll be right here.”
