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But then my ring on her finger flashed in the dawn as Neri whispered, “I didn’t tell you last night how much I love my ring. You couldn’t have chosen a more perfect one. And that inscription? If I wasn’t already head over heels for you, I’d be in trouble of becoming obsessed. But...I do have a tiny problem.”
My eyebrows drew together. “Oh? What problem is that?”
“You proposed again.”
“I did.”
“I accepted. Again.”
“Thank everything holy.”
A smile painted her voice. “But then we went to separate beds.”
“Out of respect to your parents.”
“Yes well, they’re still sleeping. And it’s the perfect opportunity to bind yet another proposal.”
My brain still clung to dregs of sleep. “Bind?”
“Consummation, Aslan. Stay with me, sleepyhead.” Twisting in my arms to look over her shoulder, she drowned me with all her affection. “We should consummate all over again, don’t you think?”
“Consummation comes after the wedding, not at the start of an engagement.”
“Fine. Forget the wording and obey me, husband. Your wife is asking you to—”
“Fuck her?” Winding my arm tighter around her middle, I hooked my boxer-briefs with my spare hand and shoved them down just enough to free myself.
“Unless you’re too sore from what Dad did?” True concern filled her tone. “You should probably see a doctor. I wonder if Jedda would—”
“Jedda? Who’s Jedda?”
She stilled and bit her lip. “Just a family friend. She’s, eh...she’s a nurse.”
I froze. “I can’t see anyone official; you know that.” I kissed her ear. “I think our engagement has gone to your head. Just because we’re not forbidden anymore doesn’t mean I’m suddenly legal, canim.”
“I know, but you might be seriously hurt.”
“I don’t care. I’d rather hurt than be taken away from you. Especially now I have you.” I shuddered with terror. “No way could I lose you after this.”
She melted in my arms. “I feel the same. It would tear out my heart if I lost you.” Sighing heavily, she paused for a moment before whispering, “At least let me go and grab you some painkillers. I’ll be right back.” She went to leave, but my arm snapped tight around her.
“You crawl into my bed, wriggle your tempting ass against me, call me your husband, command I fuck you, and then think you can...leave?” I tutted and bit the shell of her ear as I pulled her closer. “I would’ve thought you knew me better than that by now, Nerida Avci.”
Her soft chuckle did painful things to my belly as she crooked her ankle over my calf, opening herself up to me. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t let silly things like bruises stop you.”
“You thought right.” Splaying my hand on her lower belly, I kept drifting down and down until my fingers found her centre. She gasped in welcome, but it was eerily close to a flinch. Slicing worry dampened my desire. “Are you okay, Neri? Did you have a nightmare again and that’s why you’re in my bed?”
For the longest moment, she didn’t answer. My pulse steadily sped up while she gave my question the seriousness it deserved. Finally, she murmured, “Something happened to me yesterday. Something rather profound.”
“Oh?” I feathered my fingers through her folds, touching her but not going any further. “What?”
“When I was giving my statement about what Ethan did, I had no choice but to relive every awful detail—”
“I hate that you had to do that.” Fury flowed hotly. “That you had to tell a stranger—”
“I’m not,” she whispered. “By facing it, instead of running from it, I did what you’ve been telling me to do all along. I accepted it. I’m not saying I won’t relapse, and I’ll probably reach out to the therapist Wayne Gratt recommended, but...I’m okay, Aslan. Truly. I faced it and found it has no power over me if I don’t want it to. I hate that I was stupid and thought we could get away with fooling around while my parents were down the hall. I hate that you were hurt, that I hit my dad with a lamp, and that you came face-to-face with the real terror of being deported, but...I’m also kinda glad it all happened.”
I stiffened, my fingers barely inside her. “Glad?”
