Page 29 of Fangs and Family
Still, I pulled back when he reached for my bra, and Adam smirked.
‘Oh please, after the things we did together, you’re suddenly shy?’ It felt like my acceptance of his aid removed some anger and brought back the more appealing traits of his personality. Now, with a mischievous salute, Adam continued. ‘Scout’s honour, your virtue is safe with me. I will simply help you bathe. Treat me as an upgraded version of a male nurse. Just with better pecs,’ he teased, and I couldn’t help smiling. He didn’t push or try to overpower me, simply waiting for my decision, and that was good enough for me.
‘Fine, do what you want… nurse,’ I said, letting him reach behind me to unhook my bra.Thank fuck we don’t have nurses like this in the Emergency department; everyone would be tripping over themselves to get injured. My mind stuttered over the thought as Adam slid the bra gently from my shoulders.
‘I cannot do what I want. You are not ready for that, but I will help with whatever you need. I’m not him. I won’t hurt you, Nina. I’m sorry for what he did to you. He will pay for that, I promise,’ Adam whispered, suddenly serious, so close to my ear that it made me shiver. The raw need in his words was more potent as I sat there in nothing but a pair of panties.
Adam quickly stripped away his borrowed clothes, leaving only boxer briefs, before he scooped me up and carried me into the steaming bath. I gasped when he sat me between his legs, his chest touching my back as I pulled my knees to my chest, feeling vulnerable as the memories repeated in my head.
I shivered as they started again, but Adam’s hands began stroking over my arms, driving away the goosebumps. It was a small gesture, but with his body surrounding me, I felt safe for the first time since remembering my assault. I wanted to turn to thank him for his silent support, but I wasn’t entirely free of the fear.
Adam didn’t say a word. All he did was apply soap to my shoulders, continuing to stroke me. The fluid round motion and firm touch were so soothing I melted against his body, laying my head against the soft hair of his chest.
When he finally broke his silence, Adam’s words washed over me as smoothly as water. ‘You’ve had a tough day, Nina, so just relax. Nothing and no one can hurt you here. I won’t fail you again, please trust me,’ he murmured as he tenderly kissed the top of my head, his fingers moving over my tense muscles, easing the knots one by one, intuitively lessening the pressure when he encountered a painful area.
With my thoughts turning sluggish, I wondered why he hadn’t tried to make this sexual. I’d expected him to show his true colours, grabbing me and trying to have sex, especially since I felt a rising erection pressing against my back, but not once did his hands do more than massage me. Adam was entirely focused on me, kneading my muscles, letting his touch and hot herbal bath relieve my stress.
Then it hit me. This was all about me. Adam wasn’t trying to trick me into being intimate or to submit to him. In his own rakish way, he was helping me the best way he knew. I was sitting between his legs, naked and vulnerable, and Adam didn’t take advantage of it. He could toy with my body, possess my mind, and make me do things like the other vampire… instead, here he was, playing nurse and asking for nothing in return.
He cares for me. This realisation broke me. All the feelings I’d suppressed since breaking Sapieha’s compulsion surged up into loud, ugly sobbing, and I turned around and buried my face in Adam’s chest to hide myself from the world. Adam’s hand stilled before he embraced me, his mouth pressed to my temple in the lightest of kisses.
‘I’m so sorry, Nina. If I wasn’t such a prideful arsehole, you would have come to me earlier. This was not your fault, sweetheart. Nothing that happened was ever your fault. Whatever you felt, it was all on him. Fuck, I will kill him for you. I will rip his heart out for you to crush under your heel. You’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you. I know you are in pain now, and if I could take it away, I would, but you are strong, and I promise this memory will fade away,’ he whispered, his powerful body wrapped tight around me, hands once more stroking over my back.
Adam held me like that without another word until my desperate sobs subsided, my emotions more settled than they had been in days. In the end, his words helped me to smile again. Typical Adam, offering me the still-beating heart of my enemy.
‘Thank you… but no rotten hearts, please.’ I said, pulling away, and he instantly opened his arms, letting me go.
‘Whatever you wish, Nina. It’s your call, but I can’t promise I won’t rip his head off for his other transgressions,’ he stated firmly as I shook my head and slowly stood up.
Adam was instantly on his feet, reaching for the towel to wrap it around my body, but instead, I took it out of his hand, my fingers lingering against his to express my gratitude.
‘I’m better now. You were right. I needed it, and… thank you. You would make an excellent nurse.’ I saw the lines around his blue eyes harden again, and I wondered if he thought I was pushing him away. Instinctively, I put my hand on his cheek.
‘You helped a lot. Somehow, you found the right way to ease my mind, but I’m not good at crying. I’ve always had to be the strong one. It’s…’ I trailed off before continuing. ‘I just need a moment for myself, but I’m good now… and starving.’ I added the last bit, not really feeling hungry, intending it as an excuse Adam could use to avoid feeling awkward.
‘Fine, I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re ready,’ he said, taking the hint. As soon as he closed the door, I fell heavily on the chair, stunned by the realisation that Adam had given me precisely what I needed, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to admit how that made me feel.
‘Your clothes, Mistress.’ Lorelai’s voice startled me, and I promptly turned around to see a humanoid shadow, strange and disproportional, disappearing around the corner. With the servant’s name on my lips, I noticed the clothing she’d left behind: a bathrobe with a simple cotton t-shirt and a pair of shorts left in a pile next to my chair.
The bathroom had only one door, and I’d been facing it the whole time. That meant Lorelai must be one of the Elder Races that was able to survive in the mortal realm.
‘Thank you, Lorelai, whatever you are,’ I called out, slightly embarrassed, before dressing. Cheerful laughter followed my words, and I tried to ignore the shiver that slid down my spine.
The t-shirt was a plain grey, covering me to mid-thigh, almost hiding the cute little boy shorts, and when I slipped on the fluffy black dressing gown, I was surrounded by warmth and the uniquely masculine scent of Adam. I didn’t know where the rest of the outfit came from, but with the dressing gown on, I suddenly didn’t care.
I walked toward the kitchen, the polished concrete floor surprisingly warm under my bare feet, almost as if a sleeping dragon warmed it from beneath. Just as my imagination began taking flight, I stumbled to a halt, the mouthwatering smell of pancakes overwhelming my thoughts.
Adam stood shirtless by the cooker, flipping the heavenly perfection with practised ease. I vaguely remember telling him that pancakes were my favourite comfort food from my childhood. The only moments in my chaotic life that weren’t filled with arguing parents were those times our mother had sent Pawel and me to our grandmother’s, and she’d made us pancakes. The only moment that I’d truly felt loved and looked after was when I didn’t have to protect my brother.
Now, Adam was doing that for me, and I couldn’t find the words to thank him. My chest burned because I suddenly felt so vulnerable. He was peeling away the layers of my defences with his kindness, and it felt almost as bad as being mind fucked by a vampire. I wanted this, wanted him, but it felt wrong. Me, a bitter divorcee, pining after an immortal vampire? Fairytales like this never lasted, and sooner or later, someone’s heart, most likely mine, would be broken.
‘Your food’s ready,’ Adam said without turning around. His enhanced senses must have alerted him to my presence, and I wondered if that was the reason for the tension in his muscles because he looked like he was ready to kill.
‘Thank you,’ I answered, sitting in front of an empty plate, which he then filled with fluffy goodness. ‘Also, thank you for the bath and for defending me.’ Pointing to the now full plate, I continued. ‘You didn’t have to do all this. You could have just pointed me to a bed. I can look after myself.’
‘Or you could eat your pancake so we can talk. I feel things are changing between us, and I thought maybe you could tell me the real reason you kicked me out on the street like a stray dog,’ Adam said, placing a pot of jam and a pot of cream next to my plate.
‘I had my reasons. Not very good ones, but they were still reasons.’ I said quietly, picking up the fluffy pancakes, but not before I saw Adam grimace.
