Page 34 of Holy Hearts
I take the stairs two at a time, and I make a beeline for their bedroom. “Sophie? It’s Kai,” I say, hoping it’s enough of a warning if she’s indecent.
No answer.
Fuck.
Pushing the bedroom door open, I don’t see her—but the bathroom door is cracked. “Sophie?”
“I’m in here,” she says, her voice weak from inside the en suite.
I stalk to the door and pull it open, and Sophie is curled up in a ball on the floor.
“Fuck,” I murmur.
My pulse jumps. Not from fear, but from the sight of her—so vulnerable, curled up like a delicate thing I shouldn’t touch. I kneel beside her, and every impulse I’ve ever tried to repress slams against the bars of my chest. Not desire, but something more dangerous.
The instinct to protect her.
She’s wearing baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Her cheeks are wet from crying, and when I reach out to touch her arm, she begins to sob even harder.
“Oh God, I really don’t want you to see me like this,” she says, her voice cracking.
“Hey,” I murmur, pushing the sweaty hair on her forehead out of her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just—a bad period.”
I arch a brow. “You’re curled up and crying on the floor…”
She huffs a laugh before sniffling. “I get really bad periods.”
“May I pick you up?” I ask.
“Sure. I was just going to run a bath, but the pain got too bad.”
“Do you take medication?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’m allergic to morphine and all other opioids. The other things won’t touch it.”
I scoop her up, adjusting her body weight in my arms as she rests her head against my chest. I swallow through the thick emotions clogging my throat as I carry her to the bed, setting her down gently and pulling the duvet over her body.
Looking down at her with a furrowed brow, I run a hand over my chin as I think of how I can help her. I don’t want to ask her, because her eyes are closed, and she’s already curled up in a ball again, facing away from me, so I take things into my own hands.
“I’ll run you a bath,” I tell her.
“Thank you,” she says, her voice muffled. “Extra hot, please.”
I walk to the bathroom and turn on the tap on the large bathtub. While it fills up, I place a delivery order for Sophie and text Julian again that she’s okay but in pain, and that I’ll stay with her until she’s better or he’s back.
I add some bubble bath and a few of the essential oils scattered along the shelf above the bath, and once it’s halfway full, I walk back into the bedroom.
“Bath’s ready,” I tell her, unsure if she needs help getting out of bed.
“Thanks,” she says, slowly sitting up and walking over to where I’m standing.
“I’ll give you some privacy?—”
“No, it’s okay. Just turn around while I get in.”
My heart races for an entirely different reason, and as she passes by me, her arm brushes mine. A skittering, electric current runs from where we touched straight down to my cock.
