Page 87 of Safety Net
"We'll start at six and then, if you're good, we'll move you up. Hopefully, we'll get to micro twist level so I can wear it out."
"We will," Lincoln assured, and carefully wet my hair. He was a gentle and slow worker. I kept closing my eyes, missing most of the movie because of how soothing his fingers were on my scalp. He gave me a massage that had me releasing a moan reminiscent of earlier.
"Sorry," I mumbled, embarrassed. "That was a lot."
He laughed and kissed the back of my neck. "Glad you're enjoying it."
Once the twisting started, I was impressed with his ability to maintain tension. It wasn't so tight that I'd have to battle a headache later, like typically happened whenever my mom tried to do my hair. But it was tight enough that I wouldn't have toworry about it coming undone while I slept. He didn't have a head scarf, so I settled for one of his durags.
"Good?" he asked when finished.
"So good." I sighed, leaning back into his chest. "Lincoln, if I wasn't into you before, you have me hooked, line, and sinker now."
He kissed my cheek. "That's what I like to hear."
"How much do you charge for washes?"
"For you?" he asked as he tightened his arms around me. "A couple of nights like this."
"You've got yourself a loyal customer."
I woke up alone in Lincoln's bed. At first, I was unsure of where I was, and then I panicked because something was off.
Not now. Please.
I winced when my lower body tensed from a cramp. I lay still for a moment, hoping that it was a fluke. But, when the next wave rolled through, I knew I'd need to go into clean-up mode, stat.
Of course, this had to happen after the night we'd just had. After I'd finally felt comfortable enough in my body with someone else, it was as if life was determined to move the goalpost of comfort.Did you enjoy a sweet night connecting with an incredible guy? Wonderful. Now try a bloody morning and see how that works out.
Lincoln came back into the room right as I sat up to assess the damage, which was a decent bloody stain on his gray bed sheets.
"Morning, gorgeous," Lincoln greeted with enough energy and excitement to indicate he'd been up for quite some time. Hiseyes brightened when he saw I was awake. He started to climb onto the bed, but before he could reach me, I held my hand up.
"What's wrong?" Lincoln froze, sitting on his knees at the bottom of the bed. "Did you sleep okay?"
"I…" The only way out was through. There would be no hiding the blood on my underwear and the blankets. "I just got on my period."
"No worries." The concern that'd stiffened his brow melted in an instant. Lincoln nodded as if I told him it was going to be a little chilly outside, so he should bring a jacket. "I'll start the shower and get a change of clothes. You could wear some of my things, or I'll grab something from Naomi?"
I blinked, surprised and a little put off by the nonchalance. Did a part of me want this to be weird? A part of me wished to confirm that I couldn't maintain a normal, kind, supportive relationship. Wanted to wade through the discomfort because, in a way, it was all I knew how to navigate?
"Something of yours should be fine." My voice was low, barely audible to my own ears. "My skirt's still good, so all I'll need is a top and some shorts underneath."
"Top and shorts. I can do that," he promised. "Do you have your products? I'm sure Naomi has extras I could grab from their bathroom."
Lincoln got up from the bed and started digging through his drawers, pulling out some boxers and an oversized Mendell’s hockey team training long-sleeve shirt.
"It's on…your sheets." I winced, apologetic. Eye contact became a temporary impossibility.
"No worries." Lincoln shrugged and set the clothes on the nightstand beside me. "I'll get us some new ones while you're in the shower. Are you in any pain? I have a couple of heating pad options." He gestured to his shoulder. "Recurring injury, so I always keep a few handy. The plug-in is one of the best, in myopinion. But I could warm one in the microwave. I think that one's safer to use."
"No, thank you, but…um, but could you grab me an Advil?" I asked.
"'Course." He kissed the top of my head. "Hey, look at me?"
I took a deep breath and did as he asked. It's embarrassing to be this embarrassed. I'm caught in a weird, cramping infinite loop.
"Don't worry about this. You're not going to freak me out." He kissed my forehead this time. "I can handle blood. This is as natural as breathing. And you're as beautiful as the sunrise."
