Page 20 of Omega Island
“I don’t have heats anymore.”
“Oh. I could have sworn—” He shut up abruptly. Politely.
After what he’d already witnessed, he deserved an explanation. “Yes. I know. It’s an out of order occasion. My heats dried up two years ago.”
“You don’t have to explain it.”
“Thank you for being so understanding.”
“It seems painful,” he said softly, not looking at me.
“Yes.”
“And there is no one you want me to call?”
“No.”
“Not even a doctor?” he asked.
“I am under a doctor’s care.” As I spoke, Raimi’s hand, fingers splayed, moved sideways an inch, then up. I wasn’t sure he realized he was rubbing small circles against my spine, but it was comforting. I didn’t want to move.
The umbrellas were several feet away. The sun beat down on my skin. My hip bones protruded, exposed, I realized, when my swim trunks had slid down. I was still covered, but my erection strained against the waistband. I was a totally out of control mess.
Raimi remained silent, a steady companion to my inconvenient condition. My shaking began to subside. The arousal still coursed through me, conveying a powerful hollow ache, but now I could think.
I stole glances at Raimi out of the corner of my eye. He sat quite still as if used to putting up with difficult situations. His face was concerned but relaxed, his mouth a straight line, serious but not at all panicked or shocked.
He knew suffering. That much was obvious based on what Luca told me. But he also knew how to stay calm and quiet when needed, and while I didn’t like to think why, I was grateful.
Finally, Raimi spoke. “Let me know when you’re ready to get up. If you aren’t able to get back to your house yet, we can at least make it to the umbrellas and loungers.”
“Maybe I can stand.”
Raimi immediately got his feet underneath him and moved his hand to my upper arm, gripping close to the armpit. “Go slow. No rush,” he said softly.
“Thank you.” I let him assist me, pressing my weight into him. He was incredibly strong, pulling me up to my feet as if I were made of air.
“Let’s not lose these.”
I frowned, unsure what he meant until I felt him tug my shorts up over my hips, which meant half my ass had been hanging out. A true gentleman, he made no comment as he then lifted my arm over his shoulders and supported me with his own.
I was completely unsteady, and he helped balance me with little effort. We began to move slowly toward the closest lounger.
That was when another wave hit. Hard. Fast. Taking my breath right out of my lungs. I fell against him and both his arms went around me, bare skin sliding on bare skin.
“Gotchya.”
His face was close to mine as I fell against him, his breath hot at my jaw. I bowed my head. Strands of his blond hair flicked against my forehead and cheek as he suddenly lifted me up. I had no time to think or breathe. There was only air beneath my feet as he carried me cradled in his arms and gently set me on one of the soft lounge cushions.
Raimi still had one arm beneath me at the back of my neck, the other scooting out from under my bent knees as I curled my upper body forward, groaning.
“This isn’t right. Your pain is bad,” he said.
I knew that. Tylenol was all I’d been told to take and I hadn’t brought any with me. But there was a first aid kit sitting at the side of the fridge.
“Over there. That red box. See if there’s any pain reliever.”
Raimi hesitated. “Pain reliever?” Like he didn’t believe that was all I might need. But he got up and moved toward the fridge.
