Page 108 of Red Flagged
A sharp, brutal cramp tore through my pelvis, so sudden and blinding that I yelped and gripped the edge of the sink. My knees nearly buckled.
Callum dropped the towel on the counter, then he turned to face me. “What do you need?”
I breathed through it. “Nothing—merde. Just a cramp.”
Before I could brace myself again, he was behind me, pressing in close. His hands landed at my hips first, grounding me, then one slid around my front and flattened firmly against my lower belly. The pressure was perfect, just enough to counteract the agony.
I sagged back into his chest with a ragged sigh, letting the heat of his body soothe mine. His scent—bergamot, clean linen, and something uniquely him—wrapped around me, and I pressed one trembling hand over his where it rested on my abdomen.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, lips brushing my tangled hair. “Just breathe, baby. I’ve got you.”
The mirror caught our reflection. His tall frame wrapped around mine, his cheek pressed to my hair, his hand steady over the ache in my body. He looked wrecked and resolute all at once. I’d never seen anything more devastatingly beautiful than the man I loved holding me like I was something sacred instead of broken. My eyes burned, and tears slipped free.
“Ça fait mal.” It was a jagged whimper that escaped my throat.It hurts.
“Je sais, mon amour,” he said softly. “Tu es si fort. Tu n’es pas seule. Respire pour moi. Doucement… encore une fois. Je suis là.”
I know, my love. You’re so strong. You’re not alone. Breathe for me. Slowly… one more time. I’m right here.
My body still trembled, my abdomen still throbbed, but a different kind of ache bloomed in my chest. Relief.Gratitude. The sweet, unbearable weight of being understood. He didn’t make me reach for the English. He met me in my language. And that… that undid me.
My hand tightened over his, anchoring myself in him until the cramp passed. I took a long, shuddering breath. He held me through it, silent but unwavering.
After a beat, he kissed the side of my head. “Let’s shower,” he murmured. “We can clean this up later. You need to rest.”
I hesitated. “Okay,” I whispered. My voice was small, raw. “But… can you turn around first?”
He leaned back just enough to look down at me. “Why?”
“Because I’m about to strip out of a fucking diaper, Callum.”
He grinned, hands slipping under my shirt to tug on the hem of it. “Baby, I’ve been snuggling you in this for hours.”
I scowled. “Why are you like this?”
“Because I love you. Even in a diaper. Especially in a diaper.”
“Callum.”
“What? I have a kink for resilience.”
“You have a kink for a lot of things.”
“Maybe it’s just a kink foryou.”
I couldn’t contain the smile that threatened to split my face in half, so I used his weakness to my advantage. “Have some mercy on me,baby. Please.”
His eyes softened, and, to his credit, he let me go and turned without a word, facing the bathroom door and crossing his arms like a gentleman. I shuffled away from him, cheeks burning as I peeled the stupid thing off, tossing it toward the trash with a wince. My body ached, my pride was in pieces, and I’d just thrown up into a toilet in front of the man I loved.
I exhaled loudly when I looked at the blood smeared at the top of my thighs, but I stepped in the shower and turned the water on as hot as I could handle. Callum stepped in behind me and lifted my hair off my shoulders, guiding me under the spray. The warmth sank into my bones, and my eyes drifted closed.
“Thank you for letting me stay and be part of this,” he said, so quietly I almost didn’t hear him over the spray of the water. “And on the upside, now I know you really trust me.”
I didn’t say anything, just let him lather my hair in shampoo. He rinsed it, then put conditioner in. As his fingers raked through the tangles, I spoke.
“I didn’t know for sure,” I admitted. It wasn’t detached, but it wasn’t emotional, either. It just… was.
He paused for just a moment before continuing to finger-comb my long strands.
