36. Ember

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

EMBER

I thought I was through the worst of the pain when Orion wrapped himself around my back and dutifully held the heat pack against my stomach as we both fell asleep, but I should have known I wasn’t that lucky.

Agony tears through me and tugs me back to the land of the living.

Soft moonlight filters through the window, and I press my eyes closed in an attempt to go back to sleep, but instead, I’m rewarded with another cramp that shoots down my leg, and a whimper escapes despite my attempt to swallow it.

I do my best to extract myself from Orion’s arms, not wanting to wake him up, but his body is too attuned to mine, and he drags me back against him.

“Where are you going?” he murmurs into my hair.

“I need to get some more painkillers,” I say through clenched teeth.

Orion has taken such good care of me since the pain started, and I don’t want him to feel like he has to keep doing so. This is my problem, and one I’m very used to dealing with by myself.

“I’ll get them,” he replies without hesitation.

Before I can argue, he slips out of bed and returns less than a minute later with a bottle of pills and a bottle of water.

This time, I use both, deciding to save him from the horror of taking them dry, and he quickly takes the bottle from me, placing it on the bedside table.

“Do you need your heat pack warmed again?”

I shake my head. “No, I think I’m past that helping at this point.” I flinch as another cramp tears through my abdomen. Jesus, that hurts.

Orion frowns, his body coiled tight as his problem-solving instincts urge him to do something.

This is the problem with the male race. They always want to fix everything, and there are some things that can’t be fixed. Sometimes it’s just a case of waiting it out, and we have to be patient.

He climbs back onto the bed and pulls me into his arms.

I try not to think about how much comfort I get from being held by him. It’s better that I don’t analyze why it is that I feel the safest I’ve ever felt while in the arms of the man who killed my brother.

“You know,” he murmurs against the shell of my ear. “I was reading up on some natural things that can help with cramps.”

I tug my head back and look up at him in the dim light. “You were researching periods?”

He chuckles. “Of course I was. I’ll research anything I need to in order to make sure you’re comfortable, including your period.”

I press my eyes closed and bury my face into his chest. Because that’s not mortifying at all.

“Anyway, I thought I’d see if there’s anything we can do to help ease the worst of the pain, seeing as your heat pack and painkillers only do so much,” he continues. “And I found a couple of other things that might work.”

“Like what?” I ask carefully. I’ve read the pamphlet my doctor gave me when she mentioned there might be more to my pain than just my normal cycle, but I don’t remember it saying anything other than take some Tylenol and ride it out.

“Baths are one, but I think it would probably have a similar effect to the heat pack.”

I nod. “I usually prefer the shower, anyway.”

He hums in understanding. “And then it said orgasms have been shown to be a promising form of pain relief.”

My eyes shoot up to meet his, expecting to find amusement in his eyes because he’s joking, but instead I’m staring up into his deadly serious gaze.

“No.” I shake my head. “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” He carefully presses me to my back and presses his weight against me, pinning me in place.

“Because I’m bleeding, ” I hiss.

“So?”

“So I don’t want you having anything to do with that!”

Every time I think today can’t get any more mortifying, I’m quickly proven wrong.

“Ember, I literally got my name killing people. Do you think your blood is going to bother me?”

“It’s different!”

“How?”

“Because it is!” I snap.

Orion shakes his head, like he can’t understand why I would be bothered by the idea of him being anywhere near what’s happening down there right now.

“How about we just try it?” he offers. “We’ll see if it helps, and if it doesn’t, I won’t ever suggest it again. No harm, now foul.”

I open my mouth to argue, but snap it shut with a frustrated groan. This man doesn’t have any boundaries. In fact, I don’t even know if he knows that word exists.

“Let me help take the pain away, Little Flame,” he murmurs against my cheek. “I can’t stand seeing you hurting and not being able to do anything to help.”

I frown up at him, because while I don’t agree with his point, it is kind of sweet that he’ll go to such lengths to help me. Even if the idea is still making me nauseous.

“Please, Ember.” He trails kisses along my jaw, and a moan slips free without permission, telling him he’s won without me ever having to say the words.

“Fine,” I huff.

“Don’t sound so excited to be given orgasms.” He chuckles. “How about this? I’ll even let you choose how you get the orgasms,” he offers, like he’s giving me the greatest compromise in the world.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, obviously my preference would be to fuck you. There are some unconfirmed studies that think cum might help with pain associated with periods, but if you ask me, that’s likely just wishful thinking on the part of male scientists.”

I giggle, pressing my face into his throat, and he grins down at me, the sight so fucking beautiful I can barely handle it.

How is it possible for a man as brutal as Orion to look so carefree and happy when he’s with me? The two versions of him surely can’t live in the same body. Can they?

“Okay, tell me what my other options are.” I can’t help but smile up at him like he hung the moon. My feelings for Orion are complicated on a good day, but when he’s bending over backward to help my cramps, I’m one big mess of contradicting emotions.

“I could slip my hand into your panties and rub your clit until you fall apart over and over again.” He brushes his fingers along the edge of my panties, demonstrating how easy it would be for him to slip inside. “Or I could fuck you with my fingers,” he breathes. “Or there are always toys.”

I press my eyes closed, willing my libido to get back in its box where it belongs during this time of the month, but of course, where Orion is concerned, my libido is out and down to fuck.

“What do you want, Little Flame?” he asks, his lips dragging along my cheek. “Let me help you.”

I nod, my voice lost in the haze of lust that swirls around me. “Maybe we need to test the validity of that study you read.”

“Yes,” he says quickly, shucking his sleep pants. “I think that would be for the best. That way, we’ll know one way or the other.”

With almost too much efficiency, he tugs my panties down, and I try not to feel embarrassed by the blood that will inevitably cover us both.

“Wait!” I press my hands to his chest, and his entire body stops its advance. “What about the sheets?”

A rumbled laugh vibrates between us. “Fuck the sheets.”

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