Chapter 264: 264- Fucked Into Surrender

POV Raica:

Fuck… Nicholas, I am surrendered to you.

"One second, what a killer image." He stares at me with sparking eyes. "I need to capture this."

"Then I can make this memory even better."

I run my finger through the cum that beads at the tip of my breast and the piercing, smear my nail, and bring it to my mouth. I taste the finger with its pasty flavor, like a divine dulce de leche.

He inhales a generous handful of air.

"Girl, my mind is racing, coming up with so many ways to fuck you in the coming days."

I blink at him.

"I’ll be eager, I just need to recover from today."

"We need a shower."

"No…" I grumble. I play dead; I’d sleep in the fetal position if it were up to me. "I don’t have the strength to get up, Nick. You finished me off in a single round."

I hear his laugh and then I’m scooped up; I only open my eyes when I’m set on my feet and hot water runs down my body.

"I’ll take care of you."

And so he does. Nicholas softens my skin with a plush, foamy sponge. The shower is quick, since I can barely remain standing; afterwards he dresses me in a warm, fluffy tracksuit. Instead of tucking me into bed like a little parcel beneath the covers, he seats me on a stool and turns on a hairdryer.

Surprise! He has a hairdryer in the cabin.

"Your hair got a little wet; I remember you can’t keep your hair wet — that sinusitis thing," he comments matter-of-factly, attentive to drying my hair.

Being sweet.

Being spontaneously fascinating.

I feign nonchalance at the thoughtful gesture, though my heart jumps in my chest and everything inside me cries for mercy. His care. His tenderness. It gives that pleasant fluttering-butterflies feeling in the stomach. Sighs and more sighs — I’m bewitched.

"I need ten minutes; I want to show you something special."

I curl on the sofa with the blanket wrapped around my exhausted body. While Nick tends to himself, I watch the fireplace seduce with its burning flames; my thoughts fly away. It’s impossible not to calculate, in a confused and fearful sum, the hard, jagged road that led me into Nick’s turbulent path.

If I say my steps toward him are steady, it’d be a lie. To be honest, I misstep in his direction, even with that pleasant feeling pulsing between us. I know how much the weight he carries in his chest destabilizes him, makes him unstable, and spreads chaos to those around him.

"Come on…" He appears in the doorway between the living room and the bedroom. Drop-dead gorgeous in a navy sweatshirt. Damn, no argument — he looks perfect in that shade.

"You look so hot in blue." I force myself to keep up. "You should swap your black clothes for blue. What do you think?"

"Only if you never tie that hair up again." While he speaks, he leads me to a narrow staircase that goes up to the roof; I lose the thread of the conversation. "Let’s go up to the attic."

"Why?" I’m curious, of course! I don’t understand why he huffed.

"As I said, I want to show you something special. Get up, Raica, now."

"Oh, nervous little one," I tease; he rolls his eyes.

The space is tight, it doesn’t allow us to walk freely; we have to duck our heads so we don’t bash them against the wooden beams and end up with a huge bump in the middle of our foreheads. Nick, extremely careful, points out the places where we should sit, near the wide window that reflects the beautiful tree-patterned rug and, finally, the sky in its best display.

"I usually watch the sunrise every time I come here."

"We wrap ourselves in the same plaid blanket, clutching each other, smelling faintly of soap and a hint of mothballs."

"My God, if the sun is about to rise, you can predict the time."

"I’ll work like a zombie."

"If you prefer to sleep…" he murmurs, saddened.

"No…" I squeeze him. "The sunrise next to you is perfect."

"I’ll change the subject. — Is shooting practiced here too?" He arches an eyebrow. "There are two shotguns on the wall, dear. I just guessed." I shrug.

"Yes, there’s a suitable space out front; I can show you another time."

"I’m totally in, we’ll have another moment here. I accept, Whitmore." He holds me in his arms, kisses my hair, and our gaze takes in the landscape. From the corner of my eye I know a charming smile plays on his lips, just as a fool dances on mine. The orange misty dawn begins to appear in the dark horizon.

"Thank you…" My thoughts find voice.

"For what?"

"For letting me in…" I massage his chest; I feel the gentle beat of his heart.

"I want you to stay."

A tear breaks free; I don’t understand it, I only feel it roll down. In my chest, the conviction that I made the right decision, that it was worth accepting everything Nicholas wanted to offer and trying to rescue him from the corrosive pit that has kept him unhappy all this time. We are perhaps one another’s maybe, but also the indispensable rescue for each other’s souls.