Chapter Eleven
Time flies when you’re having fun
One month later…
Lily
Holding the offending product in my hand, I storm down the hall muttering made up cuss words to myself. As soon as he hears me coming, he tries to shut the door on me, but I bolt and make it in the nick of time.
Nox sighs loudly before asking in that deep husky voice, “What is it, princess?”
I know he says this in a way that’s meant to be derogatory, but I don’t care. If I tell him how much I like that he calls me that, he’ll stop on principle.
And I can’t have that. The only thing that stops me from going crazy in this safe house is my daily argument with Nox.
His hair’s grown out in a way that looks so mouth-watering that I have to mentally remind myself that I mustn’t touch it whenever I’m near him. Because that would be weird, and I would then have to explain that I don’t have a hair fetish and…
Ugh, never mind.
Nox isn’t the best looking guy I’ve ever seen, so why does he have this stupid freakin’ hold on me?
You know why.
I mentally rip my hair out and shriek to high heaven.
I do know why, dammit.
He’s like a fairy-tale hero for Christ’s sakes. I know he’s ordered to protect me and all, but he does such a great job of it. He makes it look effortless. He’s all like ‘C’mon, pack your shit’ and I’m all like ‘No, I like it here’ and he’s all ‘Not safe here, princess’ and I’m all like ‘Sigh. Okay.’
That’s the basic conversation every freakin’ time.
All he has to do is princess me and I’m tripping over my own feet. I don’t know how he does it.
He’s old!
Okay, twenty-eight is not old, but he acts like a fifty year old!
Yeah, a fifty year old with ripped abs and arms that could crush a man’s skull, and those strong thighs… bet he’s hung like a hor-
Do not go there. Just- do not. You’ve been warned, brain.
Who knew a virgin could be this horny?
I know. I suck.
Raising the plastic wrapped package up past my shoulder, I clear my throat to capture his attention. He looks up at me with those icy-blue eyes and I feel like I’m going to catch a cold. The man doesn’t do happy often.
As in, never.
Okay, so that’s an over exaggeration, but I’m pissed right now. And with good reason.
He looks from me to the package and says stonily, “What now?”
Throwing the package onto the desk, I tell him, “They aren’t the right ones.”
He scowls and picks it up to get a better look at it. He reads for a moment then says, “Yes. They are.”
Unable to mask my look of disbelief, I ask sweetly, “And how would you know?”
He looks up at me, throws the package towards me and says, “That’s what it says it’s for.”
I cross my arms across my chest, lean my hip on the desk and retort, “Well, it’s not the right one. I would know. I’m the one who uses them.”
His shoulders slump and he sighs. Taking another look at me, he scowls again before picking up his handheld two-way radio and presses the button, causing a static noise to sound. Someone at the other end says, “Vito.”
Nox continues to glare at me while he speaks into the radio. “She says they aren’t the right ones.”
Vito doesn’t answer for a moment before he responds, “Come again, boss?”
Nox lowers his head, shaking it and repeats through gritted teeth, “They aren’t the right ones, Vito.”
Vito utters, “But it said on the pack-”
Nox cuts him off with, “I know! I know what it said. She says no.”
Vito sighs, “What the f*ck does she need, then?”
Nox’s eyes widen at me in an expression that shouts well?
I snatch the radio out of his hands, press the button and almost shout, “Heavy flow! You know? For heavy flow, because I flow heavily during my menstruation cycle, because I’m a girl and that’s what we do.” He doesn’t respond, so pressing the button again, I add, “Bleedin’ for days here, Vito. I need comfort.”
Nox chuckles his deep sexy chuckle, and I throw the radio at him. Hard. He catches it without effort, smiling. I stomp out of his office muttering, “Freakin’ pussies.”
As I exit the room, I hear Nox buzz the radio again and ask Vito, “Got that?”
Vito responds immediately, “Every gross detail.”
I hear Nox laugh from all the way down the hall.
I won’t ever tell him how much I love that sound.
***
So a month has passed. I’m surprised by how quickly it actually went.
It was a total blur. All I really remember is training every day with Boo, Rock, or Nox.
That’s right. You heard correctly.
Nox decided he wanted to be part of my training. At the time, I thought this was a good thing, but whenever I have a Nox training day, I normally have to crawl the next day because my legs become Jell-O.
I feel fitter. I feel healthier, and I’ve even been in good spirits.
One night a few weeks ago, at dinner, I brought up the subject of me being able to speak to my family on a regular basis. And it went a little like this.
Nervously moving my food around the plate, Boo asked, “Everything okay, Dee?”
That’s the cue!
Placing my fork down, I cleared my throat and announced, “Actually, no.”
Nox and Rock stopped eating and gave me their full attention. Mind you, this was all planned beforehand. Rock and Boo knew exactly what was going on. They even had lines to remember.
Rock encouraged, “What’s the problem, Lily?”
I began, “Well, I was hoping to talk to you all about my family.”
Immediately, Nox shook his head and I added in a rush, “I’m not asking for anything huge here, Nox, just a little talk-time here and there. That sounds reasonable. Right?”
Looking to Boo and Rock, they both answered at the same time, loud and animated.
Boo nodded vigorously, “Yeah, of course!”
Rock agreed, “Sure. I mean, it’s not like you’re asking to see them or anything.”
Boo added, “It’s definitely not unreasonable.”
Rock muttered, “Not unreasonable at all.”
Then all three of us turned our pleading faces to Nox.
Looking at the three of us through narrowed eyes, he grinned when he knew he’d been had and announced, “I’ll think about it,” then left the dinner table chuckling.
The three of us huddled together, talking in a hush.
I whispered, “Okay, you know him better than I do. Was that a good chuckle or a no-way-in-hell chuckle?”
Boo said quietly, “I’m not sure. It definitely wasn’t a no, but with Nox, you never know what’s coming.”
Rock grinned, “Oh yeah, babe. You got it. I know him well enough to know he was impressed that you took initiative. He might not give you a lot, but he’ll give you something. Ya know? For your efforts.”
And wouldn’t you know it, just the next night, Nox came to my room to tell me that he’d let me talk to my parents once every two weeks, and to my sister every week.
He said the calls were to be five minutes and no longer.
Now, I don’t know much about negotiating, but I know you gotta start high.
“Half hour. Minimum.” I offered.
Nox shook his head and made a sound of disbelief. “Um. No. Five minutes.”
I tried harder, “Gimme somethin’ I can work with, Nox. Twenty minutes.”
A small smile tugged at his lips, but he said firmly, “Five minutes.”
My bravado failed slightly when my next offer sounded more like a question, “Eighteen minutes?”
His voice turned soft. “Lily.”
My heart pounded and my nose tingled, the stupid shake in my voice sounded as I asked quietly, “Fifteen minutes?”
More softness. Softer than soft. “Lily.” His voice pleading me to not push this.
Defeat evident, I dipped my chin to stop my quivering lips from showing as I whispered, “Okay. Five minutes.”
Moving closer to me, he caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it. My watery eyes met his icy blues. I was momentarily stunned when I saw something akin to sympathy there.
Using his free hand, he stroked my hair once, dropped his hand to his side and explained, “I’m not an unreasonable guy, Lily. I know you think I’m a dick and that’s cool. But I need you to know, I’m not unreasonable. Not ever.”
It took me a whole thirty seconds to get what he meant.
Meaning if there was leeway to give, he would consider what I was asking. But he can’t offer me leeway when there is none.
Breaking my thoughts, he offered, “Calls made once a week. Five minutes with your parents.” Holding my chin firm, his eyes bore into mine. “Fifteen minutes with your sister.”
When I flung myself at him and buried my face into his neck, he held me tightly. My stupid tears flowing freely.
He never rushed me.
He wouldn’t drop me.
He was my shield.
He would protect me.
Against almost anything.
***
So I guess you could say that things between Nox and I have both improved and declined. In the month that passed, I managed to pry some information out of him.
Regardless of how minimal the stupid facts are, I feel victorious.
Fact.
Nox loves iced tea. It reminds him of home.
Once, I made the mistake of asking him if he wanted sugar. He responded immediately, “Sweet tea’s for pussies,” then walked away.
Fact.
Nox is fluent in three languages and passable in six others.
He won’t tell me which ones.
Fact.
When Nox was sixteen, he was caught drunk as a skunk at a strip club. The owner called his mama and she dragged him home by his ear.
Fact.
Nox hasn’t been with a woman in close to two years.
According to Boo.
Fact.
Getting Nox to reveal pieces of himself is harder than pulling a tiger’s tooth.
Fact.
Delilah Flynn prefers to sleep with a strong arm around her waist.
A few weeks ago I woke in a cold sweat with my heart pounding out of my chest. When I opened my eyes, I looked to the doorway and for once, I wished I’d seen Nox sleeping there.
Since we came back from our first motel room adventure, Nox had left me alone. And although I was glad he put his trust in me, that first night back, I missed his presence and the comfort it brought.
Since that first adventure, there have been two more.
Both included shrieking siren alerts. Both included me being thrown into the back of a creepy black van. Both included me being blindfolded. Both included finding the most obscure, small motel to stay in, hours away.
Both times, it was just me and Nox.
Both times, Nox slept pressed into my back with an arm around my waist.
You wouldn’t hear me complaining.
In fact, my rigid body would turn soft at the contact.
I missed that.
So when I woke in a cold sweat, heart racing at almost four in the morning, it was clear what I needed. A shower, you say?
Hell no.
I needed a strong arm around me.
Slipping out of bed, I threw off my soaked nightie, replaced it with a tee and tiptoed out of my room. Creeping down the hall, I reached the door at the very end, wrapped my fingers around the door knob, and twisted.
Only to feel resistance.
Damn it to heck!
Nox locked his door at night.
My gut sank.
I stood there in the hall, dressed in a baggy white tee and underwear, contemplating what to do next, when something clicked and the door opened. Nox stood there in boxers, looking tired and just woken. Without a word, I pushed my way inside, walked across the room, climbed into his bed facing away from him, and covered myself with the covers.
Laying my head down with a sigh, I waited.
And waited.
Patiently, I waited some more until I finally felt it. The bed depressed, and Nox slid in beside me.
Turning to me, his arm wrapped around my hips, and he pulled me back into his body.
Not a single word was spoken.
And that was okay.
We didn’t need ‘em.
***
That was not the last night I’d spent in Nox’s bed.
In fact, more often than not, I slept in his bed rather than my own. He’d even started to leave his bedroom door unlocked, knowing that in the wee hours of the morning, I’d be making an appearance.
Rock walked in on us sleeping one morning, and when we both lifted our heads to look up at him, he looked like he’d just found out unicorns were real.
The best part of the situation?
Nox grumbled, “You need somethin’?” Like it was no big deal.
Rock’s eyebrows lifted so fast, I thought they’d fly off his face. “Nah. Just wanted to see if you wanted to spar before work, but,” Smirking like an ass, he finished with, “I see you’re tired.”
Backing out of the room, he shut the door and Nox tucked me into his side, mumbling, “Ass.”
I wrapped my arm around his side and sighed quietly, “Mmhmmm.”
Then we slept for the better part of the morning.
It was peaceful.
It was quiet.
It was perfect.
***
Fast forward three weeks…
I vaguely hear something penetrate the depths of my deep sleep.
“Boss?”
My dream pulls me back in and just as I get to the good part, static sounds, then I hear a little more clearly, “Boss? Come in.”
Peeking through one eye, I check the clock on the nightstand.
7:47am.
Oh, for the love of God. Why are people awake at this time?
Getting more of my bearings, I roll over on the bed. I do this with ease which immediately alerts me to the fact that Nox is already awake.
“The hell, Boss? Come in.” This comes from the two-way radio on the opposite nightstand.
Throwing my body across the bed, I press the button on the two-way. “Shower, Vito.”
“Lily? What the…? You know what, I don’t wanna know,” Vito responds gingerly.
I chuckle, “Shut up, Vito. I was asleep. And by the way, I need more pads.”
Clearly confused, he asks, “Pads? What kind of pads?”
“The feminine hygiene kind. Aunt Flo will be here soon.”
I almost see the disgust on his face. “TMI, Lily. Seriously, babe. Just tell me what you need.”
Feeling sleepy again, I mumble, “Heavy flow.”
He chuckles, “Oh yeah, like I could forget, huh? Got it. Anything else?”
Wow. Asking a woman, soon to be on the rag, if they need anything is a dangerous question.
Now that I think about it, I add to my list. “Uh, yeah. Candy. Lots of it. And a magazine. Or three. And pancake mix. The good kind, not the stuff you got last time. It tasted like cardboard. Maybe some bacon, too. And don’t forget the syrup.”
He scoffs, “Babe, I meant the essentials.”
Rolling my eyes, I utter, “Vito, that is essential to a girl with her monthly friend.”
Silence.
I gotta butter him up a little. In a sing-song voice, I say, “C’mon, Vito. I’ll be sweet to you.”
Lightning quick, he returns, “Oh Lily, baby. You get any sweeter and I’ll get a sugar rush.”
I’m stunned and thoroughly amused. “Vito, was that…? Did you just…? Was that flirting?”
He says quietly, “That depends.”
Confused again. “On what?”
He mutters huskily, “Depends on if you liked it, babe.”
Having to think about this, I mumble, “Well, it was my first time, but yeah, it was nice.”
Vito sounds shocked. “No one’s ever flirted with you before?”
“Nope.” I pop the p.
I can hear the smile in his voice. “It’s a crime, baby.”
Just then, the door to the bathroom opens and in walks Nox, wearing nothing but a towel.
My brain smiles like the cat that got the cream. Seeing Nox like this is nothing unusual now. Modesty is a thing of the past.
Nox narrows his eyes at the two-way in my hand and I roll my eyes at him. Pressing the button, I say, “Listen, I gotta go. Se?or Anger just got out the shower. You need him?”
Vito chuckles, “Nope. Not unless he needs anything.”
Still in bed, I look up at Nox and ask, “Need anything from the store?”
Stepping into a pair of gunmetal-grey boxers, he pulls them up under his towel and replies, “Oatmeal. Apples. Eggs.”
Still holding the button on the two-way, I ask, “You get that, Vito?”
“Got it. Have a nice day, sweet, sweet Lily.” He overdoes it with the huskiness, and I chuckle before putting on a breathy voice, “Bye, baby.”
Still chuckling, I put the two-way back on the nightstand and watch Nox dress.
I love this part of the morning. He acts like I don’t exist and I act like he can’t see me. Today is a little different for me, though. I can’t seem to wipe the smile off my face. It doesn’t bother me that he doesn’t know what today is. It doesn’t bother me that no one knows what today is. I’m just happy that I made it to another birthday safe and well and surrounded by friends.
The hot guy in my bed?
Total bonus.