Through this weird out-of-body haze I’m experiencing, I hear Nick softly speak behind me in the background. “Such a beautiful sight.” Then, I feel the mattress dip down as Nick lays naked beside me. The crisp sheets feel cool against my skin, and I suddenly realize I’m chilled. Visible shivers begin taking over, wracking my body to the point my teeth chatter. I swear it feels as if I just stepped into the North Pole. Nick notices my duress immediately and pulls the comforter up over both of us. He pulls me into his side, providing me with his body heat.
“Shh, love, everything is going to be fine.” He tenderly strokes my hair, pushing it away from my face, exposing the side of my neck. He leans in to press his lips against my temple as he softly whispers, “The moment you gave your body and soul to me...my God, it was the most magnificent thing I’ve ever seen.” He pauses. “Look at me, please.” I peer through blurry eyes to find the most sincere, heart-warming smile on his lips, and his eyes exude a tender mercy.
“I love you, Julianna. I hope you understand now that you’re mine.” I close my eyes and let a few stray tears escape and run over my cheek. This is too much for me to swallow right now. Feeling his erection on my hip, I know I can’t do this again. I’m already shattered and deeply exhausted.
He kisses my silent tears away. “Even your tears speak of surrender to me, a symbolic surrender, and they’re priceless. You could never know how much you mean to me.” He kisses another tear before it gets away from him. “This...this right here is the start of something beautiful. Right now, I could take you again and again, but I’m not going to; I’m not an animal. It’s my job to see to your needs and to know what you require before even you do. I get off on pampering you during your aftercare, just as much as I get off seeing you on that cross. Mark my words—we will be happy together. I can feel it.”
He reaches behind him, searching for something on the nightstand. I hear paper crinkling, and my brows furrow in question. Then my senses pick up the smell of chocolate as it wafts under my nose. My mouth immediately begins to salivate. Nick brings a small piece of chocolate to my lips and murmurs for me to open. I comply, tasting the sweet, delicious, sugary candy.
“Let it melt on your tongue; it will help you. I won’t leave you until I know you’ve safely come down.” He leans in, pressing a tender kiss against my cheek. “I need to make sure you’re emotionally stable before I go for the night. Are you okay with that?” he gently questions.
“Yes,” I whisper on a shaky breath. The crazy state of confusion I’m living in takes place front and center, along with his display of genuine affection. I’m so confused. His aftercare of tender ministrations and softly spoken words is a total contradiction to the man who just whipped the living shit out of me. The disorderly jumble of chaos swirling around in my mind sends new streams of silent tears leaking out from the corners of my eyes, and my breath hitches.
“Shh, darling, I’m here.”
What’s even more mystifying and bizarre is I feel as if I truly need him. I have an all-consuming hunger for his affection and consoling care. It feels like the equivalent of dying of thirst in the Sahara Desert, and someone comes along out of the blue and hands over a glass of cool water. I feel so clingy and out of sorts. A strange kind of emotion has transpired within me, and the confusion from it has me shedding tears for an entirely different reason now.
He’s trying to settle the turbulent upheaval in my mind, making me feel warm, adored, and safe. He seems to know exactly what I need right now, because I have never felt this way before. I’m totally out of my element.
I inhale a deep, shaky breath and breathe in Nick’s strong, masculine, and sexy smell. In the back of my mind, I know I will hate him with a vengeance again come tomorrow, especially when the Blyss wears off, but I easily push those thoughts aside for right now. My body melts into his as I snuggle deeper into his arms and lay my cheek down on his warm chest. I close my eyes, sinking into the comfort of Nick’s trance. “Not yet, love. Take a sip of juice for me, yeah?” My body and mind willingly comply with his every wish. “You need to rehydrate.”
With the last sip of juice Nick had diligently given me, and a bar of chocolate later, he snuggles my head back under his chin and onto his muscled chest. My ear rests against the beating rhythm of his heart while he reverently strokes my hair. I bask in his cocoon of tender caresses and compassion. His strong heartbeat thrums, settling my soul with its steady strum.