I manage to undo several before he succumbs to his next seizure and I have to pull away until his body relaxes again.
“I think they’re coming faster.”
“Yes.”
“This would be a lot easier if you helped.”
“I’d help if I could,” Luci says, “but I can’t let go of the bed or I’m afraid I’ll end up hurting you.”
I chide myself for not making better use of the time as I quickly search for the next buttons, only to be met with the leather straps of the harness around his chest. Tracing the leather, I find the buckles keeping it in place and somehow manage to unfasten them before Luci seizes again.
As he settles once again, I can’t help but notice that his breathing has grown labored. I don’t waste any time as I find the last of his shirt’s buttons and pull it open to expose the entirety of his chest.
Tracing my fingertips along the center of his torso, I find the edge of his pants and hurry to unhook the belt from around his waist.
Luci lets out a pained groan as I feel his hands twist fistfuls of the bedsheets beneath us.
“Move.”
The word comes out in a hiss, barely leaving his mouth before I feel his body writhe in pain beneath my hands, and I’m forced backward as I topple over on the bed.
I scramble back to Luci’s side the moment the bed stops shaking, my own heart beating wildly in my chest. My fingers tremble as I try to maintain composure and reach for his pants.
Undoing them, I follow the lengths of his legs to the edge of the bed and throw my entire body weight into pulling them off. Thankfully, or not so thankfully, they come off easily and the pants and I are sent sprawling across the floor.
I wait for the next seizure to roll through him before I scramble up onto the bed between his legs. I run my hands up the middle of his thighs to find the top of his underwear, his body stiffening against me.
“Evi.”
My name barely manages to escape his lips, and I have just enough time to pull his underwear off him and throw myself from the bed before he’s seizing again.
I remain on the floor panting while I wait for the bed to stop shaking. If these men weren’t so massive this wouldn’t be nearly the workout that it is.
Forcing myself to my feet, I clamber back onto the bed while simultaneously pulling my own underwear off. It’s only after I’ve tossed them somewhere in the dark that I realize he never mentioned that I had to remove my clothes.
I can tear into myself over my own stupidity later, but right now I need to help this man. Once again feeling for him in the dark, I throw my leg over his hips to straddle him before nestling down against his chest.
This damp chill of his body sends a shudder through mine.
“The seizures won’t stop immediately,” Luci says, pausing after nearly every word as he struggles to breathe.
“Then I’ll just hold on,” I murmur, clenching my thighs around his hips and slipping my hands under his torso as I grip the back of his shirt to further anchor myself to him.
The next second, I’m holding on for dear life as his body writhes beneath me. It’s even more challenging than I expected, and by the time he’s finally resting again my body is covered in a mixture of our sweat.
Together, we ride through a number of seizures, the time between each slowly getting longer and longer. After what feels like an eternity, Luci’s body finally stops seizing altogether.
“Thank you,” Luci murmurs, exhaustion heavy in his voice.
I don’t say anything as I continue to cling to him. Honestly, I’d half expected him to be lying about needing my body heat, but it genuinely seems to have helped. If anything, I’m more surprised that his mind is clear enough for him to think to thank me.
“You’re welcome,” I whisper shifting slightly to pull back from him.
Luci’s rough hands reach up to wrap around me, anchoring me to his chest as my body instinctively tenses at his touch.
“Don’t go. Please. I need you.”
I slowly force my body to relax, my cheek pressing against his chest. Luci’s hands don’t drop from my body as I’d expected them to, instead his arms tighten around me as he takes a deep, steadying breath in.