Page 202 of The Monster and the Masochist

Happily, there was one under the sink in the upstairs bathroom, and by the time I made it back, Theo had curled up on her side and succumbed to her exhaustion.

Smiling at how peaceful she looked, I sat on the edge of the bed and tugged her bare feet into my lap, before getting to work.

Gently, I cleansed and disinfected the cuts on her feet, using the tweezers to pull out any bits of glass I could find. I would need her to let me know if she felt like I’d missed any when she woke up, in case there were tiny splinters I couldn’t see.

She twitched and moaned a few times, especially when I used the antiseptic to disinfect the wounds, but otherwise, she barely stirred.

Finally, I wrapped her feet in bandages and gently shook her until she roused.

“Mmm, Cass?” she croaked, and I smiled, kissing her softly on the cheek.

“Yeah, baby. It’s me. Can you sit up for a minute? I just want to get you tucked in.”

“Yeah.” Theo gave me a sleepy grin and shuffled up so I could pull the thick, cozy duvet over her prone form.

Quickly, I stripped out of my clothes and slipped into bed with her. I smiled to myself as she instinctively stretched out her arm so I could curl up in what we affectionately called ‘my nook.’

With my head on her shoulder and her hand lazily stroking lines up and down my naked back, I finally allowed myself to relax.

Burying my nose in the spot just under her jaw, I inhaled her scent and reveled in the fact that she was here next to me, safe and alive.

“Cass?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I think… I think I’m ready to tell you who it was now.”

My heart leaped in my chest, and my monster perked up from where it had curled up to sleep in its cage.

“Yeah? Are you sure?”

“Mhmm… but… it’s gonna piss you off. Maybe I’ll tell you in the morning, so you can at least get some sleep?”

I hated that idea.

I would rather spend a thousand sleepless nights hunting down the man that had hurt my wife than spend another second in the dark… but… I knew if she told me, I wouldn’t be able to force myself to stay here with her.

And right now, she didn’t need me to hunt down and murder her abuser.

She just needed me to hold her.

So that’s what I was going to do.

I’d already waited months to learn this particular truth. Morning was only a few hours away.

I could wait a few more hours, especially if it meant I got to spend those few hours holding the love of my life while she slept.

Alexa Play: Defenses Down by CJ Starnes

“Fuck, baby… that hurts so good.” Theo was smirking down at me as I knelt on the ground by the bed, attacking a stubborn splinter of glass in her foot that she informed me she could still feel when she stood.

I glanced up at her, giving her an unamused glare.

“You little fucking masochist. This isn’t sexy, Theo. This is dangerous. If you ever walk on broken glass with bare feet again, I’ll beat your ass raw.”

Theo’s eyes flashed, and that playful smirk of hers widened.

“Promise?”