Wake to Dream(67)
“There’s more to it, Doc. That’s not the end of the story.”
He didn’t immediately respond, but when he finally spoke again, his voice was hesitant and grim. “Then you need to tell me the rest, Alice. I don’t think I need to remind you that time is running out.”
“Good morning.”
A deep voice broke through the giddiness Alice was feeling since the moment she woke. Rolling over to face the man who’d been sleeping so peacefully beside her just seconds before, she smiled. “I hope last night wasn’t too stressful for you.”
Adding humor to her voice, she’d attempted to phrase the statement as more of a joke than a question about her behavior. Alice very rarely remembered what she did in sleep and she wasn’t entirely sure that the night had been as serene as she hoped it had.
“Well,” Max answered, a grin pulling at his lips. “You moved around some at first, but it wasn’t until you attempted to rip out my throat - the entire time calling me a sadistic monster – that I held you down until you stopped screaming, slapped you around a little bit, and then had sex with you until you fell back into a deep sleep. After that, I wrapped my arms around you and held you in place just in case you were planning a second attack.”
Her eyes widened, her heart beating erratically beneath her ribs. “Please tell me you’re joking.” She knew he had to be joking, but with the life she’d lived, with the things her father had done to her, she couldn’t be entirely sure.
A serious expression replaced the once silly grin on his face. “Of course, I’m joking. You slept like a baby the entire night.”
Breathing out a relieved sigh, she smiled shyly. “You’re sure?”
His eyes met hers, concern rolling behind the light blue. “I can’t say for certain, but I assume so because you never woke me up. And I’m a light sleeper, Alice. I would have noticed if you were fighting or screaming.”
Relief filled her, a ray of warmth spreading through her chest and head, her muscles relaxing against her bones as she cuddled up against Max. “That’s the first time that’s ever happened, I think.”
He watched her intently, his expression uncertain. “You think?”
Nodding her head, she answered, “I’ve lived alone for a long time now. And I don’t always remember what happened while I was sleeping. Usually I can figure out it wasn’t good when I wake up to find the pillows and blankets on the floor, or when I wake up to find myself somewhere else entirely.”
Pulling her tighter against his chest, Max allowed silence to settle between them, both of their thoughts kept to themselves as a sense of comfort enveloped them in the morning light.
“We should get moving at some point.” His arms pulling away from where they’d held her, Max stood from the bed, the mattress shifting beneath her at the loss of his weight. Alice turned to watch him walk into the bathroom and close the door.
Finally convincing herself that it was time to get up, Alice shimmied to the edge of the bed, her mind still wandering about what she would do for the day when Max opened the bathroom door, a cloud of steam dancing out from behind him.
A white towel was wrapped loosely around his hips as he approached a large bureau. Dropping the towel from around his hips, Max tossed it into a wicker hamper, the firm cheeks of his ass staring back at Alice from beneath broad shoulders, a strong back, and the indented line that ran along the length of his spine. Smooth skin barely contained the steel musculature of his body, and Alice became lost to the way his biceps flexed when he pulled clothes from his bureau.
Dark blue jeans and a simple white t-shirt. It seemed too casual for a man as sophisticated as him.
After getting dressed, Max disappeared into his closet, reappearing with the outfit he’d selected for her to wear.
“I grabbed this for you.” He dropped a simple white dress into her lap before turning to walk across the room and out into the hall. From over his shoulder, he said, “Meet me in the kitchen when you’re done. I’ll start breakfast.”
Alice smiled and she couldn’t believe her luck for having found a man as considerate as the one who would be her future husband.
She stood up on tired and sore legs to stand before the full-length mirror. Max had chosen a simple dress with buttons up the front, a blue sash as a belt to cinch it at her waist.
Pulling the cloth over her shoulders, she fastened the buttons one by one before tying the sash and looking at reflection in the mirror. The dress was quite beautiful, despite its simplicity, but her hair was a frightful mess of blonde limp tendrils. Reaching up, she braided the mess back to give it the illusion of being styled before huffing out a breath and making her way out of the room and down three flights of stairs.
From the kitchen came loud clanging sounds, pots and pans being pulled from cabinets, the sizzle of bacon heard seconds before the smell hit her nose like an avalanche of temptation. Her stomach rumbled as she stepped barefoot from the wood floors of the entry hall onto the cool stone tile.
“I’m here,” she stated softly.
“Take a seat at the center island, Alice. Breakfast will be ready in a minute.”
Plates were set down on the counter before her, a different design than the ones she’d dropped the night before. Eggs and bacon, toast and juice, an ordinary meal that made her smile brightly.