Page 17 of Lumi

CHAPTER 3

Babysitting

Lumi

“Why do women take so long?” We had already brushed our teeth, and now Damian was sitting on the toilet seat with his elbow resting on the sink.

“I’m just removing my make-up, washing my face, and putting on night cream. It’ll only take a few minutes.

“Do ye need to pee before bed?” Damian asked.

I avoided looking at him when I mumbled, “Yes.”

“Me too.”

We fetched the key from the dining table, and even though we’d only been chained together for an hour, it still felt nice to have my hand back.

Damian used the bathroom first while I carried my laptop and power cord to my side of the bed. When he was done and came into my bedroom, I heard him step out of his clothes behind me as I searched for a t-shirt in my closet.

“Do you mind if I sleep in my briefs? I get warm at night,” he asked.

“Suit yourself. I’m trying to find something I can use as sleepwear.”

“What do ye usually sleep in?”

I turned my head and looked straight at him. “Nothing.”

Damian was crawling into bed but paused mid-movement. “Ehh… I don’t know what to say to that.”

With a shrug, I reached up higher and settled on a gray Beatles t-shirt that Nathan had given me from his hometown of Liverpool.

“Why do ye still have that old Harry Potter blanket? It kind of clashes with the pristine interior, don’t ye think?”

I moved over to the reading chair in my bedroom and brushed a hand over the blanket that lay across the armrest. “It was a present from my mum.”

“Oh, I see.”

The look of understanding between us soothed me. With Damian, I didn’t need to explain further. Another man might have dug for more information about my past and brought up trauma and pain, but Damian and I had a shared understanding that there was no need to bring up any of that.

After a quick stop in the bathroom to empty my bladder, I came back to find Damian on the left side of the bed.

“You’re on my side.”

Damian lifted his head from the pillow. “I’m the man. My side is closest to the door.”

“Why? Who made up that rule?”

“Men did. How else are we going to protect our woman if there’s an intruder?”

I stared at him. “Except I’m notyourwoman, and I’ve lived here for years without any intruders.”

Showing me that he wasn’t going anywhere, Damian lowered his head back to the pillow. “I’m sleeping on this side, and you know damn well that I’d protect ye with my life.”

My throat tightened, and my heart picked up speed. How was I ever going to get any sleep when all I wanted to do was love Damian?

An overdose takes timeI reminded myself and got into bed beside him.

Damian was still wearing the handcuffs and helped me put my side on. “Do you have the key?”