Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“God,” I said to the empty room. “I love that pint-sized hobbit.”
The bedroom door to Ina’s room suddenly slammed shut, frightening the life out of me. I jumped to my feet and was before her door in seconds. “Ina?”
“Go away,” she groaned through the wood. “Ye can’t see me like this.”
I tested the handle, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Open the door.”
“Dante,” she whimpered. “I’m in really bad shape right now. Please, go away.”
“No.”
She thumped on the door.
“I wet me bed!” She began to cry. “Go. Away.”
“No.”
The door was suddenly unlocked and yanked open, and she was still wearing her lingerie. The barely-there fabric hardly covered her rose red nipples or the dark curls between her legs. She was a wet dream come to life, but Christ, she looked miserable. Her normally gorgeous, fair skin looked almost grey, her lips were pale, and her green eyes were bloodshot. She didn’t have her glasses on, and she only had one of her aids in. My honey was a mess.
“What the hell d’ye mean no?” she demanded, squinting so she could try to bring me into focus. “I’ve the worst hangover ever known to man, and you’re tellin’ me no?”
“Yeah. If you keep askin’ me to leave, I’m tellin’ you no.”
She sagged against the door; her energy depleted. “Why?”
“Because I can’t take care of ye if ye send me away.”
Her beautiful green eyes got teary. “Ye want to take care of me?”
“You’re me baby.” I rolled my eyes. “Of course I want to take care of ye, specs.”
“But … But I look disgustin’, and I smell vile. Ye can’t go near me bathroom without a hazmat suit. I remember being violently sick.”
She didn’t need to know that I had already spent a decent amount of time cleaning and sanitising the room. When I smiled, her breath left her body in a sigh. She didn’t react when I stepped forward, took her hand, and tugged her into a walk. I brought her down the hall to the bathroom that smelled like lemon now.
“Shower,” I said. “I’ll strip your bed.”
“No,” she almost shouted. “I’ll do that.”
“Babe.” I turned her to face me. “I’ve had me tongue on, and in, every inch of you. Cleanin’ soiled sheets isn’t gonna repulse me. You’re sick, and I’m takin’ care of ye. End of discussion.”
Ina burst into tears as she wrapped her arms around me. “I love ye so much. I don’t know what I did to deserve ye.”
I hugged her back and kissed her head. “Love you more.”
When she began to remove her lingerie, she realised she was wearing it, and her wide eyes darted to mine. “What in Jesus’s name am I wearin’?”
That outfit had absolutely nothing to do with Jesus.
I rubbed my neck. “The lingerie ye won in that raffle … ye wanted to wear it to bed.”
No way I was going to tell her that she wore it so I’d get her pregnant. She’d never look me in the eye again.
“My God,” she whispered. “I haven’t touched that basket since ye made me bring it home. I hid it in the bottom of me wardrobe. We didn’t use any of the toys, did we?”
She also didn’t need to know she wanted to fuck me with her big blue dildo.
“No, we didn’t have sex at all. Ye were too drunk to give consent, and I was too worried over ye to get hard even if ye did.”
Ina nodded. “Don’t tell me anythin’ I said and did. I can’t cope with knowin’.”
I figured as much. “I won’t say a word. Get undressed.”
Wordlessly, she removed the revealing fabric, tossed it in the wash basket, placed her hearing aid on the counter, and got into the shower. I didn’t leave until she was under the spray and had begun washing her face free of the war paint the still stained her skin. After I entered her room and stripped her bedsheets, removed the mattress protector, and redressed the bed, duvet, and pillowcases, I brought all the washing down to the utility room and shoved everything into the large drum of the washing machine. After adding the washing liquid and softener, I selected the setting I wanted and clicked start. I returned to the bathroom and watched Ina standing under the spray, just enjoying the water.
I waited until her eyes were on me before I signed, Feel better?
“Yes,” she answered, turning her body to me as she wiped her eyes free of water. “So much. I washed me hair twice and scrubbed every inch of skin. I brushed me teeth and tongue too, and the difference it makes is huge.”
“Think ye can manage some food?”
She shivered and signed, Not right now.
Are you sure?
Whenever she signed to me, I always signed back to keep up with my practice. I was learning a new phrase each day, and I knew Ina loved when I conversed with her like this.