Page 115 of Shattered Silence Duet

“I can’t sleep.”

“I thought I heard you moving around in here, that’s why I came to check on you. Is there anything I can do to help you sleep? A warm glass of milk or I could put more lights on, if that will help?” he asks gently. I don’t think any of those things will help. The worry and fear set in as soon as they left me alone.

“Could you—” I look up at him nervously, afraid of his response.

“Ask me anything, Kitten.”

“Stay with me?”

His eyes soften as he strokes my cheek. “Of course, lay down.” He stands up as I lay back down and he pulls the blanket back before climbing in beside me, pulling the cover up to cover us both.

I lay on my back nervously and am beyond happy when he takes control of the situation. “Turn to face the other way, good girl,” he says when I obey him. He moves himself up against my back and wraps his arm around my waist so I can’t tell where he ends and I begin.

He gently rests his palm against the bandage on my lower stomach, and my breath hitches. “Kitten, do you want to talk about it?”

I lick my dry lips and with a shaky breath I ask, “about what?”

“The doctor said you might not be able to have children. Youhaven’t said anything, and I wanted to know how you were feeling about it.”

I take a moment to consider how I feel. Mostly, I’ve been tryingnotto think about it. “I-I’m angry she did that to me,” I whisper, deciding to be honest. He kisses my shoulder and it gives me the strength to keep talking. “I’m mad I might not be able to make the decision to become a parent.” He kisses me again. “I’ve never considered having children before, and I’m not sure I’d want them. But I hate that the decision has been taken from me.”

“I’m sorry she may have taken that choice from you, baby,” Dom says before placing another kiss on my shoulder.

“D—do you want children?” I ask nervously.

“Like you, I’ve never thought much about them. I think I’d be okay with them, if it’s something the person I’m with wants, but I’m also okay without them.”

He moves his hand higher, over my ribs and presses his nose into my neck. His warm breath skates over my skin, sending tingles everywhere.

“Dom?”

“Yes, Kitten?

“Is this cuddling?” I ask curiously.

He smiles against me as he answers, “yes, do you like it?”

“Uh huh,” I mumble, unable to say anything else right now. My mind races with a million questions, completely different from the one’s keeping me from sleeping only minutes earlier.

Is cuddling something all friends do? Why does it feel so intimate? Could I do this with all the guys? Could I do it with more than one at once?

“I can practically hear you thinking. Do you want to ask me something, Mina?”

“Is this… something friends do?”

“Sometimes,” he answers slowly. “But you know you’re not just a friend to us, right?”

“I’m not?” I ask in confusion.

“No.”

“Then what am I?”

“You’re our everything,” he says before placing a kiss on the back of my neck. That, combined with his words, sends a bolt of desire through me making me squeeze my legs together. Even though his words are vague and confusing, I can’t help but feel the sexual undertone to them.

“I don’t understand,” I whisper.

“You will. But right now, it’s time for sleep.”