I nodded. Considering everything, it could have been much worse. That horrible man could have dragged me out of the store. Instead, a handsome southern gentleman stepped in and saved the day. The fear receded, leaving me weak in its wake.
“Yes… just a bit shaken, I guess?”
Admittedly, shaken seemed to be a mild description. When Erik warned me of the dangers, it always made the world seem like a cold, horrifying place. He scheduled everything. Even his birthday. He didn’t like surprises. Said there were too many dangerous variables. Until this moment, I hadn’t thought he might be right.
“That’s common after a situation like this.” The Southern man slowly pulled his hand away.
When I didn’t fall over, he bent down and picked up the box of crackers.
“Situation like this?”
I pulled the cart away from the shelves, catching a can of tuna as it fell.
“Nice reflexes.” He smirked at me.
My trembling hand seemed foreign. Like someone else had reached out. I’d barely even seen the can and yet caught it with no problem.
“I guess...” I put the tuna back.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
Concern blazed in his brown eyes. My heart skipped a beat, as if I just registered his closeness.
Goosebumps rippled across my arms. Something fluttered in my belly, and it startled me to realize that I found this man with his dark brown eyes and chestnut hair stunningly attractive.
Something inside me twinged with guilt. No man should compare to my Erik. No man should even be on my radar.
It’s just because of the situation.
I kept telling myself that. Yet, this man somehow made my mouth go dry with need.
The ache in my chest blossomed again, and I sucked in a breath.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He stepped closer, hands spread out as if ready to catch me.
The pain receded, and I cleared my throat. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
His brows pressed together as he pulled a black leather wallet from his back pocket. “My name is Cooper Walsh.” He opened the wallet and pulled a card from it. “I’m a psychiatrist. If you find yourself needing to talk, call me. Or email. Whatever you’re more comfortable with.”
Forcing a smile, I took the card. “Thank you.”
To be polite, I put the card in the inside pocket of my purse. The one reserved for tampons and panty liners. Only I didn’t have feminine hygiene products. The accident caused extreme internal damage. The doctors removed my uterus and ovaries. No menstrual cycle—but also no children.
“What’s your name?” Cooper asked. “In case you reach out, it’s good to know.”
He flashed a smile, and a dimple appeared in his left cheek. I bit my lip, my brain taking a moment to process my name.
“Uh, um. Oh, right.” I traced the edge of my left brow. My cheeks warmed from embarrassment. “Lenore.”
His smile widened. “It definitely suits you.”
The butterflies came back.
“Thank you.”
My brain stopped processing, unable to form coherent sentences beyond a few words. Too many emotions and so much confusion in a brief span.
“Take care, Lenore.” He walked past me toward his cart.
I couldn’t resist the urge to look.
My cheeks flushed as I ogled his backside. Swiftly, I turned away and walked in the other direction.
A renewed sense of guilt settled in my belly, chasing away the butterflies. It may have been because I found Cooper attractive. It may also have been because I didn’t plan to tell Erik the truth of what happened today. If he knew, he’d revoke my privileges, and I’d never leave the house again. Erik only wanted to protect me. I knew that, but without my little taste of freedom, I might go mad.
Besides, it had obviously been a case of mistaken identity.
I didn’t want to upset or disappoint Erik, but I read all the time about such wonderful places. Not just foreign places like Italy, but also concerts, and beautiful restaurants. Places that people frequented regularly. But Erik wouldn’t take me. Not even to a restaurant. We ordered in, but never went out. The only place he took me was the library to get new books to read. The supermarket was the only time I had alone outside of the house. And it had been a long battle to win that bit of freedom.
No, I couldn’t tell him.
I gathered everything on the list, rushing a little more now that the incident had taken up so much time. I paid at the register, took the bags and walked home. I always shopped without weighing the bags down. Erik promised he’d teach me to drive soon, but he’d been saying that for a while now. Besides, he only drove when necessary. Though he never said it, I suspected the accident had something to do with a car.
3
It didn’t take much to smooth things over with Erik. My excuse of long lines and a slow walk home made sense. He had no reason to doubt me. We made love again, and for a while the anxiety faded. I strategically worked it so he gripped my arms, pulling them back as he took me from behind on the bed. Not for the first time. I still had my shirt on too, which helped. Not a planned detail, but it worked out. Erik always seemed to lose patience when it came to being inside me. At night, he would take his time, but during the day? There was nothing sensual about it. Just possession and raw need.
He thrust into me as if I was the only thing grounding him to the earth. The feel of him inside me had pleasure rippling through my body in ways I couldn’t describe. It was almost euphoric, as if he was the natural aphrodisiac made specifically for me. I bucked under him, trying to gain some control, set the pace and take what I needed.
I was so close. “Erik, please!”
A feral growl escaped him, and he pulled out. He flipped me on my back and slammed
