Well, fuck.
I press my eyes closed and breathe through another cramp.
My birth control normally does a pretty good job of stopping my period, and it’s a godsend because I’ve always struggled with the pain they bring. But in times of high stress, not even all those artificial hormones can stop my body from doing its thing.
Making a quick decision to take a shower, I turn the water on as hot as it will go and undress, trying not to focus on the too expensive underwear that is now ruined. Between Orion’s cum and my blood, there’s probably not much hope of them being salvaged.
I step under the water and groan as the warmth seeps into my body. I didn’t realize how badly I needed this.
I started feeling a bit off after we left the warehouse, but tried to ignore it. However, in this case, ignorance was not bliss.
Carefully, I lower myself to the tiles, leaning my back against the wall as the water cascades down my body, soothing some of the cramping, but it’s a short-term fix.
I rest my head against the wall, breathing through the pain and cursing myself out for not making an appointment to see the doctor now that I have money in my account.
For years, I did just about anything to avoid having to go to the doctor, knowing Travis and I couldn’t afford it, but I’ve been meaning to make an appointment for a while to get a checkup.
The doctor that put in my IUD said some women just have rough periods, and others have other things going on that need to be investigated further, and I’ve always just kind of assumed I was in the first group of women. But it wouldn’t hurt to get checked to make sure.
“Ember?” Orion calls from the bedroom door, and I don’t bother responding. He’ll figure out where I am when he hears the water running in here.
The bathroom door swings open, and his eyes move over the space with an edge of panic that makes my heart ache. In all the times I’ve thought about the night I tried to take my own life, I’ve rarely considered how it must have been for Orion to find me like that.
I only remember snippets of him as he begged me to hold on, to not give up, to stay with him. The panic in his voice as hespoke to Killian. How desperately he held on when the doctors told him they needed to take me into surgery.
Those memories must haunt him, and my heart pangs with regret.
I poke my head around the edge of the glass, meeting his worried eyes. “I’m in here.”
His brows furrow as he steps closer, and then he spots the panties I’ve balled up beside the dress, and understanding fills his features. “Are you in pain?”
I nod. “Yeah. The hot water is helping.”
He crouches beside the shower and takes me in. “What do you need?”
“Tampons. Or pads. Or literally anything that will stop me from bleeding everywhere.”
He stands without a word and walks out into the bedroom, appearing after a minute with an armful of feminine products, which he dumps a few feet from the shower.
My eyes widen as I take in the three different types of tampons, day and night pads, a period cup, and four different styles of period underwear.
“I got you everything because I didn’t know what you would want. Your old apartment didn’t have much in the way of this kind of thing, so I didn’t want to guess wrong.”
A soft smile tugs at the corners of my lips, and the way my heart flips in my chest should worry me. But it doesn’t. The way Orion cares for me is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, and I’m not going to pretend I don’t love it.
Who wouldn’t want a billionaire falling all over himself to look after their every need?
“Thank you,” I murmur.
He reaches into the shower, fully clothed and uncaring as his suit gets wet, and flicks the water off before scooping me up off the floor.
“Orion, what are you doing?” I screech.
“I’m going to get you dry and comfortable, and then I’m going to get the painkillers and heat pack from the kitchen,” he explains, depositing me beside the sink.
He doesn’t savor drying me the way he did this morning, instead making quick work of it before he eyes the pile of period products he brought in. “Which one do you want?”
Heat hits my cheeks, and I bury my head in my hands. This is way more mortifying than I expected it to be.
