Strings Attached

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Regardless of my preference to stay with her, it was past time for me to join the video call and see how far the team had gotten along. Wanting to make sure she'd drink at least a bit of tea, I handed her the cup with the hot liquid, but she just stared at me and made no move to accept it.

"It's just chamomile tea. I'm not trying to drug you, I only want you to relax," I explained quietly, encouraging her to drink. At last, something gave in her doubtful stare and she took hold of the cup, taking a few small sips.

To my relief, the tea seemed to have done her good...so good that she smiled at me for the first time ever. Even though the smile only lasted for a split second, it was enough to make my heart skip a beat and fill with comforting warmth.

"Thank you," she said in a quiet voice, her wide hazel eyes meeting my gaze.

Isabelle's kind gestures gave me a trace of hope that there might be a slight chance for me to find a way to win her affection. The thought made me smile back at her and I reached out to caress her blushing cheek. Our eyes locked together and there was a silent understanding building in the air that was shared between us. 

"Why don't you get some sleep," I instructed softly. "I have to take care of a few things and I will join you later."

Keeping her gaze locked with mine, she nodded her head. For a few more moments, we remained staring at each other in silence and then I got up and walked back to the living area.

Determined not to waste anymore time, I put on a black T-shirt and called Emily, asking her to inform the team I'd be joining their call. In a matter of minutes, I had my laptop on and I was already discussing the progress they had made. Despite my hopes that we'd manage to speed up the process so I could go to sleep, we kept coming against problems of technical nature and it was well past midnight when we wrapped everything up. Even after everyone else left, I stayed up for another hour, double-checking the new plans to make sure nothing slipped my attention this time around. Satisfied with the results, I had finally called it a night.

After taking a much needed shower, I walked inside the bedroom and my eyes fell on Isabelle who was fast asleep and sprawled over the entire length of the bed. A smile twisted my lips at the unexpected sight of my wife who had always made sure to remain as far away as possible from my side of the bed. Careful not to wake her up, I gently rearranged her body to create some space so I could join her.

Exhausted to the point I was in danger of passing out, I lay down and closed my eyes, falling asleep the second my head touched the pillow. Vaguely, I was aware of the pleasant scent of spring that was taking over my senses and a warm body leaning against mine. Isabelle, sweetheart...In an instinctive reaction, I wrapped my arms around her small waist and pulled her closer until her back touched my chest and my nose got buried in her silky hair. There was a fleeing thought that my action might scare her away, but she just moaned softly and seemed to have relaxed in my embrace. There was this feeling of immense peace and happiness building inside of me and I drifted away with the thought that it was the beginning of a beautiful dream. It had to have been. The brown-eyed angel would have never sought out my closeness of her own free will.

***

Sometime before the dawn, I felt Isabelle stir next to me. Even though I thought it was weird for her to be so close, I was too tired to ponder on it and I just drifted back to sleep, inhaling the scent of hair that smelled of flowers and spring. The combination of that sweet smell and the feeling of Isabelle's firm backside pressing against my groin was too much for me to take and I was getting aroused. This erotic dream had just turned into a fucking torture. Suddenly, Isabelle whimpered quietly and jumped away towards the edge of the bed, shaking me into sharp wakefulness. Instinctively, I reached out for her and pulled her closer to me. Then, I forced my eyes open and turned towards her. I was trying to make any sense of what had happened, but I was too exhausted to think with a clear head.