Page 38 of Deserving Maisy
It was more than obvious that she was scared of him. Terrified, actually. Which was all the more reason to get the hell out of this house, but Maisy seemed more fragile than he’d ever seen her before. And the last thing Jack wanted to do was stress her out more than she was already.
The undercurrents in the house were more concerning every day. He didn’t understand them, but they definitely gave him bad vibes. Anytime Maisy interacted with her brother, she kept her head down and barely said two words. She left most conversations up to him and Jason, which were now awkward at best.
But when it was just the two of them in the dark, in their bed, Maisy was evenmoredifferent. She was demanding, almost desperate in their lovemaking. She clung to him as if she was afraid he would leave—which wasn’t happening.
Jack had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t like it. Oh, he certainly liked how affectionate and passionate his wife was, but not at the expense of whatever was going on. Jason claimed her mental health was fragile, and around her brother, that certainly seemed to be the case. But at night, when she begged him to take her harder, to fuck her in every conceivable position, she didn’t seem fragile in the least.
If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was putting on an act…but he wasn’t sure which was the real Maisy. The delicate girl who barely said two words during the day? Or the insatiable woman who took everything he had to give then demanded more each night?
Not only was he worried about his wife, but he was getting more and more concerned about his own health. His headaches hadn’t lessened, and he was getting flashes of things he didn’t understand. He assumed they were memories, which he was thrilled about; there was nothing he wanted more than to remember his life before he’d woken up in this house. But what he saw didn’t make sense. The flashes included people he didn’t know and places he didn’t remember. And most confusing of all was the sensation of flying. But instead of making him sick, the visions of being in the clouds, flying above cities and oceans, made him feelfree.
It was puzzling and disorienting, and each new image made his head pound. Jack wanted nothing more than for the pain to stop.
Maisy jerked in his arms. They’d made almost frenzied love earlier. His wife had knelt between his spread legs and given him a blow job that turned his world inside out. She hadn’t let him pull away, swallowing everyounce of his release without hesitation. He’d returned the favor until she was sweaty and writhing on the sheets after two orgasms. She’d then ridden him almost frantically, until he’d once more come deep inside her body. Then she’d dropped against him and fell asleep almost instantly.
When he’d tried to shift her off him to make her more comfortable, she’d clung to him and whimpered in the back of her throat. So he’d let her stay right where she was. And now she was shaking in his arms. Her eyes fluttering behind her lids, obviously in the throes of a nightmare.
For a brief moment, he felt empathy that was so strong, it could only come from understanding exactly what she was feeling. But when she moaned his name, the feeling vanished.
“No! Jack! Please, let me explain!”
“Shhhh,” he soothed, hating how anguished she sounded. But she couldn’t hear him.
“Jason, stop! I’ll do anything! Please don’t hurt him!”
Jack frowned. He didn’t like what he was hearing. “Wake up,Stellina!” he ordered.
She didn’t wake, but shedidstop speaking. Instead, a constant whimper left her lips. It was heartbreaking, and she sounded so damn miserable, Jack was beside himself.
He rolled over, pinning her under him, cradling her face in his hands as he braced himself on his elbows. “Maisy!” he said, louder than before. “Wake up! You’re dreaming. You’re safe with me. I’ve got you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t for her eyes to pop open as if she’d been faking sleep. But she hadn’t been faking. He knew that down to his bones.
“Jack?” she whispered as she continued to stare up at him.
“Yeah,Stellina. It’s me. You’re all right. You were dreaming. Want to talk about it?”
Once again, the question seemed familiar, as if it was something he’d heard all too often. And he wanted to snort, because the last thing he ever wanted to do was talk about his nightmares. Where that thought came from, he didn’t know.
To his surprise, Maisy nodded.
“You have to know…I didn’t want this.”
“Want what, hon?”
“I mean, Ididwant this. A husband. A family. But not like this!”
Jack was confused, but he nodded, wanting her to keep talking.
“I love you,” she admitted. “And that’s no lie. I’d do anything for you.”
“I love you too,” Jack told her.
She smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.”
“You aren’t making sense,Stellina. It’s your nightmare that has you so turned inside out.”
She stared at him for a moment, before closing her eyes and nodding.
