Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
“Let’s forget everything else,” Wyatt said quietly. “Tonight, it’s just us.”
Her fingers twitched, her eyes flickering with emotion. Could physical pleasure really make up for emotional emptiness?
Could a flood of dopamine work better than any drug?
Even with all the mental preparation in the world, when Wyatt finally touched her, Yunice couldn’t help but press her knee to his chest.
“Let’s turn the lights off…”
She still couldn’t fully let go.
Wyatt didn’t push her. He understood her past might make her tense, even fearful. He couldn’t rush her.
He turned off the lights.
Outside, the sky was a soft, shadowy gray, faint starlight seeping through the windows.
Wyatt could still see her.
He kissed her again-this woman, at last, completely his.
Yunice clutched the silk sheets, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, not from pain, but from her body’s instinctive reaction.
Afterward, he supported her by the waist, sitting her up on his lap. Her voice trembled with soft sobs.
But she never told him to stop.
When her legs began to shake, Wyatt held back, whispering against her ear, “Can I finish inside?”
Yunice tensed, then gave a faint nod. Wyatt finally let go.
Yunice didn’t have much stamina. She didn’t want to move at all afterward, curling up on her side like a little shrimp.
Worried she’d catch cold, Wyatt fetched warm water and carefully cleaned her.
She fell asleep before he could even finish.
Wyatt sat there holding the towel.
Nights like this were supposed to end with two people curled up together, talking about their past and their future.
But Yunice didn’t seem to care for that sort of sentiment.
With a long breath, Wyatt tossed the towel in the basin, did a quick rinse, and climbed into bed. He pulled her into his arms, letting her head rest against his chest.
He couldn’t sleep.
His thoughts wouldn’t stop-about the past, the future.
About everything Yunice had endured.
The pain in his heart tightened again. He reached for a cigarette, biting it between his lips. But when he looked down at the small, fragile woman curled in his arms-
So light. So narrow-boned. Like she weighed nothing at all.
His fingers brushed her waist, and his brows drew together once more.
He didn’t light the cigarette-afraid the smoke would wake her.
But even thinking about Paul made his hands itch. He couldn’t just let him go.
Now that he knew everything Yunice had suffered, there was no way Wyatt could pretend to let it slide.
He crushed the unlit cigarette into the ashtray and stayed awake all night.
Yunice, on the other hand, slept deeply. When morning came, her body ached everywhere.
She rolled over, unwilling to get up. Her eyes were still puffy.
As she shifted again, her nose brushed against Wyatt’s chest.
Yunice glanced up. “You’re still here?”
Wyatt looked down at her, gaze sharp. “I’m not some bastard who runs off after getting laid.”
“Oh.” Yunice didn’t catch the sarcasm.
She shifted a bit under the covers. When her arm slipped out, she realized there was nothing on her under the blanket-and decided she really didn’t want to get up.
Seeing her fidget, Wyatt asked, “Still not feeling well?”
“My whole body aches,” Yunice muttered, clearly annoyed.
Wyatt perked up, turning toward her. “Want me to give you a massage?”
“No,” she said firmly.
She knew how insatiable men could get once they’d tasted intimacy. Her body was too delicate to go another round so soon-she didn’t want to be broken in half.
Too tired to move, Yunice stayed curled up in the blanket and made small talk. “You don’t move like someone inexperienced.”
Wyatt raised a brow. “Was that a compliment?”
Yunice didn’t deny it-he really had been skilled.
After years working in hospitals, she’d seen plenty of people lacking even basic sexual understanding. Most just charged in blindly. Some couldn’t even find the right place, leaving their partners miserable.
Wyatt replied, “Read enough theory and you’ll be fine. The hardest part’s just self-control.”
And it had been very hard to hold back.
Propping himself up, Wyatt looked down into her eyes and reminded her, “We didn’t use protection last night. Might be a baby in there.”
Under the blanket, his hand rested gently over her stomach, his eyes lit with hope.
He was twenty-eight, married now, and he wanted a child.
Neither he nor Yunice had come from loving homes, but he believed they could build something better-a real family.
Before Yunice could respond, a knock came from the office outside.
Wyatt glanced toward the sound. “I’ll go check.”
He lifted a corner of the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed to get dressed. Yunice caught another glimpse of the tattoo on his waist, partially hidden. What did the full design look like?
Wyatt pulled on his shirt and left the lounge.
Yunice slowly sat up, slipping on some clothes in his absence.
She had planned to shower, but as soon as she sat upright, her vision darkened and a wave of dizziness hit her.
When Wyatt came back in, he found her sitting still, eyes closed, pressing her fingers to her temples.