Chapter 17: Comfort in Your Arms

When my eyes opened, I found myself wrapped into a warm embrace. I tried to recall what had happened. I looked around and saw I was in my bed. I didn’t remember getting back here all by myself. Who had put me in my bed? How long had I been sleeping for?

Hopefully it hadn’t been that long. That’s when it all came flooding back to me. I had been very lightheaded and weak before I had fainted. But that wasn’t everything that had occurred.

A realization hit me when I looked over. Dax laid beside me in my bed and was sleeping soundly.

What was he doing here? He could have left me without feeling the urge to stay. It made me a bit flustered that he was in the same bed as me and held me against him like this.

This was very cozy and kind of romantic for us. We weren’t a couple but his closeness affected my every nerve.

I appreciated what he had done regardless. He just kept surprising me with showing other parts of himself that other people didn’t see. I was curious if I’d eventually see every side he had.

He was so caring to have helped me out in that horrible condition I was in. I was grateful that he had caught me before I fell earlier. That could have been quite the accident if I had been alone.

It also made me glad that the baby I carried was safe too. I almost put the baby into danger. That was scary to think about. I pushed these thoughts away and refocused on the current predicament I was in.

Suddenly, I looked down at myself and noticed something.

Dax had changed me into a fresh pair of clothes. Oh my God.

He had seen more of me than I was comfortable with. I would have to talk to him when he woke up. We couldn’t just avoid talking about something like this. I was so embarrassed and felt my face getting warm.

I felt unsure of what to do in such a situation. Was I supposed to tell Dax to go? I didn’t know if I should let him stay any longer or not.

It wasn’t as if I had the strength to leave his strong arms right away. Not that I wanted to.

Actually, it wasn’t that bad. There was a sense of safety and comfort while being held in his arms. I couldn’t remember the last time a man had held me like this. There was an intimacy to it that I had missed.
It also didn’t help that I kept growing closer to Dax and wasn’t as opposed to him.

His arms made me feel so loved the way they were wrapped around me. I felt as if nothing bad would happen as I stayed in his embrace. Dax’s touch was so tender and made me want to stay in his arms forever.

Maybe I’d never leave his side. It was so tempting to me, more than I wanted to admit to myself.

Being up this close to Dax, I could really take in his intoxicating aroma. I detected a subtle woodsy and rich scent from his cologne.

His arms tightened around me even more than before after a few seconds passed. I wondered how long he had been holding me.

Was he enjoying this as much as I did? Did he want to keep holding me and never let go? I had to stop thinking dangerously.

Dax’s deep voice suddenly asked me, “Are you awake, Danica?”

Was it wrong to pretend to sleep? I almost didn’t want him to know I was awake. Dax might stop holding me if I told him the truth.

“Yeah, I am,” I said after deciding to be truthful.

“I’m glad you rested. How are you feeling right now?”

So far, my stomach seemed okay but that could easily change. I wasn’t sure if all of my sickness was gone yet.

I told him, “I’m okay for now.”

“That’s good to hear. I was so worried when you fainted like that.”

I smiled at knowing that he worried about me. Dax was a little softer than his employees knew. If only more people saw what he could be like.

Suddenly, I asked, “Dax, did you happen to change me into clean clothes?”

He answered back in a flustered manner, “I had no choice. Your clothes were a mess.” He added, “If it makes you feel better, I changed you quickly and didn’t look.”

I felt relieved at hearing him say that. It had worried me when I first realized what he had done.

Next thing I knew, my stomach started to feel queasy again.

I got out of Dax’s hold and rushed to the bathroom.

Dax came in after me and held my hair back while also rubbing my back. I found the gesture to be really sweet.

I just wished he didn’t have to see me being so sick. But at least he was here for me when I needed him.

I wondered if something was starting to change inside of Dax. He had come a long way since our first meeting. It was almost as if this was the real Dax being shown to me.

After he helped me clean up, I felt a wave of exhaustion come over me. I needed to get back to bed and rest more.

I could hardly walk with the low amount of energy I felt. My eyes were slowly trying to close, and I struggled to keep them open.

Dax noticed how tired I looked and picked me up in his muscular arms. I enjoyed being held by him again and tried to keep my eyes opened a little longer. Times like these were rare. I wanted to take in every second of Dax acting this way.

He carried me back to the bed and gently put me back into it.

“Sleep well. I want you to get better Danica.”

I gave a weak smile at hearing his words. He leaned in close to me and brushed a strand of hair away from my eyes. His touch sent tingles throughout my body while my heart raced.

Dax looked at me until my eyes really started trying to shut. Before my eyes closed, I felt Dax’s lips press against my forehead and felt that everything would be okay.