Chapter 40 – Alice
“Are you going to shave your beard?”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear the relief in your voice.” Massimo mocked, making her blush “Now, could you make some space? I need to get my shaving kit and take it to my room to get a floor–length mirror where I can see myself.” His voice became more and more bitter, as it always did when he had to talk about some adaptation to his wheelchair.
“That’s going to make quite a mess, don’t you think?”
“What? Are you afraid that I won’t be able to do even that?”
“No, you grumpy fool. I’m saying there’s no need to leave your bedroom floor covered in foam and fur when I can help you with that.” Before he could respond, she began steering his chair toward the nearest room where she had ever seen him sleep.
“What are you going to do?” he gasped, making her laugh as she entered the suite and led him to the bathroom.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to cut your face… But who knows, maybe you should try to behave while I’m holding a blade, just in case.” She joked, easily finding a shaving kit and scissors when she opened one of the drawers on the marble countertop “Now, lift your chin for me and be still. We need to cut off this excess before shaving.”
“How about you just give me this razor and tell me when I’m taking more off one side than the other?” he narrowed his eyes, as if he were in a duel.
“Well, you can do that, as long as you don’t mind ending up there with irritated skin and a flabby beard from not being able to look at yourself in the mirror.” She crossed her arms defiantly “The choice is yours.”
“Why do you speak as if you already have experience with this?” Massimo looked annoyed, but he still relaxed against the back of the chair and looked up at her.
“My grandfather always says that the nurses hurt him when they shave him, so he usually waits for me, even though they are all much more qualified than I would ever be.” Alice laughed, starting to cut off all excess skin on her face “Also, many of the patients I’ve had in recent years have been men. It was part of my job as their nurse to take care of their hygiene.” “Are you calling me dirty?” he snorted, at the same moment she cut the last strand. “No. I’m just saying I don’t think a man who likes his long beard scratches it as much as you do.” Alice mixed the shaving cream, starting to apply it to her cheeks “Now, stay still. Remember who has a lethal weapon in their hands.” She held it under his chin, leaning in as much as possible so she could pay as much attention as possible to what she was doing.
Are you really going to do this in a shrimp position?” Massimo asked, as soon as she washed the blade for the first time.
1/4
* BOREA
“pelleve me, nurses were born to have their back hurt. It’s not something I worry about ” “Now, who’s being stubborn for no reason?” he grumbled and, with a little scream, Allee found herself being pulled towards him, falling into his lap, with his face full of foam getting dirty on hers “Sit here and get it over with, Mrs. Nurse. I have a full day tomorrow” “You….” her first impulse was to scold him, but the tremor in her voice when she felt his hands hold her by her hips, pressing her against him, made her give up “You are so…
“What? You were the one who wanted to do this, weren’t you?” Even beneath the mass of shaving cream, she can see one corner of his mouth turning up “Do your best, wife.” Refusing to show him how his closeness was affecting her, Alice just pressed her lips together and did what he wanted, pretending not to care about the tingling sensation of having their breasts pressing against each other. The intensity of his eyes following her every movement. His heat, making her feel almost dizzy. The features of the man she had fallen in love with revealed themselves each time she ran the blade across his face.
The simple fact that the two of them were there, in that bathroom sharing that moment, as if he really trusted her…
“You’re more skilled with sharp objects than I realized.” He whispered, seeming to know it wasn’t a good idea to talk too much while she shaved the top of his neck “Have you ever thought about being a surgeon?”
“Everyone asks me that. And it’s very likely that I will one day go into medicine, just like 90% of the Dawseys who came before my grandfather, but… There was always something about nursing that captivated me more. Grandpa said it was something I inherited from my grandmother. I wasn’t lucky enough to meet her, but he always says she had this impulse of wanting to deal with patients up close, not just in consultations or in operating rooms.
>>
“And… Do you intend to go back to studying?” His question surprised her, causing even the shaver to freeze in its tracks.
“I… I would like to. But, my priority is to get a job and save as much money as I can while Millie and I are living here.” Alice admitted “I had some savings, but… My mother got rid of them. I need to start from scratch now. But, to do this without having to worry about paying rent to my own mother and all the fees she added when I needed to feed Millicent something I had taken from her kitchen… It’s already a big step forward.”
“Kendra did what…?” Massimo growled, his chest becoming tense over her other hand “That… Listen, you don’t need to worry about that. I won’t let something like that happen again. You don’t need a job.”
>>
appreciate everything you’re doing for us, Massimo, but I have to think about Millicent’s future. I can’t have just one option again. Besides.” she swallowed “I have nothing to offer you in return. Even if there is something you want, I don’t think I would be able to…‘ “What do you mean…? Oh shit.” His teeth clenched “Look, I know I may have gone too far
2/4
+25 BONUS
Chapter 40
with that thing about you proving to me that I’m not totally impotent, but… I would never force you to do anything…”
“I… I know.” Alice blushed, unable to help but wonder if there would be exceptions to that, if he found out that she wanted him too, as long as it wasn’t as a way of paying him back using her body.
“I know I didn’t help you not see me as a monster, especially after I accepted your mother’s offer to get married, but…” Massimo hesitated for a moment, before sighing “I don’t think I would be able to of hurting you again, Alice. Not intentionally. Unlike most people I know… You never did anything to harm me or make me feel inferior. Quite the opposite. I should have known this just from the short time we spent together when we were younger, but… Now I know that you wouldn’t be able to lie to me.‘
“No… I wouldn’t be.” Alice nodded, even though saying it made her feel like she was swallowing acid “I just want the best to you, Massimo. I want you to know that’s all I think about. For yours and my daughter’s sake.” Alice’s voice betrayed her again, as she wet her hands with aftershave so she could smear it on his face “That’s it. It’s over.” Her plans were to end that caress on his face as quickly as possible, but, as always, before Alice knew it, she was already lost in his eyes again, letting her fingers run for too long along the line of his jaw, the apples of his cheeks and even the edges of his lips.
“What?” he asked suddenly, his smile looking more beautiful than ever now “Are you admiring your masterpiece?”
“I… I think I forgot what your face looked like.” Alice cleared her throat, trying to get off his lap to avoid any more slips, but again Massimo didn’t allow it “But… About your hair… I’m afraid I don’t have that much experience.”
“Everything is fine. I’ve already called a hairdresser to fix this tomorrow afternoon. I’m not in the mood to go to that party wearing a bun.” he joked, but what caught her attention was something else.
“Wait… If you already have a hairdresser booked, who could have done your beard too, then why did you want to do it yourself? Or, better yet… Why did you let me do that?” Her cheeks burned, but she stood firm, with her eyes on his, even though it was causing butterflies in her stomach just like it did when she was 18.
“First, because I don’t usually like people holding blades to my face, besides myself…” to her surprise, it was his eyes that looked away first “And, second… I just found out that your grandfather I was right to say that you are better at these things.”
“You’re shameless, you know?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I was afraid to take the things I want.” His hands moved a little lower to her waist, but just enough to make her wonder if it was her mind’s creation “But I’m also not the kind of man who doesn’t take no for an answer.” Finally, his hands left her hips, causing Alice to almost groan in disappointment “Well, thanks for helping that poor invalid, nurse. I think I will seek your services again soon.”
3/4
425 BONUS
Chapter 40–Alice
“I will think about your case. I’ve never been a big fan of stubborn patients.” Despite herself, she slid off his lap, standing back on her feet, trying not to think about how seeing him back to his old self was making her feel “So… That’s a goodbye for this night, right?”
“Yes. Go to sleep. You need to be ready and rested for tomorrow.” He licked his lips for a long time, making her shiver “I have a wife. And I’m going to make sure everyone at that party knew that.”
