Healing Words, Healing Hearts

by Elisabeth

  I couldn’t stop shaking as I waited for Dragos in my apartment. His words to me right before he left had me thinking or rather spiraling. His brother-in-law, Ehren, called him when we were sleeping, and he should’ve left well alone. Why did he need to irritate Dragos like this? What made it worse was that he told him he was in town. When did he get here?

  The Dragos I knew was rational. But there wasn’t any of that man left. The way he bolted out the door with vengeance screaming in his eyes made me realize Ehren would be lucky if he got out of the country on the first ticket home.

  ****

  When Dragos got back, he didn’t say anything. I could see the look in his eyes as he slipped into my bed. The light coming from the moon showcased his eyes, capturing the perfect specimen in all his glory. He leaned in, capturing my lips for a kiss that I knew would change things for us tonight. I took a deep breath as I wasn’t able to contain myself as Dragos’s lips left a trail of chills from my neck to my chin. I felt as he lightly bit my jaw.

  “Dragos…” I called his name out. I couldn’t handle the way he was slowly teasing me.

  I felt his rough hands on me as they left scorching heat behind in every spot they gripped. Dragos grabbed the neckline of my loose flannel shirt and tugged hard. The buttons flew everywhere as my shirt exposed me to him. Dragos sat back on the bed, admiring what he was seeing. He licked his lips.

  “I missed this, baby. I dreamt about you all the time, hayatim. All the damn time.” The conviction in his gruff, rough voice made me feel crazy.

  Dragos shifted, letting me go as he stood, removing every piece of clothing that hid him from me. I gasped, sitting up, loving the view as he came back to hover over me. My hands roamed, touching every part of him that I could.

  “You are perfect. I missed you. I missed this,” I confessed, breathlessly.

  I was lost through all the kissing and the touching. Every time he touched me, I shivered. The feel of his body as he hovered over me with nothing on made me throw my head back. As he planted kisses on my neck, he was driving me insane. I should’ve been scared or hesitant because of everything, our past, and perhaps our future, but I didn’t care anymore. Why should I? I’d been without him for ten years. Robbed of his touch, his tongue, his love…

  “Hayatim?” He lightly bit my earlobe as he teased me with his body. “I’m giving you one last chance to say you don’t want to, ‘cause once I slip inside of you, that’s it.” He lowly growled.

  His hair was pulled back in a simple top knot. It brought out the pale blue in his eyes much more when he hovered over me.

  “If you’re not man enough to do this, then...”

  He knew I was teasing him, but he fell for it anyways. Without so much as a warning, he slipped inside of me. I gasped. When did either of us take our last boundaries off? We were so lost in one another that I didn’t pay attention. Just like now. Why wasn’t I objecting to him sliding into me raw? I wanted to say something, but the feel of him around me and inside of me drove me wild.

  Dragos was bigger than I remembered. Why didn’t I check to see if my body could take this? He filled me up to the brink, and I felt full. I shut my eyes, trying to adjust to him. The feel of Dragos’s lips on my neck, my cheeks, and my lips took over every other sensation. I shuddered as I gripped his biceps, not caring if my nails pierced his skin. He flexed at the intrusion, yet he deepened the kiss. This time, all the tenderness was gone as he became rougher with his kisses. He groaned in my mouth as his tongue teased mine.

  I was lost in everything Dragos. He made sure to take all of me much more than I assumed he could. I felt him as he began moving inside of me. At first, it was slow, making sure I not only adjusted to him but that he became a part of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist. I couldn’t handle what he was doing to me as the slow gentleness disappeared from his body. He ripped his lips away from mine as he held himself up by his palms. He bit his bottom lip as his hips showed me what it was like to get taken by a Demir once again. I moaned, throwing my head back as my fingernails left a trail mark. I gripped his wrists, needing something for support.

  “Oh, Dragos,” there was nothing else that I could say but that.

  How was I supposed to pretend that I wasn’t in love with him now? I bit my bottom lip as each thrust became rougher, harder yet felt so damn sweet to me. The way it took over every part of me made me forget what it was we were even supposed to be doing at the moment. I made sure to absorb every part of him. Take as much as I could get.

  “Neema, look at me.” This was a new side of him.

  Dragos had never told me what to do or even spoken to me in this way, but I found it so sexy. I swear I grew wetter because of it. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me as though he had been taking pictures for his memories. He smiled at me, and his dimples became much more pronounced. He leaned in so close that we were sharing each other’s air. His nose touched mine, brushing against it, and it didn’t break his rhythm. He brushed his lips against mine, and in the most dominating voice I’d ever heard him use, he drove me over the edge.

  “Come,” he said.

  I never knew my body could obey so quickly as I came undone underneath him. He continued to give me what I craved, and then a few seconds after, he followed me. I should’ve complained or panicked that Dragos came inside of me, but I didn’t. Maybe it was the fact that I was on birth control, but either way, I was spent. I would never regret this, no matter what.

  Chapter Six

  Dragos

  When I saw Ehren, sitting there smugly as he invited me to his hotel room, I almost laughed at the audacity. Maybe he thought I was coming with Amir or something, but he needed to know that I was there to end all of this.

  “Whiskey?” he asked as he walked over to the bar while I took a seat on the couch.

  I cocked a brow.

  “Sure.” I watched him as he poured more whiskey in my drink than his.

  He probably thought I didn’t realize he had put something in my drink. I just watched him as he continued doing what he was doing. I waited until he walked back, handing me the drugged drink. He sat across from me on the ottoman. He couldn’t keep his beady little eyes off me as he watched me drink some of the whiskey. He smiled, thinking it would affect me, but I had my fair share of drugged drinks. My baba taught me how to properly drink and how to ingest just enough before you were completely knocked out.

  I didn’t drink it all. Instead, I placed the drink down on the table, leaving it half full.

  “Not much of a drinker anymore, huh?” he asked as I began to slowly shut my eyes.

  I laid back on the couch, placing the back of my head on it. Ehren wasn’t always a talker, so I was surprised when he began.

  “That’s all it took?” he asked himself. “You know, Dragos. Your sister was a much better drinker than you, and that’s why she died. I didn’t even have to be on the scene to kill her. A little poison in her drink every day gave her the chance to kill herself. I wanted her and the boy to die so that I could inherit what was supposed to be mine, but you made sure that wasn’t possible. You just had to care for him and nurse him back to health, but guess what? Now, I’m going to take him and raise him. Then, when he’s old enough, I’m taking what is mine. I don’t need the boy that much, so when he is of age, he’s dead.”

  I yawned. I couldn’t even fake being drugged. This was boring, and I liked to get to the point. I rolled my eyes when Ehren gasped. He was too late as he had made the mistake of moving and sitting by me. I gripped him by the throat as he began throwing punches anywhere he could. I won’t lie; he got in a few licks, but I wasn’t going to let go. My anger didn’t allow me to. I choked him with both hands, patiently, until the fight left his eyes, body, and soul. I snuffed it out without caring about him. When I was sure he was gone, I pulled my gun out, made sure the silencer was on, and shot him in the head twice.

  I pulled my phone out, sending a quick text to get it cleaned up. Just because I didn�
��t seem like a don to the average eye, it didn’t mean I didn’t have eyes everywhere.

  “Good riddance,” I spat at Ehren and left the room.

  It was time to move on with my life.

  ****

  I watched as Neema slept. It felt so surreal to have her here with me. I leaned in, raining kisses on the back of her neck. She moaned in her sleep, and it enticed me to keep going.

  “Stop, Dragos,” she said as she turned to face me. “Come back to bed,” she said, not opening her eyes once.

  I laid my head back down on the pillow, making sure that our noses were touching. Neema slowly opened her eyes. Before she could move, I leaned in, kissing her. I lightly gripped the back of her head as I deepened the kiss, forgetting about our world. I pushed her to her back as I hovered over her once more. I slowly released her lips as my fingers explored her entire body. Neema threw her head back as I made sure to let her feel just how much she affected me.

  “I love you, Neema,” I whispered in the crook of her neck.

  She shuddered.

  “Dragos.” Her fingernails were for sure imprinting, leaving their marks on my body, but I loved it.

  “Tell me, Neema…” I began teasing her as I watched how my fingers almost drove her to delirium. “Now, why wouldn’t someone that loves me just as much as I love them say it back to me, huh?”

  Neema’s face was so full of expression—the flutter of her eyelids, the way she took her breaths, trying to slow them down. As she tried to do that, I hooked my fingers inside of her and made sure she felt the way my thumb manipulated that hot nub of hers. Her face was flushed. A smile crept on my face as she opened her mouth to say something to me, but then she stopped.

  I threw my head back, laughing at her unfortunate moment that blocked her completion. But there was nothing for me to feel bad about.

  “Dr— Dra—” Neema tried to speak.

  I leaned in, capturing her lips for a scorching kiss that I knew would drive her crazy.

  Her slender fingers wrapped around my biceps as she tried to disengage from me. I wanted to swallow her moans, groans, and all things Neema.

  As she caught her breath, I sat back, watching her as she regained her composure. She cocked an eyebrow at me while she ran her fingers through her hair. Neema felt as something got stuck in her hair. I smiled as she realized what I did. She pulled her left hand down, staring at where I placed the engagement ring. It wasn’t the same one, per se. I upgraded it by adding another diamond because she deserved more than the original one. Her hand trembled as she continued to stare at her ring. Then, she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

  “Is—” Neema cleared her throat. “Is this what I think it is? Are you, wow! Dragos, are you proposing to me?”

  I chuckled.

  “Am I proposing, or am I saying that we’re getting married?” I paused, taking another deep breath as I slowly got up off the bed. “In less than two weeks,” I said as I was clear that she couldn’t reach me.

  Neema narrowed her eyes at me as she sat up on her knees, getting ready to pounce.

  “I could’ve sworn you said less than two weeks, Dragos. Did I hear wrong?”

  Neema slowly got off the bed, and as she made a run towards me, I moved out of the way before she caught me.

  “Listen, hayatim. I’ve talked to your parents, your sisters, my mom, even Amir approves. They all agree we can do this.” I tried to reassure her while snickering at her failed attempts to catch me.

  Neema growled or rather sounded as tough as she could sound, but to me, it was nothing. She just looked so damned cute.

  “My parents?” she shrieked.

  “Yes, they said yes. Even though your dad told me to hold on while he put Jesus to the side for a moment, he got back on the phone, cursing me out to the point that I’m sure my ancestors felt it too. He still gave us his blessing, though. They’ll all be here for the wedding.”

  If Neema could punch me in the gut, she’d do it. She turned towards a small trophy she had on her nightstand and grabbed it. I ducked out of the room right before it hit my head. I shook my head as I heard her let out a relaxed breath.

  “Oh, that felt good. Okay, I’m calm now, Dragos,” I heard her say behind me.

  I rolled my eyes as I made my way to her kitchen.

  “Aren’t we all glad for that. I’m surprised you didn’t just throw that at me earlier.” I opened her fridge, taking out eggs, sausage, and any other item I needed to make breakfast. “You want pancakes, canim?”

  I turned to face Neema as she was over on the other side of me, making us coffee. She faced me with a smile on her face and nodded.

  “Yes, please.”

  I scoffed.

  “In Turkish, hayatim.”

  She eyed me from head to toe as I placed everything on my side of the counter. She licked her lips.

  “Lütfen, future husband.”

  I shook my head.

  “çik, çik, one word there isn’t correct, and I can wait until you say it right before I make you my scrumptious pancakes that I know you love,” I teased with the biggest grin on my face when she fully turned her body towards me, placing her hands on her hips.

  “You want to play this game, Dragos?” she asked.

  I marched towards her, picking her up, placing her on the kitchen island instead.

  “The question isn’t do I want to play this game. The question is simply…” I said as I bit her shoulder playfully then looked back at her. “Can you win any game that involves me playing?”

  Neema playfully scoffed, then she had the biggest smile on her face.

  “Lütfen, kocam.” She placed her hands on my face and caressed my cheeks. “I love you, ya know? I love you so much, Dragos. There’s nothing that could ever take you away from me ever again. Is there? ‘Cause I’m scared. I can’t have you walk away from me again. I can’t take it.”

  Her words, her confession, gripped my heart, making my chest hurt.

  I shook my head.

  “çik, çik, nothing could ever have me walk away from you again. This time, I’ll be there when you’re walking down the aisle. I love you in such a crazy way, baby. I was stupid the first time when I walked away instead of letting you in. I treated you like someone that I should only protect, which isn’t particularly a bad thing, but I should’ve treated you like my equal in everything. I should’ve told you about the threats so that you could make your own decision. I won’t ever do that again, and that’s my first task as your husband. This, I promise you, hayatim.”

  Tears fell down her face. Neema took my breath away.

  “You are my everything, Dragos. Thank you for coming back to me.”

  I laid my forehead on hers.

  “Thank you for taking me back, Neema. I would be nothing without you. Pek çok, hayatim.”

  Neema softly laughed.

  “Pek çok, canım.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dragos

  Neema was going to kill me if I didn’t kill her first. After the initial shock of the announcement of getting married in two weeks wore off, the next day, we had to get back to work. I still wanted to let Neema have that regular schedule so that she didn’t have to feel like Ehren’s blood was on her hands. I took sole responsibility for that. I revisited the conversation we had last night.

  “Neema? Let me ask you something?” I was fascinated with how small her hands were as I placed hers parallel to mine.

  “Yeah?” She turned to give me her full attention instead of the TV.

  “I don’t want you to think that I’m keeping anything from you. If you ever want to know what happened with Ehren, I can tell you. I promise you, no more secrets. I don’t want that to be us,” I sighed heavily.

  Neema smiled at me as she joined our hand that I couldn’t stop staring at. She brought my hand to her lips, kissing it once, then again.

  “My pale-blue eyed bear.” I sighed as she called me that. She didn’t even know how much I missed
hearing that from her mouth. “If you need to get it off your chest, then you can tell me. If you don’t want to say it, then you don’t have to. It won’t change the way I feel about you. I know that you’ve done some things, and I don’t fault you for them, not any of them, but I want you to know that I am here for you. I’ll be your anchor for whenever your ship starts to drift or if you feel like it’s drifting. I love you, okay?”

  I leaned in, kissing her.

  “çik, çik, not more than I love you.”

  Neema snickered.

  “Boy, please. Don’t try and compete with me with this too. You’re so competitive, jeez.”

  ****

  The moment we made it to the new location we were filming at, everyone jumped on Neema’s case about the engagement ring she was wearing. I stood in the background, watching as I multitasked with setting up my cameras. My phone rang, taking me out of admiring how beautiful she looked in a black ruffled sweater dress that stopped mid-thigh, her stockings, and thigh-high boots. I craved to rip her stockings, but she wouldn’t even let me within an inch of them, claiming they were too expensive to tear. I licked my lips seductively as I picked up my phone.

  “Demir speaking.”

  A laugh came through.

  “Jesus, Dragos, this is how you answer your phone? I should’ve called earlier than this just to have something to laugh at when I’m bored,” Asha teased.

  I laughed.

  “What? I thought I answered like a professional,” I shrugged my shoulders even though she couldn’t see me.

  “Yok, that sounds more like a professional hitman waiting for his next assignment.”

  “Ash, balım, stop watching those damn TV shows, yeah?”

  Asha snickered.

  “Don’t act like when I put you on to the shows, you weren’t intrigued. Also, we just landed, and we’ll meet the driver that you got us. Are we still surprising ma-ma at your place or the Airbnb?”