Page 217 of Solanum

"Me too." I tucked her hair behind her ear. "They swarmed you, baby."

"Yeah." Nora's curved lips didn't fade while she stroked my arm in soft rotations.

We fell into quiet again, but it felt different than the last time.

"I quit my job," she said finally, her voice soft.

"Yeah, honey. You did."

Tears returned to her eyes and her gaze flickered to mine. "What am I going to do?"

"Nothing, baby. Listen to me a moment, okay? Come sit properly so I can see you." I helped her sit up and she kicked off her heels before straddling my lap. I pulled her to me, and she settled with her hands on my shoulders. I kissed her gently and she pressed her forehead to mine.

"Ready to listen?" I asked and she nodded. "Okay. You don't need to work right now, Nora. You have plenty of money in the bank in your regular account, a savings account large enough for retirement, and your settlement from work coming in soon. We'll file your paperwork properly, and you'll keep your benefits and disability just like Maggie and Sali. You don't have to take care of Maya. You don't have to take care of me. Are you able to hear what I'm saying?"

"A little." Her bottom lip quivered when she spoke. "I can't not work, Car."

"You can, Nor. And you know why?"

She shook her head and sniffled.

"Because you need to heal. I should've said this a long time ago. I should've told you that I didn't think going back to work would be a healthy choice. Right now, Nor, you can't do the job you've always done at the FBI and I know you know that. Right?"

"Yeah," she said, sniffling while toying with the buttons on my shirt.

"Okay. We should decide this together, baby. We should, but right now, I think I need to make that decision for you. And I think you wanted me too…"

She covered her face in her hands and cried harder. Her affirmation followed when she nodded. "I just wanted to be with you. At work I could be…"

"Honestly, Nor, we didn't see each other much during the day, did we?"

"Not too much," she said in between sniffles. She lowered her hands to look at me again. "That was disappointing."

I smirked and nodded my agreement. "Yes. And only one overnight travel which was boring save for the hotel sex which, let's be honest, we can do whenever we want."

She chuckled and stroked my cheeks with her thumbs. "Yeah. We can."

"Right now, Nor, I feel it's best that you didn't work. Go to that yoga thing with Anita like she asked. Spend time with our friends and family. Work on getting back to feeling happy again."

"I am happy." She drew in a shaky breath. "I'm so happy with you, Car."

"I'm happy with you, too. Work made you less happy."

She nodded and I turned to kiss her wrist. "Yeah. I've always worked. Always. From when I was ten years old doing things for money. I've always held my own."

"You still will hold your own. You've already earned the money, baby. It's sitting there ready for you."

"I guess so." She sighed softly and closed her eyes while I caressed her thighs. "I'm so tired."

"I know." I unfastened the buttons on her blouse one by one until she shrugged out of her top. Her empty holster hit the floor when I tossed it away from her before moving on to her pants. "No more work stress. No more work clothes. No more suspects trying to provoke a reaction out of you. Just my Nora. My pretty little Kitten."

Her entire body melted at the mention of her nickname. Limbs became pliable, her posture relaxed, and she wriggled free of her confinements. "You saw my bracelet…"

"I saw you use your safe word," I said, running my fingers over the silver leaf.

She nodded and caressed my chest then up to my shoulders a few times. "I didn't even know you were out there watching. I just…felt you."

"Yeah, baby." I drew in a slow breath when she tugged at my curls again. "I feel you, too."

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