Page 33 of For the Night

Gretchen swooped in to get the line of members to back away.

I snuck between a visibly worried Lane and Kit, and I had to stop myself before I crossed a line. First and foremost, Nathan was the one handling the scene, and he was squatting down in front of Nora, who looked like she’d collapsed on the floor. He was cutting the rope harness he’d put her in.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered.

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, pet.” He made quick work of removing the last rope, and then he grasped her hands to feel her fingers. “Any more tingling or numbness than before?”

She sniffled. “Not really—it was the position. The rope cinched too hard around my s-shoulders and feet when I lost my footing.”

He nodded once. “You think you can stand?”

Goddamn her for putting my heart in a vise. I took a steadying breath, telling myself she didn’t look too upset, and I turned around to face the others.

“Give us more space, people,” I said.

When I turned back to Nathan and Nora, she was on her feet, and he was keeping her close.

“We’ll put that smile back on your face soon, but you gotta humor my rigger brain so I can rule out nerve damage. Okay?” While Nathan spoke, he ran his hands up and down her arms, going through with his exam. I’d seen it several times before, and he knew what he was doing. “What about here?” He traced two fingers over a spot where I could see the rope had dug in.

She wiped her cheek and shook her head. “No, Sir. It was really just those last seconds when I slipped.”

“That’s good to hear. Let’s go find a quiet place, shall we?” Nathan didn’t wait for a response, instead turning to Gretchen. “Close the station for half an hour, at least. I’ll be back later.”

“Understood, Sir.” Gretchen nodded.

Knowing the drill from here, I offered to grab an aftercare kit, and Nathan nodded in thanks.

“We’ll be on the front porch,” he said.

Good spot.

I made my way out of the club and down the hall to the nearest supply closet, where we kept the aftercare kits. Nathan undoubtedly had some stuff already, but he’d be more focused on Nora’s nerves and possibly fear. Whereas the kit’s job was to turn a frown upside down. They had funny Band-Aids, aloe, tissues, chocolate—shit like that.

In the kitchen, I grabbed a soda too.

Before I went to join Nathan and Nora, I spotted Lucas and asked if he could cover for me for a moment.

“Yeah, of course. No problem. Is everything all right?”

“I think so. Thanks, hon. I’ll give you an update later.” I hurried back toward the front of the house, through the lobby, and pushed open the doors.

I arrived on the scene right in time to allow myself an ounce of relief. Nathan and Nora were sitting on one of the sofas, and he was testing the strength in her fingers by having her pinch his hands.

“Ouch—okay, go again,” he chuckled.

She was grinning, and her blue eyes were only a little red. “It would hurt less if I did this to your leg or something.”

He smiled a little. “It’s easier for me to measure your strength in my hands. Besides, a brat like you enjoys this much more.”

Her grin turned sheepish.

I loved Nathan. I didn’t know him as well as I wanted to, but I loved him. The way a Dom performed aftercare spoke volumes about them.

“I see you put the smile back on her face.” I went over to them and sat down on the other sofa. “How’re you feeling, sweetie?” I set the soda in front of her.

“Much better, thank you,” she said. “It only hurt when my feet slipped, and I panicked.”

Nathan gathered her hands in his and gave them a squeeze. “She was a six on the pain scale with slight tingling less than a minute before she dropped, and I can’t find any reasons to be concerned.”

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