Chapter 17: Desire
Nora woke up with a pounding headache and an urge to vomit. As she opened her eyes and tried to move, she found herself tangled in blankets and let out a sigh, trying to control her breathing to settle her stomach. She struggled to decipher how she had gotten home and why there were now multiple blankets on top of her. The last thing she remembered was going out for drinks with Isabella, who had convinced her to try the 'pleasures' of alcohol before she left. They'd only had one drink...
With a groan, Nora clutched her head in her hands, feeling the aftermath of the beer she had tasted before bidding her friend farewell. And then, inexplicably, she had lost control.
She had actually returned to the bar and continued to drink.
As she massaged her throbbing head, she recalled another scene – two men attempting to persuade her into accepting drinks from them. She remembered herself asserting that she had a possessive husband and that he would bash them up if they did not leave her alone, and then... nothing.
Sighing deeply, she pushed aside the quilts and surveyed her surroundings. Squinting, her gaze landed on a bottle of hangover medicine, and she gulped it down. It was clear who had left it there and who had brought her here. She would need to express her gratitude to him for his assistance last night as well. With a sigh, she looked at the now ruined dress that she had adorned. She really was unsuitable for wearing such things if she was going to ruin them.
Nora couldn't help but shake her head. Demetri Frost was incredibly kind. From picking her up at the hotel on the night of her wedding to this morning, he had been a constant source of help. She knew she had to find a way to repay his kindness since the list of things she had to thank him for seemed to be growing exponentially.
As Nora went about her morning routine, pondering ways to express her appreciation to Demetri, the 'kind' man was preoccupied with dismantling a company he had recently acquired.
She went out, expecting the man to have left for the day, but she stopped short when she saw him sitting at the table. Uh oh. It wasn't enough that she had embarrassed herself in front of him but now she had to now face him in her threadbare t-shirt and shorts.
"Um, I apologize for not being dressed up. I thought you had already left," Nora apologized hurriedly before realising that she wasn't supposed to do that. So what if she was dressed like that? Who said that she had to be dressed to the nines at all times?