Page 88 of Reckless Desires

I’ve been gone longer than I intended to be, and the first thing I want to do is tie Lily up and bury myself deep inside her. When I enter my home, I remove my jacket, tossing it anywhere out of my way.

“Mo chuisle!” I shout.

My housekeeper rushes over. “Sir Killian. Miss Liliana has been in her room for the last two days. She says she’s fine, but she sounds like she’s in pain.”

I sprint up the stairs two steps at a time and bust through my bedroom door.

“What happened?” I question as I enter.

“Nothing.” Lily buries her face into the pillow as she clutches the sheets and pulls her legs up to her body.

“Did someone hurt you?” I feel a rage surging through my veins at the thought of anyone harming her physically or emotionally.

“Period cramps. Just go, please.”

“You’re shaking, Lily.” My knees hit the ground at the edge of the bed as I scan her body. “Let me massage you.”

“That won’t help,” she whimpers. “Just let me lie here. It will pass soon.” She seems to force the words out of her mouth.

“Well, there’s something I can do to help. Tell me.”

“Just rub my back till I fall asleep?”

Climbing into bed with her, our bodies touching as I lie on my side and rub my hand in small circles on her lower back. It doesn’t seem like it’s helping, but I keep at it until she falls asleep. Pulling out my phone, I google the possibilities of what this could be, and I only got more confused.

With annoyance, I get out of bed to make a call I don’t want to make.

“Hospital, how can I help you?” A sweet voice picks up the phone.

“Darling, is Stasia Andretti working there? I can’t reach her, and this is urgent.” I look over my shoulder before I leave the room. “Tell her it’s about Lily.”

I am barely on hold for five minutes before a panicked Stasia answers. “Lily? Are you okay? I’ll come get you right now.”

“Don’t hold your breath. What’s wrong with her?” I spit out the question, disregarding the niceties. “She’s shaking in pain from a period. You’d think she’s being tortured. I’ve been around enough women to know that’s not normal.”

“Killian?” Stasia grunts. “I could rip your eyeballs out.”

“But you won’t because I have your sister. Are you going to let your ego get in the way of helping?”

“She’s having a flare-up.”

“A flare-up? Of what?” I can hear people and machines in the background.

“Endometriosis.”

“What the fuck is that?” My patience is running thin.

“It’s when a woman’s body produces tissue outside the uterus. It causes severe pain. Has she been fatigued at all?”

“Well, I guess. I figured it was…” I stop talking.

“The sex?” Stasia completes the sentence with a flat tone.

Rerouting the conversation, I ask, “How long does a flare-up last?”

“Days. Sometimes she’s in bed for a full week.”

“Jesus,” I spit out. “There’s no cure for this?”