Page 25 of Daddy's Little Survivor

Monroe was hesitant, but didn't think there'd be any harm in watching him. He hadn't done anything to her, that she knew of, while she was asleep, and she would be able to keep an eye on him if they were in the kitchen.

Michael held his hand out for her to grab, but she didn't place her hand in his. She didn't like touching other people a lot. Human contact, physical touch more specifically, made her crave it more and she didn't want that craving right now.

He had already held her once and she’d loved every minute of it. She didn’t want to get used to it because when she left, she would miss it so much more. It was better not to touch him at all.

Jared had withheld physical contact that was lovey-dovey when she wasn't a good girl. He didn’t want to hug or cuddle at any point. She had cried several times when he first implemented that but after a while, she grew to push that feeling down.

He hadn't touched her in that way for years and she knew once she started, she wouldn't want to stop. It scared her because she didn't want to go through those sleepless nights where she couldn't cuddle up to the person and feel their skin against hers.

Everything in her wanted to grab his hand, but she held it back. Monroe pushed herself off the couch and took a couple seconds to catch her breath. She was slightly dizzy, no doubt from the lack of sleep, dehydration, and her body trying to heal. Well, and probably the concussion Michael said she had. It honestly felt normal, which might not be a good sign, but she didn't know any different.

She had felt like this several times throughout the past six or more years. She just had to take the next couple of days easy and not overdo anything.

If Michael was hurt that she didn't take his hand, he didn't show it. Was he hurt or did he not mind? Should she have grabbed his hand? Was it another test?

“Chocolate or strawberry?” he asked. “For the protein shake.”

“Chocolate,” she whispered.

She liked strawberry but it wasn't her favorite flavor. She enjoyed the fruit more than anything strawberry flavored, but chocolate was the best.

Michael pulled out a chair for her and walked around the counter, opening the fridge and grabbing a protein shake and handing it to her.

Before she could stop herself, she spoke. “Straw?”

Mortification fell across her face when she realized she’d asked him for a straw. He had just made her feel more comfortable than she had in a long time and she’d forgotten where she was for a second.

A small smile broke out across his face as he moved around the kitchen. “Here you are.”

He placed the drink in front of her and gave her the straw.

“I would normally open the drink for you, but I want you to know for sure that it’s sealed and I didn’t do anything. I want you to drink all of it and not worry I might have put something in it, which I didn’t,” Michael said.

Looking down at her lap, she took a couple seconds to regain her composure. She shouldn't have asked for that. She brought the bottle close to her and opened it, feeling the seal tear before she put the straw in.

Her Little side loved to drink with straws. It just made it more fun, and she wanted to drink from it. She could drink without a straw, but it just wasn't the same. She didn't have a drive to drink it as much as she did when there was a straw in there.

“No need to be embarrassed about wanting a straw. I love drinking with a straw,” Michael said.

She looked up at him in disbelief. It felt like he was just saying it so she didn't feel embarrassed.

“I thought we could get to know each other while I cooked lunch. Ask each other a couple of questions. How does that sound?” he asked.

Monroe’s mouth fell open and she moved back in her chair. She didn’t like the idea of him asking her questions. He could either ask her simple questions or he could ask her who she was running from and how she got her bruises.

“If you don’t want to answer, just let me know and I’ll do the same,” he said. “But if you really don’t want to, we don’t have to talk.”

That made her feel guilty for some odd reason.

“Okay,” she whispered.

She didn’t know how many questions she would answer or ask or if she would answer any of them. She wasn’t comfortable sharing much about herself because he could possibly find something out that led to Jared. If he hadn’t already called him.

“What’s your favorite food?” he asked.

She watched him for a second, kind of in shock. Monroe was not expecting him to ask a question like that. She was expecting more of ‘who hurt you?’ and similar questions.

“I don’t know,” she honestly replied.

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