Page 7 of The Quiet Smile

“I don’t see any broken bones or deep cuts. I am a bit worried about your throat and how deep these contusions are. Tomorrow I’d like you to come to my office for a quick MRI just to make sure there isn’t any serious damage beyond the bruising.”

Daniil nodded and said, “We’ll be there.”

“Give her plenty of fluids but nothing too solid. Soup, shakes, and pudding are the sort of things she should have. Anything more solid will probably hurt to swallow and could get stuck because of the inflammation. Mostly, you just need to rest and not talk.”

I smiled and looked at Daniil as I signed, “I don’t speak much anyway. Apraxia.”

He translated for the doctor who smiled and nodded. “We can talk about all of that tomorrow. Get some rest. Your body needs it.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Daniil answered for the both of us.

Once the door closed I turned and looked at Daniil. “How did you know I was missing? How did you find me?”

He moved up the bed so that he was lounging back against the pillows and pulled me into his arms, refusing to let me go. “It’s best if I start from the beginning. From the moment I saw you as a punk in high school, I loved you. You were a beautiful angel in my dark world. I knew we’d be moving eventually and that the world that my family lived in was more darkness than you deserved. So I kept away. As creepy as it sounds, I watched and protected you. I punished the bullies that tormented you.”

“Wait, is that why suddenly those kids never bothered me again?” I quickly signed to him.

“Yup. I was going to make sure you were taken care of always. When I found out that the building you and your mom lived in was for sale, I made arrangements to buy it and hired the Whitlocks to open a store where you could work, and for them to keep an eye on you. They genuinely fell in love with you on their own which doesn’t surprise me.”

“The Whitlocks refused to take any rent money from me. They fed me and hired me and, and…” Tears fell as I wasn’t sure how to feel just then.

“Baby, I asked them to simply look after you and to let me know if you needed anything. Everything else they did because they loved you. Even if I couldn’t be with you, I couldn’t live with myself if I hadn’t provided for you in every way that I could.

“This morning the Whitlocks discovered your apartment door was open and that you were missing. It was obvious that you fought him. He made one critical mistake though. The scent of his nasty cologne lingered and that was how Mrs. Whitlock recognized it was Carl Miller who had taken you. The rest was easy.”

I looked at the handsome man before me. No one had ever cared so much about me. No one had loved me so much. I couldn’t stop myself as I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. Over and over I signed thank you.

Tilting my face up to him, he placed the most tender of kisses on my lips. “??? ?????, my angel, I love you so much and always will. You are my everything. I hope that one day you feel the same.”

I looked deeply into his eyes and whispered, “Daniil,” before signing, “I already do. I’ve loved you from the day I saw you sitting by the oak tree in front of school. I remember thinking, if I could marry anyone, I’d marry him.”

Daniil pulled closer to him as he begged, "Stay with me, sweet angel. Let me love you."

I nodded at him, "No one has ever loved me as you have. I don’t care what you do, or what your family does, as long as you love me and only me in all the ways that matter."

"I am yours and only yours. Never will I love or be with another. I am luckier than any man, especially me, deserves to be," Daniil replied before kissing me passionately once again. Joy filled me as never before, and couldn't be contained.

At the sound of my giggle, he nuzzled my neck gently as he whispered into my ear, "I am never letting you go." Pulling back slightly he looked deep into my eyes.

I smiled shyly at him. He was so handsome and he was all mine. What more could a girl ever want? He leaned in and kissed me, and as I sighed into his kiss I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You are so incredibly beautiful, Amelia.”

"Daniil, are you trying to charm me out of my clothes? Because if you are, it's working!" I smiled seductively at him. While I wasn’t a virgin, I had almost no experience so I wasn’t sure where this sexy woman vibe was coming from. With Daniil though I felt nothing but safe and loved. I untied my pants and he helped me to remove them without ever letting me go. I removed my top, leaving me only in my bra and panties.

I couldn’t contain the blush as I watched his eyes darken in pleasure as he looked at me. "Are you really here? Are you truly mine?" he breathed.

I melded my body to his as I replied, "If this is a dream, I hope we never wake up.” I placed a soft tentative kiss on his lips until he pulled me closer and the kiss turned deeper and more passionate. I pulled back to catch my breath as I signed, “There is only one problem I see right now, you are way too dressed."

"Well, that is a problem, isn’t it? Let’s take care of this right now." I watched as he removed his shirt and jeans as quickly as he could, making me giggle.

“Better, much better,” I signed as I took in his toned, muscular body covered in tattoos. My fingers skirted over the designs on him as my lips started to follow.

"You’re bringing out the beast in me, baby." Scooping me up in his arms, he rolled so that I rested under him. Never had I ever felt as safe as I did in that moment. "Time for me to do some exploration of this gorgeous body of yours."

I had never been one to care about which bra matched which panties. If it was comfortable then that was the one I chose. This time not only did my bra and panties match and look nice but my bra opened in the front and with a flick of Daniil’s wrist. As I slipped out of the bra completely and tossed it aside, my heart raced as heat filled me.

He captured my lips in a kiss that made me forget everything but this man in my arms. His fingers brushed against my nipples as his hand moved along my skin. "So soft!" he murmured as he kissed along my jawline and moved down as he reached my chest. Running his tongue against a nipple, I gasped a sharp intake of air as he suddenly bit down before letting his tongue soothe the pain.

Thrusting my chest forward, Daniil responded as I hoped he would, by capturing the nipple as he sucked and pleasured it. As he simultaneously massaged the other breast, a liquid heat moved down to my core, feeding my desire for him. He alternated breasts making sure neither felt left out.

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