Page 45 of Silenced

Yet here I am, perched on his lap,touching him.

And somehow, the exercise that was supposed to dissect his masculine beauty so that it didn’t hold any power over me backfires.

Extraordinarily.

When he finishes chewing the pancake and swallows it, he arches a brow as he picks up a piece of bacon for me.

A part of me expected him to force me to eat, but he doesn’t. He just holds it aloft. Patiently.

“I can feed myself.”

That brow arches higher, making his scar ruffle, puckering that half of his face in a way that should’ve been ugly, but nothing about him could ever be that.

Nothing.

Opening my mouth, I accept his offering. The bacon’s salty and rich and it makes my mouth water. My eyes close of their own volition as I savor food after what feels like a week without it. My stomach twinges as I swallow.

Upon opening my eyes, I find him watching me.

That glitter’s back.

No longer are they expressionless…

He wants me.

I’ve seen that look too often on Harvey’s face not to understand it.

Want.

Arousal.

But, in my experience, that ‘want’ soon shifts into hatred.

Loathing.

Still, this stranger doesn’t have an issue with arousal, does he? After all, I can feel his dick against my most intimate self even if he isn’t shoving it against me.

Confused by my reaction to his erection when I should be repulsed, I sign, “Why are you doing this?”

Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t answerthat. Rather, he stuns me by asking a question, “Did Rundel sexually assault you?”

“Why do you care?” I retort, gaze locked on his hands before I scowl at him. “Aren’t you going to do that to me?”

I can feel his sudden surge in tension. “You are safe.”

A denial? Or a nonanswer?

My scowl deepens as I motion over my naked form. “I really feel safe.” I only wish it were possible to imbue sarcasm with my fingers—I have to hope my expression says it all.

His jaw works but he stays silent, just snags a piece of pancake and presses that to my mouth. I get the feeling that he’s trying to shut me up.

Ha.

Not gonna happen.

As I eat, I sign, “Tell me your name, at least.”

His gaze drifts along my very naked curves as he takes in my statement, then he spells out, “Nikolai.”

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