Page 71 of Sin of Silence

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

She was afraid she’d ruined the moment with her refusal, that Jozef would grow cold again, but he didn’t. He looked at her with understanding and dipped his head in a brief nod.

I will not ask you to marry me then,he signed.But I will ask you to wear my ring, in whatever form of commitment you are able to give at this moment.

Commitment. Was she ready to wear a symbol of Jozef’s ownership? She knew the Koba family and their elite friends would see it that way. She was property of the Koba family, and the ring sealed that fate. Shaun preferred to look at the ring in the spirit in which it was being given, a sign of Jozef’s commitment to her. A request that she consider one day giving him more when she was ready.

It amazed her how far Jozef had come from the brutal killer who’d kidnapped her. She wasn’t fooling herself into believing that he was no longer dangerous. All she had to do was remember the men who’d attacked her in the alley. He’d dealt with them with brutal efficiency and then walked away with Shaun as though he hadn’t a moment’s remorse for the lives he’d just taken. And though he’d admitted to her that he could remember the face of every person he killed, he still committed the act. He’d been raised a killer and he would die a killer.

Yet, the feral dog of the Koba family was softening for her, and even though she didn’t agree with his line of work, it was impossible to resist the raw romance Jozef was determined to show her.

“Thank you.” She curled her fingers into her palm, feeling the press of her new ring. “I’ll treasure it.”

Jozef reached up and, gripping her head in his palms, dragged her into his body for a kiss. She fell out of her chair, but he caught her before she could hit the floor and cradled her against his chest while deepening the kiss. Shaun clung to him, feeling the intense emotion of the moment mixing with the rising lust that seemed to always swirl around them.

Finally, he broke the kiss, touched his lips to her nose, then set her back in her chair. Standing up, he signed,let’s finish getting ready. I want this party done so I can get you to myself.

He gave Shaun a distinctly lascivious look, telling her exactly why he wanted to get her alone.

Shaun laughed and turned her chair back to the mirror, picking up a nearby comb. She was relieved Jozef had sent the hair stylist away. She much preferred her own style over the smooth and straight version the man was trying to give her. She teased her hair until she got it exactly right. When she finished, it stood several inches out from her head in perfect symmetry all the way around.

Jozef sent a servant to the ballroom for a single gold-dipped black rose. Using his switchblade, he cut the stem off and tucked the rose into Shaun’s hair, just above her ear. She touched her fingers to the rose, marveling at the unique beauty, then she used pins to secure it. She sprayed her hair into place and then turned away from the mirror.

Together they got ready for the party, signing to each other and laughing. It was the most relaxed Shaun had been in that house and she found herself wishing she was getting ready for an evening out with Jozef, rather than a big fancy engagement party.

Can you please zip me?Shaun signed, turning her back to Jozef, who was standing in only his suit pants and a belt. She found his bare feet unbearably sexy, especially when paired with his bare chest, which was truly a beautiful sight with its wealth of tattoos. Shaun held her breath as he stepped up to her, the heat of his body caressing her. He took the zipper of her dress and pulled it up from her butt to halfway up her back, his knuckles deliberately touching the skin of her back.

She tried to step away, but he took her shoulders and turned her until she was facing him. His eyes drank her in, from the top of her afro to the dip in her cleavage, all the way down the slinky floor length gold silk gown to her bare toes peeking out from the hem. When he lifted his eyes to hers, his gaze held fire and admiration. He was telling her she was beautiful; she didn’t need to hear the words to know.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile.

Jozef stepped away from Shaun and reached for his white button up shirt. His aunt had sent a tuxedo for him to wear, but Jozef had chosen one of his finer suits instead. He told Shaun that he would wear the tux if she wanted, but he hated feeling confined. Shaun replied that she didn’t have an opinion. She didn’t say out loud that it didn’t matter what Jozef wore, he would be the sexiest man in the room. There was something magnetically appealing about his darkly intense demeaner. As if he hid a wealth of secrets and the only way he would give them up was if he was either fucking or killing.

Finally, they were ready.

Shaun added a hint of shiny lip gloss to her nude lips, otherwise she wore little makeup, allowing the shimmery golden dress to speak for itself. Leeza had given Shaun a pair of strappy satin sandals to match the dress. Shaun was grateful as the straps helped her feel more secure in the three-inch heels.

Jozef held her arm while she bent to slide each shoe on. He then bent down, kneeling at her feet, and buckled them for her. When he stood, he didn’t move away, instead taking her shoulders in his hands and rubbing his thumbs over her skin. In her shoes, Shaun was nearly the same height as Jozef. They would make an imposing pair.

He continued to stare at her as the air heated around them, charged with their chemistry. Jozef was a tactile person, always touching her when he got the chance. At first, Shaun thought it was his way of controlling her, but she quickly realized it was his love language. He was always touching her, whether they were having sex or not. He didn’t get anything out of it, except for basic human contact. He wanted to touch her and truly enjoyed it.

Shaun wished she felt more comfortable touching him back. Though her family was a loving one, they hadn’t been demonstrative. They didn’t often hug unless one of them had been absent for an extended period of time, and none of Shaun’s previous boyfriends had been particularly touchy with her. Shaun hadn’t realized she was missing anything until Jozef touched her, his magical fingers working to almost instantly relax her.

He turned away and Shaun thought they were going to leave to go to the ballroom, but he caught her arm and held her still. He pulled open the drawer to his desk and picked something up. As he turned back to Shaun, she caught a flash of something shiny. Curious, she watched as he opened his palm, showing her a delicate chain with a tiny heart.

She hadn’t expected anything else from him, but if she had, she would have thought a family of the obvious wealth the Kobas had would give huge, shiny, opulent jewelry. In fact, Shaun was positive none of the women of the family would show up at the party less than fully decked out in their icing. Yet, this simple and delicate chain meant so much more to Shaun because she knew it had come from Jozef alone.

He took her shoulders in his hands and turned her until her back was to him, then he placed the tiny heart against the dip in her throat, linking the chain at the back of her neck. Shaun lifted a hand to touch the precious metal as Jozef kissed the back of her neck.

He stepped away from her and, as she turned, held a hand out to her. She slid her fingers into his palm and looked at him, her vulnerability shining bright in her eyes. She didn’t think she was imagining the same look in his velvet blue eyes.

Chapter Forty-One

Every head in the room turned and the orchestra fell silent as Jozef led Shaun into the ballroom, pausing in the doorway for the occupants to look their fill. Shaun clung tighter to Jozef’s arm, while he squeezed her hand reassuringly. Being the object of such focused attention made her nervous and reminded her all over again of how different she was from these people.

Though Shaun had helped prepare the house for the party, she was still shocked by the transformation of the ballroom. It was dripping in glittering crystal, gold and black accents and the most expensive settings money could buy. Shaun stared at the tablecloths covering the buffet tables. If she wasn’t mistaken, they were the exact same shade as her gown. She stared open-mouthed at Dasha, who was standing near the front of the crowd with her hand on Krystoff’s arm. The woman had outdone herself. When Shaun caught Dasha’s eye, the older woman lifted her champagne glass in salute. Shaun was truly impressed.

Dasha and Krystoff approached Jozef and Shaun, and in a moment of choreographed harmony, the matriarch and patriarch of the Koba crime family each took Shaun in their arms and kissed her cheeks. They were showing their assembled guests that they wholeheartedly accepted and endorsed Jozef’s choice for wife. It was a fraught moment as the guests whispered and Leeza and Saskia approached to follow suit.

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