Page 9 of Natasha
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, Sir," Natasha breathed.
Silas' eyes narrowed, and he put a warm hand down on her skin that was exposed by the blanket. She trembled from the small touch, and when he leaned closer, Natasha knew he was going to kiss her. She closed her eyes in anticipation. It had been far too long since she'd allowed anyone to get this close to her; she was desperate for this man to kiss her.
No, not this man, not even Silas.
Right now, he was Sir. That simple one-syllable title had her struggling to breathe as she felt him lean in toward her. The ghost of his breath against her lips had her fingers clutching at the blanket.
Silas chuckled, one hand sliding up to cup the back of her neck and just when she thought she was going to be rewarded for her patience, the shrill ring of a cell phone halted Silas' forward movement. She prayed that he would ignore it, but when she felt his fingers tense on her skin, she knew he wouldn't, and she let out a groan of disappointment.
"M'sorry," Silas told her, the sincerity in his voice warming her. "I've got to take this. Been waiting on this call all night."
"Of course." Natasha nodded at him, once again pulling the blanket tightly around her body.
Silas' mouth pulled down at seeing her covering herself up, but he stood and took the call nonetheless. "Grant," he said, his voice clipped and all business. The change from the open and even playful tone he had been using only moments earlier didn't escape Natasha's notice.
"You sure it's on?" Silas asked his back to her. He ran a hand through his hair and then he gave a short nod as he said, "2G payout? Yeah, give me—" He stopped then and turned to look back at her with a frown. "Give me an hour, and I'll be there. Gotta finish something first."
Natasha opened up her mouth to tell him that he didn't need to see her home. She knew that was what he was changing his plans for, but Silas was speaking again, and she clamped her mouth shut.
"None of your business. With a friend," he said, voice still stern before he cut the call off and shoved the phone into his pocket.
"Natasha, something came up," Silas sighed with a frustrated look on his face. "M'sorry, bu—"
"Don't be sorry. I can see myself home." Natasha smiled at him and quickly stood up from the couch. She wasn't sure what to do with the blanket, but she set about folding it into a tidy square. "I'll just call a cab and be on my way," she said, placing the blanket neatly on the couch.
"No cab. Takin' you home, myself."
"Silas. I'm fine." Natasha straightened up then. When he began to protest, she switched the subject. "Where are you off to, anyhow, for two grand? That's what 2G meant, right?" The question had the desired effect. It put him off center, and he looked away from her then, hands on his hips with a conflicted expression on his face. He wanted to tell her, she could tell, but something was holding him back.
Natasha took a step towards him. "Silas?"
The blond rolled his shoulders before he turned to look at her. "A fight," he said, with what Natasha thought seemed like an ashamed expression.
"A fight?" she asked, taking another step towards him.
"Yeah." Silas lifted up one corner of his mouth in a half smile. "A fight with a big payout."
Natasha stopped in front of him. "You're a fighter?"
"For a while now. Helps pay things for the family and takes care of things that need takin' care of."
Natasha nodded, understanding what it was like to do things for your family. She had, after all, become one of the world's premier ballerinas because of that. Family made you do crazy things, she supposed.
"Do you like it?" she asked, her voice soft.
Silas frowned for a second before he nodded. "Too much, sometimes."
"May I come?"
Silas looked surprised at her request. "I don't want you to see me like that."
"Please?" Natasha asked. She didn't know why it was so important to her to see Silas fight. Maybe it was because his reason for doing so was his family. Whatever the motivation was, Natasha knew she wanted to see him in action.
Silas worried his bottom lip with his teeth for a second before he closed his eyes. "Feel like m'gonna regret this, but okay."
"Really?" Natasha bounced on her toes in excitement.
