Page 64 of The Villain's Captive (The Villain's Duet 1)

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I pokedat the eggs benedict on my plate, my appetite nonexistent. How could I have been so stupid? There was no need for me to be on the pill since I wasn’t sexually active. That one guy—just one, happened years ago, and it was a one-night wonder that ended in disaster with me being punched in the face with reality. The reality being that your first was not even close to what they portrayed it to be in sloppy love stories. There were no floating lanterns by the ocean, no romance drifting in the perfect summer breeze. There sure as hell were no butterflies and rainbows popping up in the air while you got deflowered with Barry White singing in the background. It was unromantic. Awkward. Painful. And the Earth sure as fuck did not move for me with a guy named John settled between my legs, making it feel like he was tearing me apart from the inside out.

It was terrible. Something I never wanted to experience again—hence the reason I never had the need for birth control…until now.

“I’m starting to think I’m going to have to tie you up and force-feed you.” Elijah slanted a brow.

“Sorry.” Why did I just apologize? “I’m distracted, that’s all.” Distracted by the fact that we were two very irresponsible adults caught up in one giant vortex of the world’s most fucked up situation ever.

I sliced my knife through the poached egg, the soft yolk popping over the English muffin, smearing the plate. Elijah sure was an excellent cook. Everything he made was perfect.

“So, how long do we need to stay here, on the yacht?”

“We’ll stay here until things change.”

“What things?”

He picked up his cup of coffee, settling his lips on the brim as he took a sip. “I know you don’t agree, Charlotte. But I promise you, the less you know, the better. The last thing I want is for you to worry over things you can’t control.”

I frowned. “Things I can’t control?”

He placed his cup down, settling his hand on the table. “I told you, it’s my job to protect you, and I plan to do just that. There is nothing, and I mean nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.”

I believed him.

It was there in the color of his eyes, the determination, the truth, the resolve to protect his own—and after the last few days, us sharing the same bed, spending our nights getting high on sensual, erotic, mind-shattering fuckery, I had no choice but to admit that I was his. His to use. His to claim. His to protect.

In a bid to ease Elijah’s need for me to eat, I placed a bite of the egg in my mouth. The hollandaise sauce was perfectly buttery and delicious, the hint of lemon giving it a burst of freshness. “I know I’ve said this before, but you are an excellent cook.”

“I have a great appreciation for food.”

“That’s understandable after…well, what you’ve been through.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between us, but even through the awkward moments there was a constant buzz of energy that had us hyperaware of one another. Even from a distance, a simple glance could set my skin alight, as if his gaze caressed my flesh.

I shifted in my seat, needing to change my train of thought before I became a panting mess at the breakfast table. “Is there any way I could get into contact with my grandfather?”

“Not now. It’s too risky.”

Of course. What was I thinking?

Elijah tapped a finger on the table, pinning me with his stare. “Once all this is over and it’s safe, I’ll take you to him.”

I smiled warmly at the thought of seeing the grandfather I never knew, finding family again after spending years alone. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, Charlotte.”

A distant pulsating thump-thump-thump disrupted the calm. Both Elijah and I looked up and out over the ocean at a helicopter approaching from a distance.

“Is that helicopter coming here?”

“I believe so.” Elijah stood and immediately turned to face James, who positioned himself a few feet behind us. “Is it him?”

James merely nodded without saying a word and disappeared off deck, making his way to the back of the yacht to the helipad.

“A little warning would have been appreciated,” Elijah muttered more to himself since James was no longer there. He rolled his shoulders and cocked his head from side to side.

The black helicopter slowed down to a hover, the noise of the rotor blades impossibly loud. We weren’t even near the helipad, and the gust of wind had my hair blowing into my face, and I tried brushing it out of my eyes, clutching the turtleneck jersey tighter to ward off the chilly air. “Who is that?”

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