Page 18 of Tormented Angel

That day, Nazyr ended up spending a couple of hours with his brother. I didn’t anticipate he’d be gone that long, and even though I was nervous, Emily was doing a really good job calming me down. I was scared because of everything that had transpired over the last week, and I think because of my time with Duarte, I tend to get nervous whenever anyone new comes around. It will no doubt take a long time for me to settle down and trust people, but I really think I can trust this family.

I’ve been with Nazyr for almost two weeks now, and he hasn’t once tried to force me into anything sexual with him. Sure, he might be a bit flirtatious with the way he speaks to me, but there’s never anything more than that. He hasn’t even touched me since that first day at Duarte’s mansion when we were trying to make it look real for the video feed.

With every passing day, I realize my situation here with him isn’t going to be anything like it was with Duarte. Nazyr respects me. He doesn’t lock me up. He doesn’t backhand me when I speak out of turn. He doesn’t ridicule or emotionally abuse me just because he feels like it. What the man does is check on me and ask if I’m doing okay.

He comes up to me in the living room and asks if I need anything to drink while I’m reading. He asks if I want to walk down to the café with him and get some coffee, which I’ve done with him multiple times. Nazyr treats me so well, and there’s a small part of me that thinks I’m free in a way now.

I even asked him the other day if I was allowed to leave the house, and he told me, of course, I could, as long as I took a member of the security team along with me. I was worried about what he was insinuating, but he cleared up the air immediately—telling me that being close to him put a target on my back and that the only thing he wanted to do was keep me safe.

Nazyr is a real, genuine man. He’s one that cares deeply. So deeply that I don’t know what to think about it some days. Truth be told, I don’t understand why he’s being so lovely to me right now. I don’t have the slightest idea about it. Sometimes I just think he’s a good, solid man. But I know he deals in some nefarious activities. I’m not blind to it. His family is a dangerous one, which is why they need security in the first place… but what Emily said to me really calms me down. She said that the people in this family are overall good ones, but they do bad things sometimes. She told me that the few bad things they do, don’t mean they’re bad people, which made me feel good. It eased some of my worries, so to speak.

“Hey, there you are,” Nazyr’s voice booms from around the corner of the living area. I’m tucked in the bay window, on top of plush pillows with a blanket wrapped around me, book in hand. Nazyr has older Russian novels I’ve never read before, so I’ve been catching up on some books and, in turn, distracting myself.

I place my bookmark on the page I’m at and put my book down beside me. “Here I am. What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to tell you that Ruslan and I are still actively working on a plan about how we’re going to get the girls away from Duarte. I don’t want you thinking it’s something we’re not taking seriously.”

“I didn’t think that for a second. When I was first in your care, you told me that it would take some time to perfect this whole thing, so I’m grateful that you’re doing it.” I don’t mean to be negative, but I thought that Nazyr would’ve somehow gotten out of this by now. I know this is going to be a massive ordeal for his family, and they’re going to do something for me… a complete stranger. It blows my mind. It just goes to show that Nazyr must have really convinced his family it was the right thing to do.

“Okay, cool. I actually came here for another reason too. I know we normally go out to cafés for coffee, but do you want to go out to dinner with me?”

I blink a couple of times at him, almost wondering if he’s asking me on a date. The way he’s staring at me longingly makes me think he is, and a smile tugs at my lips. It’s the first time I’ve felt this way in longer than I can remember. “Yeah, I’d love that, actually.”

“Okay, great. Did you want to get changed? I’m going to put on a suit.”

As Nazyr finishes his sentence, I’m cackling. He’s already wearing a suit.

“What’s so funny?”

“Have you lost your bloody mind? Look in the mirror.” I shake my head, and Nazyr looks down at the suit he’s in right now. It’s a deep navy blue, and he has a white dress shirt, black tie, and black Oxfords to tie it all together. He doesn’t look bad at all. Meanwhile, I’m in a pair of leggings and an oversized shirt.

“I’m going to dress up a little bit,” Nazyr states, his deep chocolate-brown eyes boring into mine. It’s like there’s an unspoken language as if he wants this to be a date, but neither of us is speaking about it openly.

“Okay,” I say, throwing my legs over the side of the seat under the bay window. I leave my book right where it is, knowing no one will dare move it, and rise to my feet. “I’m going to head upstairs and get changed. Give me half an hour?”

“Sure thing,med.”

I notice what he’s called me in Russian. He’s calling me copper, likely because of my hair, which causes me to smile widely. I like that he’s given me a nickname of sorts. I walk past Nazyr, and we both make intense eye contact before I disappear up the stairs and reach my bedroom. I shut the door behind me, then go over to the curtains and draw them closed so I don’t have any creeps staring in through them while I get undressed.

I take off my leggings and oversized shirt, leaving me in a black pair of lace cheeky lace underwear. I go over to the closet in my bedroom and open the doors, seeing a few of the things Nazyr, or his people, have gotten me. He ended up telling me that some of the things in here are his sister’s since this used to be her old bedroom, but he said she doesn’t care about the clothes, so they’re mine now. I finally grab a beautiful deep emerald green dress from the rack and unzip it. I step into the dress, and it’s a little snug on me, but as I pull the zipper back up, it’s like a second skin on my body.

I walk over to my en-suite bathroom and take a look at myself in the mirror. I can’t do much with my hair, so I pull it up in a tight bun, allowing a couple of strands to fall around my face. There’s a curling iron in here, so I turn it on, and while I’m waiting for it to heat up, I put a full face of makeup on. Blessedly, Emily dropped off a care package of women’s items, like tampons, cleansing wipes, more makeup, a few skincare items, and some hair ties, bobby pins, and other sorts of things. She really got me anything else I needed to have in the immediate future, and I really appreciated that.

Within twenty minutes, I’m actually ready, so I head downstairs in this beautiful green dress. Nazyr’s in the foyer waiting on me. As soon as my heels clack against the first step, his eyes shoot right to me, and he’s not able to hold back his smile.

I smile in return, knowing he likes what he sees. “You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve dolled myself up like this,” I admit with a nervous laugh as I reach the bottom step.

“You’d never be able to tell. God, you’re so beautiful, Mona,” Nazyr states, and he’s making me feel so good right now.

“I have to ask, Nazyr, is this a date?” I cock a brow while I wait for his answer.

“It might be. Would that be a problem?”

“No, it wouldn’t at all,” I state, speaking straight from my heart. I lick my bottom lip, and Nazyr looks at me even more sharply. He takes a step toward me, and his eyes slowly rake over my body. I know our plans are to go out and get some dinner, but I feel like he’s looking at me like I’m on the menu.

I swallow hard, and Nazyr takes another step, looking straight into my eyes. “If you don’t want this, just tell me, and I’ll stop.” He moves closer to my lips, and when he’s only a mere inch away, I close the distance between us.

Our lips press against each other. His are strong and demanding, while the way I’m kissing him is soft and delicate. Heavens, I can’t even remember the last time I was kissed. It was probably by my boyfriend back in college. Duarte never kissed me, but why would he? I was just a fuck toy, a breeder, something he could use. I had no importance to him whatsoever.

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