Page 71 of That Sik Luv

His fingers travel up along the edge of my shoulder, making the hair raise, awakening my flesh, until they wrap around the back of my neck. I hear him inhale my scent near my ear as he presses himself against me and his grip tightens.

“I don’t do well with gentle hands on me,” he says firmly.

“I’ve gathered,” I say under my breath, rolling my eyes before breaking away from him.

I run my fingers through my hair in the mirror, trying to comb out the tangles, when he slams a brush down on the counter, making me jump.

I swallow, reluctantly taking it from him to finish brushing. He wasn’t kidding when he told me everything I’d need was already here. He has it all. A toothbrush for me, brushes, robes, clothes, shoes...everything in my size. My eyes trail back up to my reflection, and I see his unfortunately handsome glare set behind me as I finish.

I set the brush back down when he crowds me again, his front sealing to my back, hard eyes staring at my reflection, direct enough to shatter glass.

“You have no idea what the fuck I’ve been through,” he growls against my ear. “So roll your eyes at me again, Briony,” he urges, his nostrils flaring.

My eyes pinch in the corners at his threatening behavior.

I send an elbow into his ribs behind me, pushing him off my back. He pushes against me harder, but I spin, shoving him in the chest again to distance us. He looks to the floor as his wet hair hangs before those dark eyes, then back up at me. His brow cocks in defiance as he takes a step towards me again.

“You’re right,” I say suddenly, causing him to stop in place. “I don’t. I don’t have a fucking clue what you’ve been through, and yet you seem to know my story entirely. Isn’t that right?”

He stares at me with hatred behind his gaze. There’s so much on his mind he won’t reveal.

I glare back at him. When he doesn’t answer, I continue, “You sabotage me, expose me, threaten me, force me to turn my back on my religion and everything I’ve ever known, simply to force me to rely on you and you alone. But what makes you think you had to do all that just to gain my trust? Would the truth not have sufficed? Am I that much of a lost little sheep to you? Am I too ignorant to accept the disgusting facts I’ve seen? That ignorant to need further explanation and reasoning before I can seethe light, as you say?”

He doesn’t answer, just absorbs my words intently.

“You think I’m an idiot,” I say matter-of-factly, my face burning with anger.

He takes a step forward. “I know you’re—“

I slap him across the face before he can finish, striking the words from his mouth with a burning palm. His face snaps to the side, his hair dancing over his eyes, before his tongue runs along his teeth. His lips pull into that handsome, wolfish grin as his dangerously narrowed eyes turn to find mine.

“I may not know what you’ve been through, Aero,” I begin, with venom on my tongue. “I don’t know the first thing about your past, but you know nothing of my future. So let’s not pretend we know each other.”

He tilts his head back, eyeing me curiously. I can feel his thoughts dancing around dangerously in his mind. His lip twitches and I watch as he holds himself back from whatever he instinctually wants to say or do. I brush past him, cautious about his retaliation, but it doesn’t come. He actually lets me walk away from him, and it feels damn good.

Searching the hallways, I find a dark open room with a king-sized bed and walk inside, shutting the door before locking it behind me. Dropping the towel, I crawl beneath the bedsheets that were clearly placed here for me.

The colors resemble my bedroom at home, and there is even a vase of budded roses on the nightstand. He knew he’d be bringing me here at some point. He’d envisioned me sleeping here, just like he knew the bishop was going to kill me, just as he knew Jacob would try to harm me, just as he knew they would sabotage my ceremony.

I curl onto my side beneath the soft pillow-top comforter, and before I can even attempt to rein them in, the tears fall like rain. I cry until I’m a sobbing mess. I cry for a life that I no longer know. A past that’s been wasted and a future now unknown.

I cry until my eyes are so heavy that sleep cradles me with the comforting embrace I seek.

Asoftgroanvibratesagainst me. My eyes flutter open, and I forget where I am. It’s still dark outside, even with the heavy drapes hanging over the room’s floor-to-ceiling window. I’m at Aero’s home.

I hear another groan from behind me, causing my heart rate to spike.

I’m not alone.

I roll over to face him sleeping beside me. Of course he got in here. Why this place even has locks is beyond me. He must’ve crawled in alongside me once I fell asleep.

It surprises me, his need to sleep next to me when I know his hatred of intimacy.

Another soft groan leaves his soft, pouty lips, and he shakes his head quickly, causing his inky hair to toss over his eyes. He’s clearly in the middle of some sort of dream. I readjust myself on my side to face him; the moonlight slipping through the drapes just enough to see the outline of his face again.

He’s disturbingly handsome. Those dark eyebrows, the one carved with the scar directly through it, those long thick lashes that rest, fluttering along his upper cheek, the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw, and the scarred lip I find myself wanting to kiss.

He’s not big on kissing, but the reminder of him telling me to suck his tongue gives me that same tightening in my belly.

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