Page 157 of Aftershock
And yet he doesn’t believe me.
“Mmm.” The garbledpleasecomes out at the same time I open my eyes.
Despite the adrenaline and panic threatening to swallow me whole, I can’t help but notice how handsome he is.
His hair is messy but perfect. His stubble somehow highlights his cheekbones and defined jaw.
Morning light glimmers in his blue eyes, and so does love.
Perched on his elbow and wearing a gray Henley that stretches over his muscles, he’s breathtaking.
“There you are.” Alaric’s huge hand covers my entire cheek. “My Lilith.”
He looks a little unhinged and somewhat broken, but he’s nonethelessmine.
There’s still hope for him. For us.
“Mmm.”Please, I try to say again, and fail. My speech is restrained. So are my arms and legs when I try to move them. My gaze lifts to Alaric’s, pleading. Begging. “Mmm.”
“Don’t…” That one command holds rivers of pain. “Please, stop tugging on the binds. Your ankles, your wrists. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Release me, and I’ll be fine. Better than fine. Since I can’t talk, I give him a meaningful look, smiling despite the double gag that’s restricting my lips.
“I’ll release you,” he says, as if reading my mind. “Only so you can use the bathroom. With me there.”
Disappointment is a heavy weight. It almost smothers the sliver of hope I have.
Never.
He promised I wouldn’t be harmed. That he’d let me go if he believed I accepted the other side of him.
I trust him to be true to his word or to come to his senses, whichever happens first. Hell, by this time tomorrow, this will have all blown over. This whole ordeal will be nothing but a bump in the road that we’ll laugh about years later.
It’s going to be fine.
“After that, we’ll have a shower together. Then we’ll talk.” His thumb is soft on my cheekbone, his touch reverent. “Well, today,Iwill. You’ll listen.”
Ha. Of course I’m going to talk too. I’ll find a way. I’ll fight for us.
It won’t be easy. I can tell just by looking at him that it’ll be an uphill battle.
Despite the pain I see on his face, there’s determination there. Composure. Stillness.
Yesterday, his resolve scared the shit out of me. Mom had abused me for years, but I’d never been kidnapped or tied up. I fucking lost it. And with good reason.
Today, I’m… No, I’m not used to it. But it isn’t as terrifying. As stifling.
I can think. I can plan.
I can save Alaric from himself.
So instead of shaking my head and growling at him, I play it smart.
“Mm-mm.” I infuse submission into the sound, praying it comes out asokay.
“Good girl.”
His praise washes over me, easing the tension from my body. I sink into the mattress while his deft fingers work the ties at my wrists first, then my ankles.
