Page 25 of Forgotten Prejudice
“Done already?” Soren asked once I showed up in the living room, wearing the clothes he left lying on the counter for me. They were brand-new and too big for my size but by far the most comfy cotton I’d ever worn.
Since the kitchen and living room were connected, Soren stepped from behind the large island placed in the middle of the space, then came to me. “The food I ordered still hasn’t arrived yet, but in the meanwhile, how about we do something with those bruises?”
“You ordered food?” I asked while he grabbed my hand and led me toward the couch.
“I’m not much of a cook.” He waited for me to sit down first and, after I did, crouched before me. “Besides, I think cooking at home is a waste of time when you can order in.”
Kai often cooked for me, and when he didn’t, my first pick would be some sort of junk food.
“So, how come you’re so fit?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” He raised one questioning eyebrow my way.
My cheeks heated up, and I rubbed the back of my neck. “I mean, junk food is all greasy and unhealthy. Eating it every day probably isn’t the best thing, but you look very fit.”
Soren’s lips pulled up, deep lines forming on each side of his tempting smile.
He’s so handsome.
“You’re adorable.” He shook his head while putting a bit of ointment on his fingers, then brought them to the corner of my mouth. “I have a private chef that supplies me meals based on my diet. So no junk food whatsoever.”
“You’re on a diet?”
“Not one that’s aiming to lose weight, but to maintain my physique as it is.”
“Oh.” That sounded fancy. “I just eat whatever I want.”
“And yet, you’re still sexy as sin.”
Heat crept to my cheek, and I tried to contain my growing excitement. My whole body was already burning up from being this close to him.
After applying the medicine carefully to my wound, he caressed the pads of his fingers over my lips. The taste of the ointment was bitter, but his touch turned it sweet, and I had to stop myself from sucking on his fingers like the starved animal he turned me into.
“You have the most beautiful lips.” He caressed them carefully, his eyes locked on my mouth. “The shape and color…Whoever gave you those bruises deserves life without parole.”
Once again, my heart began racing, and my body ached underneath the heat of his words and touch. Soren was so much, perhaps too much, to handle. But at the same time, I only wished for more.
More of his attention.
More of his care.
More of his affection.
His proximity turned me eager and selfish because nothing else mattered. All I wanted was for him to like me so he’d allow me to stay close because, with him, my life felt like a fairy tale.
After he was done with the lotion, Soren bandaged my wrist. Holding my arm, he took his time to wrap the bandage until it was tight and secured. Once finished, he packed all the supplies back into the first aid kit, and I noticed even more how organized he was. Everything had a place in his house, absolutely everything.
What about me? What’s my place?
Nerves struck me as the fear of being rejected by him simmered into my mind. I didn’t want him to suddenly return to his senses and realize he was so out of my league, or worse, to discover my lie.
“I told you not to do this,” Soren said as he sat beside me on the couch, taking my hand in his and preventing me from biting the tip of my nail. “Come here.” Without a hint of hesitation, he moved me to sit on his lap, my legs straddling each of his sides, while wrapping his arms around me.
Sitting on his lap felt weird because I wasn’t a small guy, and he was only so much bigger than me, but at the same time, I enjoyed it.
“Now, then.” He tilted his head, his silver eyes gleaming under the dim light of the living room. “Tell me, what happened between you and your friend.”
Trying to explain to Soren, the perfect man I had only just started dating, about my long and unrequited love for my best friend seemed like an awkward conversation to have. A conversation I had no clue how to start, and yet, after taking a deep breath, I managed to find my words.
