Page 84 of Born for Silk
My skin tingles beneath his fingers as they slide up, settling on my lower abdomen. “You make me weak, little creature.”
I turn to look at him and shuffle slightly without moving my hips from the pillow. “Do you care for me?”
“Did I not just say that?”
“No.” I pause, shaking my head. “You didn’t.”
“I did.” His brows pinch together, shadowing the dark message in his gaze. “You weren’t listening very well. I won’t often repeat myself, little creature. You are my weakness because I care.”
I swallow.
He reaches out and taps my nose, bringing a smile to my lips with how tender and wholesome that is. “Sleep. You have a big day tomorrow. As do I.”
“Will you be gone when I wake up?”
“Yes,” he states, his eyes are warm, with something hidden. My hopeful soul deems it disappointment, but I don’t know what else is buried beneath his stoic blue gaze.
I blink a few times, thinking of what I might say to keep him for longer.
We could discuss The Trade and The Cradle.
I could touch his tattoos, follow the scars and wounds, learn each one’s dark history.
We could be friends…
But it’s not done.
Not between a king and Silk Girl.
And no one can see him leave, at least not the wrong people, like the other Silk Girls or Watchers. People who could whisper in the corners of The Estate and put the heir in danger. So he must go.
He pulls me closer, tucking me into the curve of his long, muscular torso. “You have me, Aster. Inside you. Remember that. You are the most precious possession of The Cradle. I know that was never your motivation in this, but it is true. You will eat, rest, and behave. If you need me, I will come.”
I bury my face in the crook of his neck, feeling the powerful thumping of his pulse on my cheek. “You’ll come?”
His throat moves as he says, “I will.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rome
I hold the sweet creature against my chest, and when she starts to dream, her eyelids flicker, her lips roll together, and a small sound leaves her mouth.
Then she nuzzles me.
What the hell is that?
Do I look huggable?
Am I soft and welcoming?
She needs to stop that.
I pull her in tighter.
Fuck. For over a decade, I have watched Kong gaze at my sister as though she were the blood in his veins.
It seemed unbearable for someone else to be the reason your heart beats.