Page 33 of Dark Fey Captive

He glanced at it, his passive expression shifting with a tilt of his lips.

Instead of giving me another meat stick, he threaded his fingers through mine. And with a tug, he pulled me off balance. I tipped forward, face-planting into his bare chest. His arm circled around my waist as he nuzzled my hair.

Trying to straighten, I wasn’t prepared for the way he caught my chin and tilted my head back. His gaze swept over my face, lingering on my mouth. A potent mix of panic and anticipation surged inside of me.

Where was the fear?

He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

“Thank you, Arena.”

Then he led me out of the room toward the stairs.

Confused, I stared at his back, trying to figure out why he had thanked me. Did he think that I’d held out my hand in invitation? Was he taking me back to the room for sex?

That finally triggered my fear response.

He glanced back and saw it. His steps slowed.

Dammit.

Before I could say something to play it off, he had me in his arms. Not the front-to-front warming hold like before, but carrying me like a bride over a threshold.

That didn’t help calm me.

The way he leaned in to press his forehead to mine did, though.

“Do you fear being in the open or me?” he asked, his voice rougher than usual.

In his arms with his face so close, I felt oddly safe. Safe enough for some honesty.

“I’m afraid that you misinterpreted holding out my hand as a sign that I’m willing for⁠—”

I flushed, unable to say it.

Words would make it too real.

And naming it might make me want it.

CHAPTER TWELVE

NAV

I swallowed hard, unable to speak.

Arena was slowly destroying me with her sweet acceptance.

When I’d returned to the room and found her gone, along with most of the clothes—including the pretty pink bra—I thought she had run away. That she feared me like all the other females. But she’d only gone to the third floor to look for more supplies.

My smart, beautiful female, who had no sense of danger, believed sex was my goal when I wanted much more than that. I wanted her. Forever.

How was I going to keep her safe in the future?

I never wanted to leave her side again. I wanted to keep her in bed, holding her…protecting her…touching her. But she would not like that. Even now, she was pulling away to look at me, staring up at me with her soft brown eyes, pleading for understanding. It made me want to hold her tighter, but I knew how she felt about touches, so I did not.

“I know you are not yet willing,” I assured her. “I will know when you are when you tell me.”

Unable to help myself, I pressed my lips to her forehead. Like when I had rubbed her back, she did not seem upset by the affection.