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“I will never force you, Evelyn, no matter what you may think of me, I am not a monster.”
I couldn’t help but feel a slither of guilt at that, as it may have been foolish, considering all he had confessed to, but I knew deep down that he was right… he wasn’t a monster. Which was why I couldn’t let him believe I thought this way.
“I don’t think you’re a monster, but you have kidnapped me and admit to that freely enough.”
“Everything I do is to keep you safe. Now, once the threat is over and has been eliminated, then I…”
I almost choked on that one word…
“Eliminated?!”
“Yes, eliminated. As that is what I do, Little Bird. I eliminate my enemies or people that threaten to harm all I care about.” I was once again swallowing hard.
“Are you like… in the mafia or something?” At this his lips quirked up in a flash of a smirk, and it was answer enough, without him needing to say,
“Of a sort, yes.”
“Well, you did tell me you were dangerous,” I said as if talking to myself.
“And I didn’t lie, but that being said, like I told you once before, I would never be a danger to you.”
“All but a danger to my heart,” I confessed again, and at hearing this he seemed pleased that I had remembered.
“And yet even in that, you still have a choice. For don’t forget when I told you that you could choose to gift it freely, and therefore it cannot be stolen.”
“Well, that wouldn’t make you much of a thief now, would it?” I teased despite the circumstances of our conversation, making him smile.
“Perhaps it is you that is the master thief in this scenario, for you clearly have stolen mine,” he replied, and I couldn’t help but be affected by his words enough to blush. Because he was once again declaring how he felt about me, even if I wasn’t yet able to do the same in return. So, in order to protect my heart, or being foolish enough to trust him with the knowledge that it was already his, I tried to steer the conversation back to where it needed to be.
“I think we are getting off track here.”
“Oh, I think we are precisely on the track I want to be on,” he hummed, making me laugh nervously, playing with the tattoo on my wrist with my hands held in front of me.
“Like I said, I know nothing about you.” At this he brushed the backs of his fingers along the apple of my cheek, watching his movements with a kind of tenderness I didn’t think a man like him would be possible of giving.
“Then why not take the time to find out?” he offered, making me close my eyes for what felt like long seconds. But the moment they snapped open again, I was quick to point out,
“And be your prisoner at the same time…? That’s a little too Stockholm syndrome for me.” At this he sighed and told me,
“If I could be assured of you staying of your own free will, then we would have no need for such a distasteful label.”
“I think that trusting ship may have sailed there, buddy,” I snorted, making him smirk.
“Then I suggest we spend this time learning how to earn such trust in one and other, for it goes both ways… or so I am told.” I laughed at this tease.
“And how do you suggest we do that? Because, no offence, but I’m getting the impression you’re pretty new to the whole dating scene and I hate to break it to you, Ryker, but you don’t normally kidnap the girl before asking her out,” I whispered this last part behind my hand as if I was letting him in on a big secret.
“Ah, so this is where I have been going wrong all these years,” he teased again, making me giggle.
“Drugging them is also a big no no.” At this he granted me a wry look before admitting dryly,
“Duly noted.”
“Okay, so in all seriousness, how can we possibly…” I started shaking my head when he framed my face with his big hands and told me,
“We start by not over-thinking things, let us not focus on the past that was, but concentrate more on the future that could be.”
Damn him for his softly spoken words of wisdom. However, I wasn’t yet willing to give in so easily.
