“Thank you.” I huffed. Once I got my heart to slow, I lifted my eyes. “Not those.” I pointed to the ones I didn’t want.
“Good to know. Thank you for letting me know you don’t like something.”
I turned back to the pile, afraid to see his expression. Words only went so far.
“Oakley?”
I hummed, turning slightly back towards him. I kept my head down, my hands busy with picking up the pile.
“I’m proud of you. Very much so. Thank you.” Before I could second guess what he was doing, he was pulling me into a tight hug against his chest once more. His damp skin was warm from his shower. My body instantly relaxed against him. “I know it’ll take time for you to see that I won’t ever hurt you for telling me your dislikes. But all we can do is take it one day at a time.”
“He would,” I muttered. One hand had a mind of its own. My fingers swiped around the skin, tracking a few of the water droplets that dripped down his chest. It wasn’t my fault my fingers may have slowly circled one of his nipples.
Defiantly not my fault.
“I know he would, butIwon’t. I will never raise a hand in anger towards sweet, little adorable boys who steal my heart.”
I blushed, closing my eyes. He couldn’t say things like that. The warmth in my cheeks spread to mychest, and slowly started traveling down more. My stomach filled with floaties that bobbed around.
“I’ll tell you every single day how much I’m enjoying your company. Whether you believe it or not, I don’t ever want to go back to having an empty house. I like you here. I like coming home to see you doing whatever you feel comfortable doing. Let it be reading, cleaning, or just napping like I found you today.
“I want to introduce you to my parents.”
What?
I looked up, kind of shocked. Hadn’t he said he didn’t want them to meet me? Which I got. I was…well whatever I was. I didn’t expect him to ever meet anyone in his life.
“Only when you are ready, of course. But I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want everyone to know who you belong to.”
“I’m yours.” I had been his since he took me away from Sir.
“Yes. But you’re more than just me taking you. I feel things in here,” he grabbed my hand, pressing it against his chest where his heart lay thumping. “I want more from you. I want to give you a life that you will thrive in.”
I could only blink.
“You turn eighteen tomorrow.”
And what did that have to do with anything? Was he finally telling me he was going to take my body?
“Tomorrow, things will change. You’ll be an adult, one I can protect better with certain types of documents in place. I can take you out, and show you the world.”
“You’re my world.” Everything I did revolved around this man. He was already at the front of mymind with everything I did. He owned me, so he could do whatever he wanted, even if he was nice about it all.
“You are more than just a pretty thing on a shelf, Oakley. Do you understand that?”
I shook my head. That was exactly what I was, though.
“You are human. With emotions, wants, and needs. And I want to be the one to fill all those.”
I sighed, shaking my head. We didn’t see me as the same type of person. Sure, I was a human. But that was all. I was nothing more than a breathing piece of pretty things.
“Expect to be showered with gifts tomorrow.”
That made me shake my head even faster. I didn’t need anything. “Just you.” That was all I needed. Just a man who could be nice.
I didn’t need feelings in the mix. It was hard enough to keep my heart locked in a cage and not escape. Because this man was nice enough that I could see myself falling for him in ways that would destroy me.
Chapter 38
