21
SILVER
“The goods have finally arrived.”
I head back into the bedroom with the takeout bags in hand, the smell of soy sauce and garlic fragrant in the air. Solana’s still in my bed, exactly where I left her—naked and wrapped up in the sheets, her butterfly locs dangling past her bare shoulders. She’s fiddling with her phone when I walk in, looking up at me with her bright, pretty brown eyes.
I could get used to this, coming home to her waiting for me in bed.
“Figured the least I could do was not starve you to death,” I say, setting the bags down and unpacking the containers. “You know, after the appetite we’ve worked up.”
She stretches her arms and giggles, the sound one of the most addictive in the world. “Probably the best possible workout imaginable. I should cancel my gym membership.”
I climb back into bed beside her, settling against the headboard together. One by one, I pop open the containers—beef and broccoli, orange chicken, fried rice, chow mein, salt and pepper shrimp, egg rolls. The whole spread.
Solana’s eyes light up like it’s Christmas morning, grabbing the chopsticks I hand her with an eagerness that makes me grin.
She digs into the orange chicken first, her first bite accompanied by a moan. A real, genuine moan that reminds me a little too much of the sounds she was making an hour ago.
“Damn,” she says around the mouthful. “The Golden Dragon reallydoeshave the best Chinese food in Pulsboro.”
I nod, grabbing a chunk of beef with my own chopsticks. “No argument here. Much better than Wang’s. That place gave me food poisoning once. Spent three days thinking I was gonna die. Not exactly the way a Steel King should go out.”
She laughs as she swallows her next bite of orange chicken, then starts eyeing what I’ve got. “Hey. Don’t hog all the beef and broccoli.”
Before I can respond, she’s nudging my hand out of the way with her chopsticks, stealing a piece right out from under me.
Bold as brass.
I raise a brow at her. “Didn’t know you were so assertive.”
She smirks at me, a playfulness twinkling in her eyes. “What can I say? You’re bringing out a new side of me.”
It makes me proud to hear her say it. So much so I almost forget about the sliver of beef held between my own chopsticks.
But it’s good to see her like this. So relaxed and at ease, with a glow about her.
She looks comfortable here, in my bed, in my space.
…like it’s where she’s meant to be.
“I like seeing you like this,” I admit.
Yet another giggle bubbles out of her. “You mean with a big fat smile after amazing sex?”
I grab the fried rice container and scoop some onto my chopsticks, chewing slowly before I answer. “Well… yeah. But it’s more than that. I more so meant smiling. Laughing. Not to sound like a cliché cornball, but... it’s like music to listen to.”
Solana’s expression softens, her dark eyes lowering to her lap. “It’s easy to do around you. You… you make me feel like I really can do anything, Silver.”
God damn, do I have a soft spot for this girl.
More than anything I ever anticipated.
I pick at the fried rice for a moment, turning over the question I’ve been wanting to ask. In the end, I go ahead and get it out the way.
“Was this really your first time?” I ask carefully. “Except for… you know.”
After some hesitation, her gaze flicks up to mine and she nods. “It, um, it was. That’s why I chose you. I wouldn’t trust anyone else—or want them. Only you.”
