I wanted the floor to open up and eat me.
“Y-You have to admit, we’ve spent a lot of time together lately. You don’t leave when I’m cleaning, you’ve let me into your world, and trust me to keep your secrets—”
“Finish what you were going to say.” His fists shook. “Before you can’t.”
I swallowed hard and had every intention of turning mute, but the final sentence fell off my tongue. “No matter how much you try to scare me, I’ve...grown used to you. I don’t think you’ll hurt me which makes me bolder than I should be. I’ve seen you at your weakest. I’ve seen the way you adore Whisper. I’veseenyou. But...you’ve also seen me. You’ve helped me when I washurting and gave me your blood to prevent me hurting again. Youdocare, even if you pride yourself on making it seem like you don’t. Which makes me wonder if...”
“If?” he snarled.
Ugh, just get it over with, seeing as you were stupid enough to start.
Tipping up my chin, I announced, “If you have feelings for me.”
He didn’t move. Not even to breathe. “You’re asking if Ilikeyou? What are you? Twelve?”
I flinched as something dark and starving flickered in his stare before being smothered with a mocking scoff.
Before I could reply, he muttered, “Out of all the whores and killers they’ve sent me, you’re the weakest and most useless. You can barely stand upright when having a conversation. You have a tendency of stealing my wine and threaten to pass out if I so much as look at you wrong. You would rather nap than work and have an annoying little habit of distracting me.” He laughed softly. “Do you think I could like those qualities?” He stepped into me, tall and threatening. “That I could likeyou?”
Swooping to my feet, I backed up.
I almost fell over Whisper as he slunk to my side and pressed against me. “You don’t have to be cruel about it.”
“Is it cruel to tell the truth?”
“It’s cruel to take pleasure in it.”
“I’ve never felt pleasure,” he snapped. “Not once. Not a single fucking day have I ever experienced a single droplet of pleasure or happiness, yet here you are expecting me to command you to give me one.” Stepping into me, he flicked my forehead with his finger. “I fear for what’s going on in that broken brain of yours.”
I froze.
Did he just...flickme?
He shook his head with a chuckle as if my reaction amused him.
He acted like a schoolboy tugging the pigtails of the girl he liked.
It made me even more confused and—
“Thisis what I wanted to teach you,” he growled, yanking the dagger he’d stolen out of his waistband.
My mouth went dry as he held it up.
The metal glinted with the many lightbulbs from the chandelier above.
I stiffened. “What...what are you doing?”
“Stopping you from getting into even deeper trouble than you already are.” Running his thumb along the sharp edge, his eyes narrowed. “Romance is an utter waste of time. I have no interest in it. No desire to feel it. Just because I find comfort in your company doesn’t mean I want anything more than that.”
“You find comfort in my company?”
He drew himself up as if he hadn’t meant to say that.
His voice dropped to a growl. “You are here to do what I ask, that’s all. I will never ask you to sleep with me because the very idea of losing any more control than I already have sickens me.”
“Never say never,” I blurted stupidly.
God, why?
