Without thinking, he rushed to him, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms tightly around Nuri’s middle. He clung to him, uncaring how he may come off or that he was groveling. If he needed to bow before Nuri even, he would do it. He’d do it happily if it meant he’d get through to him.
If it meant not being left alone.
He felt Nuri tense up in his hold, felt the way he inhaled sharply and froze even before he spoke and the shock rang in his voice.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry,” Silver said, the apology rushing out of him along with his desperation. “I was selfish. I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Just please. Please.” He pressed his face against the small of Nuri’s back. “Please.”
“What’s—” Nuri seemed to be struggling as well, “What’s going on? Are you…Are youcrying?”
He sniffled in response and tightened his arms even more, honestly just as surprised by the tears as the other man seemed to be.
“You don’t do that,” Nuri said. “You didn’t even cry at your father’s funeral.”
“My father was just my father. You’reyou.” Had he felt bad that the old man had died? Sure. But he was bound to go at some point, and at least his death had given Silver another reason to keep Nuri close.
“I…,” Nuri shook his head, “I don’t know what that means.”
“It means you’re everything,” he told him. His hands fisted in the material of Nuri’s robe over his stomach, clinging to him. “You’ve always been my everything. Isn’t that obvious bynow?” Hell, he’d found out the lengths Silver had gone through just to keep him, how could it not be?
“What about last night?” Nuri demanded. “Were you responsible for that too?”
“Yes.”
“How much of it?”
“All of it. The leaked dashcam footage, the drug—”
“Did you threaten Scotch D’ver?”
“Who?”
“The guy currently sitting in a jailcell for drugging the emperor!”
Oh.
“I didn’t threaten him,” Silver said. “I paid him.”
“Good Light.”
“His grandmother is sick and he can’t afford the treatment. I offered to cover all of her medical expenses for the rest of her life in exchange. He agreed to it, I didn’t force him.” Scotch, or whatever his name was, had been the one to approach Silver even. “I wasn’t sure the dashcam footage would be enough to—”
“To what,” Nuri growled, and when Silver hesitated added, “Say it.”
“I didn’t want us to fight anymore.”
“So you tricked me into feeling bad for you instead? Into having sex with you? I thought I was helping you!”
“You felt better afterward too,” Silver pointed out. “I know you did. Neither of us feel good when we’re at odds.”
Nuri was quiet for a moment, and the wait was pure torture for Silver, but all he could do was hold on and refuse to let go.
“What else?” Nuri sounded tired. “Tell me everything.”
“I overheard your conversation with your sister. She was going to try and keep you from me. That’s why I tried so hardto get you to call off your trip. When nothing I did worked, I resorted to placing your name on the No Fly list.”
“You were eavesdropping on our conversation?” He shook his head. “How often do you do that?Whywould you do that?”
