I awoke to soft sheets and strong arms around me. My eyes were still shut when I bathed myself in the trickling sunlight making its way through the balcony. My eyelashes faintly batted on my cheeks as I blinked at Silas who had his head nestled into the crook of my neck, his one hand secured around one of my breasts under my silk top.
Momentarily, the memories of last night slipped away and resurfaced.
He had his reasons.
As I thought of stretching out, I couldn't bring myself to wake him up. He wasn't even in bed at 3. He must have been tired when he came. But I had to go the cafe and there was no way in hell, I could disentangle myself from him if he kept on sleeping.
"Silas," I whispered to his hair, without any choice.
He didn't respond.
"Honey?"
He stirred; erection first and then the man. I suppressed my all too familiar giggle.
"Can you move your arm please?"
"Mmm?" He squinted up at me, disapproving. "No."
"Silas, I have to go to work." I splayed a hand on the top of his arm, trying to push him away. But his skin managed to slip away. The bastard was enjoying it.
"It's not official yet," he murmured to my chest, his eyes closed now. "You can skip a day or two before you finally join."
"Jesus, you're impossible."
I tried to show some irritation but failed smothering my smile. It was uncannily unnerving. This man had pissed me off a few seconds ago but in a few more seconds, he had made me smile. This man could get under my skin and then again, he was the one to soothe me down. At times, he could make my heart run, mostly with worry and sometimes with love. We would worry if we loved, right?
I finally succeeded in sliding into the bathroom after ten minutes, welcoming yet another monotonous day. I couldn't believe that I could get used to the ocean or the view from our bedroom. All good things must come to an end.
"Still going?" Silas muttered, setting down the bowl of cereal before him.
"Yes."
"I can't tell you to skip work since I had spent the last few days working my ass off," he said, his eyes on his food, knowing that I would say something to make him feel better.
I only scowled and took my pasta out of the microwave. His words might have offended me slightly but he wasn't wrong. I wouldn't skip my lessons before joining the cafe because my husband suddenly had the time to play house.
As I stared out the balcony at the ocean, I thought about Jill and wondered how she handled the project in India now. Was there a new chief executive? Was Adrian there now? This baffled me when I realized how much I had come to understand and love the business. That was probably my husband's life. The sobering truth was also upsetting.
"Dawn?" Jayne's voice came from downstairs, more precisely from the foot of the staircase since she had decided to respect our privacy.
I dumped my empty bowl in the sink before walking towards the stair. "Yeah?"
"Will you be coming with me today?"
"Yes."
"Half an hour?"
That was more than enough. "Sure."
Well, I could start with somewhere else. Certainly, I wasn't fit for an Italian publishing company. Sticking to the cafe business seemed better at this moment.
Silas had finished his breakfast too when I walked into the kitchen. But, I halted at my feet to see him before the sink and idly I thought if he was trying to make up for being distant. I was enjoying it although he didn't have to do it. I wasn't mad at him. If I was mad at him for one thing, that was the damned secrecy.
Clear green eyes met mine and for a moment, I thought I was exposed. If I was exposed under his gaze, wasn't he under mine?
He smiled now, his drowsiness still prominent, giving him an appealing sort of look and I almost considered staying home for my pleasure, not his.
Stopping my wayward thoughts, I smiled back and turned to the bedroom. Once finally dressed, I walked out of the closet, struggling with my purse. Silas sat on the edge of the bed, his hair matted on the side he had slept on, his green eyes perfectly wide on me.
"When are you coming back?"
"Before the evening. Why?" I shoved my regular 'Drizella Ricci' phone in my purse.
"Date night. This shouldn't be a problem if you return before the evening." He looked somewhat pleased with himself, still naked up to the waist, the tattoo of my own eyes painted on his skin. "Besides, I have things to tell you."
Do you remember me, Silas?
"Oh, okay." I pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before leaving the room without a second glance.
I pored over the decor plan Jayne had come up with for the hundredth of time to look for any kind of changes I could suggest. I couldn't get the damned idea of the 'date night' out of my mind, and it was seriously beginning to piss me off. This past week, I admitted, I had missed us together. Silas would wake up earlier than me and come to bed later when I was asleep. In between, his days passed in his study. He didn't even paint.
And now here I was, pulling the car into the parking lot of the villa, knowing why Jayne wouldn't come back home with me. What was her brother planning on? Bribing me with loud and hot sex?
I knew this would lead to that. Not that I would mind. I was itching to get him into bed, properly. Not only that but also to get the truth out of him. He wouldn't be hiding papers from me if he was just working. It was okay to have secrets. But I didn't want him to be involved in something that could bring him trouble.
The villa was quiet as always when I unlocked the door and strolled in, smiling at how cleverly Silas had convinced the others to leave us alone for a while. This was so wrong. But what could I say?
I took the stairs, hollering, "Honey, I'm home."
There wasn't any response.
I noticed the kitchen first. It was squeaky clean. Not a single thing was out of place. What was this? Bribing me with housework then? I couldn't help smiling at his silliness.
I just want the truth, baby.
Shaking my head, I walked into our room. It was dark except the light coming through the ajar door of the bathroom. Throwing my purse on the bed, I moved forward and peered inside. Silas was nowhere to be seen. There was a note stuck in the mirror that caught my eyes. Rushing inside, I took it between my fingers and read.
I'm at the pool if you're wondering. I have things to tell you. Hurry. And no clothes.
I smiled at his intention. Perhaps, it was bribery with truth and sex. Still, with the grin on my face, I stripped down and took a five-minutes-shower, choosing to wrap myself only with a towel afterward.
The pool was a shining blue, the light from the balcony above reflected on it. Silas was swimming a lap when I stood before the edge, my eyes following his movements. He swam towards me, gracefully. His eyes fell on mine when he rested his forearms at the top of the tiled floor, smiling through the water spilling down his lips.
"Hi," he greeted me with a whisper.
"Hi." I went on with my smile, my eyes straining his when I let the towel slip off my skin. His sinful eyes moved up and down and it was such an exhilarating feeling. It never got old, the feeling that surfaced inside every time he saw me naked.
Slapping that thought away, I took a deep breath and sank into the water. His eyes returned to my face as I pushed hair away from mine.
"How are you feeling, Dawn?" He closed the distance between us.
"What do you think?" I stared, impassive.
"Deprived? Or should I say mad? He kept that stupid smile on his face.
"I am not mad at you."
I really wasn't. The last time I had been mad at him was when he refused to let Desmond take his case.
"You are," he said with so much assurance that I, myself, got confused. "Slightly though. I haven't been fair to you."
He gently touched my face with the tip of his fingers and ran them down to my chin. Leaning against his touch, I sighed and watched him drop his head to my neck. He darted his nose along my throat, his fingers splaying ay the small of my back and into my hair.
As much as I'd like for him to continue, I wanted some closure first.
"We should talk first."
"Later."
"Please, Silas. I want to know," I moaned at his kiss behind my ear, wanting to stop him yet doing nothing about it.
"How about the dinner and some more? We can talk after that." He straightened now, his lips an inch away from mine, our noses touching.
I shook my head 'no'.
He smiled at my impatience, his eyes dashing all over my face as if admiring. Then he only sighed before giving up.
"We're going back to New York."
I blinked twice, and afterward, I was paralyzed, not knowing how to react. It was a big news and if he had planned to say this here instead of over a small talk, this would've meant that he was serious.
"What happened?"
"Wow, I... I'm, are you sure?"
He nodded with a reassuring squeeze of his lips. My smile came with a gasp and I watched him inhale sharply as if he had been holding his breath all along.
My brows knitted together as I spoke sincerely, "But how? I can go back but you have a target on your back, Silas."
"I have that taken care of." He leaned down and kissed me, the warmth of his lips comforting me in the process. "There are some people I have contacted. They'll be here in a few days or even earlier. They'll have everything they need to return us the lives we had."
I had been cynical for so long that I couldn't buy this. "How do you know you can trust them?"
He looked amused at my doubt but commented nothing on that. "Just trust me."
We kissed again until we needed to breathe. My hands shot up instinctively to hold his head in my hands, my tongue sliding between his lips, letting him move me backward until my back was pressed against the edge of the pool. Taking advantage, I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling back to take a breath.
His eyes had darkened, plain lust visible in them. Our eyes didn't break contact when he lifted me by the waist, his lips moving nearly erotic. "Can I?"
I bit my lip on impulse, nodding my response, my breath hitching as he lowered deeper into me. Our foreheads touched. But with my eyes closed, I couldn't concentrate on anything but the feeling of him inside.
And then we were carefree, my eyes wide open, my hips moving along with his. The pressure of our lips against each other disturbed our balance, and water cascaded onto the tiled floor while we descended with our limbs intertwined.
We glided upwards, gazing at each other, dazed with passion, the tidal waves yet to come within us.
His phone rang from the lounging chair, although not loud enough to break our trance. I heard it because I always heard things at the wrong times even when my husband was ignoring it.
"Silas, your phone," my voice ended with desire thrumming noisily at the back of my throat. I bit my lip, a whimper escaping this time.
"It can wait." His own voice was a raw mixture of hunger and emotion.
"What if it's important?" I wanted to shut up and concentrate.
He kept on moving but the expression was replaced with curiosity now. Thanks to my smart mouth.
"Well, the men I told you about, they said they'd call... but," he dragged on slowly, half-tempted but not willing to let me go.
"Honey." I smiled at how infuriatingly sweet he looked at this moment. "Just go. We have all night."
"Okay," he said a moment later, reluctantly letting me go and climbed up. My eyes betrayed me, trailing down his body, admiring and wanting. He had lost a little weight but it wasn't noticeable until someone looked hard enough.
Don't worry, Dawn.
"You owe me one, Dale," I called out as he took the cellphone in his hands, chuckling at how brazen his wife could be at times. Ogling his bare ass, I clambered up as well and slipped myself inside a robe. Silas took the robe I handed to him and did the same.
The phone rang for the second time and he picked it up fast.
"Yes, it's Dale."
He listened, and a frown line dug in between his eyebrows.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
Instantly, a streak of fright went through me, like a splash of ice-cold water.
Who's it? I mouthed to him, thinking that it might be our irresponsibility towards Jayne and Dan. Perhaps, they had got themselves into some kind of trouble at this time of the night. Silas didn't reply since he looked away towards the sliding door facing the corridor of the staircase.
He fell silent again, listening. I glanced at him and saw him staring blankly at the ocean before us. Then he walked inside, his voice a hushed murmur.
I stayed in my room this time, certain that he would come back sometime later. It was, indeed, an important call, like I had assumed. I tried to think about his expression when he was listening. It was a mild annoyance and more disappointment. I wanted to walk into his study and ask him if something was wrong.
Suddenly, I realized that I had heard the fridge door open and close, and that meant he was drinking now. Someone had called him only to bombard him with some problems that he wouldn't tell me about.
Okay— I'd just let this go and give him some space. So, I did.
An hour later, I regretted my decision when a sharp cry of panic reached me all the way from his study.
Suddenly aware, I ran down the hall, my feet hitting the floor more and more as Silas's voice raised even higher. I thought if I was dreaming. But the terror was so raw and real that I knew instantly that I wasn't.
And when I reached the study, my heart wasn't in my chest anymore.
__________
A/N: It's 6 in the morning here and I need to go to college. But guess what, I can't get out the idea of finishing this book out of my head.
The best thing about writing a book is when you finish it, it feels like you've conquered the world even though it felt like you did nothing but picked out poop from the roadside.
Anyway, what do you think is happening here? Why is Silas screaming lol? And what do you think about the pool scene? Any idea what is gonna happen next?
Is Adrian plotting something?
Who knows? I'm curious too. I hope you leave a comment on what you think about this chapter.
Love you. 🐶