Page 18 of Savage Knight
“He did it to prove a point,” she whispered.The guilt always lingered right below the surface.“To punish me for daring to find a shred of happiness in my gilded cage.”
He wiped away a tear she hadn’t known escaped.“Hey, remember, you had a do-over, right?Which means, she’s alive once again.”
The reminder was a bombshell.Happiness blazed through her as she grabbed his hand.“Oh my God!You’re right.How did I not think of that?”
Relief filled her, and the regret she had lived with vanished.It lightened her, one more balm to heal her heart.
“Come on,” he murmured.“We should eat.The divine smell is driving me crazy.”
She chuckled.The sound slightly rusty from disuse.Whether or not he believed her, he knew exactly what to say.They sat down and started to eat.With the first bite, Evren let out a little moan, and her shaky nerves settled immediately.This she could do.This was safety.
“Holy shit, this is good,” he remarked.
Satisfaction filled her.“Thank you.”
There wasn’t much dialogue because Evren seemed focused on his food.It made her happy that she could repay him with a good home-cooked meal.
“I was wondering if I should dye my hair.”
Evren wiped his mouth with his napkin before replying.“Why?”
“To make it harder for Scias to recognize me.”
He cocked his head.“Is that what you want to do?”
She blinked.“Honestly, it wasn’t something I ever thought about.The men in my past never gave me a choice.I was just wondering if you thought it would be a good idea.”
He reached over and took hold of her hand.“This is your body.Your temple.If you want to dye your hair, do it.If you want to shave it all off or put it into dreads, I might tease you, but I’ll support your decision.But if it’s because you’re scared, then I’d ask you to think about it more because fear should never be the answer.”
His words surprised her, and they made her think about the answers he gave her.It was going to take some time before all the conditioning of her past life faded away.
“I don’t want to dye my hair,” she announced.Truthfully, she didn’t know she was going to say that until it popped out of her mouth.
Evren smiled at her.“Good girl.”
Her cheeks burned at the praise.
After Evren finished two plates of her pasta dish, he sat back and patted his belly.“I think I gained ten pounds.”
She rose and started to gather the dishes.“With all those muscles, I’m sure you’ll burn up the calories in no time.”
“All these muscles?”he asked, bringing up his arms in a biceps pose to show them off.He waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Yeah, those,” she replied dryly, trying not to smile.
Holding the dishes, she headed back to the kitchen.Evren followed her and took them from her hands.
“I got clean-up duty,” he declared.
Taken aback, she stared at him.“What?”
“I got ‘em.You slaved over the stove.It’s only fair that I get the dirty dishes.”
Emotion welled up, but she willed herself not to cry.Never, in her entire life, had a man volunteered to wash the pots and plates.In her old world, it was expected that a woman cook, clean, and pop out babies.
“Thank you.”
Something in her voice must have caught his attention.“You okay?”
