Page 43 of Savage
Warmth and a chill ran down my body, clashing together, making me even more confused than I already was. I know logically I shouldn’t be responding to this man. I shouldn’t even be at his place, but there was something about Elio that had me silencing the danger sirens constantly going off in my head when I looked at him.
“I’m not,” I whispered.
His head tilted as if he was confused by what I was saying.Shit, maybe he was.Elio wasn’t exactly normal. I could tell how he interacted with us.
“You’ve been awake for hours laying there.”
My back stiffened, and I squinted, looking at him. “How long were you watching me?”
“Since the moment you woke up,” Elio said.
The way he said it was so nonchalant that I might have brushed it off. I wrenched my face free.
“Don’t do that.” I gritted my teeth, and Elio stepped even closer.
“I will do whatever I want.”
A shiver ran down my back, and I found it hard to breathe the more he approached. “Out of bed.”
I licked my lips. “And if I say no?” Even thinking about it made goosebumps break out all over my arms. I rubbed them, trying my damnedest to get them to go away.
Elio pulled back. “You need to eat. If you wish to come back and sleep fine, but you will eat.”
I chanced a look at him, and he stared at me expectantly. “Where are Sayge and Dar?”
Elio turned away from me, not answering. “Come eat. If I have to come back, I will drag you downstairs.”
I closed my eyes and took a breath. I didn’t waste any more time knowing I was going to listen. Making a quick trip to the bathroom, I found a toothbrush and toothpaste waiting for me, along with a note in Sayge’s handwriting letting me know the new items were mine.
Getting as cleaned up as possible, I tried pulling the shirt down further but gave up. I sighed and left the bedroom. My heart was lodged in my throat as I descended the stairs. A plate of chicken and spaghetti was waiting for me. My stomach clenched from lack of food, and I picked up my steps.
Glancing at the clock, it read three in the afternoon. I’d been in that bed a lot longer than I had thought. Sayge and Dar were on the couch watching some action movie, and my shoulders eased seeing them so relaxed.
I dug into my food, caving to hunger. A groan slipped free as I nearly cleared my plate. I barely took breaths while I inhaled my food. It was that good. I knew Dar was shit in the kitchen, and Sayge was only good at making noodles. That left one person.
Elio. I bit my lip thinking about him at the stove again cooking for us. He looked like a man who paid people to cook for him. It was a nice surprise that he made his meals.
I cleaned up the kitchen after eating and ran the dishwasher.
“Are you finished?” Elio asked, appearing out of nowhere.
I jumped a little before nodding.Why the hell did he keep doing that?
“Follow me,” Elio said.
He turned on his heels and walked back upstairs. I followed without a thought. My mind was still at rest even as he stopped at the door to the left of his room. He unlocked it, opened it, and went in. Glancing over his shoulder, he fixed me with a stare.
I took in a shuddering breath and followed him in.
“Close the door.”
Elio made his way around a big oak desk and took a seat. “Come closer, Calvin.”
My name on his tongue sent a shiver of desire down my spine. I ignored it as I moved closer.
“This will be the only time I ask this,” Elio started.
My back stiffened as I listened.What if he said I needed to leave or that he wanted the other two more?I was still unsure of everything, but I didn’t know what else to do. With Elio, things were different. I didn’t have to think. The last thing I wanted was to go back to how things were.
