Page 82 of Protect Me
Commitment to me or not, I was useless putty in Vikram’s hands.
“That sounds fun, Vik.”
“Great!” He clapped his hands together. “Tomorrow? It’s your day off, right?”
“Right.”
He stood, arms stretching over his head. The elongation lifted his shirt, revealing his abs. I quickly glanced away, desperately searching for somethingelseto focus on.
“How was your day?” I asked, picking at the edge of the box. Lures and string and small scissors populated the interior, distracting me until his arms dropped back to the side. He groaned.
“No sign of Timothy from me, Hernandez, or Bastian,” he murmured. He stepped back, then gripped the door jamb above the kitchen doorway. The space around my heart squeezed when he gripped the top and executed a perfect pull up. His arms bulged. The movement appeared effortless as he rattled on about impatient customers, the difficulties of working retail long-term, and why he hadn’t started stock investments yet.
Sometimes, Vik had words he needed to just . . . get out.
Luckily, he didn’t seem to expect a response while prattling about day trading as a new avenue of income. I ushered away all the other thoughts and gave up on following his stream of consciousness. The flex and pull of his arms as he lifted himself up and down thoroughly diverted me.
When I couldn’t stand another second, I shot to my feet.
“Dinner?” I asked, setting the fishing kit back into the bag. Vik dropped, then smiled.
“And a movie?” he drawled.
My stomach caught. Something in the coded tone told me he wanted more than just to eat together. Vik wanted to snuggle. His daily touch quota clearly hadn’t been filled, and I longed to snuggle into his side and watch something mindless.
Could my heart take it?
“Sure,” I said to avoid a burdened silence.
He made a face. “Why do you sound like I just invited you to a zombie potluck?”
I burst out laughing. “Where did you come up with that?”
“Greatness. It’s born in me.”
The arrogant flip of his smile loosened my agitation. Wasn’t that life with Vik? Uncertain one moment, charming the next. I felt like I constantly flailed around, trying to get a grip on something tenuous.
Time for total honesty.
“I do want to snuggle, Vik. Really. I just . . . I feel hesitant because I think it means something different for me than it does for you.”
His expression immediately sobered.
“Like what?”
I pulled in a breath. “When I let someone be that physically close, it means I trust them. I can’t help but feel a deeper sort of attachment or bond or . . .”
Alarm bells rang in my head.Don’t make me say it,I silently pleaded.Don’t make me admit the thing that gives you all the power.
Vik stepped closer, brow furrowed in concern. He reached up, a hand on my cheek. It sent a spiral of heat all the way through my fingertips.
“Hey,” he murmured. “You have no reason to be scared.”
“Do I look scared?”
“Terrified.”
A quick mental check confirmed that he was, indeed, correct. “I am,” I admitted, silently tacking on,You don’t know your power.
