I like him.

I liked his company, his protection, his friendship. With him, I didn’t feel the urge to write every moment to No One. I didn’t have the need to curl around my secrets and keep them close.

Elder knew who I was. He’d seen where I’d come from, he’d mingled with the men I’d belonged to. He knew more about me than I would ever tell another stranger, and because of that, there was nowhere to hide, no room to lie—not when we’d met in bitter truth.

But that bitterness is slowly evolving into sweetness….

I was glad when the food was cleared away because I needed fresh air. Needed to be further away from him than sharing a table.

But when he stood and held out his hand, as if expecting me to take it, nerves coiled and rattled in my belly. Despite my willingness to accept my feelings toward him, I wasn’t ready for more.

If he wanted to use me, he could. But I couldn’t allow myself to like him if he did.

Giving him a hesitant look, I didn’t take his hand, but I did follow as he guided me from the dining room through the stately lounge, complete with a piano locked in place. We passed the open-air bar with a Jacuzzi tub set in the polished wooden deck, right to the bow of the boat where a black sail had been strung across the space like a triangle cloud, blocking out the intensity of the sun.

The heat of the day didn’t disperse, and the grey dress I’d slinked into did its best to cling to my skin as sweat beaded on my spine.

Elder didn’t criticise my wariness or bark commands to come closer. His black gaze pooled with kindness, unable to fully hide the glitter of desire.

My tummy flipped, remembering when he’d come to my door. The way his eyes locked on my nakedness and his body tensed as tight as his cello strings. His raw need ought to have sent me running. Instead, it did weird things to my insides.

Part of me had wanted to slam the door in his face because I knew that look. That look meant having a man inside me against my will. That look meant being used at their leisure and mercy.

However, when Elder looked at me that way…I liked it.

He didn’t strip me of power. He made me gather more of it. He became weaker the more desire drenched his blood, while I became stronger, having control to deliver what he wanted or deny it.

It was a dangerous game to make him lust for me. Lust was just another word for evil. But there I was, doing my best to entice him even though I didn’t want him to touch me.

Liar.

You do want him to touch you.

Fine.

I wanted him to kiss me again. The kissing was nice. The rest I wasn’t ready for. So you keep saying…

But a kiss…I could kiss him all day if it meant he’d let me off whatever task he was about to set up.

“Stand here.” Elder pointed at the deck in front of him. As I moved into position, he glanced over my shoulder. “Thanks, Selix. Just put it over there.”

Selix threw me a half a smile before doing what Elder requested. Placing a black velvet bag on a table bolted to the deck, he left as quietly as he’d arrived.

Strolling toward the table, Elder said, “Lesson one on how to pilfer pockets.”

Oh, God. He’s serious about that?

I shuffled on the spot.

Reaching into the bag, he drew out a wallet. Unfolding it, he pulled out a hundred dollar note and waved it at me. “This is yours if you can take it from me without me noticing.” His teeth flashed. “But fair warning, once a thief always a thief. There’s a reason why we don’t get robbed ourselves. We know the tricks. We feel the con. You’ll have to be sly if you hope to win.”

Sly I could do. Sly was just another word for self-preservation: watching and waiting for weakness. I’d become an expert at that.

Light touch, fast movement—those I might need help with.

“Come closer.” Elder beckoned me with the wallet as he tucked the hundred dollar note inside. “It’s in my right back pocket.” Slipping it into the beige shorts he wore, he spun to show me the slight bulge.

My eyes should’ve noted how high the wallet was, how tight the material, and figure out a way to get my fingers between him and the shorts to steal it. However, all I could look at was the tightness of his ass and the way his left cheek clenched as he bent to look over his shoulder. “Got it?”

My mouth turned dry. But I nodded.

He grinned, brighter and more care-free than I’d seen. “Fuck, I don’t know what I’ll do when you finally talk to me, Pim.”

My body stiffened.

“Even a simple nod from you feels like the biggest bloody reward. I’ve never focused on a person’s voice or lack thereof so much before. It’s driving me insane, but I also get why you haven’t given it to me yet.”

He spun to face me, his hands loose by his sides as if poised to steal. “You’re making me work for it. Just like I’ll make you work for what I want. It’s fair, I suppose.” He lowered his face, watching me from beneath his brow. “Another warning, though. You’ll break first. And when you do, I’ll savour your voice. I’ll command you to speak over and over. I’ll finally learn what I’ve been waiting for.”

That’s what you think.

I smiled, letting mirth mix with a challenge.

We’ll see who will win.

He chuckled. “A bet then?”

I nodded again.

A bet to see who would break first. It didn’t escape my notice that he’d already broken me to the point where talking nonverbally was now permitted. I willingly wanted to answer because he spoke to me as a normal man spoke to a normal woman.