Chapter 42 - 46
Avara POV
My fingers filter through his velour-soft strands.
Botan lies between my legs, his head resting on my chest, fast asleep. He must’ve been more exhausted than he comprehended. I suppose a man like him can’t afford the vulnerability of being off his guard. My eyes trace over his back muscles that are like a master craftsman chiseled each defined bulge and sinew with intricate perfection. His heft anchors me to the bed, unable to move an inch, and I don’t want to. Besides not wanting to wake him, I like the feel, the pressure of him on me, the skin-to-skin of our half-bare bodies entwined.
My mind replays our most intimate, unquenchable moments, even though we didn’t go all the way there. He knows I’m still a virgin and he honored my stance, nevertheless, he exercised extraordinary restraint.
A phone shrieks. Botan jerks awake.
My heart wilts.
He pushes himself upright, looming over me before he hurls himself off the bed. He wrecks through the blankets, picking them up and chucking them aside until he finally finds his phone. He answers it, switching into something unrecognizable, his face like a death mask and his voice, terrifyingly cold. Botan speaks in rapid Japanese, his voice budding with anger, and he turns his back on me. He tears the phone from his ear to conclude with a steely hiss, whispering fiercely before he snaps the flip phone shut. Botan glances at his shoulder before he reluctantly meets my gaze.
His eyes soften, heartening warmth returning to them.
"I...fell asleep," he admits, like he committed some atrocity, somehow horror-stricken by it.
"I’ve never... I should’ve never—"
"You were tired," I inject, slipping off the bed so I can meander over to him, avoiding the blankets. "You needed the rest."
Wordlessly, he makes a call. A few terse words and just like that, he ends the call. He goes collecting his clothes, putting on his pants, then buckles his belt before he fixes on his shoes. I watch as he merely shrugs on his shirt, leaving it completely open since there are no buttons to close them with. I approach him warily. He stands unmoved, steadfast as stone. His gaze unwavering, fixed on mine alone. In the depths of his eyes is somewhat of a silent vow, unspoken and unseen as the tether that binds us.