Obsidian - Miranda Bridges Page 0,38

meet his gaze. “Anything that matters to you is of the greatest importance to me. Never dismiss it, and never forget that.”

“Okay,” I breathe.

After studying me and coming to some sort of conclusion, he releases me. “Just so you know, I want to share experiences with you. As I’ve said before, I’m more than just a pretty face, so you’d do well to stop trying to get me into bed all the time.”

My lips twitch, and I don’t miss the way his mouth quirks on one side. “Says the male who has my hand on his cock.”

He grins at me, without any hint of apology. But when I squeeze him, his gaze flares with desire. “Be careful, demoria. I have more than one type of appetite, and if you continue in this fashion, neither one of us will stay here long enough for sustenance.”

I retract my hand, and he lets me. “I’m ready to order whenever you are.”

He taps at the symbols, and they turn from blue to orange. “There. It shouldn’t take too long. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself? I want to know everything about you.”

I gulp, suddenly feeling shy, which is ridiculous, since I was just gripping his junk and he fingered me in public, but there you have it. “There’s not much to tell, to be honest.”

“I don’t believe that.” He gestures to me with a wave of his hand. “You are strong, and people like that usually have a tale or two to share. I saw the devastation of your planet, and it’s amazing you were still alive without very many resources to sustain you.”

The sounds of the restaurant fade away as my guilt and shame swell, blocking out everything except my internal dialogue. It always plays in a loop, never ceasing its torment.

Weak. Pitiful. Quiet. Spineless.

“Jade?”

The sound of Castien’s voice cuts through, but I turn my head, unable to look at him directly. “I am not strong. If you knew how I really am, you wouldn’t think that.”

“Enlighten me.”

The clipped words showcase his irritation, and I have to clench my fists to not push away from the table and leave. Even though I’d rather not have this conversation, I know there’s no way Castien is going to let this go. And he might as well see how much of a damsel I truly am.

I fold my hands in my lap, clasping them tightly together. “All my life I’ve let people make my decisions for me. My parents were wealthy, and I had the best of everything growing up, but I eventually realized it came with strings attached. I had to do what they said at all times, even including who I chose to date.”

Castien glowers but doesn’t interrupt me. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing at this point.

“I rebelled like teenagers do,” I say with a shrug. “I picked someone who I wanted as my boyfriend, not some future Ivy League student who wouldn’t know what a coupon was if you pointed to it. Anyway, long story short, the guy used me for sex, so I went back to following my parents’ strongly worded ‘advice.’ I was too young to know that one jerk didn’t mean all guys are that way.”

“If you are suggesting males only want sex from you, I disagree. They all are that way.” Castien folds his arms, his expression darkening further. “Except for me, that is.”

I cough, nearly choking on my water. “You?” I ask, my eyes damp.

“Yes, me.” He arches a brow. “I care about your well-being, along with your happiness and sexual satisfaction.” He leans forward, his gaze sharper than the blades he owns. “Is this male still living?”

“I don’t know.”

“Pity.” The ferocious gleam in his gaze dims, and he gestures to me with a small flick of the wrist. “Continue.”

“After that incident, I did whatever my parents said, and then I passed that control over to whoever I dated.” I take a deep breath, hating how my story sounds out loud but needing to confess it nonetheless. “After the apocalypse happened and I lost my family, I depended on people to stay alive, having no survival skills myself. And I’ve been depending on Hazel and Kayla to keep me safe and fed this whole time. And now you. For once in my fucking life, I’d like to take care of myself.”

I cover my face with my hands and blow out a sharp breath, trying to rein in my emotions, which are