Sin of Silence (Sinner's Empire #1) - Nikita Slater Page 0,114

hold. She couldn’t reconcile herself to a life where so many of the things she loved and had worked hard for were being taken from her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

She was afraid she’d ruined the moment with her refusal, that Jozef would grow cold again, but he didn’t. He looked at her with understanding and dipped his head in a brief nod.

I will not ask you to marry me then, he signed. But I will ask you to wear my ring, in whatever form of commitment you are able to give at this moment.

Commitment. Was she ready to wear a symbol of Jozef’s ownership? She knew the Koba family and their elite friends would see it that way. She was property of the Koba family, and the ring sealed that fate. Shaun preferred to look at the ring in the spirit in which it was being given, a sign of Jozef’s commitment to her. A request that she consider one day giving him more when she was ready.

It amazed her how far Jozef had come from the brutal killer who’d kidnapped her. She wasn’t fooling herself into believing that he was no longer dangerous. All she had to do was remember the men who’d attacked her in the alley. He’d dealt with them with brutal efficiency and then walked away with Shaun as though he hadn’t a moment’s remorse for the lives he’d just taken. And though he’d admitted to her that he could remember the face of every person he killed, he still committed the act. He’d been raised a killer and he would die a killer.

Yet, the feral dog of the Koba family was softening for her, and even though she didn’t agree with his line of work, it was impossible to resist the raw romance Jozef was determined to show her.

“Thank you.” She curled her fingers into her palm, feeling the press of her new ring. “I’ll treasure it.”

Jozef reached up and, gripping her head in his palms, dragged her into his body for a kiss. She fell out of her chair, but he caught her before she could hit the floor and cradled her against his chest while deepening the kiss. Shaun clung to him, feeling the intense emotion of the moment mixing with the rising lust that seemed to always swirl around them.

Finally, he broke the kiss, touched his lips to her nose, then set her back in her chair. Standing up, he signed, let’s finish getting ready. I want this party done so I can get you to myself.

He gave Shaun a distinctly lascivious look, telling her exactly why he wanted to get her alone.

Shaun laughed and turned her chair back to the mirror, picking up a nearby comb. She was relieved Jozef had sent the hair stylist away. She much preferred her own style over the smooth and straight version the man was trying to give her. She teased her hair until she got it exactly right. When she finished, it stood several inches out from her head in perfect symmetry all the way around.

Jozef sent a servant to the ballroom for a single gold-dipped black rose. Using his switchblade, he cut the stem off and tucked the rose into Shaun’s hair, just above her ear. She touched her fingers to the rose, marveling at the unique beauty, then she used pins to secure it. She sprayed her hair into place and then turned away from the mirror.

Together they got ready for the party, signing to each other and laughing. It was the most relaxed Shaun had been in that house and she found herself wishing she was getting ready for an evening out with Jozef, rather than a big fancy engagement party.

Can you please zip me? Shaun signed, turning her back to Jozef, who was standing in only his suit pants and a belt. She found his bare feet unbearably sexy, especially when paired with his bare chest, which was truly a beautiful sight with its wealth of tattoos. Shaun held her breath as he stepped up to her, the heat of his body caressing her. He took the zipper of her dress and pulled it up from her butt to halfway up her back, his knuckles deliberately touching the skin of her back.

She tried to step away, but he took her shoulders and turned her until she was facing him. His eyes drank her in, from the top of her afro to the dip in her cleavage, all the way down the