27. Forever #2
“Like what, baby? Can you look at me, please?”
I immediately lifted my gaze.
“Like you see me.”
“Because I do, and you’ve been calling out for help long before learning who I am to you. I’m worried… I’ve been worried, but I won’t push you to open up. Just remember that you can talk to me about anything.”
He pulled his fingers from mine and wrapped them around my wrists, tugging me forward until my body collided with his and our lips met in an accidental kiss.
“No need to steal kisses, my forever,” he teased, nudging my head back with his. “They’re free for you.”
I rolled my eyes and untangled myself from his hold, turning away to hide my smile.
“They’re only for me.”
He hummed as my phone began to ring.
“What can I do for you, Eliel?” I asked upon answering. “I’m busy.”
“Have you forgotten there’s a job you need to be doing?” he asked. “Or that I can have you removed from your post at any time.”
I sighed.
“My job is to delegate, remember? I have an assistant to keep me on track; no need for you to check in anymore. Deal? Great, let’s talk about—”
“Forever Reid, I want to see your face in the next twelve hours, or I’ll have to get the board of trustees involved. Is that what you want?”
I hung up and blocked his number.
That was exactly what I wanted.
“Forever!” Solei yelled from downstairs, followed by the slam of a door. “Where are you hiding my sister-in-law, Demetrius! Everybody is talking about her.”
He chuckled and walked past me to get into the closet, dropping his towel along the way to provoke me into following. I licked my lips and made my way downstairs without falling into the trap, but only after he was out of view.
Solei was in the kitchen, pulling a plate from the microwave.
“Oh, hey! Your meds are on the counter. Are you okay?”
I nodded and pulled the bottle from the bag, not sure if I’d take them or not. She studied me from across the island, while stuffing her face, and I pretended it wasn’t happening .
“You really don’t remember me at all.”
Ah.
That’s why she’d been staring.
“I’m sorry,” I told her, meaning it. “But I feel like I know you, if that means anything.”
She smiled, and I saw a little bit of Oliver in her at that very moment.
“Well, at least you don’t remember me threatening you the first time we met. I won’t cut your throat, but I do still hope you won’t break his heart.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, which only made her smile wider.
“You laughed the first time, too, and said—”
“Me breaking his heart is the least of your worries,” I said before it even registered in my mind.
Solei set her plate down, mouth agape.
“Exactly that. Do you remember or…”
I shook my head and grabbed a bottle of room-temperature water to take the ibuprofen. Committing to Demetrius meant trusting him and the people he relied on, which meant the doctors, too.
Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but I had to believe the intention was to help and never hurt or hinder.
“The memory is never attached,” I said after guzzling down half the bottle of water. “Were we close?”
She nodded.
“You’re my family. I’ve been telling you my secrets since…” I tipped my head, and she shook hers. “We can talk about that another day, when my brother isn’t lurking with his bionic hearing. Needless to say, Oliver and I love you.”
The urge to say I loved them too was so strong, but I held it in, not wanting to speak on what I didn’t understand yet. And thankfully, Demetrius’s footsteps on the stairs ended our conversation for now, but I had plans to talk to her more. To get to know her again.
“Did you handle your business?” Demetrius asked, eyes on Solei.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, but responded with respect.
“Yes, I handled my business, father. Everything is everything for now.”
Her gaze slid my way, and she smiled.
“Later, babe. Oliver and I have something to do.”
She left in a hurry, and I could tell it was to avoid being questioned by the man standing behind me with his arms around my waist.
“You smell like you belong to me,” he murmured, pressing his nose behind my ear. “Did you take the ibuprofen?”
I nodded, and he hugged me tighter.
“Thank you for trusting the people I trust.”
I leaned into him and closed my eyes.
“I’m just following my intuition,” I said softly.
We stood in silence for a while, both content in the moment before he released me and turned my body toward the door.
“Take a walk with me.”
I allowed him to lead me in the direction Tristian had walked, and at the end of the path, right where it curved into another one, there was a playground with a basketball court attached.
The kids from earlier were wreaking havoc as they should, while an older group of boys and two girls played basketball.
“Tristian!” I yelled, waving both hands before jogging over.
Demetrius followed more casually, not interfering but keeping a close eye as expected. He was letting me feel out my new home.
“She’s got the arms of a shooting guard,” one of the boys said, looking like he caused trouble on a daily. “I’m Tank. The smarter, better, and younger version of him.”
He hooked his thumb in Tristian’s direction and threw me the ball; it was unexpected, meant to catch me off guard, but I caught and went up for a shot without dribbling.
“Oh, shit,” the girl with blunt cut bangs said, covering her mouth with a fist as I backed away with a smile.
“I know Tristian told you guys, but I’m Forever. When I have time, I’ll join in,” I said, wiggling fingers at them before turning toward my husband. “Where we headed?”
He looked over his shoulder at the kids and took my hand, a tiny grin on his face that felt more smug than anything.
“Security house. I want to give you access to enter and leave as you please,” he said, tipping his head toward the house that looked more like a bunker at the end of the road.
I frowned.
“Do I need to give my fingerprints? Or do a retina scan?”
We stopped at the curb, and he faced me.
“That, and a few other things, why?”
I shook my head.
“For the safety of everyone here, let’s hold off,” I suggested, looking up into his eyes. “Uploading my fingerprints to your system will give high-ranking society members, like my father, access to this place. You trust me, right?”
He nodded, but I couldn’t read how he truly felt, and that bothered me.
“I’m not—”
His lips met mine in the gentlest of kisses, and like every time before, my world stopped for him.
When he pulled back, I could see the wheels turning behind those eyes. This man was always calculating, always thinking three steps ahead. It made me feel simultaneously protected and exposed.
“You’re thinking of another way,” I mused, slowly understanding him more and more.
He nodded, thumb tracing my bottom lip.
“The head of security will come up with something more permanent that doesn’t compromise everyone here.”
What that meant weighed on me for most of the day.
This compound was more than just a home; it was a community built to protect its own. And somehow, I was part of it now.