Chapter 22 #2
He licked his bottom lip, studying me in the thick robe. The way he stared, you would think it was the most revealing article of clothing rather than a plush robe with zero suggestive value. Worse yet, his eyes, the two bottomless pits of the ocean, had a sliver of warmth in them.
In what hellish dimension was Dr. Maxwell warm? An unprompted grunt from him was generally a struggle.
I watched him carry the plates to the breakfast table on the large terrace.
Dr. Maxwell’s movements were precise, with the underlying attentiveness in everything he did.
Wind whipped my hair against my face as I followed him outside and peeked at the blue water surrounding us.
It was the most breathtaking view I had seen.
I closed my eyes and breathed in the salty water and basked in the sun until my nerves calmed down.
The smell of warm spices filled the air as he uncovered the dishes, and I forgot about the beautiful ocean.
My stomach grumbled, and I eyed the items curiously.
I would never take food for granted after my experience on the streets, even if it were served by a possible monster who put me in this predicament.
Like yesterday, there was a muffin with breakfast. When he caught me staring at it, he offered it to me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, and took an aggressive bite out of it, savoring the blueberry bits.
His blue eyes flicked to mine, another ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He sat across from me and patted his knee. “Come here.”
Irritation gnawed at me. This man knew me intimately but had been pretending like we had never met.
It was a cruel trick to play on someone suffering from memory loss.
Even if he wasn’t the monster from my dreams, he knew my family and my friends and was intentionally keeping them from me.
And now he wanted me to sit on his lap like an obedient dog?
I had been complacent thus far, letting him feed me and do with me as he pleased. The intimate gestures that made me feel cherished previously made me feel utterly powerless today.
When I still hadn’t moved, he opened his arm invitingly. “Did you hear me? I said, come here.”
His left eye twitched. He didn’t like my refusal, and the look on his face seemed like an ominous threat.
I sighed. As much as I wanted to stick it to him for lying, I couldn’t escape the reality of my situation.
There was nowhere to hide on the open water.
If I were truly on the run from Dr. Maxwell, it would be wiser to play along.
“Yes, Dr. Maxwell.” I hesitantly sat on his thigh. His stupid, rock-hard, perfect thigh.
For the first time today, he seemed annoyed. Perhaps I was heavier than I thought and started to rise from his lap. With an arm banded around me, he pulled me back down. “Don’t call me that,” he reproached, annoyed.
I frowned. “Call you what?”
“I spent half the night with my tongue inside you. It’s time you called me by my first name, don’t you think?”
My cheeks burned at the sordid comment, though his demand to call him by his first name stole the spotlight. He sounded on the brink of losing his patience when this was the first time he had voiced the complaint.
Or was it?
He was my professor, so it was unlikely I had called him by his first name. Had he made this request before I lost my memories? Perhaps I didn’t agree to it because I wanted to keep him at arm’s length, and he didn’t take kindly to it.
The sporadic fear I experienced around him, along with the unexplainable attraction, scrambled my brain. My mind whirled with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last.
“Caden,” I said, tasting the name on my tongue for the first time. It felt private, like a secret shared between us.
It was enough to put him in a good mood. “Hm,” he hummed. “Try these. They are made with low glycemic ingredients. They’re anti-inflammatory and won’t spike your blood sugar.”
None of the gibberish he spouted held any meaning to me.
I was purely focused on the dishes in front of us.
The aroma of pancakes made my mouth water as he lifted a slice drenched in syrup to my lips.
I ate every bite he fed me and the more he filled my stomach, the more my anger faded into the distance.
It was disturbing how much I was willing to overlook in exchange for food. Nonetheless, the fact remained: I needed answers without implicating myself or letting him know I was catching on to his lies.
When we finished eating and he let me off his lap, I followed him to the bedroom and gathered my courage. “Dr.… Caden,” I corrected myself.
“Hm?” he asked without looking up, putting the empty dishes back on the cart.
“I-I was wondering,” I began apprehensively. “Could I explore the ship today?”
He stilled, and for a moment, I feared I had gone too far. Then, to my utter shock, he shrugged. “Sure, your ankle should be fine for weight bearing. I’ll take you around, just don’t wander off and stay close to me. And you need to be careful about your injuries. Do you understand?”
Although I wouldn’t be allowed outside unless escorted by him, I relished the small freedom. I tried but failed to contain my excitement. “Yes. Yes. I’ll be super careful, I promise. I’ll be really, really good.”
There was a hint of amusement in his eyes at my eagerness. “In that case, I’ll be right back.”