Page 71 of Glorious Ruin
As I entered our room and tossed my room key on the dresser, the shifted atmosphere inside the suite hit me like a punch to the gut. Silas stood by the window, his back to me, the black cap still pulled low against his beautiful face. His shoulders were locked tight, and his breathing was shallow, small signs that told me the jealousy he claimed to bury deep had risen once again to the surface.
I closed the distance slowly, stopping a few feet behind him. There was no clever defense to throw up, no snarky shield to hide behind. This was something, Irealized, that would forever be a hurdle between us. And the reality of that caused a cold, nauseating weight to settle in my stomach.
“Si,” I whispered, hesitantly reaching out, my fingers gently brushing against his arm. “Please, talk to me. Where’s your head at?”
He didn't move for a long second, but when he turned, his face looked ashen in the dim light of the suite. His features were tight. “I’m tired of this, Cal.”
Stepping into my space, his massive frame crowded me until the back of my knees hit the edge of the mattress. He leaned down, hovering over me with ragged breaths as he took in the features of my face with keen precision.
“Tired of what?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
“This.Them. Everyone’s bullshit! Between Presley, and Rico…” He trailed off, his voice fracturing under the weight of his emotion. “Hearing them pick apart our relationship in casual conversation or claim it’s ‘such a waste’ because you ended up with me? It’s fucking with my head.”
This was something we never thought about in the coming out process. Something which, unfortunately, wasn’t going to stop for a long while. But no matter how long it took, I would always fracture at seeing how much it affected him. I let my hand rest gently against his chest, feeling the frantic, uneven hammer of his heart, even through his hoodie.
“They’re irrelevant, Si,” I murmured gently, trying to ground him through the static of his own head. “There was never anything romantic with any woman. You know that. I was just hollow and losing my mind. As for Presley and Martinez? They can both fuck right off with their nonsense.”
Silas nodded, but the weight inside him had become physical now, warping his features as his grip fisted into the fabric of my shirt.
“Why can’t they believe you’re mine?” he pressed as his voice dropped into a rough register. “Is it because of me? Am I not good enough to stand by your side that they have to assu—”
“Silas, stop.”
I caught his wrists, my grip tightening firmly as I cut him off. I wasn't trying to defend their comments, or even run from the past I created, but watching his eyes blow out with the thought that he wasn’t enough for me, was tearing me apart. Forhissake, I needed to shut the spiral down before it completely broke him.
“Look, I can’t change the past!” The heightened emotions in the room finally took their toll on me. “It happened. It’s done, so let’s move past it. What’s going to make you get out of your head, baby?" I dropped his wrist, sliding my finger down the front of his chest until I reached his waistband.
“Stop.” The command cracked like a whip through the quiet room, and my hand froze on the buckle.
“What?”
“Clothes on,” he ordered in a low, unyielding octave.
I stared at him, completely caught off guard by the sudden redirection. “You…you don't want to have sex?”
“I didn’t say that,” Silas murmured as his dark eyes tracked over my body with a calculating heat. “I only said clothes on. Now, get on your hands and knees.”
My stomach dropped as the sudden shift hit my veins with adrenaline. I looked at the carpeted floor, and my pulse began to race. I hesitated for a moment before taking a step toward the bed.
“No,” Silas said sharply.
I stopped. “No?”
He pointed to the patterned hotel carpet. “On the floor.”
I stared at him, and furrowed my brow. “The floor? Silas wh—”
“The floor, Callum.”
It wasn’t a request. It was a demand. I swallowed hard, any fight draining out of me in the face of his dominance. I lowered myself onto the carpet and sat back on my heels. Gazing up at him through my lashes, I assumed he wanted me to suck his dick, so I reached for his waistband.
“No.” Silas swatted my hand away firmly.
This was getting annoying.
I pulled back with a heavy flush coating my neck. “Then, what?”
“Hands and knees,” he ordered. “On all fours.”
