Page 28 of Caging Liberty
Lib picks at the loose thread some more, and I watch the comforter slowly unravel. It probably cost over a thousand dollars.
“Thank you,” she murmurs, not looking at me. Her cheeks redden, and I lower my eyes to her chest that expands with each inhale.
Her nipples pebble through the silk, and my mind drifts. I feel a tension I know is one-sided, and all I can do is hope she doesn’t sense it radiating from me. It’s become clear in this conversation what she needs from me. Trust. She needs to trust me.
And I want her to.
“Can you do something for me?” I ask, my voice low.
She raises her eyes but doesn’t respond.
“Believe me.”
Her head tilts, and her forehead wrinkles.
“I’m not going to bullshit you. I promise. If it seems like I’m trying to sell you on this life, it’s because I don’t want you to be so afraid of it.”
“Butwhy?” she asks. “Why do you care how I feel?”
When I don’t immediately answer, she continues. “Just be honest with me. Did Sawyer ask you to convince me to do what you people say?”
“No. Sawyer isn’t even sure youcanbe convinced.” I huff. “And please, stop saying ‘you people.’ I know what you mean, but I don’t like the implication that I’m one of the rapists you seem to be referencing when you say that.”
She seems to consider that for a moment, picking at the comforter. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
I have to think for a second before I realize what she’s talking about.Why do you care how I feel?
That’s a tough one. I hold my tongue, unsure of how much to say.
“Because you’re different,” I settle on.
Her hands move to rest in her lap. “What do you mean?”
I shrug like I’m unsure, but I’ve had a long time to think about this.
“I think you’re gorgeous,” I say, underplaying it. Every woman in this building is gorgeous. Lib is something else. Something magnetic. She pulls me in, and I’m helpless to it. I saw the look in Sawyer’s eyes when he first laid eyes on her, and I could tell then that she had a similar effect on him. I’m guessing she’s had a similar effect on Julio, and it’s cost him his life.
“And you’re stubborn.” My lips lift into a slight smile. “It’s frustrating how stubborn you are, but I also think it works in your favor.”
“How so?” she asks, pulling her knees up and resting her hands in her lap.
“I think it helps you get what you want. You don’t settle, and you don’t negotiate. As annoying as it’s been for me when I’m trying to help you, I also like that about you.”
“You don’t even know me,” she says, sounding unconvinced.
I move my gaze over her face and study her uncharacteristically relaxed expression for a few moments. “I know you a lot better than you think.”
Her cheeks turn pink, and she looks away.
I fight the urge to laugh at her embarrassment but allow myself a small smile. “What is it?”
“Sawyer told you about me, didn’t he?” she asks, a hint of contempt in her tone.
I gently clasp her chin between my finger and thumb and tilt her head up. “What do you mean?”
She meets my gaze and gives me a look I don’t understand. “Did he just tell you about me, or did he let you read the messages?”
“What messages?”