Chapter 28: Shielded by the shadow

Sin didn't come back. Throughout the night, I sat right there, waiting for him to, but he never did. At some point, I wondered if he could be with Larissa, but I shook the thought out of my mind. There was no way he would go to her.

I took a deep breath, then got out of bed, my eyes fixed on the door. It was past four, and I decided to go down and see if he would be there. Maybe at the bar or something. I had just gotten to the door when it suddenly opened, and I stepped back, my eyes wide.

Sin stepped in, his eyes thin as he watched me. My lips parted, and I swallowed, my eyes blinking rapidly. I had a lot of things to say and ask, but for some reason, the lump in my throat wouldn't let me, and I just stood there, looking at him.

He looked a bit tipsy, but still just as calm and collected as ever. Slowly, he moved, then closed the door, his hands resting on the door behind him, his eyes darting between both of mine.

"I... I was going to check on you."

He only nodded, then walked past me to the bed. I heard as he got in bed, a small breath escaping him. I turned to him, and he was lying above the sheets, his eyes closed, his breaths gradually evening.

I sighed, then walked to him. Gently, I arranged the sheets around him, then stepped away, watching as he fell asleep.

The awkwardness was better than not knowing where he was, at least, and I slowly got into bed beside him. His sleep looked a little disturbed, his brows furrowed lightly. I started to extend my hand to smoothen the crease when I stopped, my brows drawn.

This wasn't a real relationship. We were in a contract, and this probably was over the top for that kind of relationship.

I swallowed hard, then turned away from him, my eyes closing, my hands under my head. I closed my eyes, forcing my mind to forget about Sin and the embarrassing moment I had earlier.

I didn't realize when I fell asleep until I was woken up by the sound of the shower. I moved, my brows furrowing, the drapes moving ever so slightly and offering a rather unwelcome view of the morning sun.

I sighed, turning, but it was still far too bright for me to be able to sleep. God knows I needed this sleep because last night had been rather rough for me.

Suddenly, a shadow came over me, shielding me from the sun rays. My body immediately relaxed, and even though I knew I would not be able to get my sleep back, the comfort of the shadow was enough to make me crack a smile.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was skin. Tight, ripped masculine skin that immediately washed away whatever sleep could have lingered in my eyes.

With great effort, I tore my eyes away from him, then let them travel to his face, my chest lightly heaving. He wasn't looking at me and seemed to me looking for something right above my head.

I swallowed, my eyes slowly blinking. "S... Sin?"

"Do you know where my phone is?"

I blinked rapidly, then looked down at his body, my throat immediately going dry. "I... I..."

He suddenly pulled it from under my pillow, then leaned away, his eyes thin as he went through it. He brought the phone to his ear before he turned to me, his eyes quickly giving me a once-over.

"We are leaving in thirty minutes."

That announcement was enough to jolt me awake, and I got out of bed, then ran towards the bathroom. I took a quick shower and walked out to Sin.

He was standing by the window now, his head slowly nodding to whatever the other person was saying in the phone.

"Have one delivered to my room in five minutes."

I stopped, my hand holding the robe I was wearing in place. "Did something happen?"

He turned to me, then smiled. "You will see, Sweetie."

Seeing that smile, I knew something had definitely happened. Probably with Larissa.

A knock came on the door, and Sin gave a bigger smile.

"Come in," he said, his voice calm.

The door opened, and a man wearing a black suit and a conservative hairstyle walked in, carrying a golden tray. On it was what looked like a newspaper, and then a medium-sized red box.

Sin's eyes thinned as he took the box, then opened it. I watched as he brought the box to his eyes, examining the content with complete attention. Once he was satisfied, he moved the box away, then nodded.

"Looks good."

The man nodded. "The other one is in your mansion, Sir."

Sin nodded again, and the man turned away, leaving us alone again. He closed the door behind him, and I looked up to Sin, my brows furrowed.

"What are those?"

He gave a smile, then gently moved the newspaper to me, dropping it off the bed close to me. I immediately reached for it, and on it, was a clear picture of the auction from last night.

"Major art gallery exposed for fraud."

My lips parted, and I looked up to Sin. "A newspaper?"

He smiled. "Look at you in that picture. Absolutely beautiful."

I looked down at the picture again. I was looking straight at Larissa, the empty glass of wine in my hand.

Slowly, Sin walked up to me, carrying the other box. I turned, my eyes searching him, but I couldn't quite see.

He was doing something behind me, and suddenly, something touched the very base of my neck. I looked down, and a necklace, with a large teardrop shaped diamond, slowly moved up on my neck till Sin clasped it behind me.

I turned slowly, my lips parting.

"You were the perfect person for that."

I swallowed, my fingers touching the pendant. "This is..."

"It is a Russian cut diamond."

I swallowed. "But..."

"Shh..." He said, his eyes meeting mine. "It's yours. You deserve it."

My eyes widened. "Sin..."

He smiled. "I will pretend last night never happened, but here's a promise, Annalise. I will taste you when I absolutely can't help myself. I hope you will be ready to be explored by then."