"Hush," he whispered soothingly and lifted his head to meet her eyes.
She gulped, realizing that he had no doubt felt the ripple of her muscles. Her body was made for combat, she didn't have the flesh to grip on or look attractive. It had never been her forte to be the attractive swallow. Therefore, she knew for sure that he would catch on.
It was only a matter of time.
She stared at him and lifted her hand to his face to appraise his expression.
She touched his angelic features with the tip of her fingers and marveled that such an attractive man could exist. The fact that he wanted her in his bed was even more surreal.
He smiled again as she touched his soft lips and his eyes looked at her with thinly veiled curiosity.
Anna realized why she always found herself looking at him again and again. No one had looked at her this way before. She had considered invisibility her superpower. She blended in and no one took interest in her, but this guy had come out of the blue, trying to unearth her secrets.
She felt his hand on her bra move slightly and he flattened his palm over her heart. He gave her a look of amusement when he felt how fast her heart was going.
"You're nervous," he said without faltering. "Is this your first time?" he asked.
She stuttered and her eyes widened just a fraction. In the normal human eye, it would be unnoticeable but he saw it clearly. He looked shocked for a second.
"No-no…" she said quickly, speaking for the first time in what seemed like months. She flinched at the use of her voice.
"Don't force yourself if it hurts to speak," he urged. His gesture was almost comforting.
Anna thought for a second if it would make a difference if she was a virgin or not. Did men still think about those things? Would Ladislas have stopped? What if she said 'no'?
So, she had to ask. "Will you stop if I said 'no?'" she croaked out, her voice barely audible.
He nodded immediately and she found herself believing him. She hesitated. Did she want to say no?
No… No. She wanted this. She was insane for wanting this, but she did.
Other people did this all the time, she tried to convince herself. They went to bars and picked up guys. Many people hooked up and then had serious relationships.
But deep down, Anna knew that this wasn't the same. She had pulled out her hair trying to research this man when she was attending the same university. Everything she knew about him was fabricated. She really didn't know anything about Ladislas. And he didn't know anything about her.
All she knew was that he had a curious mind and a beautiful smile that made her tingle all over when he kissed her.
He was still looking at her questioningly as if waiting for her to tell him to stop.
She took a deep breath and nodded. He moved his hand back to her breast and sought her eyes again.
"Yes," she whispered.
His mouth was on hers immediately, kissing her hungrily. He unleashed the full extent of his passion on her.
Anna clawed at his back and moaned loudly when he pressed his hardness against her. He pulled her up along with him, both sitting up. He pulled the sweater over his head. The t-shirt came off next and she gasped when she was his naked torso. He was muscular and lean, but not as thin as he seemed to be in his usual clothes.
But when it was his turn to take off her clothes, she stiffened just a little. He looked at her hungrily when he realized she was slightly muscular and lean. But she was thinner than she should have been. She hadn't been eating enough for a while and it made him sad to know that she was used to being hungry.
But despite the beauty of her ripped abdominal muscles, that wasn't what held his attention.
She was wearing what looked like a fake military dog chain and her ribs on the left side had purple bruises. He felt a sharp pang of anger when he realized that someone had hurt her.
"Oh no," he whispered, his hand hovering over the bruise but not touching it. For a second, he wanted to use his magic and take the pain away but he knew it would scare her.
She shook her head.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
Anna shrugged and touched the bruises gently.
Ladislas hated that she was used to being hurt. No one should get used to that. He was surprised that he even cared about humans, but this was different. This felt personal. The purplish bruises weren't from one small scuffle, it looked like she had been hurt very badly and repeatedly.
He didn't point it out but the purples and blacks could not hide the faint yellows and patches that he knew she had hurt before.
"Was it the person who wanted to steal your things?" he asked hesitantly.
Anna nodded, feigning sadness. She had wanted those things stolen. But she couldn't tell them that. She showed him her knuckles so that he wouldn't feel miserable. The slight bruises were proof that she had fought back.
"Did you win the fight?" Ladislas asked.
She shook her head. Because she didn't want to.
"Did they take something from you?"
She nodded.
Ladislas frowned. 'She did have more stuff. It makes sense. I have never seen a homeless person without sleeping bags and blankets. Anna must have lost everything except for her backpack.'
"Is that why you were on the ground and not the shelter?" His questions became more intrusive and she thanked the god that she was pretending to be unable to speak. "Because you got beat up?"
Another nod.
"Why don't you talk to me?" he asked carefully.
She looked torn as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously.