Valentina’s POV
The silence between us was no longer quiet. It throbbed. It pulsed. It scraped at the insides of my chest.
I felt him behind me, his presence vast, quiet, and terrifyingly still. His breathing wasn’t heavy, but it was purposeful like each inhale was weighed before it was taken.
He hadn’t spoken another word since the simple acknowledgment that I would obey his order.
The words he spoke were brutal. Coated in something that felt too heavy to be called lust and too calculated to be desire.
“Get on your knees.”The breath in my lungs stilled. My stomach sank, but I kept my face calm. I didn’t turn around yet. I wasn’t sure I could.
The air itself felt breakable, sharp at the edges and very much ready to shatter.
He didn’t say it again. Because in Ryker’s world, silence w
