āYou prove time and time again that I made the right decision in hiring you. Very well, Iāll add it to the list. Shipments usually come in on Tuesday, so it will be here by then.ā He stepped back, making space for you to turn the chair. āIām looking forward to seeing your plans put into action.ā
You smiled, tired but proud of yourself, āThank you.ā When you let go of the mouse, you stretched your fingers, which ached from all the writing youād been doing, and from how tight you held your pen out of sheer nervousness.
āMay I?ā Silco asked, and when you looked up at him, he had a hand stretched out towards you, palm up like an offering.
āā¦huh?ā you said, confused.
āYour hand,ā he said, softly, āYouāve been holding yourself together all day. Youāre hurting.ā
Something in his voice, gentle, grounded, made your throat tighten. You nodded.
Silco took your hand. Bare skin to bare skin, his touch was warm, steady, deliberate. Not possessive, but not tentative either. Intentional, like everything about him.
He turned your hands over slowly, thumbs pressing lightly into your palms where tension had settled. The contact sent a quiet shiver up your armsānot startling, not overwhelming. Just⦠real.
āYou did well,ā he said softly. āAnd not because of any result. Because you trusted yourself.ā