Read Chained for Free Online Page B

standing in exactly the same position. When I put the two plates down on the table, he was about to say something, but I rushed back out to the kitchen to get the tea.
    When I walked back in, Kit had taken his hat off and was scratching his head. He looked conflicted again, and it was a look I hated on him. I didn’t want him feeling like he shouldn’t be here.
    Placing the tea on the table, I motioned to a chair. “Sit. You’re going to eat with me, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
    Kit sighed but, surprisingly, didn’t argue. Instead, he came to sit down and watched in silence as I placed all the contents on his plate.
    “I didn’t know what you would like, so I took the liberty of ordering sausage with the chips. I hope that’s okay.”
    I sat down and placed my food on my plate. Kit didn’t move, which surprised me. I thought he would have been starving.
    Instead, he frowned. “Why are you doing this?”
    I didn’t want to have to explain myself, so I thought it best to answer a question with a question. “Why are you following me?”
    I thought he would remain quiet but, again, he surprised me. “Because I want to make sure you’re safe.”
    His answer startled me. I didn’t think he cared. “Why?”
    Kit pulled his chair in a little. “Why are you doing this?” He pointed to his food. I distinctly saw the hunger in his eyes. This was the first time I saw any type of emotion other than anger.
    “Because I want to make sure you’re safe.” I suddenly found a smile break out on my lips at my answer. I thought he would ask me to elaborate, but he didn’t. Instead, he seemed to accept the answer and did the one thing that made me happier than I had felt all day.
    He picked up a chip.
    We sat there in comfortable silence as we ate our meals. Every now and then, Kit would hum in approval when he munched on a chip or sipped on his tea.
    Once he was finished, I gazed at him. I had so many questions, but I didn’t know if he would answer them.
    “What is your surname?” Of all the questions to ask, I asked that? Too late. It was already out there.
    Kit looked at me with a frown. It was almost as if he was debating whether he should tell me. “Chain.”
    Of all the things I intended to do, laughing wasn’t one of them. It just seemed to blurt out of me. “So you’re named after the most domestic part of the house?” I nudged him without meaning to and he just stared. “You know? Kit Chain.”
    He sighed in what looked like exasperation. I thought I had lost him. With my nerves kicking up a notch, I suddenly blurted, “It’s a pity your surname wasn’t Ching because you could say your name’s Kit Ching !” For a moment, I thought I had lost my mind. Why in the hell did I just say that?
    But Kit did something absolutely amazing. And when I say amazing, I mean amazing .
    He smiled.
    It was the briefest of smiles, but a smile nonetheless. Right then, I could have stood up and cheered like someone celebrating a football goal. Stupid, I know, but any little thing Kit gave me made me feel that way.
    And his smile? My goodness! Don’t get me started on that smile. Even behind all that hair, I could tell his smile would melt the hearts of every woman with a heartbeat. Hell, I was wondering how mine was still beating. I thought it would stop the moment he flashed me that grin.
    Once I managed to calm myself and willed myself to stop staring, I cleared my throat. “Can I get you anything else?”
    Suddenly, Kit shot up from his chair. “I really need to go.”
    “But... But...” I was stammering again.
    “Thank you for the food and drink.”
    Before I could answer, he was running out the door. I heard it shut, and a sigh escaped me. I felt a little disappointed that he left so suddenly but, at the same time, I couldn’t help the grin that crept up. Kit smiled at me. He genuinely smiled at a joke I made. Yes, I knew it was a poor one, but he smiled!
    And for the rest of the night, my own