Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
She came to a stop as she saw her with Nico, her jaw dropping open. Then her gaze went to Liam and her mouth shut. She grew pale. She was scared of Liam.
He could be rather intimidating. But she realized with surprise that she wasn’t scared of him. She didn’t think she’d ever been. Just wary.
Alice just stood there, as though waiting for something.
“Are you here to take Lottie’s breakfast request?” Nico asked gently.
“What? Oh, yes. Sorry. What will you have, miss?” she asked politely. Although her gaze still moved over the three of them, flitting back and forth.
Lottie frowned. It wasn’t that weird, was it? Sure, Nico had his arm around her, but it wasn’t like they were having an orgy at the table.
“Just coffee, please.”
“Try again,” Liam pressed.
She narrowed her gaze at him. Dictator.
“He won’t let her leave until you order some food,” Nico whispered to her. “And I’d rather she wasn’t here, wouldn’t you? She stares a lot.”
Did she? She’d never noticed it before, but maybe he was right.
“I’ll have some fruit and yogurt.”
“And a boiled egg and toast,” Liam added.
“Is that what you’re having, Liam?” she asked sweetly as Alice left with a nod.
“No, I already have my breakfast coming, baby.”
“I don’t want the egg and toast.”
He shrugged then stood and pulled out a chair. “Come. Sit.”
Nico put a hand on the small of her back, reassuring her. “It’s all right.”
Lottie realized her newfound bravery was already cracking, and she straightened her shoulders, walking over to the chair to sit. He pushed her in, then grabbed the napkin, placing it on her lap. Her cheeks blushed at the gesture. It seemed so intimate for some reason. And not something she’d pictured him doing for her.
“How are your knuckles?”
“Much better.” She showed them to him. They were only slightly swollen. If Regent asked, she’d just tell him that she bumped them.
“Did you sleep okay, pretty girl?” Nico asked her as he placed some coffee and creamer in front of her. She picked out her favorite hazelnut creamer and poured some in.
“Are you sure you want coffee with that creamer?” Liam asked with a grimace.
“I like it.”
He just grunted and she turned to Nico. “I did. Thank you.”
“Good. I was worried we’d upset you further. You didn’t wake up?”
“No, I slept all the way through.” She glanced down at her coffee. “I’m sorry for what happened last night. I’m sorry you had to deal with all my craziness.”
“Look at me,” Liam said to her firmly.
She let out a soft sigh. What was his obsession with her looking at him? But she raised her gaze. She knew what he was going to say. That they didn’t mind. That she wasn’t crazy. That she had no need to be sorry.
“Things have changed for you.”
Um. What? That wasn’t what she’d been expecting him to say.
“What do you mean, things have changed?”
The door opened and Alice walked in with his and Nico’s meals. Nico had bacon and eggs, while Liam had muesli and yogurt as well as an omelet. How did they both eat so much?
Neither of them touched their food. Nico was looking slightly worried while Liam just stared at her, his elbow resting on the arm of the chair, his finger rubbing over the slight stubble on his chin. Had she ever seen him with stubble before? She didn’t think so.
“You’re not dealing with this alone any longer.”
She bit her lip before realizing what she was doing. It wouldn’t pay to let this man see she was nervous. But then, she doubted he missed anything.
“I don’t need your help. I have my brothers.”
“Who, we established last night, have no idea what’s going on. Unless you’re planning on telling Regent about last night.”
A flash of panic filled her. She didn’t want to tell Regent. Especially as something was going on with him. It wasn’t like Victor to leave suddenly, and she hadn’t seen Maxim in a while either. She wondered if there was something keeping them all busy.
“He doesn’t need to know.”
“And what about the bruises,” Nico pointed out gently.
“They were from several weeks ago.”
“They’ve been there for weeks?” Liam asked, straightening. “What? That’s not normal. It can’t be healthy.”
Nico shook his head. “Could be something else. Anemia, maybe.”
“Explains why she’s so pale,” Liam muttered. “Doesn’t eat enough.”
“Yeah, she probably needs to be checked by a doctor.”
“Let’s figure that in somehow.”
“I am still here, you know,” she told them. “And I don’t need a doctor. I feel fine.”
Liar.
Liam arched an eyebrow. “There’ll be no lies between us, baby girl. Not even small ones. You tell us everything.”
“This isn’t going to work, you guys. I can’t . . . I can’t be what you need.”
“Can’t? Or are you too scared to try?” Liam challenged her. “Because those are two different things. Are you going to let what happened define you? Are you going to let it rule you? Or are you going to move on, find happiness, be everything you ever wanted to be despite it?”