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)
His fierce husband.
“Not for me. For Liam. If he kills them . . .”
“Hush, if anyone deserves killing it’s the two of them.”
“It is,” Liam said firmly, making Lottie gasp. Nico, who had likely already seen him, didn’t react.
Lottie jumped from Nico’s lap and threw herself at Liam. “You’re all right. You’re all right.”
“Of course, I am.” Liam picked her up, holding her in his arms. He reached out an arm for Nico, drawing him in.
“Sh. Everything’s all right, baby. You’re all right. I have you.”
“Don’t leave. Don’t leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Nico stared up at him, looking concerned.
“I didn’t kill them,” Liam said.
“You didn’t?” Lottie looked up at him too. “What happened to them?”
“I left them with grandfather.”
He waited for their reaction.
“Good,” Lottie said fiercely.
“Good?”
“I don’t want them to live. But I also didn’t want you to have to kill them. This is what they deserve. Evil bastards.”
Liam, ridiculously, found himself smiling.
“They found the doorman,” Nico said. “She must have got him into the backroom and shot him.”
Liam winced. “Fuck.”
“She’d bribed him to tell her when you did something interesting,” Lottie told Liam.
“Guess he got what was coming then,” Liam replied coldly.
“But what about poor Evan.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Liam told her. “None of this is.”
She nodded, but he wasn’t sure she believed him. Fuck. She was starting to do so well, he hated to think how many more nightmares she’d have now.
Of course, now he had more of his own. And a whole slew of anxiety.
“Why didn’t they take me?” Nico asked.
“Probably thought that they’d get money from Regent too. Or maybe it was that they thought it would be easier to get to Lottie. Sounds like they only got desperate enough to do this because Regent was trying to find Michael. Fuck, I need to call him.”
“He’s going to lose his mind. He’ll want me to come home.”
“Do you want to go back?” Liam asked her. “Because we can do that. We can do whatever you need to do.”
“All I need to do is be with the two of you. That’s where my home is.”
“That’s good,” he told her. “Because the two of you are my home. My heart. My two loves.”
He held them both tight, never intending to let them go.
25
She knew it was him before he even approached her.
He was always careful to make noise before coming up behind her, not wanting to frighten her. Two months had passed since her second kidnapping and while things hadn’t been easy, she at least had the two of them to lean on, to help her through the added nightmares and anxiety.
And she’d been there to help them both with theirs. With Liam’s need to keep them safe. With Nico’s need to always have her in his sights. They were helping each other.
“Painting me again?” he asked before brushing his lips along her neck. A shudder of desire ran through her. She didn’t think there would ever be a day when she didn’t want him. Her nipples pebbled as she carefully set the brush down then turned to stare up into those blue eyes that she’d once thought of as cold.
They weren’t cold now. No, they were filled with warmth as they stared down at her with hunger.
“My favorite subject.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”
“You and Nico,” she replied.
Liam ran his thumb over her cheek gently. “You need a nap, baby girl. You’re paler than I’d like.”
She’d had a nightmare last night. They’d become more frequent again after her kidnapping, but this was her first one all week, which she was taking as a win.
“I’m all right.” She knew he’d fuss at her until she went to bed unless she distracted him. Liam could be a total mother hen when it came to her health. “Where’s Nico?”
He gave her a knowing look. “He’ll be in soon. He got mouthy so he’s walking a bit funny.”
She dropped her lower lip into a pout. “You spanked him and I missed it?”
“Actually, I spanked him then I plugged him, then I played with his cock and denied him permission to come.”
“Oh. Ouch.”
“But if you’re sad about missing out, I can always do a re-enactment.”
“As pleasant as that sounds, I don’t want to torture him too much.”
“Why not? That’s my favorite thing to do.”
“You’re so evil.” She grinned up at him.
“You love me the way I am.”
“I do,” she sighed.
“Good, remember that feeling when I tell you this.”
“Tell me what?” she asked, feeling confused and worried as he took a step back.
“You might want to sit down.”
“Liam, you’re scaring me.”
“There’s no reason to be scared.”
“What’s going on?” Nico asked, shuffling into the room. She winced. Liam must have used a very large butt plug on him.
“I have something to tell Lottie. And you. Actually, several things. Both of you sit.”
Liam waited until they’d both sat before standing in front of them, his hands behind his back.