Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 47381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 237(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 237(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Great. So now I’m even more of a problem.
She chewed at her lip.
“Nurse Beverly will be back soon. She’s going to check in on you a few times tonight.”
This just got worse and worse.
“I’m so sorry. I can go…”
Derek smiled. “You can, of course. But you would need monitoring. We’d likely have to arrange for you to go to the closest hospital. I can call an ambulance if that’s what you want.”
No. That wasn’t what she wanted.
This was silly. She wasn’t that sick.
“I’m not ill enough for hospital.”
“Quincy was worried about you getting sicker, Jolie,” he told her. “That you might get pneumonia and that’s quite serious.”
Right.
“Am I… I’m being a hassle.” She started coughing again, and he held up the glass of water again.
“You’re not a hassle,” he told her firmly. “And I would prefer you stay here where Nurse Beverly can keep an eye on you.”
Was he telling the truth about her not being a hassle? Seriously, who wanted a guest like her?
But she was too tired and sick to argue. She really didn’t want to go to the hospital. It would probably mean hours in the emergency room only for them to send her away because she wasn’t ill enough to be admitted.
And then where would she go? A hotel?
“I’ll stay.”
“Good decision.” The approval in his voice warmed her.
Yikes. Seems she wasn’t so sick she didn’t enjoy some praise.
“Now we have that settled. I wanted to tell you that I spoke to Brand Starr earlier at the gate.”
“Yeah.” Why had Brand tracked her down?
She couldn’t believe Mikey had told him where she was staying.
The jerk.
But she also couldn’t believe that Brand had come after her.
She was so confused.
“He’s very worried about you,” Derek told her.
“He is?”
“You seem surprised,” Master Derek said. “I take it that you didn’t expect him to come looking for you?”
“Um, no. We’re not… we’re not even friends.”
“Hmm. Perhaps he wants to be more than friends?”
She gaped at him. What was he talking about?
Another coughing fit hit her, and she groaned in pain. Damn, her back was aching from all the coughing.
Master Derek gave her some more water. He made a good nurse.
She decided not to tell him that.
Sitting back, she stared at him, exhausted and completely done in. She couldn’t work out what Brand was doing here. She just knew that she was feeling alone and kind of scared.
“Did he leave?”
“He’s no longer at the Ranch, but I don’t believe he’s far away. He gave me his number to contact him if I needed to. And I know he wanted you to charge your phone.”
“I don’t know where it is.”
“I can have Erika find it in your room with your permission, then charge it.”
“Yes, please.” She had to message Addie as well. “He really wants to know how I’m doing?”
“Yes. Like I said, he seemed very concerned.”
That made her tummy dance with nerves and excitement.
“I won’t tell him anything that breaks your privacy, but I think he will worry until he knows you’re doing okay.”
“You can… you can text him,” she said.
Derek nodded. “You feel safe with him?”
Safe with him? What did he mean? Why wouldn’t she be safe with him?
“Of course.”
Oh wait. Did he think Brand was a threat? It did seem a bit stalkerish to follow her here and demand to see her.
“Brand is, well, I don’t know exactly what he is. But he’s no threat.”
“No, I don’t think he is, either” he murmured. “Is there anything I can get you?”
Her gaze flickered down to the teddy bear he was holding. She wished she’d brought some of her stuffies, but she’d stupidly left them all behind.
Sometimes, she was such an idiot. She’d booked herself into a Ranch with its own Dungeon as well as an entire area for Littles, including fun activities and programs and she hadn’t even brought one of her stuffies with her.
“Oh, I almost forgot. This for you.” He held up the teddy bear.
“For me? But why?” she asked.
“Well, Sadie saw him looking in the store and said he seemed a bit lonely. He’s been there a while now and she thought you might be able to give him some company. Look after him and show him a bit of love?”
“I-I…” She stared at the bear. She wanted him so much. But she couldn’t take him. She barely knew this man and she’d not even met Sadie, though she knew Derek was her Daddy. Still, it wouldn’t be right.
“Unless you’d rather not have him? Maybe you’ve got something of your own you’d rather have?”
“No!” she practically yelled, then regretted it as she coughed again. “I didn’t bring any of my toys with me. If it… if you’re sure it’s all right, I could look after him.”
“I’m sure,” he told her, handing the bear over. “Look after him well, darlin’.”