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)
“There’s no maybe about it. I am here to take care of you.” Reaching up, he brushed her hair off her face.
“Do you know anything about taking care of someone else?”
“I’ve done it before.” He frowned. “And I know how to provide aftercare. That’s taking care of someone.”
Aftercare?
“So, you are a Dom?” she asked.
“Yes. And you’re… a Little?”
Panic and worry had her tensing. She fought to keep her breathing even, but it was hard. “Are you… are you… do you think that’s weird?”
“Why the fuck would I think that?”
“I don’t know. Some people would.”
He snorted. “Screw them.”
“If the press got hold of it, they’d have a field day with me.” She’d lose her career; she was sure of that.
“Then we make sure they never find out.” It was said with such surety as though he could control what the press found out. But still, his certainty helped calm her.
Okay, she was grateful he wasn’t horrified. But she still didn’t understand what he was doing here.
“You came after me,” she said.
“Yep. And that was a bit of an inconvenience.”
She winced. “Sorry.” Although she hadn’t actually asked him to chase after her.
“If you’d just stayed where I put you, then I could have taken care of you as soon as you started feeling ill.”
Stayed where he put her?
“Are you for real right now?” she asked. Urgh, her voice was growing raspy. And even though she’d just woken up an hour ago, she felt ready for a nap.
Being sick sucked.
“Yes.”
“You didn’t put me anywhere,” she stated.
“Of course I did. I told you to wait for me. You didn’t wait for me. That deserves some sort of punishment.”
“Punishment?”
What was going on here?
“Once you’re feeling better, of course. I’m not a monster. Does it have a name?”
She felt like her head was spinning. And it wasn’t due to feeling sick. It was all Brand Starr.
“Does what have a name?”
“The teddy bear.”
Oh shoot. She shoved the bear down under the covers again. She started coughing and Brand grabbed the glass of water, putting his hand behind her head again to support her.
She couldn’t lie… it felt nice to have someone help her.
Don’t get used to it.
He settled her back on the bed with a frown. “We need to get you back to our room.”
“Our room.”
“Of course. I can hardly take care of you if we’re staying in different suites.”
“You really want to take care of me?” she asked. Maybe this was some sort of dream. Because she couldn’t imagine Brand ever looking after someone else.
“Yes. I do.”
Brand put his hand on her forehead as though feeling for a fever. “You feel warm. Did they give you something for that? Have they been monitoring you for a fever?” He got up, looking around.
“What are you searching for?” she asked.
“The piece of paper they have on a clipboard where they write your information.”
“Um, I’m not sure they have that.”
“Really? What kind of outfit are they running here?” he grumbled.
“You haven’t been to the hospital for a while, huh?”
“Not since my misspent youth.” He grinned at her.
Whoa. She fully understood why his fans practically swooned when he grinned like that.
“I think they have it recorded on a computer or tablet. Brand, what’s really going on? You follow me here. You turn up at the gate. Now, you seem to be staying here. You’re talking about taking care of me. P-punishing me. I just… I don’t understand what’s going on, what you want.”
“It’s simple, really. I want you. And to sound like a cliché rock star, what I want, I get.”
CHAPTER 8
Brand watched disbelief fill her face. Followed by a brief spark of something else that he couldn’t quite work out.
Anger?
Why would that make her angry, though?
Maybe because you’re coming across as arrogant.
It was difficult not to come across like that because he was arrogant.
“You don’t want me.”
Hmm. He hadn’t been expecting her to say that. He’d kind of been anticipating that she’d tell him off for being a dick and to get out.
“I want you.”
“Why? Because I disappeared on you when you told me to ‘stay put’?”
“Uh, no. I wanted you before that.”
“You’ve never shown one hint that you wanted me. Let’s face it. You liked chasing me because I was a challenge. Well, I’m not a challenge anymore. You caught me. Now, you can go.”
There was a slightly bitter note in her voice that he really didn’t like.
“You don’t have a good opinion of me,” he stated.
The sigh she let out ended with a wheeze. What was wrong with her? He’d thought she had a cold, but she looked and sounded terrible. Plus, she had a bandage on the front of her hand. Had she had an IV in? What medication was she on?
Fuck. He hated not knowing what was going on.
“You think I only want you because you’re a challenge?” he asked. “Well, you’re right. But here is the thing, the challenge isn’t capturing you, it isn’t even convincing you to be with me. The challenge will be looking after you.”