Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24377 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24377 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
She was a hell of a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for.
But now, after experiencing the love Joey held for her, having him adore and dote on her, and then eventually adding me into the mix, she’d blossomed, becoming the true queen both of us needed her to be. She was fierce enough to stand by our sides, and she knew I’d never let the world we were buried in touch her.
Which was what I needed right now when I had an uprising against me.
Someone had set fire to one of my houses in Mexico, and my right-hand man had called me in the middle of the night, letting me know about it. I’d gone back to Mexico immediately, and after some digging, I uncovered a little group of people who wanted to bring down the Mexican government and all of the people they worked with.
And I was at the top of their list.
Problem was, that group was sneaky, and they were smart. They knew what they were doing, which had me on edge. I honestly should have stayed in Mexico instead of coming home, but I missed Elaina and Antonio. I needed to see them.
I quietly opened the door. Elaina was still laying in bed, curled into a ball on her side. She was sniffling and shivering. I quickly stepped into the room, shutting the door behind me, a bit alarmed. “Little one, are you awake?”
She groaned in response. I quickly moved to the bed and kneeled in front of her, brushing my hand over her blonde curls. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing those pretty blue eyes to me. They were tired-looking, and she was extremely pale. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Her lips tilted up just the slightest bit at the corners as her eyes slid back shut, another shiver wracking her frame before she sniffled. “Cold. Runny nose.” She sounded stuffed, and her voice was scratchy. Never failed to amaze me how quickly someone could fall ill. It normally happened as quickly as the snap of someone’s fingers. And since Elaina was hardly ever sick, I knew this was going to kick her ass.
“I’m going to run you a bath and have someone make you some soup. How does that sound?”
She nodded. I quickly stood back up and strode to the bathroom, pushing open the door before starting a bath in the massive garden tub. This room used to only have a shower/bath combo, but I wanted Elaina to have comfort since she chose to live here. Joey had been secretly annoyed for weeks while the renovation to his bathroom took place, but when he saw how happy Elaina was with the finished product, all of that annoyance disappeared like it had never been there before.
The softness he held for her was unmatched. Even I didn’t get that soft for her. But life had hardened me in a different way than it hardened Joey. He’d chosen this life—knew he’d make a better criminal than he would a decent member of society.
I’d been born into this life, and my father had beat his expectations into me until I understood clearly who I was. Anything else had never been an option.
I added a lavender-scented bubble bath with lavender-scented Epsom salt, hoping it would relax her. While that was running, I quickly shot off a text to Joey.
Have someone make Elaina soup. She’s under the weather.
Joey’s response was immediate.
On it. I’ll come in a little while to check on her once Antonio is down for his nap.
I set my phone down on the bathroom counter before heading back into the bedroom, shedding my clothes as I went. By the time I reached the bed, I was naked. “Little one, lift your arms and wrap them around my neck,” I gently ordered.
She groaned and wrapped her arms around me when I leaned over her, and as soon as her fingers were latched behind my neck, I slid my arms beneath her, lifting her against my chest. She groaned in discomfort. She was feeling so bad, she didn’t even react to my nakedness like she normally would.
“Does your body hurt?” I asked, hating the shiver that wracked through her frame, dragging another pained groan from her throat.
She weakly nodded. I was hoping she didn’t have the flu, but it was a real possibility if she was experiencing body aches.
I eased into the tub, being extra careful not to slip. She sighed in contentment as soon as the hot water and bubbles enveloped her body. “Thank you,” she whispered, leaning back against me, trusting me to support her and keep her head above the water. She knew she had absolutely nothing to fear with me. I might wreck her sweet body in the most orgasmic way possible, but I’d never truly harm her.