Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
“Breakfast?” he asked and heard her stomach growl in response. “I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s brush your hair and wash your face.”
“I can do it.”
“Let Daddy.”
“I didn’t dream that?” she asked.
“No, Little girl.” Steele picked up a brush from the counter and stroked it through her deep brown hair. When the silky strands hung smoothly down her back, he quickly washed her face, taking extreme care not to touch the livid bruising on the side of her head. He wanted to kill whoever had hurt her.
“It’s okay, Steele. I’ll heal,” she whispered.
“They’re not getting away with this, Little girl,” he vowed.
Quickly, he got himself ready as well. Taking her hand, he led her to the door. When she hesitated, he asked, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“Are there other people out there?”
“I’m sure there are a few. Everyone gathers for breakfast.”
“Other women?”
“Maybe a few. Why?”
She scanned his appearance. He wore a loose pair of thin cotton sleep pants. “Could you put on a shirt?” Ivy whispered.
“You don’t want me out there without a shirt?”
“Please?”
Steele returned to the bedroom and grabbed a shirt. Walking back to her side as he pulled it on, Steele watched her staring at his bare chest until he buttoned it completely. He stifled a laugh and didn’t allow a smile to curve his lips. Modesty wasn’t a big thing around the compound.
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER
SIX
After a run to her house to get clothes, shoes, and supplies, Ivy looked up at the motorcycle repair shop sign as Steele parked his truck in front of it. Instantly, she felt relieved to be back where she was safe.
Ivy had worried about getting into her home but thank goodness she had an electronic lock on the front door and had automatically remembered the pattern to punch in the code. Her house keys should still be in her purse with her phone. Ivy crossed her fingers, hoping the police would return them soon.
As they exited the car next to the clubhouse, a mechanic from the shop yelled, “Steele! I need that set of pipes. Can you get that done soon?”
“I’ll get on it tomorrow,” Steele promised.
“I could really use it today.”
Terrified by the thought of being separated from him, Ivy rushed to say, “I could go with you.”
“Doc can work on another project, Ivy. They don’t need me today,” Steele assured her before sending a meaningful look at the man who’d approached.
She saw him open his mouth and snap it shut when Steele shook his head slightly. “Is there somewhere I can hang out while you work? I don’t mind sitting against the wall. I’ll stay out of the way,” she promised.
“There are plenty of chairs, Little girl.”
“Then let’s go there and you can get something done,” she suggested, feeling like she was a total bother. The last thing she wanted to do was disrupt his life any more than she had already.
Reluctantly, Steele took her to the shop where work had piled up for him during his temporary absence. He worried about the noise, but she agreed to wear a pair of headphones to muffle the sound. Seated in the best office chair in the work area, Ivy pretended to admire the motorcycles pictured inside the magazine as she flipped through the pages.
The play of muscles under the protective gear Steele wore fascinated her. He’d shown her all the equipment he used while welding as he prepared to work. Ivy watched him flip the protective helmet into place as he arced the torch to create a molten bead of metal that joined the pieces together as if they were one. The glowing metal scared her, but Steele worked confidently and efficiently. Her fingers remembered the feel of scars on his skin. Had that deadly torch caused those?
As if he felt her eyes on him, Steele looked up when he finished a seam. Extinguishing the flame, he flipped the visor up and asked, “You okay, Little girl?”
Lifting one earpiece away from her ear, she answered, “I’m good.”
“Ready to nap?” he asked.
“I couldn’t lie there, could I?” she asked, pointing at the crash bed the Guardians had stashed in the corner for whoever needed it.
“Let me get a fresh blanket.” Steele nodded at Storm working nearby and received an acknowledgement. Ivy knew immediately Steele had asked him to keep an eye on her.
When he returned with a big fluffy comforter and a pillow, she curled up on the bed and dropped immediately into sleep. She only woke when Steele picked her up.
“I can walk,” she protested before, “Ew! You smell,” popped out of her mouth. Ivy clapped a hand over her lips in embarrassment.
Steele laughed as he set Ivy on her feet and took her hand, leading her into the Guardians’ living space. “Sorry, Little girl. Let me go take a shower before dinner.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”