Total pages in book: 184
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
Okay. She needed to stop that train of thought right now.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes!” she said.
Chill.
“I mean, I’m fine. I just needed some coffee.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I hope you don’t consider that breakfast.”
“Well . . . it’s a bit late for breakfast now.”
“I’ll make you an early lunch, then.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” she told him.
“No? Then it’s good that I want to.” His gaze moved over her, no doubt taking in the fact that she was wearing the same things he’d put her in last night. “We need to get you some clothes.”
“Ahh, well, I was thinking I should go home today.”
It wasn’t a good idea to stay here another night. She was already imagining things that she shouldn’t.
Like happy-ever-afters.
And being free.
Yeah, those were dangerous thoughts.
“Were you? Why do you need to go home?” he asked.
“Um. Well. For clothes, of course.”
“And were you planning on coming back after you went home?” he asked as he took her cup of coffee from her hand.
“Hey!” she protested. “That’s my coffee! Give it back.”
Salem shot her a look as he set it on the counter, out of her reach. Then he grasped hold of her waist and lifted her onto the counter before handing her back her coffee.
Oh.
Right.
Well, now she felt a bit silly.
“Thanks. Sorry. I thought you were stealing my coffee.”
“I’ll tell the others that they shouldn’t come between you and your morning coffee.”
“Me and my coffee are forever,” she replied. “Coffee is my friend. It’s never mean to me. It’s never cheated or lied to me. All it ever does is give me pleasure.”
“Unless you drink it when it’s too hot and then it burns,” he warned as he started chopping some onion and mushrooms, frying them up.
“I’ll take my chances,” she told him as she flicked her legs back and forth. She hit her foot against a cupboard.
Oops.
“Careful,” he said, suddenly moving in front of her and grabbing her foot.
“Sorry,” she said, trying to bend right over to look at the cupboard. “Did I dent it? I can pay to replace it.”
“No, you didn’t dent it,” he said, giving her an incredulous look. “I’m far more worried about your foot than the cupboard door.”
“Oh. You are?”
“Yes, Little one,” he spoke in a low voice. “I am. How does it feel this morning?” He checked it over. “It’s no longer swollen.”
“Nope, it’s all good.”
“That’s good. But don’t swing your feet again, because I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, Sir or yes, Daddy,” he told her.
She bit back her initial reply.
Which was most definitely to call him Daddy.
“Yes, Sir,” she finally said.
He placed his hands on either side of her hips and leaned in so his mouth was by her ear.
God.
He smelled so good. It was almost more than she could take.
“I don’t think that was what you really wanted to call me, was it?”
No.
It wasn’t.
But how did he know that? She was an expert at hiding her true feelings.
Or she thought she was . . . these guys seemed to have the ability to see right through her.
He ran a finger down her cheek. “It’s all right to take what you want . . . what you need. It doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t mean that you’ll change. Sometimes you might . . . but you might find that change is good. You’re not selfish, Tamsyn.”
“It . . . what if I do change and I . . . I can’t go back to not having that thing in my life.”
He tilted his head. “What if you don’t have to go back to not having it in your life?”
It sounded like a fairytale.
You’re already in deep.
“I’m here,” he told her. “I’m not going to let you fall if you want to let go. I can see you’re holding on by your fingertips.”
She let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I’m so close to falling.”
“No matter what you decide, I just want you to be happy.”
“Why?” she blurted out as he went back to cooking. He was whisking eggs and the smells of the food cooking had her stomach grumbling. “Why me? I’m—”
He put his hand over her mouth. “I’m going to stop you right there before you say something that I know your butt will not thank you for.”
Oh.
Drat.
That was a really hard rule to follow especially when she didn’t think she was actually breaking it.
“I do believe we’ve already told you that you’re amazing, beautiful, courageous, and smart, haven’t we? And we will keep saying it until you believe it. You’re the first person who Roman has wanted to touch or have touch him. You’re the first person in a long time that has brought out Alexei’s softer side, who he’s actually paid real attention to. And you’ve made me smile. The only other person who has made me smile recently is my sister. But these feelings I have toward you are anything but brotherly. So saying that you’re not special or that we shouldn’t want you . . . it insults the three of us. Do you understand? And will only result in you getting a hot bottom.”