Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
He tossed the salts into the tub and stalked back to tower over her. “You totally exasperate me, woman.” She maddened him with need. With a deep hunger he hadn’t known existed, or he could feel, until he’d laid eyes on her. Mostly she infuriated him because she was totally his woman in all things, but she insisted on that being true only in the bedroom. He wasn’t having that, but the takeover wasn’t going his way and he suspected it never would.
She had tucked the covers around her, creating a cocoon, so he could only see her eyes and the top of her head. “Go away, Joshua. I’m sleepy, and you’re bothering me. If we’re going to be truthful, exasperate is a mild word for what you do to me. You’re so bossy.”
“Bossy?” His eyebrows shot up. “I am the boss around here, or hadn’t you noticed?”
“I try not to. You’re already arrogant and demanding. God only knows what would happen if I ever made the mistake of acknowledging you as my boss.”
He caught ahold of the blanket and yanked. Nothing happened. She had secured it tightly, rolling into it like a little burrito. She gave him a look, her brows drawn together, but her eyes were laughing a little.
“Go away. I’m tired.”
“You should have told me you were sore, you little wretch.” He reached up under the blanket and caught her bare feet.
“Don’t you dare.”
Deliberately he stroked her calves, over and over, watching her face. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, although he could see them darkening, and that told him just the touch of his fingers got to her.
“What are you going to do to me if I do?” he taunted. “I’m bigger, baby. And stronger.”
“Brains over brawn every time.”
He knew she was trying to sound as snippy as she could, but excitement and laughter were getting in her way.
He circled her ankles with his hands, clamping down suddenly and yanking her toward him. She let out a little scream and grabbed for the mattress in an attempt to stop herself from sliding right off the bed onto the floor. He pulled her out of the blanket burrito so she landed on her bare bottom. The floor was cold and she let out a little wail, glaring up at him.
“You are so mean.”
Joshua reached down and lifted her easily, cradling her close to him. Sonia put her arms around his neck and leaned into him. She was sleepy, he could tell by the way her lashes drooped. She looked drowsy. Sexy. His. He stopped just beside the almost full bathtub and just stared down into her face, drinking her in.
“What?” she asked softly, her hand cupping his jaw.
“I love you. So much. You talk to me, Sonia. Promise, you will always talk to me before you decide to run. Losing you twice in one day nearly killed me.”
She didn’t take her eyes from his. “I promise. Giving you my word means something to me. I won’t break it.”
“My word means something too. We’re together. The two of us. We can work anything out if we talk right away. Don’t wait. Come to me first and I’ll listen to you.”
“I hope you hear me when you’re listening. I want us to be good together, but not at the cost of who I am.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips and then gently lowered her into the water. She gasped a little when she put her feet down, but she sank all the way into it, allowing the hot water to close over her.
“I would never take that from you. I don’t want you working away from home because I don’t think it’s always going to be safe, but it’s important to you, so you’ll do it. If you want to go back to school to further your education on the subject, I’m for that as well, but only if you agree to the bodyguards. They’ll blend. They can look like workmen. Your assistants. Your driver. Whatever it is you need them to look like. Just no sneaking off, and we’re good.”
“You do know I’ve lived a fairly solitary existence. I’ve had a lot of alone time.”
“Kiss that good-bye, baby,” he said, trying to sound upbeat. He didn’t feel much like laughing as he climbed into the tub, settling behind her, pulling her between his outstretched legs.
She put her fingers to her lips, smacked noisily and blew the kiss into the air. She laid her head back against him. “Thanks for this. It really feels good.” She closed her eyes. “I might fall asleep right here.”
He put his arms around her. “Go right ahead. I’ll put you to bed. I want you in here at least fifteen minutes or until the water starts to cool.” He didn’t look at his watch. The others would be waiting, but he wasn’t impatient. He wanted to make certain his woman wasn’t hurting at all. He didn’t like the idea that he’d caused her any discomfort and made a small vow to be more careful – at least for a few days.