Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Do you promise?” she whispered.
“I promise. What can I do to help? Is there anything that will make it better?”
“Can I have your fingers?”
Immediately, his hand was in front of her face, and she sucked lightly on his fingers. She loved his hands, no matter what he thought of them.
She sucked on his fingers, then kissed along the back of his hand.
“Baby, you don’t want to kiss my hands.”
“I do. These are the hands that love me. That take care of me. These hands are beautiful.”
He let out a deep breath. Pushing up, she stared down at him. Then she kissed him lightly on the lips. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Stop it,” he said huskily. He’d dimmed the bedside light, but she saw a light blush on his cheeks.
She nuzzled into his chest with her cheek, then took his fingers into her mouth again. But it wasn’t enough. She needed more.
“Baby?” he asked huskily.
“I need more.”
“Take what you need.”
She slid down his body, kissing his bare chest and sucking lightly on each nipple before getting to his semi-hard cock.
“You’re getting hard,” she murmured as she pushed down his boxers and pajama pants.
“Don’t worry about my needs. We need to take care of you.”
She wrapped her lips around the tip of him, sucking gently.
Oh Lord. This was what she needed.
She had no idea why this helped. Why the thoughts in her head started to quiet and she could now relax.
But it did help. And she decided not to question it. This wasn’t about sex. She always found him sexy as hell. But right now, she didn’t want anything but comfort.
And he gave it to her. When she was slumped against him, her mind finally quiet, she slid back up so she lay on top of him.
“Need anything else, baby?”
“Just you.”
“You have me, baby.”
“I love you, Victor. So much.”
“I love you too. But if you ever insist on putting yourself in a dangerous situation again, I’m going to redden your butt.”
The threat made her smile. Because there was her bossy, protective man.
And she wouldn’t have him any other way.
EPILOGUE
“I think I’ve found it,” she said cheerfully as she walked into the office where all of the Malone men sat.
The cheer might have been a bit false, but they didn’t need to know that. Although, the way that Maxim, Regent, and Victor looked at her told her that she wasn’t as good an actor as she’d hoped.
Jardin didn’t know her well enough to tell when she was faking.
“You baked something, baby?” Victor asked in a soft, relieved voice, getting up to grab the tray from her.
“The boys wanted to make chocolate chip cookies,” she explained.
She got why he was relieved. She hadn’t baked since the warehouse.
Since Anita was shot.
She swallowed heavily.
“Did they help you bake them?” Jardin asked with a grimace.
“Um, yep,” she replied with a small smile. “Thea and Carrick are helping them clean up the mess. I didn’t think it was possible to get cookie dough on the ceiling, but those boys managed it.”
“Well, better than them breaking something, I suppose. I’ll go help.” Jardin gave her a small smile before he left the office.
“What did you make me?” Regent asked, picking up a piece of the slice.
“It’s something I created just for you. I’m calling it Regent’s Rum Delight.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“It’s got a rolled oats base, sweetened with a bit of honey. A creamy rum filling and a dark chocolate topping.”
He took a bite and she waited anxiously. Surprise filled his face. “This is actually good.”
She rolled her eyes, but her insides danced. Victor pulled her down onto his lap and she settled into him. Since the shooting, he’d been fussing over her like crazy. But she’d kind of needed it. She hadn’t coped well. She’d been waking every night screaming with nightmares. Eating regularly was a distant memory. And worst of all, she couldn’t bake.
But when Keir and Ace begged her so nicely to help them make some cookies . . . well, she couldn’t say no to those two cuties.
And she actually felt a lot better, more like herself.
“Really? Or you’re just saying that?”
“I never say things I don’t mean,” Regent replied.
“I can attest to that,” Maxim said dryly. He’d been different since the warehouse too. More serious. Quieter.
“Did you hear from the facility?” she asked in a small voice.
Anita had spent two weeks in the hospital. She’d had two surgeries to repair her shoulder, which had been shattered by the bullet. Gracen had spent almost every day at the hospital with her. But things weren’t exactly right between them. Gracen couldn’t forgive her niece yet for what she’d done. Even though she’d actually apologized for everything, including setting fire to the bakery. She claimed that Ice talked her into it. She’d also confessed that she’d been regularly taking money from the cash register. Something Gracen felt stupid for not realizing.