Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Yep, at some stage the cat had started sleeping with him at night. He knew he should discourage her. He just hadn’t found the ability to do that yet.
Matthieu carried Maya into her bedroom and laid her down on the end of the bed. Then he drew back the covers and placed her in the bed, tucking her in.
He thought about undressing her, but he didn’t want to make her feel awkward. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too uncomfortable sleeping in her clothes.
She let out a small noise and tossed around. There was a frown on her face.
Shit. What was wrong?
Then he spotted her toy dolphin which was hidden beneath some of the pillows. Grabbing it, he placed it under the covers in her arms. She immediately settled down and he walked over to pull the curtains.
Ryan wasn’t a problem anymore now that he was in jail. The judge hadn’t granted him bail, deeming him a flight risk due to his family’s wealth.
But Maya seemed to attract weirdos and assholes, so he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Matthieu?” she whispered.
Merde.
“Désolé, Bébé,” he told her. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I like you, Matthieu,” she said on a sigh.
All right.
Perhaps she wasn’t as awake as he’d first thought. He couldn’t imagine her telling him that if she was fully conscious.
“Do you?” he murmured. “What do you like about me?”
“Everything.”
He grinned. Yeah, he should leave the room and let her go back to sleep without revealing anymore of her secrets. But he wasn’t that good of a person.
“Well, not everything. Because you are bossy. You like rules and consequences. That’s no fun. And sometimes you snore.”
“I do not snore,” he said.
“Uh-huh, sure you don’t. But don’t worry, you’re also handsome and sexy and protective and kind. Never had someone care about me so much.”
Her family had a lot to answer for. Because she lapped up his attention and care like someone who had been starved of it for far too long.
There was a question burning in his gut, but he shouldn’t ask.
“Wish you were mine,” she said. “My boyfriend. My Daddy.”
Okay.
Well, maybe that answered his question.
“You ever had a Daddy?” he asked.
“No. No way. Maya can’t have a Daddy.”
“Why not?” he asked, confused. If anyone needed a Daddy desperately, it was her. She needed someone who would force her to put her own care first. Who would ensure she ate and slept and kept herself safe.
“Can’t let anyone close. They might leave me. Everyone leaves me. Not enough to stick around for. Stupid. Ugly. Unlovable.”
Anger flooded through him. That fire flared to life inside of him. From embers to flames.
He knew where those words had come from and they weren’t from her.
That bitch of a stepmother.
Brody had looked into that bitch, but when he had more time he would get him to go deeper. See if there was anything they could use to ruin her.
Or whether they would have to create something.
He didn’t care what he had to do, Kathryn would pay for the way that she’d treated his girl.
“Do not listen to her,” he told Maya fiercely. “You hear me? Whatever she said to you is not true.”
“Am useless. Ruined dinner.”
“So you can’t cook? Not the end of the world. And I prefer to cook for you anyway. I like taking care of you.”
“Matthieu is the bestest,” she said in a small voice.
She sounded like she was slipping into Little headspace. He wanted to see her fully in Little headspace. Relaxed, smiling, happy.
But that wasn’t necessarily what was best for her. Not when he’d have to leave her.
And you do have to leave.
Settling down isn’t what you want.
He wondered why he was having to work so hard to convince himself.
“Merci, Bébé. Now, I want you to know that you are beautiful, you are clever, and you are special.”
She smiled before a soft snore escaped her.
Hmm. And she thought he snored?
33
Matthieu’s phone rang as Maya said goodbye to her client the next day. It had been a private session. Luckily none of her clients had been worried about Matthieu sitting in on their sessions.
Which was a relief.
He took the call and held a finger up at her. She knew the rules. She wasn’t to leave without him. Even though she really had to pee.
“Hey . . . yep. We’re at the studio. Okay . . . shit . . . is he still insisting on going back to work?”
She stilled. Was this about her father?
Crap. She grabbed hold of her drink bottle and sipped some water to try and wet her dry throat. Which was a bad idea when her bladder was already full.
She started to shuffle her weight from foot to foot, clenching her thighs. Matthieu narrowed his gaze as he stared at her. But she wasn’t certain if he was seeing her or he was concentrating on the phone call.