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)
“You must be covered in bruises!”
“It’s just bruises.”
He didn’t like how dismissive she was of injuries to her body. She should take them more seriously.
“I don’t want you to roller skate to work again,” he ordered. “Did you even have any safety gear on?”
Like you have any right to tell her that she can’t roller skate!
“Umm.”
That meant no. She could have seriously hurt herself.
“Or run down the stairs!”
Instead of telling him to bugger off as she likely should, she just gaped at him.
He set her tea out along with some sugar and milk.
“Oh, these cups are so pretty!”
“Thank you. They were my great-great-grandmother’s.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. Are all these other knick-knacks from your family?”
Amusement filled him. His mother would be horrified to hear antiques called knick-knacks.
“They are. This house belonged to my grandmother, and she left it and her estate to me.”
“Wow, that’s nice.”
“Hmm, my parents didn’t think so. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’d always been a disappointment to them. Not manly enough. No charisma. Weird . . . quirks.”
“Like what?” she asked as she made her tea with a good splash of milk and . . . four sugars?
Yikes.
“Do you always take your tea like that?” he blurted out.
“Yes. Why? And what quirks? ILQ.”
“Um, that one baffles me.”
“I Like Quirks.”
“Do you? Well, I have a particularly challenging one. I have trouble touching people.”
“You do? You touched me.”
Yes, and he’d liked it.
“I did. I can do it. I just don’t always feel comfortable. But I really have trouble with people touching me.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“As you can imagine that was hard on my mother in particular who couldn’t understand why her own son abhorred her touch. She took me to psychologists and doctors, and no one could work it out.”
“So that’s just who you are.” She shrugged. “Did she not accept that?”
“No, she didn’t. I was made to feel like I was . . . defective. By my parents and sometimes, my brothers.”
Great. Now she was going to pity him.
Give him empty platitudes.
“What assholes!” She slammed her hand down on the counter. “Give me their names.”
“Sorry?”
“I want names. I’m going to TTAL.”
It took him a moment. “Teach Them A Lesson?”
She nodded, looking like a fierce kitten.
“If anyone could, it’s you,” he told her. “But I have long since moved past what happened.”
Sort of.
With some lingering hang-ups.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Good. I really should get back to cleaning.”
“How about you come read a book with me? Come on.”
“Are you sure? What about your work?”
“It will still be there later.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were on the couch in his office, with him reading to her from one of his Daddy Dom books.
He noticed that she was careful not to get too close to him.
Which he was both grateful and disappointed about.
However, it didn’t stop his body from reacting. He was used to this reaction while reading the books, but it seemed to happen quicker with her here.
And he hoped she didn’t notice.
“Wow this book is good,” she said when he took a break to take a sip of water.
“Isn’t it? Do you like Daddy Dom stories?”
“I’ve never read one before but I’m really enjoying this one.”
“You can get them in audiobook form too.”
“Oh, really? Wow. That sounds like fun. How does that work?”
“Ahh, well, I can download them onto your phone, and you can listen to them.”
“We could do that,” she said. “But I also like the way you tell the story. Your accent is so nice.”
“It is?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where are you from? You don’t even have much of an accent.”
“Oh, HTAE.”
“Uh, I’ve never heard of that place.”
She grinned at him. “Here, There, And Everywhere.”
“Of course. How silly of me. Well, I’ll gladly read you some each evening after you finish work if you like.”
“Epic!”
“The next book in this series is really great, although I haven’t seen it in some time. I don’t know how it’s gone missing.”
“Oh, maybe it’s in MGB’s bedroom.”
“MGB.
“Mr. Grumpy Butt,” she said.
“Who is that?” he asked through choked laughter.
“Alexei. Sorry, but Salem said everyone calls him that. Well, in their heads.”
“I guess that’s true. Why would my books be in his room?”
“I don’t know. I saw them in there. I am a bit sad about no more roller skating.”
Now he felt awful. “I’ll get you some safety gear.”
“Really?”
“And some mats. You can practice on the tennis court.”
She beamed at him. “Amazing! I better go. Thanks, Rome. I really enjoyed myself.”
Yes.
So had he. More than he could remember enjoying anything in a long, long time.
8
“Salem? Is everything all right?” Ryiad’s voice came through the phone.
“Yeah, everything is fine. Well, sort of.” He’d been putting off making this call to Ryiad, one of Alina’s men. But Riordan had already asked him twice about it.
So he had to at least make the call.
“What is it? Can you not convince your mum to come to the wedding?”