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)
“What?” she squealed as she turned.
The bird flew off . . . toward the walls rather than the door.
“You! You need to leave! I brought you in here thinking you were injured! It’s not nice to fake being dead! You DCB!”
“DCB?” Alexei asked.
“Dumb Cute Bird.”
Hmm, he was still wondering what MGB stood for.
He was smiling until he realized that she was limping. What the hell?
“What did you do!” he demanded.
She spun and winced, wobbling.
Rushing to her, he picked her up in arms. Fuck, she was light. She should be eating more. Why wasn’t Salem demanding that she eat more?
After this weekend, Alexei would certainly be making sure she ate better. What would happen if she grew ill? There was nothing to sustain her.
“Um, Alexei, what are you doing?” she asked.
“How did you injure yourself?”
“Oh, that, it’s nothing. Could you set me down? I have to get that bird out before he poops on something else.”
“I will get the damn bird. You will sit down.” He set her on the sofa.
Where she promptly tried to get back up.
This girl definitely needed some discipline.
Salem wouldn’t discipline her until all the T’s were crossed and I’s were dotted.
Alexei didn’t restrain himself with such worries.
Sure, he’d never ignore a safeword, but she certainly hadn’t told him no the other day.
“What do you think you are doing?” he growled at her.
She bit her lip and glanced up at him, fluttering her eyelashes.
Oh, she was going to try and get out of this by giving him a cute look? Did she think that would work?
“Don’t even think about it, Malyshka,” he told her in a softer voice than he’d intended.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
Fuck. First Little girl and now Little one? Yeah, his mind was definitely stuck on a loop after that conversation yesterday.
But that didn’t mean it didn’t feel right to call her those things.
“Never you mind that. What you need to mind is me.” He pointed at himself.
She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.
He wondered if she showed this sassy side in front of Roman and Salem. He was betting she didn’t. Salem liked submission. He liked to feel in control and needed.
And he bet that she wasn’t a brat with Roman because he likely gave her whatever she desired.
So the brat was for him.
That was fine. He could easily deal with this.
“I need to mind you?” she asked. “I don’t believe I read that in my contract.”
“Hmm. Then we need to rewrite the contract, don’t we?”
Was that a flare of heat in her eyes? He thought it was.
Placing his hands on the arms of the chair, he leaned over her. He watched her closely to make sure he wasn’t pushing too far. But she didn’t seem intimidated.
More curious.
Those wide eyes and her cute nose reminded him of a bunny.
“You’ll mind me, Bunny. When it comes to safety and health, especially.”
“Bunny?” She swallowed heavily. “Or what?”
“Or you’ll get yourself into trouble. More than you already are in. Unless you want to have your bottom heated again.”
She sucked in a breath.
Maybe she did.
“We can’t do that again. It’s not proper behavior. And Salem and Roman . . .”
“Don’t worry about them.”
She closed off, withdrawing back from him.
Shit. That was the wrong thing to say. She clearly didn’t want to forget about the other two men.
In fact, it seemed more proof that she would walk away if asked to choose between them.
“I meant do not worry about them being upset. They would want me to take care of you while in my charge.”
She scowled, folding her arms over her chest. There. That was better. He didn’t like seeing her closed off from him.
“I’m not in your charge.”
“That’s where you’re going wrong with your thinking, Bunny. You’re in my house; you’re under my charge. Because I am charged with protecting you.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Still in charge,” he sang. “Now, what is wrong with you?”
“Apparently lots of things since I seem to like that whole ‘I’m in charge thing,’” she muttered. Then she slapped her hand over her mouth. “Ididnotsaythat.”
He had to grin.
Sometimes she was just too cute.
He leaned closer, his mouth brushing her ear. “But you did say it. I heard it. And guess what? I can get bossier.”
With a groan, she sat back, and he straightened.
“Really?” she asked. “Is that possible?”
“It is. What did you do?”
“Well, I might have fallen off something,” she said vaguely.
“You fell off something?” he asked. “What the hell did you fall off?” He glanced around looking for a ladder or step stool.
Nothing there.
Which meant that she must have gotten onto a piece of furniture.
“I . . . well . . . I don’t think that matters.”
“Tamsyn,” he growled. “What did you fall off?”
She sighed. “You don’t need to get out the growly-bear voice.”
“I do need to get out the growly-bear voice,” he said to her. “Because you’re not doing what you’re told.”