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)
She shook her head.
Had she ever had a favorite stuffed toy? Yes, she could remember one when she was younger.
“I used to have one. He was a wolf.”
“A wolf?” Roman asked. “That seems an unusual choice.”
She smiled. “I don’t know why I had a wolf. But they’re very loyal and pack creatures. I don’t know what happened to Angus, though.”
Likely thrown away.
She didn’t really like to think about that. It left a huge hole in her stomach. A dark, swirling pit of rage and sadness.
So she tried to ignore that part and focus on something happier.
“We can explore that side of you more fully later,” Salem told her. “I have a few ideas for that.”
“I don’t want to let my Little out at the club,” she said. “I’m not . . . I’m not even sure about going to the club again.”
She’d kind of burned her bridges with them. And even if she was allowed back, she wasn’t sure she’d feel safe enough there to let go. Even though she was lying to them all . . . she didn’t want to lie about her feelings for them. She didn’t want to pretend or act a certain way beyond having to protect her true identity.
“That’s all right. I don’t need the club,” Salem told her.
“I definitely don’t want any other assholes staring at her,” Alexei said possessively. “Only the three of us.”
“Did you just call yourself an asshole?” Roman asked.
“Yep,” Alexei grunted. “But I’m Tamsyn’s asshole.”
“Um, thanks?” she said, unsure if that was actually a good thing or not.
“And I don’t want men ogling her,” Alexei said. “Or women for that matter. It’s an equal dislike of either sex ogling her. No one gets to ogle Alexei’s girl but me. Or the two of you, I guess. But she belongs to us. No one else.”
Dear Lord.
She was starting to understand why people had tried to smother him in his sleep.
Yet at the same time she couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness at the idea of belonging to them.
Her . . . the girl that felt alone for so much of her life now had three people in her corner.
Three people that she now had to protect.
Hmm. There was that to consider. Because while they thought they were protecting her, in truth she would be doing the same for them.
She had to protect them from him.
She wasn’t sure exactly how she could do that. Only that she had to protect them as well as making sure that everyone else in her life remained safe from him.
Could she do it?
The thought of failing made her feel ill.
“All right. No club. And one of Alexei’s limits is no ogling from anyone but us,” Salem said with a hint of dryness in his voice.
“How are you going to avoid people staring at her when she’s out of the house?” Roman asked curiously.
“Nobody will stare at me.”
Three sets of eyes moved to her and she gulped at how serious they appeared.
“What?” she asked.
“Do we need to remind you of rule number two, Bunny?” Alexei asked in a low voice. “Because I will happily do that.”
“I wasn’t talking down about myself!” she said hastily, clenching her bottom cheeks together.
“Weren’t you?” Salem said in a silky voice.
A shiver ran through her. That silken voice was more powerful than if he’d spoken harshly.
“Seriously, I wasn’t. It was just the truth. People don’t stare at me when I’m walking around.” In fact, she did her best to make certain that they weren’t staring at her.
That was kind of the point. To be invisible.
“You’re beautiful,” Roman told her suddenly, surprising her. “Why wouldn’t they look at you? They would be mad not to. But it’s not something she can do anything about.”
“Well, they won’t have a chance to look if she’s not allowed to go out,” Alexei said.
“What?” She tried to scramble off his lap, wincing as her foot protested and the icepack slid off.
“Careful,” Salem told her.
Salem grasped hold of her feet again. He placed them both on his lap, inspecting them. He ran his hand over her foot, pressing his fingers into it. “How is this feeling? It’s not looking swollen anymore. Can you move it all right?”
“Um.” She moved it around slowly. “It seems to be fine now.”
“You winced just now, though,” Roman said, crouching in front of Salem. “That would indicate that your foot isn’t fine.”
“All right, it’s a bit sore. But it will be fine to walk. And sit by myself.” She glared at Alexei who raised one eyebrow. “Let me go.”
“If I do, are you going to try to leave?” Alexei asked.
“Am I not allowed to leave?” she challenged.
“No,” Alexei said.
“Yes,” Roman said at the same time.
Salem sighed. “Of course you are. No one is keeping you prisoner.”
Alexei opened his mouth and Salem reached over and put his hand over it.