Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Watching her, he found himself even more enamored of her, and that was a dangerous place to be.
He didn’t like having women around him. They were to be used and discarded as he couldn’t trust any of them.
Everyone was after their own agenda, and in a way, so was Beth. She was here to save her brother—nothing more, nothing less—and he needed to remember that.
Chapter Four
Much to Beth’s surprise, Rome didn’t linger after breakfast. He ate his food, told her she could have the run of the house, and if she needed anything, to just speak to a member of his staff. After that, he kissed her lips and left.
Clearly, the man had business to attend to for the rest of the day. At first, she didn’t have a clue what to do, so she kept her ass firmly in the chair at breakfast. One of his staff brought her coffee, which was so good Beth had to wonder if they had their own little coffee shop attached to the house.
This wasn’t her house or some kind of museum. It didn’t seem right for her to go exploring his home. She wasn’t his girlfriend, and this wasn’t going to be her home. However, she also didn’t want to upset his staff by grabbing a uniform and starting to work.
She loved to clean, and as much as she would love to do it now, she forced herself to get out of her chair, leave the dining room, and seeing as the rain had subsided, she decided to head outside. Before leaving his house, she grabbed a jacket, then wrapped the blanket around her for comfort. She stepped outside and made her way across the main porch, heading toward the luxurious-looking lawn. She stepped onto it and felt the damp earth beneath her feet.
She hadn’t bothered to wear any shoes or even socks. The cold, wet ground felt so good beneath her feet, and she didn’t feel the need to go inside and grab anything. There was no reason to be at one with nature if you were going to put a barrier between yourself and the earth.
Living in the city, it was impossible to go anywhere without something on her feet. This was a luxury she hadn’t felt in a long time. The apartment she shared with her brother was the only place she could go barefoot.
She didn’t even know why she was thinking about the possibilities of bare feet, and the earth. Ever since she was a little girl, she loved playing outside, and just being near the ground. That never changed as she got older.
Walking across the lawn, she was aware of one of Rome’s guards following her, but she ignored him and took in the beautiful scenery that surrounded her. Everything was so pristine and even the flowers, after a good rainfall, seemed to be brighter and more luminous. She stopped at a red rosebush, leaned in to one of the full flowers, and inhaled deeply. It smelled so good.
She closed her eyes and then walked down a small path that had flat stones, leading toward a gazebo with a bench. Beth took a seat on the bench just as the soldier came closer, and when he realized she was seated, he stopped.
“Why are you following me?” she asked.
“In case you try to escape.”
“I’m not going to do that,” Beth said. She made an agreement, and even though her brother was the biggest, giant pain in the ass, she wouldn’t allow him to be hurt. Even though it probably would teach him a lesson. He’d been a pain in the ass for as long as they left their parents, which wasn’t exactly thrilling to think about. It was very depressing.
Leaving their parents should have felt more liberating, but over the last five years, there had been multiple times she couldn’t stand the thought of being in the same room with him. Returning to the apartment after a long day at work to find beer cans and empty pizza boxes littering the floor. It looked like he’d not even bothered to open a curtain.
This would result in them arguing, to which he’d stumble out and then she’d clean up the mess. The following day, he’d return with an apology, seeming to see the error of his ways.
What horrible cycle had she gotten herself into?
Her own brother was treating her like crap, and like some kind of addict, she’d been taking it from him, as he was her family.
“Are you okay?” the guard asked.
She looked up and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. You know when you realize something sucks, like big time, yeah, I just got some serious clarity on a situation.” She blew out a breath. What sucked even more, she felt like she was going to need to ask Rome for advice, which had to be a terrible idea. Here she was, after giving her virginity to a man, and now she was considering … what? Asking him how she got her brother out of her life completely.