Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“Julian, are you okay?” His voice shook, and I felt something wet against the side of my face. Was he crying? He held me so tight I could barely breathe.
“Lance, you have to let go of him.” Was that Remington? “We need to make sure he’s not injured.”
Lance loosened his grip, and I found my voice. “Not injured, just hungry and… sore throat.”
“Oh God, have you been calling for help all this time?” Lance shook as he pulled me to him again.
“It’s okay. You’re here now, and I’m fine.”
“You were so close. We walked right past this building earlier. If Tony hadn’t…”
The little monkey climbed up my side and screeched in my ear. I was so relieved to know he was all right. “What do you mean? If he hadn’t what?”
“Tony led us to you.”
I petted his little head. “He did?”
“Yes. Was he with you when you were taken?”
I nodded. “He got away when they opened the trunk and—”
“They put you in a trunk.”
I nodded.
“I’m going to fucking kill them all. What else did they do?”
“Let’s take him back to your place,” Remington said, his voice unusually soft.
Lance glanced around like he was seeing his family members for the first time. “Right.”
His earlier words finally filtered through the fog in my brain. “You walked by here earlier? Were you talking? I thought I heard someone, but I convinced myself I imagined it.”
“It was us. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Lance picked me up and cradled me in his arms. When we stepped outside, I realized we were in the building next to his. “I can’t believe you were so close and I didn’t know it. Fucking Valentino refused to tell me where you were and just said you were closer than we thought.”
“Refused to… You talked to him?”
“Get inside before you say anything else,” Remington ordered.
Once we were in Lance’s condo, he put me on his lap, and Tony snuggled with us.
I’d never been happier to have the little monkey close. I kissed him on the top of his head. “Thank you. I’ll give you all the treats as soon as Lance lets me up.”
“Here.” Corbin handed me a bottle of water, some crackers, and a bag of mango chips. Tony began to chatter happily.
“Sip slowly,” Lance said.
I wanted to drain the bottle of water, but I knew he was right. After a few swallows, I told my story, feeling Lance grow tense under me. Next, he gave me a very brief description of what had happened with Carlotti.
I couldn’t believe he’d faced the man down like that and made demands. He could have been killed so easily.
“Look at me,” he demanded.
When I did, the intensity in his eyes made me shiver. “I love you, and I will take their organization down. I will ruin them, torment them, then kill them with my own hands. I swear to you.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do. It’s what you deserve.”
I knew there was no point in protesting. “Thank you.”
The doorbell rang a few seconds later, and I tensed. “It’s okay,” Lance assured me. “That should be Dr. Bennett. I had Dax call her.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor.”
“I want her to look you over. I don’t want to take any chances. The bastard chloroformed you and tossed you into a car and—”
“I have some bruises and scrapes, and I was really thirsty. That’s it.”
“You’re probably dehydrated.”
“Not severely. I wasn’t actually there for that long.”
“You never drink water during the day, and you hardly touched your lunch. Julian, please. Do this for me.”
How could I deny him? “Okay.”
Lance led me into his bedroom for the examination. I submitted to being poked and prodded. Thankfully, the doctor agreed there would be no lasting physical effects from my ordeal. She encouraged me to rest, drink more water, and eat a good meal, but I didn’t need further care.
39
Lancelot
I couldn’t stop touching Julian. He’d fallen asleep while I showed the doctor out and sent my family on their way. He needed rest, but I needed to talk to him, to make sure he knew how I felt about him.
I stroked his face and neck and played with his beautiful hair. When his eyelids fluttered open, I smiled. “I love you.”
He blinked and then tried to speak, but his voice was a croak. I handed him the cup of water by the bed, bending the straw so he didn’t even need to reach for it. After he swallowed a few sips, he gestured for me to set the cup down, then he took my hand in his. “We’re not fucking right now.”
It was the last thing I’d expected him to say. Lying there, he looked very much like an innocent librarian.
“Dr. Bennett said you need to rest, otherwise we would be.”
He smiled and shook his head. “You said I love you, and it wasn’t while you were fucking me.”