Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
She gasped in horror before Tanner kissed her. Hard and fast. Then he gave her a stern look. “Shut up. No one wants your money.”
“Rude.” But she didn’t take offense. She was finally coming to realize that these men were real men.
Protective. Possessive.
A bit gruff and arrogant, but with huge hearts.
They didn’t calculate every move and make a decision based on what they thought they would get out of something. They genuinely wanted to do what was best for the people they cared about.
“So, you’re just going to wait and see what your cousin can find out?” she asked. “What is he looking for?”
“He’s going to see what your brother is up to,” Alec told her. “See if he can get to someone close to him. Meanwhile, we’ve let some key people in Haven know what is going on. Don’t worry, they won’t tell anyone else. But we have allies, and we need to use them. There will be people patrolling the grounds at all times. We have excellent security. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to protect our own.”
She sucked in a breath, leaning against Tanner tiredly. “Stefan wouldn’t understand that.”
“What, baby?” Tanner asked.
“Loyalty earned without terror. All of his men are scared of him; they follow him out of fear. Any colleagues he has either want to overthrow him or fear him doing that to them. He has no friends. I sometimes think that’s why he’s obsessed with me. I’m his. No one else’s. He wants me but can’t have me. He’s never been denied anything. But me. I know it sounds disgusting and I’m not saying it’s sexual. It’s about . . .”
“Ownership,” Alec said grimly.
“Yes. That’s why I know he’ll come for me. I understand him best.”
Alec nodded.
She tried to stifle a yawn. Tanner immediately stood with her cradled in his arms. “Lilac needs to eat and rest. But keep us updated. I’ll be with her.”
Alec nodded. “I can send Mia up with some food.”
“I don’t want to be a hassle,” she protested.
“No hassle, Lilac,” Alec told her. “You’re family now.”
43
You’re family now.
“He really meant that, didn’t he?” she said to Tanner as he set her down on the bed.
“What?” he asked.
“Alec. He really meant that I’m family now, didn’t he?” she asked.
“Yeah, baby. Of course he did.” He drew the covers back and lifted her again, placing her in bed.
“I don’t want to go back to bed, Tanner. I’m sick of bed.”
He tucked her in, then sat facing her, cupping her chin. “I’ll make a deal with you. Today, you rest and let me feed you. Tomorrow, I’ll take you outside to see the horses.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Really. Maybe a picnic?”
“Okay. I like the sound of that.”
“Good girl. Now, how many strikes are you up to? Seven? Eight?”
“What? Why? I’m not up to that many.” She pouted. Whoa. She didn’t think she’d ever pouted in her life.
“Let’s see. Getting up on your own. Showering on your own. Dressing on your own. Not following the instructions I left you. And walking down the stairs. On. Your. Own.”
Gulp.
“And that’s without even talking about you going to Alec to convince him to let you help with Stefan. I think we’re far past eight. But I’m being generous, considering you haven’t been well.”
“This is you being generous?”
“It is. You can thank me later.” He gave her an overexaggerated wink and wriggled his eyebrows. In case she couldn’t decode the wink.
“I’ll be sure to get onto that,” she said dryly. “Can’t wait.”
That part was true. Lilac couldn’t wait. In fact, she thought she could get into that right now.
“Did you just lick your lips?” he asked.
“What? No. I didn’t do that.”
He grinned. Placing his hands on either side of her hips, he leaned into her. “You did. You licked your lips. Baby, were you thinking about sucking my dick?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Well, so what if I was?”
“Then I would tell you that I spend most of my time thinking about eating you out. Wanting to taste you. To hear you scream as you coat my lips in your pleasure. I want to fuck you bare and possess you. To have everyone know that you’re mine. I want to tattoo that onto your skin and slip a ring on your finger.”
“Tanner,” she said faintly.
“Too much?” he asked.
“No. It’s really not.”
He smiled. “Good. Because I meant every word. Once you’re better, I’m going to fuck you until neither of us can walk.”
“I’m feeling better already,” she told him.
A knock on the door interrupted them before he could reply. “That will be Mia.”
Great. What would Mia think of the fact that she was having to make her food? And bring it up to her?
She felt awful.
Tanner got up and opened the door and a kind looking woman with red-blonde hair stepped in. She didn’t look much older than Lilac, which surprised her.