Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“I’ll go. This time.”
If she wasn’t in such a bad way, she might have been alarmed by that. But all she wanted was him out.
Once he’d gone, she quickly took off her bottoms and sighed in relief as she peed.
“Do not get off that toilet without me,” he ordered through the door.
Sheesh.
He was taking this looking after her thing to the extreme. She didn’t need him to carry her around. She was fine. It was just a bit of a cough. Standing, she had to grab the counter as she swayed.
Shit.
All right.
Maybe she was a tiny bit ill. But that didn’t mean he needed to stay in the bathroom while she peed.
That was taking things too far.
Slowly, she drew up her pajama bottoms and moved to the sink to wash her hands. She glanced into the mirror and let out a small scream that she instantly regretted as her throat burned.
But. Oh. My. God.
She was hideous!
The door flung open. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“You need to go easier on my doors,” she muttered. “Or I won’t have any left.”
“That might be a good thing since then I could keep a closer eye on you.”
“Starting to think you might be stalking me.”
“You’d know if I was stalking you.” He moved in behind her, trapping her against the counter.
Lord, he was so good-looking. Even with his hair all messy and dark marks under his eyes.
How was that fair?
She was very pale with red splotches on her cheeks. Her hair was still pinned to her head, but wispy parts had come free and were flying around her head.
She felt sweaty and gross, and the last thing she wanted was him pressed against her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he stated firmly.
She really didn’t understand what he was doing, but she also didn’t have the energy to fight him.
Jilly slumped against the counter. “I’m so tired.”
“I know you are, baby.” He stepped back and spun her around, lifting her onto the counter. Then he grabbed her toothbrush, putting some toothpaste on it.
“That’s why you need to let me take care of you.”
Did it matter why? He was here . . . offering to look after her. So why did she care why he wanted to do it?
“What about your work?”
“I can do most of it from here. Sometimes, I might have to go out, but I’ll make sure someone is here to take care of you if I do.”
“I’ll be fine if you have to go out.”
He eyed her. “You’ll do what you’re told. I’m not leaving you alone while you’re ill.”
“So bossy.”
“Yes, I am. Now, do you want to brush your teeth or do you want me to?”
“I get a choice?”
“Be careful, my sweet girl. I’ll forgive a lot while you’re not feeling well. But I won’t forget. And that sassy tongue might just cash a check that your butt isn’t willing to pay.”
24
That sassy tongue might just cash a check that your butt isn’t willing to pay.
An hour had passed and she still couldn’t believe he’d said that to her.
Jilly glanced up as e walked into the bedroom holding a tray.
On it was a bowl of chicken soup and a glass of orange juice.
Kind of a weird combination, but she wasn’t about to complain. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of her when she’d been ill.
“I could come downstairs and eat,” she said as he put the tray on the nightstand.
This kind of felt surreal.
Having Regent Malone bring her chicken soup.
Regent. Malone.
Who would have thought that he would be here taking care of her?
And to think she’d tried to send him away. It must have been the fever.
Or the fact that he doesn’t actually want you. For some weird reason, he’s looking after you because your mama asked him to.
Just remember that.
“You could also stop talking. I’m about to gag you.”
Her eyes dropped involuntarily to his crotch.
Yes, he could.
He could take down his pants and order her onto her knees . . .
He cleared his throat and her eyes shot back up to his. Was that . . . did he look amused?
Surely not, right? He didn’t know what she was thinking.
“I need a shower,” she blurted out. It was true, she definitely needed to get clean. She felt disgusting. Sweaty and gross.
And there was glitter in places that glitter really shouldn’t be.
Regent frowned. “No.”
No?
He couldn’t just tell her no.
Right?
Right.
“I want a shower.”
“And I want you to stop using your voice. You’re hurting your throat worse.”
He wasn’t wrong. Every time she spoke it felt like sandpaper across her throat. But now that she’d thought about how gross she felt . . . she felt even worse.
“I need to. I feel disgusting. I can’t stay like this.”
She really, really needed to get clean.
“I don’t think the doctor told you I wasn’t allowed to shower.”