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)
He just grinned at her.
Then she shocked him by flipping him the bird.
Sara gasped. Salem’s mouth dropped open in pure shock while Roman just appeared confused.
Alexei threw back his head and laughed uproariously.
“Uh, Tamsyn, that’s not . . . I mean . . .”
Alexei could tell Salem wanted to scold her. But she wasn’t in Little headspace. And he couldn’t scold her like he wanted to in front of his parents.
He leaned in and whispered something to her that made her face grow red then pale.
“Oh, but he did it so I thought it was what families did.” She pointed to Con.
“Yes, and he shouldn’t have done that.” Salem glared at Con.
“Someone’s getting a spanking,” David sang.
“I am?” Tamsyn replied.
More shock.
Alexei couldn’t help but laugh again as Salem ran his hand down his face. Roman shot him a look and he attempted another cough instead.
“Um, I was talking about Con getting a spanking from Salem,” David said. “It was a joke.”
“Oh. I don’t think I get it. Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, baby,” Salem said, glaring at David. “I’m not sure that anyone found it that funny.”
“Right.” Tamsyn looked a bit miserable as she pushed the food around on her plate.
“Tamsyn, how did you meet these three?” Salem’s dad asked.
She glanced up with a small smile and Alexei felt a punch of relief as she started talking about how she met Roman. He tuned her out as he watched her until he noticed Salem jumping to his feet.
“I don’t think we need to talk about this,” he said hastily.
“Oh, but I was just going to say how we met at a—”
“Would anyone like another drink?” Salem said.
Alexei grinned. “Don’t you want your family to know where you met Tamsyn?”
Salem shot him an evil look.
“Oh. Are you ashamed?” she asked. “Why would you be?”
Salem sighed. “It just isn’t something you tell your parents.”
“Ahh, it was at one of those clubs you like to go to,” Salem’s mum said.
Salem sat with a shocked look on his face. “You know?”
“Of course we do, son,” his father said. “You might be pretty good at keeping secrets, but your brothers aren’t.”
Salem gave his brothers a dirty look. “You assholes.”
“Salem, language!” his mother said. “So that’s where you met?”
“Uh.” Tamsyn gave Salem a wary look.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s where we met.”
“Wow. It’s like it was meant to be,” Charlene said. “So romantic. You fell over and Roman helped you. Then you met Salem at a club soon after. And what about Alexei?”
“I didn’t meet him until the agency I work for sent me to work for them.”
Erica shook her head. “Definitely meant to be. Are you coming to the wedding with these guys?”
Tamsyn gave her a strange look. “Wedding? Oh, Alina’s wedding?”
“Yes,” Erica said. “Shit. Sorry if I got ahead of myself. I forgot that you’ve only been together a short while.”
“It’s fine,” Salem told her. “I was going to ask Tamsyn, but I hadn’t had a chance to, yet.”
Erica winced again.
They’d talked about inviting her to the wedding but hadn’t wanted to ask her too early in case she freaked out like she had over coming to Sunday dinner.
“It’s in eight weeks’ time,” Salem told her. “And we would really love if you would come. But I understand if you need time to think about it as it’s in Escana.”
“Can’t believe she’s getting married there,” Salem’s mother said sourly.
“That is where she lives, Mum,” Salem said quietly.
“She should get married here so we can all go. This was her home first.”
“You can go, Mum,” Salem told her. “You still have time to update your passport.”
His mum looked slightly ill.
“We’re definitely going!” Charlene said. “The princes even offered to send their private plane for us.”
“Private plane? Wow,” Tamsyn said.
“Mum, you need to go,” Salem urged. “What is the problem?”
“It will cost a lot of money,” his mother said.
“The flights and accommodation are free,” Salem pointed out.
“I just do not want to go.” His mum got up and left the table and his father sighed.
“Sorry, Dad,” Salem said.
The older man shook his head. “It is not your fault. She just feels nervous about leaving the country. But we will be there. My only daughter is not getting married without me.”
47
Salem stripped off Tamsyn’s coat, hat, gloves and scarf as soon as they got into the house. Alexei and Roman seemed to sense that he needed a moment alone with her and they walked off.
Then he stared down at the outfit that he’d bought her.
The very expensive outfit.
That she seemed to hate.
“You don’t like the clothes, do you?” he murmured, running a finger down the buttons.
“What? Yes, I do!”
“No. I bought them for you because . . . well, because I thought it was what you should wear. But you should wear what you like. What makes you happy.”