Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
The men all slid away except for the large bodyguard Regent seemed to favor.
Victor stared down at his brother. “Now I can carry you.”
“Dude, head injury, remember?” Maxim pointed out. “You can’t carry anyone.”
“No one is carrying me anywhere, you assholes,” Regent said grouchily.
Oh, yeah, he was going to be a problem while he recovered.
“Maybe Maxim and I could carry you in the chair?” she said equally as quietly.
Everyone gaped at her.
“How do you want to do this, boss?” Jose asked.
“Fuck. I’ll sit in the chair. You take the back. Maxim, you take the front. Don’t fucking drop me. Victor, get Gracen inside. She looks pale and tired. She’s not taking care of herself.”
She sighed, but didn’t say anything. If Regent needed to grumble at her in order to feel better about his injuries, then she could handle it.
Victor turned to study her. “He’s right. We need to get you inside. Lean on me.”
Maxim shot her a wink. “Get used to it, little sister. We’re all going to be fussing over you now. Just ask Lottie how that went for her.”
Regent sat and his big bodyguard and Maxim carried him up the stairs.
Whoa. Maxim was stronger than he looked. He was the slightest of all the brothers, but he wasn’t lacking in muscle, that was for sure.
“If you continue to look at my brother like that, I will turn you over my knee right here,” Victor said to her, wrapping a tight arm around her waist as they followed them up the stairs.
“What? I wasn’t. Sheesh. I was just thinking he’s stronger than he looks.”
“Thanks, doll,” Maxim called back. “I don’t even work out. I’m just naturally this buff and good-looking. Definitely the best looking among my brothers.”
Regent huffed out a breath. “Dream on.”
Victor grumbled, tightening his arm around her. She looked up in worry, concerned that he was actually upset. But he sent her a wink.
She froze as a scream came from in the house.
16
Victor tensed then sighed. “It’s all right, baby. It’s Lottie.”
“Lottie? Your sister? She’s here?”
Great. She looked awful. And she was going to meet their beloved baby sister?
Freaking fantastic.
When they walked into the huge foyer, her mouth dropped open. She’d known the place was going to be something else. But this was . . . this was gorgeous. And overwhelming. The staircase was a masterpiece, curling its way upstairs. The flooring looked to be real marble while the walls were painted dark blue.
Finally, she pulled her attention away from the house. She glanced over to find Regent who was still sitting in his wheelchair with a slight, dark-haired woman kneeling in front of him, her face buried against his thigh.
Jose seemed to have disappeared. Regent was murmuring something to the woman while another man with dark hair kneeled behind her. He glanced up and she sucked in a sharp breath as she recognized him.
Nico Carmichael.
The singer.
Holy. Crap. He’d just shot up the charts with a hit song recently. She loved his singing so much. What was he doing here?
“Careful, doll. You have a bit of drool there.” Maxim tapped her chin with a grin, and she scowled at him.
“I do not.”
Victor stared down at her. “Why were you staring at Nico?”
“I wasn’t.”
She totally had been.
Another man moved from the shadows to join Nico. This man was blond-haired and muscular. And utterly terrifying.
She stepped into Victor, who held her securely.
“Lottie, darling,” Regent said in the softest voice she’d heard him use. His hand rested lightly on Lottie’s back. “I’m all right, darling. I promise.”
She glanced up and Gracen’s eyes widened as she took in the fierce look on the other woman’s face. “Damn it, Regent! You should be better protected. How did this happen? Nothing is supposed to happen to you guys. That’s it. We’re moving back.” She got to her feet with the help of the blond-haired man.
“We’re not moving back,” the scary man said, wrapping his arm around Lottie’s tiny waist. Dear Lord, she was gorgeous.
Great. Now she felt fat, frumpy, and ugly next to this beautiful woman.
“Yes, we are. My brothers need me.”
“You’re not moving back, Lottie,” Regent told her in a firmer voice.
“But look at you. You’re going to need someone to take care of you. And we can’t trust just anyone. Gerald’s not here. I’ll have to cook for you all.”
Everyone stared at her in shock.
“Uh, Lottie, you can’t cook,” Nico said to her.
“You can help me.”
“Darling,” Regent told her, taking her hand. “It’s not safe to stay here. You can’t stay.”
“But we just got here. We’re not going anywhere. Wait, where’s Vicky?” She turned around, spotting Victor.
“Vicky?” Gracen murmured.
“I knew I forgot to tell you something.” Maxim grinned at her, clicking his fingers together.
“Oh, hello,” Lottie said, suddenly looking shy.
Nico wrapped his arm around her waist, much like Victor was doing with her.