Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 81930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Well, he had a license, but Cullen had banned him from driving. They had an interesting relationship. They were cousins, but Cullen had taken over as Marcus’ guardian when he was seventeen.
Marcus needed a steady influence in his life. Someone to tell him no. Isla struggled with that.
“Someone is in there. I heard her crying out in pain. Knock the door down, Cullen.”
“N-no!” she managed to call out. “D-don’t!”
“Isla.” Cullen’s voice was calmer. “Are you by the door? If you are, can you move away from it?”
“Oh shit! Fuck,” Marcus swore, sounding like he was in pain. “Did I hit her? Fuck, I’m an idiot.”
She hated the censure in his voice. And she really wished she could move because she needed to see him. Because she didn’t like when Marcus was upset.
Nope, that made her upset as well.
Once, he’d convinced her to watch this movie with him where the dog died at the end. For the next three days, every time one of them cried, the other would start up. It had been terrible. Cullen had nearly pulled his hair out trying to deal with them.
It had been so embarrassing. She’d felt sure he’d thought about firing her just to stop all the crying.
“I-I’m okay.” She wasn’t.
“Isla? Are you by the door?” Cullen asked.
She opened her mouth. But it was so hard to talk, to think.
Breathe, Isla.
There was some frantic whispering.
“La-la, move away from the door, yeah?” Marcus said in a cajoling voice. “For me? You can do it for me, right?”
Of course. She’d do anything for Marcus. She forced her body to move, even though it didn’t feel like it was her body. She felt kind of numb.
So weird.
The door opened cautiously, slowly, and then he was there.
His face was filled with concern. She was so used to seeing him smile. That sassy grin that made her feel special when it was aimed her way.
Reaching out for him, she managed a deeper breath as he took her hand in his.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked frantically as he bent over her. “What’s happening?”
Cullen crouched down next to Marcus. His serious face studied her. Ivy peered at her over his shoulder.
Oh God.
She hated attention. She tried to shrink in on herself, but Marcus wasn’t allowing that. He moved his other hand around to rub her back.
“Panic attack,” Cullen said. “You have to get her to calm down. Speak kindly but firmly to her. See if you can distract her. Ground her.”
“Right, is that all?” Marcus sniped. But he shifted so he was sitting in front of her with his legs crossed. He took both of her hands in his. His hands were smooth and warm.
Strange, now she didn’t feel numb. She was freezing.
“La-la, look at me. No. Right at me. Everything is fine. You’re safe. But I’m going to need you to breathe for me, okay? Breathe in. Then out. And again. Nuh-uh, eyes on me. I don’t want to have to spank you.” He grinned at her. It didn’t quite meet his eyes, but she appreciated the effort.
They both knew he had no interest in spanking her.
But the joking threat had her eyes moving to him.
“That’s it. Good. I know I’m not good at this sort of shit. I’m not soothing, or calm, or take-charge, but I really just need you to fucking breathe, yeah? Please? For me?”
For Marcus.
She’d do anything for Marcus.
“Do it with me. In. Then out. I’m excellent at breathing. I can do it without even thinking about it. Remarkable, really.”
She squeezed his hands, trying to reassure him. But her grip was weak.
“I should really get a reward. World’s greatest breather.”
Another breath.
In. Out.
She felt herself growing calmer. Her breaths coming easier.
“That’s it. You got this.”
She managed a smile. “I’m o-okay, Marcus.”
“No, you aren’t. Look at this place. Someone broke into your place and trashed it. When I get my hands on that fucker, I’m going to set Cullen on him. Because he’s bigger than me. And meaner. But then I’ll use my billions to have the body dropped off into an active volcano. I read that in a book once. Sounded like fun. And there’s no way to recover the body. Can’t have Cullen going to jail.”
“Glad to know you’re thinking about me,” Cullen said dryly.
“I mean, not that you wouldn’t be fine in jail. You’d have all the guards terrified of you in a week. You’d be running the place in two. Telling them all what they’re doing wrong.”
He was rambling. Because he was scared. For her.
“I’m really okay. J-just a small p-panic attack.”
Marcus watched her with wild eyes. His face was pale. “If that was a small panic attack, then don’t you ever have a big one, hear me?”
That might be the fiercest she’d ever heard him sound.
“Hear you. Sorry.”
“Damn straight you’re sorry. You took ten years off my life. I don’t need gray hair. Although perhaps it would make me look distinguished. And handsome. What do you think?”