Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
“I fucking hate that they made you feel this way,” Ian snarled.
Jameson walked over and crouched next to Jack. “Hey, sweetheart.” He took hold of her hand and she latched on hard. He kept his voice calm. That’s what she needed right now. “I know a thing or two about shitty parents. We are going to get you through this. You have people around you who are on your side. Understand?”
She breathed out a sigh, giving him a tremulous smile. There were dark rings under her eyes despite her nap earlier on the plane.
“I think you might need a time-out.” Jack picked her up and held her against his chest. One arm held her to him, while with the other hand, he lightly patted her bottom. He gave Jameson a nod of respect.
Ian followed him into the bedroom. But he gave patted Jameson’s back on his way.
The hotel just had one bedroom so he’d sleep on the sofa. But even though he was on the wrong side of the door, he felt like he was starting to fit in with the three of them.
As though he had his place.
Twenty minutes later, the bedroom door opened, and Ian and Jack walked out. He raised his eyebrows. “How is she?”
“Asleep,” Ian said. “She takes too much on, internalizes it. She was bloody well going on about how she’s worried about us.”
“Mostly him.” Jack nodded at Jameson.
“Me?” he asked, shocked.
“Yeah, about you being back in London and it bringing up bad memories for you.”
Fuck. She was too sweet for her own good.
“Anyway, we’re heading out,” Jack said in a casual voice.
Um, what now?
“So you’re looking after our girl.” Ian frowned as he said that. As though it didn’t make him happy. “Don’t fuck it up.”
“Or else,” Jack added.
“Are you two joking right now?” he asked.
“No,” Ian bit out.
“I never joke.” Jack grinned at their glares. “Joking. I’m joking. Sheesh.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“To get anything we can salvage from her apartment that we can salvage,” Ian said, holding up a key with a fluffy zebra head keyring.
“I’ll go do that,” he said quickly. “One of you should stay here with her. She might wake up and need you.”
Ian shook his head. “If this Billy is watching the place or has someone there, we’re better able to protect ourselves.”
“I’m not completely helpless,” Jameson said.
“But you’re not as good as us,” Jack told him. “And if she wakes up, you’ll be here.”
“Take good fucking care of her,” Ian warned. “Do not fuck this up. There are no second chances.”
Right. Of course. No second chances.
No pressure then.
He tried to settle down and watch something. Fuck. Nothing would settle his nerves. He hated being back here. And it was ridiculous. He wasn’t going to run into anyone he knew.
His father was gone and his mother was off with her new husband.
And even if he did, what did he care?
No . . . that wasn’t the reason he was on edge. It was to do with her. Making sure that she was looked after, protected. It had him on edge.
He’d never felt this level of responsibility for someone before. Not even with Elizabeth.
He let out a deep breath.
A cry made him jump up. What the hell?
This time, a scream filled the hotel room. Fuck! He raced into the bedroom to find Maggie thrashing around on the bed in the middle of a nightmare.
Fuck!
He moved over to her, trying to shake her awake. “Maggie? Sweetheart?”
She stopped thrashing, her eyes opening to stare up at him. Then, suddenly, she started to cry.
Holy fuck.
She was killing him.
Without thinking it through too much, he gathered her into his arms and held her tight. What could he do to help her?
Then he remembered Jack soothing her. He picked her up and started bouncing slightly with her in his arms, patting her bottom. Seeing Ziggy on the bed, he gathered him up and put him in her arms.
But she just wouldn’t stop crying. And she was killing him.
“Hush, precious girl. Please?”
God. He sounded so unsure. He needed to be more confident. For her.
“I’m so sorry. I c-can’t stop. You can . . . y-you can just leave me.”
Yeah. Like fuck that was happening.
Enough of this, arsehole. Do what she needs.
“I will not be leaving you,” he told her firmly. “And that’s going in your notebook.”
“It’s b-back in Escana.”
“No, it’s not. Ian packed it.”
She kept crying and he couldn’t take it.
“That’s enough now. You’re going to make yourself ill. Hush, now. Hush, precious girl.” He kept his voice firm, but kind.
She slowly got herself under control, her sobs dying off.
“You can put me down now.”
“Nope. I’m not ready to.”
Leaning back, she blinked up at him as though she’d never seen him before. “Is this bad Dom? Is good Dom going to come in?”
She was referring to the other day when Ian had come in after he’d broken through the numbness she’d pulled around herself?