Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“Phoenix…” Celeste groaned. “What?”
“Palm without balm.” He roared with laughter as he turned and walked away.
Zara shifted her gaze to Celeste in confusion. “What does that mean?”
Celeste shook her head slowly. “He means he intends to spank my bottom hard and stand me in timeout without putting any soothing ointment on my naughty skin.”
Zara gasped, eyes going wide. “Does he do that?”
“Hell, yes.” Celeste slapped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t tell Daddy I cussed. That will make it worse.”
“But… But why?”
Celeste’s eyes twinkled as she grinned. “Because I like it.”
Zara continued to stare at Celeste’s back after her friend turned away to check on the computer equipment. As Zara put her lab coat on, she told herself the reason she was so unnerved had nothing to do with the fact that her nipples were hard and her panties were wet—because that made no sense.
Chapter Eighteen
When the storm rolled in, it was so loud that Zara could hear the thunder booming even in the basement. She and Celeste had dutifully ordered breakfast and eaten every bite, but by the time lunch arrived, the two of them were scrambling to shut things down, just in case.
She knew where all the men were because they’d been given updates several times. Rocco was on the first floor at reception with Sadie, keeping a sharp eye on every guest coming and going since all six men were convinced there were nefarious guests at the resort.
Hawking was away from the main building at one of the security posts, helping his staff in case the cameras went out. He wanted as many eyes on every entrance and exit as possible.
Kestrel was out at the helipad, securing the helicopter. Obviously, this was the man Zara was most concerned about. She wished he was back here with her in the basement. But she kept reminding herself he had a job to do, and she needed to be a big girl and not complain.
She was safe here. After all, Magnus was frantically keeping an eye on every monitor in front of him, and Phoenix and Ceasar were also in the basement.
When Zara came out of the lab, she found herself fidgeting in the middle of the room. Several closets she hadn’t seen before were open, and it looked like Phoenix and Caesar were doing some sort of inventory check. The closets were filled with ammunition and survival gear.
The sight of all that stuff made her hair stand on end. These men really were prepared for anything. The vibe in the basement was tense and unnerving.
She figured either Magnus or Kestrel had warned the rest of the men not to react to her dress because, after the shock she’d seen on Phoenix’s face, no one else had said a word. They’d pretended she looked the same as any other day.
Zara felt antsy. There was a humming in the air. Was it the storm coming in or something more? Why was everyone scurrying around as though they were preparing for war?
When she looked down at her dress, she suddenly felt like she needed more clothes on. She also needed to get away from this madness around her for a few minutes.
She glanced toward the elevator and then back at Celeste as she joined her. “I’m going to go up and change,” she told her friend.
“Oh, okay. Sure. Good idea. I might do that, too. This is a good afternoon for hot cocoa and snuggling in front of cartoons. Yoga pants. T-shirts.” Celeste grinned. “Let’s do it.”
“Celeste.” The booming voice came from Magnus, who held a phone up in the air over his shoulder without looking in their direction. “Hawking wants to talk to you.”
Celeste sighed. “You go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”
While Celeste rushed toward Magnus, Zara scurried toward the elevator.
Caesar glanced in her direction as the doors slid open. “Where are you going, Little one?”
“Just to change.”
“Okay. Fifth floor only. Come right back down,” he ordered.
“I will.” As the doors slid shut, she muttered, “So bossy. All of them.” She lifted her thumb to activate the elevator so it would go straight to the fifth floor and waited.
It took a moment, but finally, the elevator moved. She watched the floors light up as it rose. One more floor. A fraction of a second after her thought, it lurched to a stop. She gripped the railing that encircled the walls of the structure, suddenly nervous. The lights flickered and went out a moment later.
Zara screamed on instinct as her heart started racing. In moments, emergency lights came on. They were dimmer, but at least she wasn’t standing in the dark. “Shit,” she murmured. The power must have gone out. Why did it have to happen while she was in the elevator?
She paced for a second. People knew she was in here. For certain, Celeste and Caesar were aware.