Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Rocco called down to the kitchen for soup and sandwiches. Sadie wasn’t hungry even though she realized they hadn’t eaten their picnic lunch. Her mind was too boggled to register if she needed fuel or not. From the muscle aches she felt already, Sadie knew she’d expended more energy than she had for a very long time. If she’d had to hold on one more second… She shook her head where it rested on the pillow.
“Are you okay, Cookie?” His warm hand stroked over her shoulder.
“I’m…” Her voice trailed away. “I don’t know how I am. I do know I’m safe and clean. Those two things feel very good right now. Go finish your shower. I’ll rest.”
“I’ll be quick.”
When his footsteps faded away on the thick carpet, she listened carefully for the shower to turn back on. The quiet following the splashes of water told her when he’d finished cleaning up. She needed to keep track of him.
“Come here, Sadie,” he said, helping her sit up in bed.
Rocco unwound the towel from her damp hair and carefully combed it out, taking his time not to yank her sensitive scalp. She loved all the soft kisses he pressed to her shoulders and neck. They made her feel precious and loved.
That last word echoed in her brain as her feelings gathered inside her. How could she be in love with a man she’d only known for a few days? Was it just because he’d saved her life, not just once but twice? Somehow, she knew it was more than that.
Sadie bit her lip to keep the words inside. He would simply think she was overwhelmed by what had happened today. She needed him to believe this wasn’t just a reaction to being frightened by the threats to her life.
A knock on the door interrupted his care, followed by Caesar’s voice calling, “Rocco, the kitchen just delivered food. I think we all ordered at the same time. Does Sadie feel like joining everyone in the common area?”
Rocco leaned to the side to see her face clearly. Sadie nodded eagerly. She needed to make sure they were okay as well. “We’ll be there in a couple of minutes. Thanks, Caesar.”
“I think there’s a robe in my closet,” Sadie pointed out.
“I’ve got it in here, Sadie. I’ll grab both of ours.”
In just a few minutes, she held Rocco’s hand as he led her to the table. Sadie clutched the neck of her robe, realizing that she had to look awful—wet hair, no makeup, and naked under her robe. The sight of the men’s concerned faces looking at her wiped all that away. Sadie flew around the table, hugging each one and thanking them for helping her. She stopped at Magnus’s side when he held up a hand to hold her off.
“I wasn’t even there.”
“You were, too. Someone had to track everyone. You were juggling eggs over your head faster than everyone else.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close as she whispered, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Little girl,” Magnus said with resignation as he hugged her back.
Sadie couldn’t keep from grinning as she looked around at all of them. “Of course, I had to end up with a posse of bad-ass Daddies.”
The reality of that statement registered, and she swallowed hard. “What are we going to do about Mr. Pushkin?”
“We’re going to take care of it,” Rocco assured her.
“We can’t endanger Mr. Kingsley’s guests,” Sadie said urgently. “I should just leave.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Rocco put his foot down for the tenth time.
“Then what are we going to do?” she asked, repeating her earlier question.
“You aren’t going to do anything except get the resort ready. We’re going to handle it,” Kestrel added.
“Okay? You’ll keep me informed, right?”
“We’ll tell you everything we can,” Magnus said guardedly.
Sadie knew that was the best she could hope for. “Let’s eat then. I know I’m starving.”
The men echoed her statement, and the conversation focused on the food that filled the table before them. Sadie would visit the kitchen tomorrow to thank the employees for the delicious dishes they’d whipped up. She lifted the lid of the covered plate in front of her to find a steaming hot omelet and all the fixings. Her first bite made her eyes close. Apparently, sandwiches weren’t the only thing the kitchen had sent up. There was a wide variety of comfort foods. She was one lucky Little girl.
Chapter Twenty-Three
"No! Get away!” Sadie yelled, punching the warm body that restrained her, her mind captured by the threat that menaced her in the dark.
“Ouch, Little girl. It’s just me. You’re safe here on the fifth floor with six bodyguards,” a familiar, deep voice reassured her.
“Rocco? Daddy?” she corrected herself automatically.
“Yes, Cookie. I’m here.”
“I had a scary dream. We were perched on the wall, and they climbed up after me. One grabbed my ankle and tried to shake me loose. I was so afraid I would fall.”