Total pages in book: 184
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
“Number one is communication. We need you to tell us if something is wrong. If you’re upset or hurt or angry.”
There was a glimpse of worry on her face.
Shit.
He knew this was likely a lot.
“If you need us to back off, that’s fine, but we just need you to tell us if you need time to yourself,” Salem said.
“Wait, wait,” Alexei held up a hand. “I never agreed to that. Time to herself? Why would we want to give her that? Having time to yourself just means thinking more. And that’s never a good thing.”
“What’s wrong with thinking?” Roman asked.
“Then you start to overthink shit and nothing gets done. Just act.” Alexei folded his arms over his chest, giving them all a stubborn look.
“People can have time to themselves,” Salem said.
“People, yes. My girl, no.”
“Dear Lord. How has no one smothered you in your sleep?” Salem snapped.
“They’ve tried. They never succeed,” Alexei said.
Hmm. But he’d never tried, had he?
Salem didn’t say that out loud, though. Alexei would likely dare him to try.
“It’s all right,” Tamsyn said, taking hold of both of their hands. “I don’t need a lot of alone time. I feel like I’ve been on my own for most of my life.”
He didn’t like that. It also reminded him that they didn’t know a lot about her early life. Roman had done a bit of research into her when they’d hired her to make sure she was who she said she was. But he hadn’t gone in-depth and Salem knew he wouldn’t want to now. It would feel like an invasion of her privacy.
But she kept things so close to her chest that it made him wonder what life had been like for her up to this point.
They’d find out in time.
“If you do want some, you can tell us,” Salem told her, giving Alexei a firm look.
“Yes, well, I might like to go to the bathroom alone,” she said dryly. “And I doubt you’ll want to be around me when I’m sick or it’s that time of the month.”
What?
Salem was taken aback, and Alexei was silent so he guessed she’d shocked him too.
“I think those are the times when we definitely wouldn’t want to leave you alone. Or when you’re upset or scared,” Roman told her. “We’d want to be there to support and take care of you.”
“But wouldn’t that be annoying? I might be moody. Or I might get you sick. I wouldn’t want that.”
“You think that we’d worry about a bit of grumpiness or germs?” Alexei asked.
“Yes, if that was the case we’d never be near Alexei,” Roman added solemnly. “He’s grouchy all the time.”
A smile graced her face, and her shoulders relaxed.
Poor girl.
Was that what her family had done? Left her when she was ill? That sickened him.
“We always want to know if you’re not feeling well. No matter why. Understand? That’s part of the communication rule. We want to know if you’re unwell or in trouble so we can help you.”
“It’s kind of part of rule three too,” Roman said. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. But I can circle back. I’m flexible.”
Now she was hiding her smile behind her hand.
“Let’s move on,” Salem suggested before Alexei could make any remarks about Roman’s flexibility. “Number three rule is about safety. We don’t want you to put yourself in danger and to tell us if you ever are. Danger can include your physical or emotional health.”
“All right. What is number two?” she asked.
“Respect,” Alexei said. “That’s gonna be a hard one. You seem to like to speak badly about yourself.”
Roman gave her a firm look. “Yes, no disrespecting yourself or us. No speaking badly about yourself. Understand?”
“Yes, Rome.”
A flush entered his cheeks. “I like when you call me Rome.”
“I know, Rome.”
Roman cleared his throat. “The next rule is trust. We know that trust will be built, but we would need you to trust us to look after you, especially during any scenes or Little time.”
“We can work up to that,” Salem added. “If you need us to. But that is something I would definitely need if we scened together.”
“And me,” Alexei added.
“I don’t want to take part in scenes or discipline, I think,” Roman said. “But I will take care of you to the best of my ability.”
She knew a vow when she heard one.
Wow. These men.
They were incredible. Her every dream come to life.
“Those are the main rules,” Salem said. “With things we might add later, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
“Like what?” she whispered.
“Well, when you’re in Little headspace how young do you regress?” he asked.
“I, um, do you know, I’m not really sure.” She shrugged. “I’ve never had a chance to find out.”
Did she sound sad and pathetic?
Kind of.
“That’s all right,” Salem told her soothingly. “Is there anything you like to sleep with or that gives you comfort? Like a favorite stuffed toy?”