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)
“Ew, this tastes gross. Like chalk.” And she wanted to spit it out. Right now! She needed to go to the bathroom, but he grabbed hold of her, placing her back on the bed.
Whoa.
That was unexpected.
He was a lot stronger than he looked.
“I need to go spit it out,” she told him.
“No, you need to swallow.” He picked up the sippy cup and held it to her lips.
Um.
This was a bit strange. But she found herself opening her mouth as he placed the mouthpiece against her lips. She sucked on the water, letting it wash away the hideous taste.
She put her hands around the cup, but he didn’t let go. It was like he was feeding her a bottle. Finally, she had to turn her face away because she’d had enough.
“How was that? Are you feeling better?”
She let out a small burp, rubbing her chest. “A bit.” She peeked up to find him grinning. “What?”
“Nothing. It’s a good sign, hopefully it will ease your indigestion.”
She nodded. She hoped so.
“Here, let me plug this heating pad in. You can put it on your stomach. Is it better to lie on your back or your side?”
She experimented. “On my side.”
“You lie down under the blankets and let me put it over your tummy.” She got into position, and he placed the heating pad over her belly before joining her on the other side. “Right, how about I read to you? That might take your mind off your tummy.”
She had her doubts, but she nodded.
Ten minutes later, just as the heroine was about to get her bottom paddled, she drifted off to sleep.
29
Tamsyn woke up, a scream on her lips as she sat up.
But she guessed that she hadn’t let it escape when no one raced into the room to check on her.
And that wasn’t disappointment she felt. It couldn’t be. It had to be relief.
She lay back down, breathing heavily. What was that dream about?
It had to be from her childhood. But which nightmare it was, she couldn’t be sure.
As she lay there, she started to feel chilled. Her heart was still racing and her stomach rolled nauseously.
And she really didn’t like the fact that she was alone.
Which was ridiculous considering that she was always alone.
Except for last night. Because Roman had fallen asleep next to her and she’d woken to Alexei in her room.
So why weren’t they in here tonight?
That wasn’t very nice.
Was it something she’d done? But what could she possibly have done? Was she horrid to sleep next to? Maybe she kicked or snored or . . . had smelly breath.
Why wouldn’t they tell her that, though?
That seemed awfully rude.
And what about Salem? How come he wasn’t here? He hadn’t been here last night either.
Oh, unless he kicked and snored and had smelly breath.
Hmm. Maybe that was it.
Still . . . she didn’t care about that stuff.
She just wanted cuddles.
Tamsyn groaned.
Cuddles?
Really?
But it was true. All she really wanted was a great big cuddle.
However, it seemed she was going to have to go and find someone to give her the cuddle she wanted.
Rude, really.
She climbed out of bed in a huff and drew on Alexei’s sweater. It was like an oversized dress on her.
But who to go and find?
Shoot.
She didn’t want to wake anyone up. That seemed rude and unnecessarily needy.
Tamsyn thought she was likely already hard work for them all. She didn’t want to do anything to overstay her welcome.
But she couldn’t sleep now. That was the thing about these nightmares. They stole her ability to find peace.
So she decided to head downstairs. Maybe she could work out for a while. She grabbed her own clothes, which someone had thoughtfully washed.
Probably Salem.
He seemed the most likely of the three to wash her clothes for her.
After pulling on her clothes, she headed down to the gym. Hopping on the treadmill, she set off at a fast pace.
Outrunning her demons never seemed to work. But perhaps she might tire herself out enough that she might be able to sleep again.
She ran until she slipped into the zone where she wasn’t thinking, she wasn’t worrying.
Her brain was just empty.
Bliss.
Until a large man suddenly appeared in front of her, reaching over to push the speed down on her treadmill.
“Hey! What are you doing? I’m not finished yet,” she protested, reaching for the speed button.
But he brushed her hand away. “You’re done.”
“No, I’m not.”
“If I say you’re done, you’re done.” Alexei slowed it right down until she was walking.
She heaved for breath, her legs shaking.
Shit.
How long had she been running for? Maybe it was time to stop.
However, she wouldn’t admit that to him. No need to make his ego bigger than it was.
“You know, being this commanding isn’t necessarily attractive.”
He brought the treadmill to a stop and stepped behind her as she got off. As he wrapped an arm around her waist, he leaned his mouth down beside her ear.