Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Strangely, he didn’t feel any sort of guilt over that.
You shouldn’t.
He shook his head at the voice in his head. Part of him still thought he was insane.
Another part was kind of glad. If May had been in his head calling him an asshole for taking home another woman, he didn’t think he could have done this. Could bring Devi home with him.
Even though he knew it was only his own subconscious talking to him.
Devi started making noises in her sleep. “No, no . . . Derick! No!”
Shit. Another nightmare.
“Baby, baby, wake up,” he said, reaching over to gently shake her. “Devi, wake up for Daddy.”
She opened her eyes with a gasp, looking around frantically. “Daddy! Daddy!”
“I’m here, baby.” God, his heart hurt for her. She sounded so scared. “I’m here.”
He wished he could take her into his arms, to hug her tight. Instead, he placed a hand on the back of her neck and squeezed.
“It’s all right. Daddy is here. I’m going to find a place to pull over so I can hug you. Just hold on.”
“I’m . . . I’m all right, Daddy,” she told him.
“No, you’re not.”
“I don’t want to be a b-bother.”
Fuck. Screw it.
He used the Bluetooth to call Donovan.
“Hello, Boss Hog, you’ve reached Sexy Panther,” Donovan said.
God save him. Why did they need ridiculous codenames? He wasn’t going to ask, though. Attention was what Donovan wanted.
But really? Sexy Panther?
“We’re pulling over.”
“Here?” Donovan asked. “Why?”
“Devi just had a nightmare and she needs a minute.”
“Roger that, Boss Hog.”
God. He was ridiculous. But when Hayes saw the tightness in Devi’s face ease, he decided that he wouldn’t murder the other man in his sleep.
Not yet, anyway.
It felt like ages since he’d seen Devi properly smile. One that reached her eyes. Part of the reason he’d bought her all that junk food was to see if he could get her to smile.
It hadn’t worked, unfortunately.
Yet Donovan’s silliness got her closer than anything he’d done.
That was not jealousy he felt.
Pulling over, he got out of the car and ran around to the other side to open her door.
“This is silly,” she told him. “You shouldn’t stop just because I had a nightmare.”
“Why wouldn’t I stop for that?” he asked as he undid her belt and crouched before turning her carefully toward him.
“Well, it doesn’t really seem important enough.”
“Your health and happiness are always the most important thing, Devi.”
She opened her mouth.
“Argue with me about that and you’ll be in trouble.”
She scowled at him. “I will not.”
“Oh yes, you will,” he said as he kneeled on the hard ground and drew her into his chest. He had to hold her very carefully as her injured arm was between them.
But he felt the tension in her shoulders ease as he held her, rocking her back and forth gently.
There was very little that he wouldn’t do for this girl.
37
“Ithink we need to talk about these rules,” Devi said with a scowl a while later.
It was dark outside and they’d been driving so long that her butt felt numb. But she wasn’t going to tell him that.
Knowing Hayes, he’d insist on pulling over so he could massage it or something.
She shifted on the seat, trying to ignore the pressure in her bladder. Even though they’d stopped several times to use the bathroom, she was still close to bursting.
“The rules?” he asked.
“Yes. I want to make sure I know them all. One of them is no calling myself names or saying bad things about myself.”
“Right.”
“But that has nothing to do with safety or health.”
“It affects your mental health,” he said. “And it’s blatantly untrue which means you’re lying.”
“Does the ‘no lying’ rule go both ways?”
“Of course,” he replied instantly.
All right, then.
“And you have to tell me if you need something.”
She wouldn’t be doing that unless it was something important. And she couldn’t imagine what she might need.
Well, except for a toilet. That would be awfully helpful right now.
For the first time in her adult life, she was kind of wishing for diapers. They hadn’t come across a service station or town in ages.
A cramp hit her lower tummy.
Oh no.
Was that a ‘I need to pee badly’ cramp? Or a ‘you’re already having a horrid time so your body is going to make it even worse because it hates you’ cramp?
If she was a betting person she’d go for the latter. Because, honestly, that just seemed to be her life at the moment.
“You need to keep yourself healthy and follow all safety rules. Which includes not leaving my cabin unless you are with me or someone I approve of.”
“I thought Sanctuary Ranch was well-guarded?”
“It is. Still not risking your safety to other people. All it takes is for someone to fuck up and the place could be breached.”
“You have control issues,” she told him.
“Less chance of things going wrong when I’m in charge,” he said.