Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
He bowed. “Rest well, Miss Madison.”
I glanced down at my torn blouse and wrinkled skirt.
A bath.
That was what I needed.
I would figure out the rest later.
Right now, all I wanted was a nice, long, hot bath. After weeks of communal showers, it would be heaven to immerse myself in a tub filled with silky, soapy bubbles.
I headed across the room and hesitantly opened the door Tompkins had indicated, as if I were expecting a ghost or some ancient Worthington ancestor dressed in a Civil War uniform to come leaping out.
Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating a lavish bathroom of carved pale marble. The claw-foot tub was big enough to fit four people.
I turned on the brass spigots, adjusted the temperature, and poured a generous measure of perfumed soap under the flow. I found matches on the vanity and lit a trail of candles, letting their flickering light fill the room. Vanilla and honey drifted on the hot swirls of steam.
Gingerly sinking into the hot water, hissing a little when all the scratches and bruises from the day made contact with the heat, I settled against the back of the porcelain tub and gave a long sigh, letting the tension melt away from my body.
My mess of a life could wait.
In this moment there were bubbles and candlelight and the sweet scent of vanilla. I let my eyes close, oddly comforted by the romantic Gothic feel of the place.
As if I were in a Daphne du Maurier novel.
My lashes fluttered open as a distant thunderclap reverberated through the mansion.
And that was when I saw him.
Watching me from the shadows.
CHAPTER 39
HAILEY
My chest ached from forcing myself to match him in sleep.
After lying still for what felt like an eternity, I shifted my hips forward… slightly.
I covered the motion with a small shoulder shrug as I nestled my head more deeply in the pillow as if I was just settling in my sleep.
I then waited.
For another eternity.
My body fought itself as my heart raced, yet I restrained my breath to match his calm, even breathing.
I shifted again, moving further, feeling his hand slipping over my hip.
I slid my leg forward until my right toes peeked out from under the covers over the edge of the bed. Then my calf. Then my knee. My hip pivoted.
Greyson’s grip tightened.
I was swept lower under the covers, closer to his body. “Is my little bird trying to fly away?” He nuzzled my neck from behind, his warm body half covering mine.
“I have to go find Madison.”
He flipped me onto my back and leaned over me. “We’ve discussed this. The answer is no.”
“For starters, just for your own edification, me saying something and you saying no is not a discussion. Second, you don’t get to tell me what to do.”
He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. “I hate to break it to you, beautiful, but about a thousand years of evolution disagree with you. I’m bigger and stronger, which means I definitely get to tell you what to do.”
My eyes narrowed. “You misogynistic Neanderthal!”
He flicked his tongue over my lower lip. “That’s not entirely fair. Would a misogynistic Neanderthal have licked your pussy until you came…twice?”
My cheeks burned. He was the most impossibly arrogant, obnoxiously handsome man I’d ever had the misfortune to meet—murderous intent included. “You can’t keep me here forever.”
His brow furrowed. “All evidence to the contrary.”
“I have responsibilities. Bills. Rent to pay. A business to run. Plus Madison’s bookstore to watch over until she returns.”
He shrugged. “Is that all that’s worrying you?”
He bent his head and kissed the column of my neck.
I closed my eyes and bit my lip to stifle a moan.
He worked his way up to my earlobe. He gently bit it before whispering in my ear. “I’ll pay all that.”
My eyes sprang open. I then placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed him back. “Excuse me?”
He brushed my hands aside and moved to pull one of my nipples into his mouth. “I’ll pay for all of that. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll wire the money into your account. Better yet, I’ll just wire you…what? Would one hundred thousand dollars cover everything?”
Bile rose in the back of my throat.
I’d always laughed at movie heroines who got offended when rich men threw money at them.
Take the cash, I’d scream at the screen. It turned out I was wrong. Nothing made you feel cheaper as a woman than a rich man casually throwing obscene amounts of money at you as if it were pocket change.
I shoved him hard. This time, I succeeded in sliding out of the massive bed. I snatched the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around my middle. “I don’t want your money.”
I couldn’t believe I just said that. Sorry Julia Roberts but I won’t be having my Prince Charming moment.