Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
They’d turned a movie on and were sitting up in bed watching it. But something felt a bit off about it all, as though she was pulling away from him.
Before, when she’d physically flinched back it had hurt, he’d been worried that he’d upset her by showering her.
“Not feeling that hungry.”
At least she was fully resting her throat now. He wasn’t sure if that was due to the spanking, or something else. She shifted around on her bottom.
“Is your bottom sore?” he asked. “Is that why you don’t feel like eating?”
Shit. Had he pushed her too far?
His downfall was acting without thinking. Believing that he knew everything. But that had led to mistakes that he couldn’t take back, and he was determined not to do that again.
She shook her head. “No, of course not. It’s fine. I’m all right. Just not hungry.”
“How about if Daddy feeds you?” he asked.
She gave him a surprised look. “You’d want to do that?”
“Of course I do. I want to do as much as you’ll let me. I’ve told you that’s what makes me feel good, being in control, making the decisions. Although I might be fucking them all up.”
“You’re not,” she told him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it firmly. “Honestly, you’re not. You’re perfect.”
He snorted. “I’m far from perfect, baby girl. Come on, eat a couple more bites for Daddy,” he told her. “Do you want me to do a choo-choo train? How about a flying jet? Oh, I could do a sandwich riding on the back of a tiger. Grr, grr.”
She let out a giggle, and he smiled. He loved it when she was happy.
A knock on the door had them both looking over. “You guys need to come out. Ink’s here,” Ralen called out.
Shoot.
Moment over. Reality was back.
43
When Addie and Cash stepped out of the bedroom, everyone turned to stare at them.
Addie knew she had to be bright red.
Dotty and Monroe were already sitting at the table with Brody. Ink was standing behind Brody, talking to Butch, while Ralen was making coffee.
Ink smiled at her, though, not looking surprised that she’d come out of the same room as Cash. “Hey, Addie. How are you doing? How’s the throat? I hear Hack came and had a look at it this morning.”
“He did?” Dotty asked, startled. “Wait, who’s Hack again?”
“My sister’s fiance,” Cash said. “He’s also a doctor. Or so he says.”
Ralen carried cups of coffee over to the table, and Addie sat down in the chair that Cash drew out for her. Ink picked up a cup of coffee and gave it a curious look. She wasn’t sure why.
But then he took a sip and she let it go.
Brody also seemed a bit startled when he glanced down at his laptop. Then he grinned, clearing his throat. That was an odd reaction. What was he looking at?
“Right. We have some updates,” Ink said.
“Please tell me it’s something that means we can get out of here,” Dotty urged.
Dottie sister looked stressed. Addie was worried about her and Monroe, who seemed so quiet, as though she’d withdrawn into herself.
They really needed to get home. Addie, too. As much as she liked to dream about staying, about belonging to Cash, she knew that wasn’t possible.
That had been made very clear to her.
“We have now confirmed that it was Vextar who broke into your hotel room,” Ink told them. “The police were able to get security footage from the hotel. Vextar was seen entering the lobby with another man, and then they both exited the elevator on the same floor as your room. The cameras also managed to capture them standing outside your room.”
Brody turned his laptop around to show them the screen. “We got a copy of the footage.”
“Detective Jackson might have some more questions, but I explained you’d only be answering them via video given what happened at the airport.”
Hmm. Addie wondered how happy the detective had been about that.
“Do you know who the other person with Vextar is?” Dotty asked, as they all studied the two men walking across the foyer of the hotel.
Vextar was a good-looking guy. She could see that even through the grainy image. The guy with him seemed smaller, and walked with a bit of a limp.
“Actually, we did run facial recognition, and so did the police, and we have figured out that he goes by the nickname, Limpy,” Ink said. “Not a terribly original nickname.”
“Or kind,” Addie said.
Cash placed his hand on her thigh and gave her a warning look.
“No, or kind. Mind you, Limpy isn’t known for his kindness. He’s abusive when it comes to women. His last three girlfriends filed complaints about him hitting them. But then they strangely retracted those statements.”
“So someone warned them off,” Dotty said. “This guy must have a real name.”
“Cliff Cummings,” Brody said. “Got a long rap sheet. Grew up in Billings. Not a member of any gang that we can figure out, but we think he might work for a few of them, or he’s associated with them anyway.”