Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“You’re off to the gym?” she asked.
“Why’re you sweaty?” he asked.
Victor was the quietest of her brothers, but he was also the most observant. And that quietness hid an intelligence most didn’t see. All of her brothers were hellishly smart. Regent was a master manipulator. A natural leader. Jardin was a killer lawyer. Sharp and ruthless. Maxim was the charmer. He’d sidle up to you, sweet talk you until you didn’t see him deliver the killing blow. Not literally. Then there was Vic. People just saw him as the muscle.
They were wrong.
“I’ve been in the gym.”
“You? Working out? You hate exercising.”
“I know, but . . .” She didn’t want to lie. “My new therapist said that exercise is a good way to clear my mind.”
That was actually the truth. She’d only spoken to Molly once, but they’d gone through a few things she could do to help her deal with the nightmares and the negative thoughts that plagued her. Exercise had come up. Although Molly had suggested starting off with a walk.
She probably hadn’t anticipated Liam trying to kill her. She could barely walk.
“You’ve started seeing a new therapist? How long have I been gone?”
“I just started. She’s someone who lives in Haven. Maddox actually mentioned her to me when he was here a while back. I want . . . I want to try and get better, Vicky. I’m tired of living like this. Of being scared of everything.”
He just nodded.
“Oh, Liam’s down in the gym too.”
Victor scowled. But she knew it would look weird if she didn’t tell him.
“With you? Alone?”
“Liam’s a friend, isn’t he?”
“Well, yeah.”
“You trust him, don’t you?”
He simply grunted.
“You guys wouldn’t let him and Nico stay if you didn’t. And they’re becoming my friends too. Don’t give him a hard time, okay?”
“You seem different.”
She shrugged. “I feel different. More determined. More in control. That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah. Lottie?”
“Yeah.”
“You know we love you, right?” Victor looked hugely uncomfortable as he told her that.
“Yeah, Vicky. I love you too.”
15
She could do this.
She could totally do this.
Wow, she really couldn’t do this.
Take a step, moron. Don’t be such a wimp and take a step.
Boy, Liam would be furious if he could hear her thoughts. But they were her thoughts, and he wasn’t privy to them. Only what would she do if he asked her in that low, commanding voice? She doubted she’d be able to resist him.
And if she told him, he’d order her to bend over so he could smack her ass or maybe he’d take her over his knee . . .
Okay. Hush.
Concentrate.
She was going to step out of the house. Just a few steps out on her own. There was no danger. One of Regent’s men would be patrolling the grounds. There was always a guard at the front gate.
Nobody was out here, about to snatch her.
She took a step out, holding onto the doorframe.
See? Easy.
Now she just had to let go.
“Lottie? What are you doing, honey?”
“Oh!” She turned with a screech, her hand reaching for her necklace as her stomach dropped. Her flight instinct kicked in, and she nearly took off into the gardens until she saw who was standing there.
“Damn it, Maxim,” she swore.
“Sorry.” He moved forward, looking worried. He was dressed in a white shirt and jeans, looking casual but gorgeous. Maxim was the biggest playboy of her brothers. She never got introduced to any of his girlfriends, but she’d heard rumors about him among some of the staff.
Regent would probably fire them if he knew how they gossiped, so she pretended to ignore it.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Do you guys have a high insurance policy on me or something,” she muttered.
“What?” He came close and held out his hand to her. She took it, letting him pull her back inside.
“Vicky nearly gave me a heart attack this morning, now you’re doing the same. I’m thinking you’re trying to do me in.”
“Nah, of all my siblings, you’d be the one I’d take out last.”
She grinned. “Who’d go first?”
“The dictator, of course.”
A giggle escaped her, and Maxim studied her closely. “You okay? You seem different. Almost happier.”
“I feel better,” she confessed. “I’m trying to move forward rather than just existing.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good. I can’t tell you how worried we’ve all been about you.”
She leaned her forehead against his chest. Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head.
“I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“Don’t be. That’s a big brother’s job, right? Now, what were you trying to do, squirt?”
She rolled her eyes at the nickname. She drew back so she could look up at him. “I was going to go for a walk outside.”
His eyebrows shot up and he looked around. “By yourself?”
“Yes.”
“But . . . you . . . right.” He scrunched his eyebrows together. “Do you want me to go with you?”