Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Victor! Victor!”
She climbed off the bed. But she only managed a few steps before her legs gave way beneath her as the room spun.
“Ouch!”
“Gracen?”
She glanced up through tear-filled eyes and there he was. He looked kind of gray and had bags under his eyes, but he was there.
She tried to get onto her feet. He reached out and placed his hands under her arms, hauling her up.
“Victor, you can’t lift me. Be careful.”
“I’m fine.”
But he wasn’t. She could tell. He stumbled slightly once he had her on her feet. Worry filled her. She was used to him being so strong and in charge.
“You shouldn’t be up. What were you doing?” she asked.
“I needed the bathroom. Not peeing in a bag or a pan.”
She sighed. Men. She managed to get her arm around his back. “Come on, lean on me, let’s get you back to bed.”
“Baby.” He shot her an incredulous look. “If you think I’m going to lean on you, then maybe we should get your head looked at.”
“That’s not very nice. I can take your weight. I’m stronger than I look.”
“If you could see yourself right now, you wouldn’t say you looked strong.” He cupped her face between his hands, staring down at her. “Baby, why did you run yourself ragged sitting by my bedside? If I can’t do it, I need you to take care of yourself. I didn’t have a heart before you. You are my heart and I can’t lose you. I don’t care if you need to walk away. Not fucking letting you go. Where you go, I go.”
She rubbed her cheek against his palm like a contented cat. “That’s good. Because I feel the same. Before I got the call from Maxim about you being hurt, I had sent you a message asking you to come see me.” She stared up at him. “Because I love you, Victor Malone and I want to be yours. No matter what.”
He closed his eyes, swaying slightly. “Thank fuck. I love you, Gracen.” He opened his eyes staring down at her intently. “And I promise I’m going to take care of you.”
“I know you will. But right now, you need to get back to bed. Did they take out your IV? How long have I been out?”
“Nearly twenty hours,” he told her.
“What? Yikes. No wonder I really have to pee. Come on, bed. Then I’m going to the toilet.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Uh, no you won’t. Bed, mister. I do not need any help peeing.”
He didn’t look happy, but thankfully, he didn’t try to follow her into the bathroom. She quickly took care of business then washed her hands, yelping as she glanced in the mirror.
The door slammed open, and she cried out again.
“What is it? What happened?”
“Victor.” She put her hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. Then she glared at him. “Were you outside the door, listening?”
“You cried out. What happened?”
“Nothing.” A quick glance in the mirror told her that she was bright red.
“Gracen, don’t lie.”
“I just caught a look at myself in the mirror. I look terrible.”
“Yeah, you do.”
Awesome.
“But you’re still so beautiful. You just need a bit of care. Come on, back to bed.”
She sighed and moved out to where he was, letting him shuffle her back to bed because she figured that was the only way she would get him to lie down.
“Is this how it’s always going to be? You bossing me around?”
“Yep.” He hauled her into his arms, settling her on top of his chest.
“Victor, I can’t lie like this!”
“Sure you can. I need to keep you close so I can keep an eye on you.”
“You don’t need to keep an eye on me! You’re the one who was injured.”
“You fainted and then slept for twenty hours. You haven’t been sleeping or eating properly lately. As far as I can see, you need closer watching. And it’s my job to provide what you need.”
“You won’t always get your way.”
“We’ll see.” Reaching down, he patted her ass. “Now, quiet. I need some sleep. Gotta build up my strength so I can see to your discipline later.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you’re in big trouble, that’s why.”
“Victor, you can’t talk like that in here. We’re surrounded by people. What if someone hears?”
“Then they’ll know just how much I care about you.”
Damn, how could she be upset with him when he said things like that?
Gracen stared up at the house in amazement. Well, it wasn’t a house. It was a mansion.
It had been a week since she’d gotten that terrible phone call from Maxim. Since her world had been rocked. Since she’d realized that Victor wasn’t invincible. She’d barely been able to let him out of her sight. It had been tempting to follow him into the bathroom.
And it seemed he was feeling the same way.