Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 155037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 517(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 517(@300wpm)
Fuck. Both of them looked exhausted. There were dark rings under their eyes and they were pale.
He had a burning need to take care of them. He’d cook them breakfast. Maybe that would help.
Anything to try and ease the burning in his gut.
Ten minutes later, he dumped a pile of food into the garbage bin outside. Shit. Fuck.
Pull yourself together!
This wasn’t as bad as he was making it out to be. He just needed more sleep. Maybe a fucking vacation. Had he ever taken one of those?
The image of his girl in a bikini helped ease some of his anger.
When he walked back into the house, they were both up. Isa had on her fluffy dressing gown, while Loki had pulled on some clothes.
They were staring at the kitchen.
At the state of the kitchen, since he’d gone through the fridge and gotten rid of all the old containers of food. Then he’d opened every cupboard door.
Trying to find food.
Fuck. He was acting like a crazy person.
He cleared his throat and they both turned to stare at him. “I might have overreacted.”
Isa blinked. “To what?”
He sheepishly cupped the back of his neck. “To finding old takeout food in your fridge and no food in your cupboards except some junk food. Fuck. Why don’t you have any food?”
“Aww, crap. You threw out the pizza?” Loki said, opening the fridge. “That was breakfast.”
“You were not eating that for breakfast!” Remy ordered.
Loki closed the fridge door and crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze narrowing. “Just because I let you Top me last night doesn’t mean you’re in charge of me.”
Fuck! He was messing this up. Remy closed his eyes, breathing deep. “You’re right. That was not . . . I . . . I seem to be a bit on edge this morning.”
When he opened his eyes, Isa was in front of him. Sorrow and regret were in her eyes. She was still too pale. Fragile.
So delicate.
He had to protect her.
“I’m sorry, Remy. This is my fault. All of it.” She glanced over at Loki, then to him.
“No, baby girl,” he said firmly as he lifted her onto the island countertop. “It’s not all your fault. Yes, you should have told us that your boss was being creepy. And yes, you definitely should have said when you weren’t feeling well. But it’s not your fault that Loki and I have our own issues. Things we might not have addressed. I just . . . I have this overwhelming need to protect you both. My gut says I should lock you up and watch over you. That I can’t let you out of my sight. That I have to take care of you. I’ve been suppressing that need and I’m not sure I can do it any longer.”
“Yeah, I’m feeling that myself,” Loki said. “It’s going to be hard to not be with Tink. To not watch over her every little minute.”
Remy nodded, sucking in a deep breath. He should have known that Loki would get it.
“I have some issues around food from my childhood. After Ma died, we were bankrupt. The bank foreclosed on the ranch, there were so many medical bills. And my dad moved us in with my grandfather. Pa worked all the time, so my grandfather looked after me. He . . . he had some strange ideas. If something had mold on it, I still had to eat it. He’d make me sit for hours at the table if I didn’t eat my dinner, then I’d have to eat it when it was cold and slimy. No matter what it was. Within three weeks of living there, I got food poisoning. It was bad. But that old bastard . . . he never stopped.”
“Oh, Daddy,” she murmured, hugging him.
Loki moved over to place a hand on his shoulder.
“After I left his house, after Da died, I didn’t have much. I lived on the streets for a while. I got some food at shelters. But otherwise . . . sometimes I just ate what I could find.”
Fuck. He hated thinking about that.
“I’ve moved around a lot. I think I did it to protect myself from getting attached to anyone. But now . . . now I’ve found where I want to be. Where my home is. However, my protective instincts are in overdrive. I want to Daddy the fuck out of both of you.”
“Don’t even try,” Loki warned him.
He managed to grin. “I won’t. But you, baby girl . . .”
“I’m here for that,” she told him. “Whatever you need. I don’t like the idea that you’ve been holding back, trying to be something you’re not.”
“I didn’t want to scare you off. But I can’t . . . I have to protect you.”
“I get it.”
“Don’t know that you do,” he warned. “I need to know where you are. Who you’re with. At all times. When you leave the house, I want you to text me. When you get to where you’re going, same. And then when you’re on your way home.”