Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 557(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
More rest. Eating lots of vegetables and fruit. And she was sending over some vitamins.
That had just made Raid even bossier. Now she’d been ordered to stay on the couch and do nothing for the afternoon while he did everything.
That wasn’t easy for her. She was a person who liked to take care of others.
But Raid is in charge.
“Jenna said you need more rest. I say you need more rest. So guess what you’re getting?”
“A Maserati? I always wanted one of those.”
“Smart-ass. And you’re not drinking just coffee, either.” He walked over with a cup of coffee and a glass of water. “Drink your water first.”
She let out a long sigh.
He just eyed her. “I’m adding to the tally.”
She gulped, knowing he meant the tally of how many spanks she was getting when he deemed her well enough.
“Where am I at?” she asked.
“Not sitting down for at least a month. Heading into two.”
“Yikes. That’s a lot of spanks. I don’t think your hand can handle it.”
“Good thought. What’s on your acceptable list? Paddle? Belt? Cane? Whip?”
“You are not using a cane or whip on me!”
“So paddle and belt are acceptable. Good to know.”
She was definitely in trouble here.
“Have you ever spanked someone?” she asked as she sat up to drink some coffee.
Yum. Coffee.
Who wanted water when coffee was available?
“Yep.” He came back with some cut-up apple and banana in a bowl. “You haven’t got much fruit or veggies in the house. I need to go do some shopping.”
“You don’t need to do any shopping for me.” She didn’t want him spending his money on her.
He just shot her a look before he sat on the coffee table. It creaked under his weight.
“This apartment is not Raid-proof,” she muttered.
“We could move to the bunkhouse.”
“Um, no. I think I’d rather stay here.”
“I’d kick out Tanner so you didn’t have to put up with his smelly feet.”
“He has smelly feet?” This was alarming. Tanner was as gorgeous as the rest. Perhaps slightly crazier, as he was known to shoot at unwanted visitors at the ranch. But charming. To know that he had smelly feet was like learning that Santa Claus wasn’t real.
Of course, Santa was totally real. So that wasn’t a worry.
“Nah, he doesn’t. But don’t tell him that. Got to have a way of keeping him humble.”
“That’s terrible,” she told him. But her lips were twitching. “How does he keep you humble?”
“No need for that. I’m totally humble.”
Uh-huh. And she had a magical money-growing tree.
Lord, she could really use one of those.
“I’m going to go get some food for dinner. I’m gonna cook steak.”
“You can cook?”
“I can cook steak. Every man can cook steaks. I think you’d get your man card taken from you if you couldn’t.”
“Man card?” she asked.
“Yep. Man card.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It is very serious. As is cooking steak.”
She bit her lip.
“Uh-oh,” he said.
“What? What’s uh-oh.”
“You’re biting your lip. That means you’re thinking. When you’re thinking, stupid shit comes out of your mouth.”
“It does not!” She gaped at him.
“Darlin’, it totally does. So hit me with it, so I can add to the tally. I’m thinking one-third with my hand, one-third the paddle, and one-third the belt.”
“You’re joking, right?” Sometimes it was hard to tell.
“Am I?” He looked thoughtful. Like he wasn’t sure.
“Jenna said that I’m all right. I can go back to work tomorrow. I’m just a bit run-down.”
“She said to only return to work if you felt up to it. I think you need another day off to get some more rest.”
“But there’s nothing seriously wrong with me. And I know you’re meant to be working right now. So if we’re talking about tallies, we should probably discuss what I owe you–”
He moved quickly, placing his hand over her mouth. It was so sudden that her body reacted instinctively, freezing with fear.
It’s Raid. It’s Raid. It’s Raid.
He removed his hand just as quickly. “Fuck. Sorry. Fuck!” He stood, and she shied back with a small gasp.
Self-loathing filled his face, and she hated it. Lord, she fucking hated it.
“Screw him!”
“What?” He gave her a startled look.
“I said, screw him! Screw Steven! I hate his guts.”
“Okay, baby. You might want to calm down–”
“Why? So I can be a good girl? I hate those words now. I used to love them and he took them too. But perhaps I don’t want to be a good girl and do what I’m told. Maybe I want to be naughty. What do you think of that, Raid Malone?”
She straightened her shoulders and gave him a challenging look.
To her shock, he grinned. “I think, hell yes, baby girl. You can be whatever the fuck you want and I’m here for it. You want to be my good girl. My. Good. Girl. Those words are yours and you’re taking them back from him. Then that’s what you’ll be. Sweet and obedient. I will fucking pick you up, carry you around, keep you safe, protect you. You want to be naughty? My bad girl. You can do that too. Give me the sass, break the rules, push your boundaries. I will give you everything I just said. But I will also be here to make sure you know who is in charge, who takes care of you, who punishes you when you’re naughty.”