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“Um. I don’t know. How many holes do you think swiss cheese has?”
He gave her an incredulous look. “What did you do to your nails? And do not tell me ‘nothing’ again. I am not in the mood for your lies.”
“It wasn’t a lie,” she said stubbornly. “They’re my nails. I can do what I like with them and I don’t appreciate you nail shaming me.”
“I was not nail shaming you. But you’ve clearly hurt yourself, which is not allowed.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, why not? I made it clear that you weren’t to harm yourself.”
“But locking me up and starving me is fine? Leaving me here with only Bernie the Boring, is okay?”
“You were given food.” His face hardened.
“That was not food!”
He sighed. “Bernard got the wrong idea when I locked the door to your room and told him not to let you out without supervision. He thought you were a prisoner.”
“Well, for once, I agree with Bernie!”
“You’re here to keep you safe.”
“Safe from Vince’s goons, in case they knew he was going to try to rape me?”
“Right.”
“And is it safe for me to leave yet?”
“I’ve got to meet with the others and tell them Vince is gone first.”
“He’s really gone? Like gone-gone?”
“He’s really gone.”
She let out a shuddering breath, then took a sip of coffee. But her hands were shaking so hard that the coffee sloshed out, falling on the shirt she was wearing.
“Oh no. Mierda! Why am I such an idiot?” She put the coffee down and raced into the bathroom. She felt woozy. Like the room around her was tilting.
Nausea bubbled in her stomach. Shoot. She really needed some food. And some sleep.
Grabbing a cloth, she wet it and started scrubbing at the shirt.
“Get off. Get off.”
“Calm down, Pequeña.” Alejandro grabbed her hands gently. “You’re going to harm yourself.”
“I ruined your shirt.”
“Fuck the shirt. I have a hundred others. It doesn’t matter. It’s not as important as your well-being. Take a deep breath for me and let it out. That’s it. Now another one. In. Then out. Good girl.”
Good girl?
She shouldn’t like those words . . . but for some reason she did.
He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto the counter. Then he cupped her face between his hands. “Now, you are exhausted, hungry, scared, and a bit angry, si?”
“Yes.”
“Have you slept at all?”
“Not really. I’m not used to the bed and I miss Roger and Snuggly.”
“Roger?” he asked in a tight voice that she couldn’t figure out.
Shoot. Had she just mentioned Snuggly?
“Yes, you did just mention Snuggly. And Roger. Do you need to call him?”
Damn. She was talking out loud. She really was tired.
“Kind of hard to call him.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“He doesn’t have a phone.”
“He doesn’t? Who doesn’t have a phone in this day and age? Oh, is he old?”
“He’s the same age as me. But he doesn’t have any ears.”
Shock filled his face. “He has no ears?”
“Yeah.”
“Jesus. And that’s why he doesn’t have a phone? But he could text.”
“How? He doesn’t have disposable thumbs!”
“Uh. Disposable thumbs? Do you mean opposable thumbs?”
“Yeah, he doesn’t have any.”
“What the hell happened to this guy?” he asked.
“I don’t know. That’s the way they made him. Do many pirates have thumbs and ears?”
There was a beat of silence as he stared down at her. “Pequeña?”
“Uh-huh?” Her gaze slid over him. He was wearing a white shirt like the one she had on.
But it looked far better on him than her.
She ran her gaze down over his dark pants to his feet. “You don’t have any shoes on.”
“Because I’m inside. I know that it’s hard but I need you to focus.”
“You don’t wear shoes inside?”
“No, my mama didn’t like us to wear shoes inside, and I got into the habit.”
“Oh. That’s kind of cute.”
“Not really. Pequeña, is Roger a toy?” he asked.
“Of course. What else would he be?”
“Right. Of course. What was I thinking?”
“I don’t know. You’re awfully hard to read. I still don’t understand why I can’t go home. I want Snuggly and Roger.”
“If I take you home to get Snuggly and Roger, will you feel better?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. After you eat.”
His gaze ran over her, zeroing in on her boobs.
She glanced down as well and gasped in horror at the giant wet patch on the front of the shirt.
Holy. Crap!
She wasn’t wearing a bra. And he could see everything!
“Alejandro! Why didn’t you say something?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He gave her a sexy smirk. “I’m a man, Pequeña.”
He was a jerk. Cat huffed out a breath in frustration. Although she did like the heated look on his face.
Did he like what he saw? Was he going to touch her? Kiss her?
Did she want him to?
“Come,” he said abruptly. “You need breakfast and then we’ll get your things.”
“Will they be upset with you?”
