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Neither man looked happy, but they stopped firing off demands at her.
“You guys carry that stuff up. I’ll take Chloe,” Beck ordered.
“I really can walk.”
Beck gave her a firm look. “That wasn’t a request.”
Okay, then.
He crouched in front of her. “On you get.”
Beck was still wearing his T-shirt. Which was a damn shame. She wouldn’t mind seeing all that muscle on display. But unlike the other two, he didn’t seem comfortable with taking it off.
He heaved her up onto his back.
“Are you sure you’re okay to carry me?” she asked. It was going to be harder going up, surely?
“Freckles, you don’t weigh anything. I could carry you with one arm and not break a sweat.”
“That’s nice,” she said without thinking as she placed her face against his back. He was so warm. And she was kind of tired.
He let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, it is nice.”
As he carried her up the pathway, the rocking movement nearly lulled her to sleep. She let out a murmur of protest as she was lifted off him and placed on the seat of the ATV.
“Don’t wanna get up. Wanna sleep.”
“You can sleep soon, Freckles. Let’s just get you home first.”
She stirred, becoming more aware of their surroundings as they drove past the palace. And then past her room.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I thought we’d take you to our place,” Beck said, looking over at her. He’d slowed right down. She could see the other two ahead of them in their ATV.
“Your place?”
“Yeah. I’m not ready for the day to end, and I’d like to take care of you. Maybe give you a bath, and get you settled in for a nap before dinner.”
A nap actually sounded amazing. When had she last taken a nap?
“But Jonathan,” she whispered.
Beck frowned. “I don’t like the hold he seems to have on you. Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell us?”
Tell him that her boss was basically her jailer? That he owned her?
“No.” She knew that they wouldn’t be happy, and what would happen if they confronted Jonathan?
Even though she knew that legally he couldn’t hold her against her will . . . there was still a part of her that saw him as her savior. The man who had taken her from hell. Kept her safe.
So she couldn’t say anything.
But she could grasp a few moments of happiness.
“I’d like to go home with you, though.”
Beck sent her a smile. “Good, Freckles.”
Chloe let him undo her seatbelt and help her down. She leaned on him as they walked into a nice-looking house that had a balcony along the front of it. It was set away from the palace, surrounded by trees to give it privacy.
“You all live here?” she asked.
“Yep. Thankfully, it’s big enough we’re not in each other’s space all the time. Or Judd probably would have been smothered in his sleep a long time ago.”
She laughed. However, she felt a bit sad as well. What would it be like to have other people to rely on?
Was that why she’d jumped on this opportunity, even knowing it had no future?
“Hey, what’s got that sad look on your face?” Beck asked.
“Nothing.” She smiled up at him.
He studied her intently. “One day, I hope you’ll trust us enough to be truthful with us.”
She dropped her eyes, feeling guilty.
“But until that happens if you can’t or don’t want to tell us something, I would prefer you say that instead of pretending everything is all right. Understand me?”
“Yes, Sir. I mean, uh . . .”
Beck ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Sir is fine. Daddy is better. But we’ll get there. I hope.”
Her heart raced.
“Now, would you like a shower? Or a bath?”
She was suddenly aware of how gritty she felt from all the sand. And her hair was probably a mess. She glanced down at herself. All of her was a mess.
“Hey, none of us care what you look like. Understand me? I was only concerned about your comfort. That’s all.”
They weren’t Jonathan.
They weren’t the kids growing up at school or . . . nope. She wasn’t going to think about what came after that.
“Right. Sorry.”
“No need to say sorry. What would you like? A shower or bath?”
“A bath would be amazing.”
“With bubbles?” he asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.
“Is there any other way to have a bath?”
Beck laughed. “Come on, you can have a cold drink while I run you a bath.” He led her into the open-concept living, kitchen, and dining area. Judd was rustling around in the fridge, laying things out.
“Oh, I’m fine. I don’t need a drink.”
“You barely drank anything while we were at the beach,” Judd replied as he shut the fridge door with one hip.
She raised her eyebrows, surprised he’d noticed.
“Sit.” He pointed at a stool at the island. “I’m making you a snack.”
