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“Do you know if Gracen is around?” she asked.
“I believe Victor has taken her to her ballet lesson.”
“Ballet? She likes to dance?”
“Yes. She goes to ballet lessons with her friend Sammy.”
“Oh. That sounds like fun.” She could do that. She knew she’d be great at ballet. Aston had natural dancing skills, after all.
“I’m sure she’d be glad for you to join her.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Thank you,” he said solemnly.
“Do you think I could grab my things soon?”
“I’ll try and arrange something.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. I hope you find the drugs tonight.”
“So do I.”
His phone rang and he moved to grab it as she headed toward the door.
“Maxim?” he asked.
She turned in surprise as he answered the phone. Then his lips twitched as he stared at her.
“Yes, Aston is here. No, she came down the stairs on her own. Yes, I will make sure to scold her. Yes, I’ll bring her back up immediately.”
“That was Maxim?”
“Yes. He woke up, found you gone from the bed and that you weren’t in the bathroom, and grew alarmed.”
“Alarmed?”
“Hmm. I’m supposed to scold you for walking down the stairs on your feet and for not leaving him a note. Then take you back upstairs.”
“Oh, you don’t have to take me back upstairs. I can find my own way up.”
“That’s not the reason he wants me to help you. I’m going to apologize now.”
“For what?” she asked as he came toward her.
“Putting my hands on you without permission.”
Huh? Oh!
She found herself in his arms as he headed toward the door.
“You don’t have to carry me.”
“Actually, I have no choice.”
“What?” she asked.
“I was told in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t carry you back up to Maxim, he was going to come downstairs and carry you up himself.”
“Good Lord. My feet are fine!” she said with exasperation.
“I can’t comment on that. But if you were mine, and you were injured, you’d most certainly be in trouble for leaving the room without my permission.”
Holy. Heck. Balls.
It was like she’d fallen into a different dimension.
One where the men were all nuts.
But she didn’t say another word as he carried her up the stairs and into Maxim’s bedroom. All without getting slightly out of breath.
He walked her right up to the bed where Maxim was sitting up, scowling at the doctor.
“I caught him trying to leave the bed,” the doctor said as he stared at Maxim coldly.
Wow. Brave doctor.
“My woman was missing.”
“I wasn’t missing,” she told him. “I was downstairs, talking with your brother.”
Regent set her down on the bed and Maxim drew her against him. “You’re not supposed to be walking too much on your feet.”
“They’re fine.”
“You are forbidden from leaving this room without my permission.”
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Regent said.
The doctor nodded, his lips twitching.
“Maxim Malone. You cannot forbid me from doing something.”
“Can. Did. Discussion over.”
“Discussion is certainly not over!”
“You just added to your spanking. You’re not sitting for two weeks now.”
“Maxim!”
“Gave me a fucking heart attack. I woke up and you weren’t here. I thought you’d run off to do something stupid.”
Oh.
Shoot.
She turned to face him and saw the worry on his face. Her anger melted.
He was worried.
And that changed everything.
“I won’t run off and do anything crazy. I promise.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you promise not to leave the room without my permission?”
“That I don’t promise. Because that’s nuts. But I will leave you a note if you’re asleep so you know where I am.”
“And you’ll keep your phone on you. I tried calling you and discovered it was here.”
“I’ll do that too.” She cupped his cheek with her hand. “Sorry I worried you.”
“I’d apologize for forbidding you from doing something, but the truth is I’ll probably do it again.”
She just grinned, shaking her head.
33
She couldn’t settle.
She rolled this way and that until he finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Baby.”
She let out a gasp that had him drawing her close. “Shit. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“That’s . . . I thought you were asleep,” she said.
“Hard to sleep while you’re tossing and turning.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ll sleep on the chair. I told you I was happy to do that. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Baby, you are not sleeping in a chair. You are sleeping in a bed. My bed. With me. Forever.”
“Forever?” she whispered.
Shit. Was he pushing too much? But she loved him. He loved her. She had to know this was about forever, right?
“Forever. Is that a problem?”
She wrapped her arm around his upper chest. “No problem at all.”
“Good. I didn’t think so,” he said arrogantly.
“Maxim?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Do you think they’ve found the drugs yet?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
“If they find the drugs, if Dayton is a part of all of this, I’ll have to find a new job.”
And that was worrying her? Fuck. Why hadn’t he realized she’d be concerned? His girl was a worrier. He had to get ahead of that shit and head it off before it could snowball in her mind.
