Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
“S—Stone?” She didn’t like the thought of him touching her while she was unconscious.
“Relax. He was a perfect gentleman. And feeling rather sheepish for his earlier tantrum. He carried you up while you were sleeping. It was the least he could do.”
“Oh.” She believed Ash, her nerves at ease again.
“Shit. I have to take this call. Enjoy your bath, printessa.”
He stopped talking, but that didn’t mean he stopped watching or listening. She pictured him in a dark room filled with monitors. Or maybe it was through their phones. Could they all see her? She slouched lower in the water, still on edge at the thought of having an audience.
When she finished washing, she brushed her hair to one side and tied it back with a blue satin ribbon. Then she returned to the bedroom, surprised to find a sweater dress laid out on the bed that hadn’t been there before. And it was just her size.
She glanced around nervously, making sure she was alone before checking the label. Definitely women’s.
“How frequently do they host hostages here?” she muttered, pulling the dress over her head. It was loose-fitting and fell just to her knees. “Ooh!” She spotted a tall pair of suede boots on the floor beside the bed. Brand new and just her size!
She pulled them on, dragging the zipper up slowly. The butter soft suede went to her thighs and had a tiny gemstone in the heel that looked like smoky quartz.
She examined her reflection in the mirror. It was the cutest she’d looked in months and the closest she’d felt to normal since that horrible day they sent her away.
Paranoia set in. Why were they spoiling her? They hated her. This had to be some sort of trap. As much as it killed her, she removed the boots and put them back beside the bed.
“Don’t they fit?”
She spun toward the door, but was still alone. She padded barefoot to the bedside lamp, but didn’t see a speaker. “Ash?”
“What was wrong with the boots?”
She continued to search for the speaker. “Nothing.”
“Then why did you take them off?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You clearly liked them. Were they too small?”
“No.” She lifted a perfume bottle and checked the bottom. “Where are you?”
“Too big?”
“No.” She searched the door frame unsure how small a speaker could be.
“Then what?”
“I just didn’t want them.”
“Liar.”
Giving up her search, she snapped, “What do you care anyway?”
“The lodge gets cold. You should have something on your feet. Besides, they looked sexy on you. But more than that, you liked them. I saw how excited you got when you put them on.”
She hated how much she liked knowing he thought she looked sexy. “I just don’t want them.”
“They were a gift.”
“No, thank you.”
He sighed and she swore it came from the left side of the room. She lifted a vase of flowers, but found no speaker.
“Marigold, gifts are gifts. No strings attached.”
She pulled open a drawer but it was empty. “Everything here has strings, Ash.”
“Put the boots on.”
“No.”
“It wasn’t a request.”
She glared up at the bear camera. “You just ruined them.” Walking back to the bed, she put on the boots, but without the pleasure she felt the first time she tried them on. “Anything else, Master?”
“Watch the attitude. We don’t take well to bratty behavior, as you’ve learned.”
“Well, I don’t take well to bossiness.”
“Last night you did.”
She pressed her lips into a firm line. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“Whatever you want.”
She stilled. Seriously? “Aren’t you afraid I’ll get into trouble?”
“If you do, we’ll see that you’re properly reprimanded. I’m on duty a few more hours, but Hunter and Stone are around. Go exploring.”
“Duty?”
“Work.”
“What do you do?”
“Nothing that concerns you. I want you to go right to the kitchen and eat something before you do anything else.”
Food sounded like a good idea. Her belly felt hollow, and she couldn’t remember the last thing she ate. “Okay.”
“Be good, printessa. I’ll be watching.”
She rolled her eyes and mumbled, “I bet you will.”
In the kitchen, she concocted a small plate of bread, cheese, and some fancy jam she found in the cupboard. As she sat at the table, frequently staring at the bear cam beside the clock on the wall, she wondered about her hosts.
The house—or lodge as they called it—was state-of-the-art luxury wrapped in primitive strength. The castle-like exterior would hold up for years against the tundra-like conditions outside. She’d always thought the Isles of Kassel were tropical, but she supposed she was wrong. Or maybe the islands were just that big that they spanned different climates.
When she finished her lunch, she washed the plate and put it away. Opening the industrial-sized fridge, she set the jam back on the shelf where she’d found it. When she closed the heavy door, she jumped.
Hunter stood a foot away from her, glaring like she’d just robbed him.