Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
He had taken a step into the store as though it was a given that she’d say yes. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to her. “What?”
“Thank you, but I can’t.”
She stepped back, away from temptation.
“Everything all right?” Ian asked, coming up beside her.
“Yes, everything is fine.” She smiled up at him. “I think I better get back to Uncle Willy, though.”
“You don’t want to make a toy?” Ian asked.
“It looks like so much fun and maybe one day I’ll be able to afford it, but not today.”
Ian opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Jameson spoke up. “You’re not paying, though. I am.” Shit. He should have made that clear. “This is your treat for doing so well during your tests.”
He was happy with himself for thinking of it. Pizza was a crappy treat.
“But you bought me lunch. That was plenty! I couldn’t let you do this too. Thank you for everything. I couldn’t have done today without you.”
She suddenly hugged him again before letting go and moving away.
What was happening?
Was she really leaving? She didn’t want him to pay for the toy for her? He glanced at Ian, who shrugged.
“She let you buy her boots,” Jameson pointed out.
Ian snorted. “And we had to fight hard to get her to keep them. And the other things. Thanks for your help.” He rushed off after her, leaving Jameson feeling strangely sad.
“Little one, you shouldn’t just rush off like that. I’m your guard, remember?”
“No one is trying to hurt me.”
“Not the point. You leave like that again, and you’re in trouble.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Don’t get sassy with me,” Ian grumbled. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just tired and I want to go home and see Uncle Willy, can we?”
“Yeah, Little one. Let’s get you home. We’ll stop for some pizza on the way.”
She gave him a small smile. “My hero. You always know just what I need.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
As they moved down the corridor, she felt like someone was watching her. But when she turned, there was no one there.
First, she thought someone was watching her while she slept and now she kept getting that feeling when she was out and about.
She was definitely losing her mind.
38
“What do you think Jameson said to upset her?” Jack demanded.
Ian shook his head. “I don’t know. But when she sat down, she was happy. Smiling. Eating her pizza. He said a few things and all of a sudden, she’s fighting back tears and looking like he hit her.”
“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Jack jumped to his feet and headed toward the door.
Ian sighed. When did he become the reasonable one?
He moved between Jack and the front door. “Ease off, man. We don’t know what was said. And he apologized. She seemed to forgive him too.”
“He upset her.”
“Yeah, but we know Jameson wouldn’t deliberately be a dick.” Ian wasn’t actually that sure. But he had to give his friend the benefit of the doubt.
“I don’t like it. She’s been in her room all afternoon. We were breaking through to her and now she’s closing us off.”
Ian didn’t like it either.
“Let’s wait until the night nurse gets here, then we’ll coax her onto the roof for some of that ridiculous yoga shit. Maybe a swim.”
She still needed to be a bit careful of her hip.
“Good plan.” Jack nodded.
“Do you think there’s something a bit off with William?” Ian asked.
“You mean how sometimes he gets confused easily?”
“Yeah. You think there’s something more going on and Jameson knows?”
“He might as his doctor, which means he couldn’t tell us,” Jack said.
“That’s fucking ridiculous. We’re guarding them both! And if it is upsetting our girl . . .”
“Our girl,” Jack said with a grin. “I like that.”
So did he. A lot. He ran his hand over his face. But there were a lot of fucking issues with wanting Maggie. Not the least of all was that she was leaving soon.
And then there was Jameson.
Sometimes, he seemed interested. Others, he didn’t. Ian didn’t think she was the girl to bring Jameson back to them. But for the first time since they’d arrived here, he actually didn’t care.
Maggie bent at the waist, stretching her arms out.
“You really do this for fun?” Ian grumbled. It was the day after her disaster at the hospital. The guys had wanted her to come up here with them yesterday afternoon, but she’d told them she was tired and sore, so they’d backed off.
For some reason she’d been upset that they’d backed off. Her emotions were out of control.
But it was now the following afternoon. This morning, she and Uncle Willy met with Pippa and the princes to go through any last-minute details before the photos in the desert. They should have been starting them tomorrow but they’d pushed them out another day.