Ruthless King (New Orleans Malones #4)

Chapter 31

31

R egent frowned. “You don’t look that good.”

What every girl wanted to hear.

“I’m supposed to be looking after you, not interrogating you.” He placed his hand over her forehead. “You’re warm.”

She wanted to smile. The man had only been taking care of her for a few days, yet now he could expertly tell that she was warm?

It was so sweet.

“Let’s get you some medicine. Are you tired, baby?”

“I’m fine.”

He gave her a stern look. “You know better than to lie to me.”

“I’m better than I was.”

Thanks to him.

“Thank you for looking after me.”

“You do not have to thank me for that. Now, stay there while I pack some things for you. I’ll get someone else to come back and pack the rest once you’re feeling better and can decide what you want to do with it all.”

“Um, what? Why would I want everything packed up?”

“You want to leave it all here? I suppose a lot of it is your mother’s.”

“Ahh, yes. Am I . . . am I really moving in with you? For good? Now?”

He eyed her for a long moment. It seemed like her whole world had changed within half an hour. And it was a bit hard to keep up with all the changes.

“Don’t worry about that right now. Let’s just pack the things you’ll need for now, get you there and into bed so you can rest.”

“All right.” She hoped he might get some rest as well. “I’ll pack,” she said, attempting to get off the bed.

“No, you won’t. Sit. You’re not well enough to be moving around. Just tell me what you want packed.”

It was strange just to sit there while he worked. She didn’t like it at all.

He reached into her pajama drawer and drew out a vibrator.

Jilly tensed. Holy. Shit.

How had she forgotten about what was in that drawer?

“Put the vibrator down!” she ordered

Or bring it over here and use it on me, big boy.

No, no, no!

It wasn’t even hers. Well, she guessed it was now since Mrs. Yards had bought it for her.

He raised an eyebrow, his lips curving up in a smirk. “No. You’ve got quite the collection here. Want to bring them all with you?”

Groaning, she put her hands over her face. “Please, just kill me now.”

“I’d rather you lived.”

She sighed. “My neighbor gave them all to me. She thought I needed some toys since it’s, uh, since it’s been a while. Apparently, she’s been putting it out into the universe that I need a man.”

“Seems the universe listened to her.”

God. She was bright red.

“That also explains the bag she handed to Jose.”

“Oh my God. I forgot about that! What was in it?”

“A big bottle of lube and some condoms. We’ll need the first if we’re going to use these.” He put down the vibrator and picked up a butt plug and the anal beads.

Please let the earth open up and swallow me.

Nothing happened.

How come the universe listened to Mrs. Yards and not her? It just wasn’t fair.

“We won’t be using those!”

“Hmm. You think not?”

Jesus.

“Of course we won’t be needing the second.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

“I’m clean. I assume you are as well?”

More blushing. “I am.”

“Then there is no need for condoms.”

Well, she could think of one.

“You’re assuming that I’m on birth control,” she pointed out.

“No. I’m not.”

Um. What?

Maybe her brain was too muddled by the flu to understand what he was saying.

“If I’m not on birth control and you don’t want to use condoms, then how do you plan to do this? Because pulling out isn’t a suitable method of birth control.”

“Who said I want any method of birth control?” he murmured. “That I don’t want you pregnant? Growing ripe with my baby. Your breasts getting heavy, your nipples sensitive.”

Holy. Moly.

“That I don’t want to fuck you until I put my baby inside you?”

This was nuts.

It shouldn’t be a turn-on. And yet, it kind of was. Did that mean she had a breeding kink?

Did he? It sounded like he did.

“I don’t . . . it’s too early for a baby.”

Sheesh. They hadn’t even had sex, and he was talking about a baby?

“Are you mine?” he asked.

His dark, deadly tone warned her to give him the correct answer.

“Yes.”

Satisfaction filled his face. “Then you will do what I want.”

“Within reason.” Shit. Her throat was getting scratchy again. “When it comes to safety, yes. But when it comes to my body, I have the right to say no.”

His gaze narrowed. “I don’t like that.”

Yeah, well, tough titties.

Hmm, she wisely hadn’t said that aloud.

“I’m not ready to be a mom. Not yet. And I want you to myself for a while. I don’t want to share.”

To her shock, he nodded. “I don’t wish to share you yet either. That doesn’t mean I might not . . . fantasize.”

“Hey, fantasies are fine. I’m all about fantasies . . . I might even like those ones too,” she babbled.

“You’ll need to go on birth control, then.”

“Um, well, yes. I do have some pills. I just forget to take them.”

“You won’t forget now. I will remind you.”

Yikes. He’d probably set up an alarm on his phone.

“And we’re still taking this stuff.” He dumped all the toys into her bag.

Dear. Lord.

He wasn’t really expecting to use those on her, was he?

“Don’t!” She attempted to jump off the bed, but he gave her a stern look.

“Do not even think about it.”

Jilly swallowed heavily. That look. It made her remember who she was dealing with.

He wasn’t a man who you crossed.

And here you are, keeping things from him . . . and he clearly knows something.

Yeah, she might be in over her head here. But that didn’t mean she had the sense to turn back.

She’d never experienced anyone using those sorts of toys on her before. Lowell had found her old vibrator one day and decided it was an affront to his manhood or some such thing.

He’d made her throw it away. Well, she’d agreed to do that, but she’d actually just put it somewhere he wouldn’t think to look.

In the laundry cabinet, hidden behind the detergent.

Lowell had never done any laundry.

Asshole.

After he’d finished packing, Regent sent her a look. “Stay here. I’ll take these out, then come back for you.”

Once he’d left, she got off the bed and searched around for anything else she needed to take.

Crap. Her throat was burning again, so she took some more pain killers.

“Jilly.” The warning came from the doorway and she spun. Her head started thumping.

Ouch.

Suddenly, she was picked up and cradled against a firm chest. A light slap to her ass made her tense.

“When will you learn to behave yourself?” he grumbled.

“Um, probably never,” she said honestly.

“We’ll see about that.”

“What . . . what are you doing?” she asked, holding on tight as he carried her out of the bedroom and started down the stairs.

“Carrying you out to the car.”

“You can’t do that! Someone might see.”

“So?”

“So, they’ll tell Mama, and then I’ll get a phone call and have to tell her why Regent Malone is carrying me around like a baby.”

“And you can tell her that you’re ill with no one to take care of you.”

There was a strange note in his voice. He didn’t sound happy at all. Was he upset with her mother?

“Are you angry at Mama?”

“Not angry exactly. However, she should be here to take care of you.”

“I’m a grown woman. I take care of myself.”

“Not anymore.”

Suddenly, they were outside and walking toward his car. She pressed her face into his chest. The harshness of the sun was hurting her eyes.

“Nearly there, sweet girl,” he murmured quietly. “Just hold on.”

Then he was sliding into the car with her on his lap. But he put her in her own seat as the door shut. The divider was up between the front and back so she couldn’t see who was driving.

Regent reached across and grabbed her seatbelt, buckling her in.

“I could’ve done that.”

“Why should you when I can do it for you? Besides, I like knowing that it’s done up properly.”

It would be kind of hard to not buckle a seatbelt properly. Not to mention that she’d been buckling her own seatbelt since she was five.

But she didn’t say any of that. She was starting to see that Regent was a man who liked to be hands-on.

She couldn’t really complain about that.

He grabbed something from the floor and pulled it over her. A soft blanket.

Wow. He’d thought of everything.

As they pulled away from the house she felt a weird sense of loss. Would this be the last time she was here?

Surely not.

It had been her home for so long. Sure, she’d been away for several years. But coming back had felt so right.

Change was good. Change was necessary.

She was moving on to something new. Something she’d wanted for years and years.

“Are you all right? Are you warm enough?”

She glanced up at Regent and her fears melted away. Of course this was the right thing.

“Yes, thank you.”

He frowned. “You look exhausted. Lean against me and close your eyes. You told work you wouldn’t be in this week?”

“Um, well, I said I wouldn’t be in today.”

He eyed her. “You’re not going back for at least a week. Actually, perhaps it would be best to tell them you quit.”

“I can’t quit. I need the money.”

“Baby, you know you don’t. I’ll buy you whatever you need.”

There was that strange feeling again. She didn’t expect him to just pay for things.

“But we can discuss that later.”

Jilly closed her eyes. She could hear him talking quietly on his phone but didn’t pay much attention to what he was saying as she drifted off.

The car slowed as she felt him shake her slightly.

“Jilly? We’re here.”

Sitting up, she yawned and looked out the window.

Whoa.

Okay, she’d always assumed that he lived somewhere wonderful. But this was incredible.

The driveway led them through lush grounds and up to an enormous house. It was painted a dark gray with white trim. An extensive porch ran along the front of the house with large, imposing columns and wide stairs that led up to the front door.

“This is impressive.”

He grunted. “I suppose it is.”

He supposed?

“Who actually lives here?” It looked like it could house a small town.

“Just me. And Gerald.”

“Right. Wow. That’s a lot of house for two people.”

“My brothers and their women usually come around for Sunday lunch.”

Sure. Sure.

Sunday lunch. What about the rest of the time? Did he just rattle around here on his own? That seemed a bit . . . sad.

Was he lonely? He’d never mentioned that.

Not that he would. Regent wasn’t a man who dwelled on his feelings, let alone expressed them.

She was lucky he’d told her how much she meant to him. And she wasn’t worried about the fact that he couldn’t say he loved her.

It didn’t matter. Maybe he wasn’t there yet.

Perhaps he would never be able to say it.

It was fine. Everything was fine.