Ruthless King

“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.”