He frowned, pacing back and forth. “I don’t like her hiding things from us.”
“She’s not hiding anything. Would you want someone watching you right now?” Aleki asked.
Use your logic.
He was working on emotion. Not something he dealt with well.
It was difficult for him not to be around her. He’d had to work hard to let Aleki and Caleb be the ones to steal her earlier while he took care of everything else.
In fact, he had deliberately forced himself to walk away to give himself time to think. To clear his head.
“We can’t smother her, we talked about that too, remember?” Caleb said gently.
He nodded. He got it. He remembered their talk. They often had talks like this. About what Wolfe should and shouldn’t do.
No smothering your bunkmate for snoring.
No strangling your commanding officer for making a stupid call.
No shooting the guy at the corner dairy for short-changing you.
So. Many. Rules.
But he knew he worked best when he understood what he could and couldn’t do. Coming to Escana had been an adjustment. But he liked their culture and traditions.
“I just don’t like that she’s hurting and I can’t do anything.”
“None of us do, man,” Aleki said worriedly. “She never used to get sick. She was always so healthy. So strong. And now . . .”
“Her asshole father has a lot to answer for,” Caleb said grimly from where he sat on the edge of the bed. “I cannot believe he forced her to break up with you then married her off to that dick, Davidson. We need to make sure he doesn’t find out where she is.”
“The doctor said she can’t be stressed,” Aleki warned. “She’s exhausted, mentally, and physically. Her reserves are depleted.”
“And we’re probably pushing too hard too fast,” Caleb said. “Maybe we should ease back.”
Wolfe disagreed. He thought they should step things up. “No.”
“Wolfe—” Caleb started to say.
“We’ve been apart eight years.”
“Which is why we should take time to get to know each other.”
Wolfe shook his head. “No, we abandoned her once. We can’t do that again.”
“We didn’t abandon her then.” Caleb frowned at him.
“Didn’t we?” Wolfe mused. “We didn’t question her, didn’t try to change her mind. Not really.”
“Wolfe is right. I should have fought for her,” Aleki agreed. Wolfe noticed that he looked ill. “It’s my fault. I should have done more.”
“This is no one’s fault. We’re not abandoning her now, we’re just slowing down,” Caleb told them.
“She might not see it that way,” Wolfe pointed out. “She might believe we don’t want her.” He knew all about not being wanted.
“She did say she was tired of making decisions and wanted a break,” Aleki said.
Caleb frowned then nodded. “Okay, we keep moving forward. But let’s be careful. She’s fragile right now.”
Wolfe knew that she needed them now more than ever. He’d ensure that she continued to need them so much that she’d never want to leave. And he’d take care of the assholes who hurt her.
Nobody scared or threatened his girl. She was Wolfe’s now.
He wouldn’t let go of her again.
“I don’t know how she got ill.”
“She must have picked up something,” Caleb replied, but he looked worried too.
“Maybe it’s food poisoning,” Aleki offered.
Hmm. Wolfe thought that unlikely since he’d been preparing everything for her himself. Except for breakfast this morning.
That was suspicious.
“We probably shouldn’t all be here waiting when she gets out,” Caleb said.
“Why not?” Wolfe asked.
“Because she’ll be embarrassed,” Aleki told him.
“Why? Because she’s ill?” That made no sense.
“Just trust us,” Caleb said. “Aleki, you stay and wait. Get into bed with her.”
“Why Aleki?” Wolfe asked.
“Because she needs some coddling and he’s the best at that.”
Wolfe nodded. That was fair. He sensed movement by the bedroom door which was open just a crack. Before he could investigate, though, the door to the bathroom opened and Vivi appeared. She looked pale, her cheeks sunken, dark marks under her eyes.
Aleki leaped forward and picked her up before Wolfe could get there. Damn it.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “So gross.”
“You got nothing to be sorry for, Vivi.” He cradled her in his big arms. “Wolfe, get her some water from the bar fridge. She’ll be dehydrated.”
Wolfe quickly grabbed a bottle of water, pulling off the cap. He held it up to her lips and she took a few sips.
“Drink more, princess. That’s not enough,” he commanded.
She grumbled, her eyes half-closed. She said something but he couldn’t hear it. He leaned in.
“Bite me.”
“Oh, I’ll bite you. Once you’re feeling better.”
She opened one eye to glare at him. “That wasn’t an invitation.”
“Too late, princess. You can’t take it back.”
She groaned. “I don’t know how you can even think about sex with me. I’m disgusting. Definitely no princess.”
Oh, she was so wrong. She was his princess. There was only one woman for him. Her.
“Hush,” Wolfe said firmly. “How is your stomach?”
“It feels like someone scraped it raw with a spoon.”
Wolfe didn’t like how pale she was. Aleki sat on the bed with her cradled on his lap and Wolfe knelt in front of them. He held the bottle to her lips again.
“Drink.”
“Don’t wanna drink. You can’t make me.”
Oh. She shouldn’t dare him.
Caleb stood next to them and leaned down to brush her hair back off her forehead. “She’s clammy but it doesn’t feel like she’s got a fever.”
“We should take it just in case,” Wolfe said.
She groaned. “Wolfe, you are not sticking anything up my bottom.”
“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it,” Aleki joked.
She glared up at him.
“I’m not ill. I think I just had a reaction to breakfast or something. I just wanna sleep. Please.”
Wolfe frowned but Caleb nodded. “Let’s get her cleaned up a bit. Then Aleki will stay with you, baby. He’ll watch over you.”
18
Vivi woke to the sound of someone singing.
She smiled as she recognized the song. It wasn’t something that anyone else would recognize. This song was just hers.
Vivi’s song.
The song Aleki wrote for her. Tears entered her eyes as he sang it quietly. He had the most amazing voice. His entire family did. When they got together there was so much laughter and singing. It had been a bit overwhelming when she first met them, but she’d been treated like one of the family. And soon, she’d been laughing. Dancing with each of his brothers, much to Aleki’s annoyance.
Even Wolfe relaxed a bit around the Samuels clan.
That was when she realized she was pressed up against a big, warm body. Aleki’s arm was around her, holding her tight and her face rested on his chest.
God, she’d missed this.
How had they come to be in bed together, though? And why did she feel like she’d been run over by a truck?
She groaned as it all flashed back to her. Nausea. Tears. Diarrhea. And the three of them knew. And now she was lying snuggling up to one of the most gorgeous guys she’d ever met and she hadn’t even brushed her teeth!
Moving her head, she realized there was a damp spot on his skin.
Had she been drooling on him? Would the humiliation never end?
Mortified, she sat up, then groaned as her head swum. She raised her hand to her eyes, trying to breathe through the nausea and dizziness.
“Hey, easy,” Aleki soothed. “Shit. I was trying to wake you up slowly. Here, sit back.”
“I need to go brush my teeth,” she explained as he tried to ease her back against the headboard.
“That can wait. You’re not getting out of bed until the dizziness passes.”
Aleki gently scooted her back, putting some pillows behind her. Then he held up a bottle of water to her lips. She gulped it down. God, she was thirsty.
“Slowly, baby girl. You’re gonna make yourself sick.”
She grimaced. “I’m so sorry about that.”
He frowned at her. “Why are you sorry? You couldn’t help it.”
“I know, but it’s not exactly attractive, right? And then you had to lie with me drooling all over you. I really need to brush my teeth.”
“Here, if you’re really worried, Wolfe found some breath mints.” He handed her a mint and she sucked it gratefully. She closed her eyes for a moment, her head was throbbing in time with her arm.
She was probably due for some pain medication.
“Wolfe thinks of everything,” she muttered.
“How are you feeling? Tummy okay?”
“Yeah. It just feels a bit raw. Like most of me. I’m fine.”
“Fine, huh?” he drawled.
She cracked her eyes open to look at him. He was giving her a firm look. “Baby girl, you’re as pale as a sheet. You’ve got dark smudges under your eyes that are actually getting worse, not better. And you don’t have any weight to lose yet I swear you’re looking more gaunt.”
“Great. So I look like shit. Thanks for the update.”
“It’s okay to admit that you’re not all right, Vivi. It’s okay to ask for help.”
“Asking others to help me isn’t my strong suit.”
“I would never have guessed,” he said dryly.
He grasped hold of her chin, staring down at her firmly. “From now on, no more hiding anything, got me? Your job is to communicate with us. Our job is to figure out how to protect our family.”
She so wanted to be part of their family.
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I’m gonna repeat my question. How you doing?”
“I feel like ass.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Ass, huh?”
“I figure this is what someone feels like after they drink a bottle of whiskey and go on a bender.”
“So headache? Queasy tummy? Dry mouth? A wish for a time machine to erase the last twelve hours?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
He chuckled. “I’ll get you some painkillers and another bottle of water. Feel like you could eat something?
“Not really.”
“You know that’s not going to fly with Wolfe, right?”
She groaned. “The food police. What I really want is a shower. I feel all icky and gross.”
He shook his head. “Can’t let you shower, baby, until you’re able to stand. That shower in there isn’t big enough for a seat.”
“I’ll be okay. My ankle feels loads better.”
He drew back the covers and she wrinkled her nose in disgust at herself. She was still dressed in the same T-shirt. She felt sweaty and out-of-sorts.
“Your ankle is still swollen. No way you can stand in the shower on it. Plus, you might get light-headed and faint.”
“You’re fussing.”
“I’ve got eight years of fussing penned up inside me. Get used to it.”
“I’m not getting off the plane wearing Caleb’s T-shirt. And I’m not getting into clean clothes stinking of sweat and other things.”
He frowned. “I don’t think that even Wolfe will fit in the shower with you.”
Take a shower with Wolfe? Was he kidding her?
“Hmm, there’s only one solution that I can think of.”
“What’s that?” she asked suspiciously.
“I’ll have to give you a sponge bath.”
Aleki could hardly hide his grin as her eyes widened then narrowed in a scowl. “I don’t think so Aleki Tane Samuels.”
He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “What’s wrong? You don’t think I can manage to bathe you? I promise to be very, very thorough.”
“Oh, I just bet you will,” she said dryly. “I’ll wash myself, thank you very much.”
Nope. He didn’t like that idea at all. Now that his Vivi was back, he was eager to make up for lost time. He wanted to relearn everything about her. And that didn’t just include her body, but her mind and heart.
He loved her so freaking much. He’d tried his best to bury that part of him. But there was no denying his feelings for her.
And learning of the hell she’d been through just made him want to wrap her up in a protective blanket. He didn’t want her worrying about anything. He didn’t want her to be scared or hungry or lonely.
“Let me take care of you, Vivi,” he told her in a quiet voice. He made sure she could see how serious he was. “I promise I just want to look after you.”
“I . . . I . . .” She dropped her gaze, looking embarrassed. “I’m not the girl I was.”
“And I’m no longer a boy. We’ve both got years between us. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t get to know each other again, does it?”
“I’m just not sure . . . I mean, my body, it’s not . . . it’s not attractive anymore.”
Oh no. He couldn’t have her thinking that. Turning, he straddled her legs, making sure that she didn’t have to take any of his weight. Then he cupped her face between his hands. “You, Genevieve Amelia, are still the most beautiful, courageous woman I have ever met. I know you’ve changed. So have I. But you cannot change how gorgeous you are.”
“I don’t feel beautiful.”
“Then we’ll work to change that, won’t we? Starting now. Let me take care of you, please.”
“Okay,” she whispered, shocking him. He’d thought she would put up more of a fight.
He gave her a gentle smile. “Okay. Do you need to use the toilet?”
“At least you didn’t say potty like Caleb.”
He grinned. “Caleb cannot wait to meet your Little.”
“And if she never shows herself?”
“Then that’s fine too. All we need is you, Vivi. Just you. You’re more than enough. Toilet?”
“Umm, yes.”
He let her use the bathroom alone, even though he insisted on carrying her. Then he quickly told Caleb and Wolfe what was going on. A hint of hunger entered Caleb’s face while Wolfe just nodded.
He knocked on the bathroom door. “Can I come in, baby girl?”
“Yep.”
He walked in to find her standing in front of the vanity. This bathroom was insane for a plane. Even if it wasn’t that big, it still screamed luxury.
“What are you doing, standing up?” he grumbled, moving over to wrap his hands around her waist. She was leaning against the counter, all her weight on one foot.
“I needed to brush my teeth. Hope you don’t mind, I found a new toothbrush in the cabinets and used it.”
“What’s ours is yours. Well, in this case, what’s the princes’ is yours.”
“They won’t mind?”
“Baby girl, they’d be horrified if you needed something and didn’t take it. Trust me. You should have waited for me to carry you.”
“I’m okay, Aleki,” she told him, staring at him through the mirror.
“Just let us take care of you. Please. For our sake as much as yours.”
He stared at her until she nodded. Then she sighed. “Okay. I’ll try.”
“Good girl. We just want to fuss a bit. It will make us feel better.”
“A bit?” she asked.
He grinned. “All right, a lot.”
Turning her gently, he lifted her onto the counter. “You warm enough, baby girl?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” she whispered.
He filled the sink with water and grabbed some soap and a cloth. Then with sure hands, he drew off the
T-shirt. The sight of her body nearly made him stop breathing.
After spending a minute or two staring, he finally realized how stiff she was. Her hands were caught into fists by her side.
She was thin, yes. He could see every one of her ribs and her collar bones were pronounced and if he checked in the mirror, he was sure he’d see her spine. But that didn’t make her any less gorgeous to him.
Leaning in, he lightly kissed each nipple lightly.
“Aleki!”
He leaned back. “Fucking beautiful.”
Tears filled her eyes and he leaned in to kiss her forehead. “That wasn’t meant to make you cry.”
“Sorry, like I said, I haven’t felt beautiful in a long time.”
“Well, when you’re not feeling that way, just look to me and you’ll see just how gorgeous I think you are.”
She nodded and he wrung out the rag and started washing her. He didn’t linger in any one place, much as he wanted to.
“I really need a shower,” she muttered.
“When we get back to our house, I’ll run you a bath.”
“Are you sure you won’t be in trouble for bringing me with you?”
“Course not, baby doll. There was never any chance of us leaving you, but even if we had and the princes found out, they’d likely kick our asses. Well, they’d try to.” He grinned. “This ass ain’t so easily kicked.”
She grinned. “Did you just call yourself an ass?”
He sighed and winked as she giggled.
“I’ve missed the sound of that.”
“What?” she asked.
“Your laugh. Sweetest thing I ever did hear.”
“I missed the sound of yours too. So big and booming, sometimes it felt like it rattled my bones, but I always knew that no matter how bad things were, you’d cheer me up.”
“And I always will,” he told her.
She let out a shuddering breath as he reached her panties. Her nipples were calling to him, begging him to touch them again.
But right now, she needed care. And he wasn’t going to mess up again. Not when the stakes were so high. He breathed through the knot in his stomach.
Don’t think about that right now. Maybe he didn’t deserve her. But she needed him.
He’d get over this feeling of failing her. He just needed some time. He lifted her with one arm and pulled her panties down with the other. That’s how light she was. It wasn’t any harder than helping a small child undress.
Ruled by her Daddies Page 16