“Good enough idea as any. As long as you’re able to take care of Mirabelle.”
“We will,” Griffin nods. “Thanks, Roxie.”
“Bye, Roxie! See you later!” I say, leaning to the side past Ash’s large frame and waving.
She smiles at me, flashing me a quick wave before Griffin shuts the door.
“Here’s how things are gonna go,” Ash growls, taking a step closer to me and invading my personal space.
He’s so close that my hard nipples, barely hidden by the lace, brush up against his silly t-shirt every time I breathe.
He grips my chin and urges my gaze up to meet his.
“You listening to me, Shortcake?”
“What? Yeah, sorry,” I say, shaking my head.
He lets out a soft chuckle under his breath, leaning down and brushing his nose up the column of my neck.
“Rage’s got something for you. You’re gonna talk with him, and then you’re gonna come with me, and we’ll be the ones behind a locked bathroom door, got that?”
I swallow hard and nod like a bobble head.
“Yeah,” I breathe out.
“Good girl.”
My lower belly does a somersault, and my strawberry shortcake perfume sweetens in the air around us.
His hands rest on my shoulders before he spins me to face Rage, who’s perched on the edge of the bed, eyeing the two of us intensely.
“Hi,” I say, flashing him a smile despite my flushed cheeks.
Rage widens his legs and nods towards me. Like a moth to a flame, I walk towards him, standing between his massive thighs.
His intense gaze drops to his lap, and he shifts his weight nervously. It’s shocking, the way someone so massive and powerful can almost seem childlike in his mannerisms.
“You have something for me?” I prompt gently, reaching out and brushing my fingertips against his bare shoulder.
He nods and opens the palm of his hand, revealing a slightly crumpled, folded piece of paper.
“Oh?” I pick it up and unfold it, revealing a note.
Scrawled across a piece of lined paper is Rage’s handwriting.
Mirabelle
Thank you for talking to me.
You make me feel like I’m not a monster.
I’m yours.
Be mine. Please.
My free hand flies up to my mouth to stifle my gasp.
“You wrote this for me?” I whisper, my bottom lip trembling.
