Page 72 of Royal Pain

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CHAPTER 19

Evangeline

“Let me go!” I yelped, still pummeling Gage’s back as we neared the house.

He remained quiet, so much so I could tell just how angry he was. Okay, so what I’d done hadn’t been the brightest thing ever, but my instincts had taken over.

And my love of animals.

Huffing, he charged into the front door, slamming it behind him, turning off the light and powering up the system. Without any hesitation, he took the stairs two at a time. When we were inside his bedroom, he gently eased me to my feet and flicked on a lamp on his dresser.

With his hands on his hips, he started pacing back and forth like a snorting bull in a china shop. I knew he was talking to himself, but I couldn’t understand a word. I assumed he was trying to calm down, his rage more intense than I’d seen up to this point.

It was about two full minutes before he stopped, spinning to face me like a drill sergeant. He clasped his hands on either side of his face, blowing into them. That lasted for at least another full minute. At least when he spoke, he was very quiet, so much so I had to strain to hear him.

“You worried the fuck out of me. Do you know what could have happened?”

“But it didn’t.”

He threw up his finger so fast I thought my head would spin.

“Do not do that. You will listen to me as I lecture you because at some point, you lost your brain and your common sense.”

The fact the man was insulting me didn’t bode well. But… He was right. Of course he was.

After taking another deep breath, he spoke again. “Now, I won’t go into any gruesome detail about what might have occurred if the assholes were outside trying to trick you. A bear is bad enough. You do realize they aren’t little fuzzy creatures. Right?”

“Yeah, I know they aren’t. I really thought it was a dog.”

“We might need to get your eyes checked. Huge difference.”

“It was the damn camera. That’s it.”

“That’s why you ran? That’s why? That’s why you just had to venture downstairs?” He seemed so incredulous, as if getting water was the weirdest thing in the world.

I had to be honest with him. “No! It was the horrible dream.”

“Okay. What dream?”

“The night of the primal hunt. When Joseph brought me back to the house, telling me in no uncertain terms he would keep me prisoner and that he planned on making me pregnant, no matter what it took. And… the horrible things he did to me that night.” Now my voice was barely more than a whisper.

I could tell he was even more enraged than before. “I’m going to kill that bastard.”

“Hell, even I can say the piece of human trash isn’t worth it.”

“I will never let him touch you again.”

And I’ll be damned if I didn’t adore him for caring so much, for being so emotional.

He took another deep breath and laughed. “Let me make this very clear. That was stupid. Reckless. Dangerous. And I’m going to need to remind you that you just can’t do that. Ever. Do you understand?”

“Yes. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to spank you.”

I wanted to object, to even try to run, but I knew in the back of my mind I’d been so damn foolish. It couldn’t happen again. If I was captured, Gage and his brothers would have hell to pay to try to get me back. I had to be in the right frame of mind always so I could get my boy back. Period.

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