Page 54 of Savage Escape

“My right fuckin’ ass cheekyoucook.”

Well, anyone that hit six foot and beyond made giant status in Caden’s eyes. Why did anyone need to be that tall? What was the point? It had to be a southern breeding thing.

“You’re safe here, Caden,” Reid muttered in her ear. His thumb was on her pulse and his eyes were on her strategically placed good arm.

First, Caden schooled her expression and carefully moved her arm out of his reach. She didn’t need anyone, especially someone she didn’t know, reading her that easily. She’d learned a time too many that blind trust was something only idiots and victims gave. Reid didn’t take offense. He only moved on to the next battered part of her with the same scary single-minded resolve he seemed to do everything with.

“I can cook. You just can’t eat it.”

Someone laughed. Probably the smiley one. The room was full now. All seven brothers were in attendance. One was scowling. Another was glaring. The smiley one was smiling. Another one, the one with the scarred-up face, was stoic and staring at her. Nathan was staring at her knees again.

“Not if you don’t want to get food poisoning. Jesus, my stomach was fucked up for days.”

Caden wanted to grip his collar and drag him out the open window with her. Everything in her was screaming to bolt. They were all too big, too threatening, and she was too weak. Shecouldn’t fight off a cadaver in her current state, let alone six healthy, possibly hostile, combatants.

“Fuck you; Nate’s the one who starts fires if he even walks into a kitchen. At least I’m not that level of incompetent.”

They were his family, she reminded herself again. They weren’t going to attack.

“That was one time.Twoat most.” Nathan was all indignant. He glanced sideways at her, his neck and ears pink. Christ, she wanted to rip off his clothes.

“No, actually, it was more like seven.”

They were his family, not her family. Which meant only that they wouldn’t attack him. She was free game.

“You still owe me a new microwave.”

There was a groan. The scarred one kept looking at her. The olive-skinned one shifted closer. Someone else giggled.

“Aww, look at that. You’re embarrassing the wee lamb.”

At the very least, the one she’d beaten in Russia would want some kind of revenge. Nathan stiffened beside her and started throwing glares around the room. Caden watched his jaw tense and his eyebrows furrow.

“Then we definitely shouldn’t mention the adult diapers.”

Nathan turned a slightly brighter shade of pink and someone giggled. Finally, after an annoyingly thorough examination of her cuts, Reid quit his hovering and pushed through the throng of males to get to the other side of the bed where his tools were. Someone shifted closer again and the hair on her neck stood on end.

“Oh, thanks ass-wipes, but she already knows and loves me all the more for it.” Nathan attempted to put an arm around her but quit mid-movement when he discovered his injured arm wouldn’t cooperate.

“I do?” How very presumptuous of him. Not wrong, but still presumptuous. Someone laughed outright, and Nathan started smirking.

“Yes, you do. Remember the part in the cell when you said.” He straightened his posture and, in the highest falsetto he could manage, started lying through his teeth. “Oh Nate, pissing your pants in public wasn’t your fault—you heroic, lone wolf, bit of tasty man flesh. If anything, it makes youmoreattractive.”

She couldn’t keep herself from grinning when he coughed and eyed her like it would be madness to debate him on that solid bit of evidence he’d just pulled out of his ass. Someone was snorting. Someone else was chuckling.

“Oh yeah.” Caden rolled her eyes and successfully restrained the ridiculous giggles trying to burst out of her. “I forgot.”

“Nate, you’re supposed to change your voice when you’re doing an impression of someone else. Otherwise, we all get confused.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He turned to stare down his brothers. “Now, if you would all fuck off, that would be great.”

“Nathan Albert Savage!” Someone was all pretend outrage and gasps. “Language! What would Mom say?”

Albert? Why did that little revelation make her want him even more? There was something wrong with her.

“Since Nate here seems to have forgotten his manners, I’ll help ya out.” The scarred one was suddenly in front of her.

Oh yeah, there were other people. Other dangers still in the room. There were threats she had yet to contend with and here she was mooning all over that bit of tasty man flesh.

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