Page 69

At his words, Chandler let out another loud groan. “I gotta be honest, I’m gettin’ pretty sick of this shit.”

“I feel ya there, bro.”

As soon as he was done speaking, he heard the sound of the door opening. Without a word to Chandler, he left the room.

Sure enough, Chyanne was walking in and when she saw him, she gave him a sheepish smile.

If his heart hadn’t been jump-started first thing in the morning by realizing she was gone, he might have been moved by it. As it was, all he could do was scowl. “Where were you?”

“Sorry, Master Aaron. I know I shouldn’t have left without telling someone. You and Daddy were both asleep, and I didn’t want to bother you.”

It was hard to stay angry in the face of such a humble apology. “Where did you go?” Before she could answer, he heard Chandler come up behind him.

“Chyanne? You okay, darlin’? You’re shivering.”

Aaron looked closer and realized that he was right. He closed the distance between them in two long strides and took hold of her. Sure enough, she was shivering beneath the robe she wore. “You’re soaked!”

She smiled, and this close, he could hear her teeth chatter. “Y-yes, Master.”

“You know, if getting in trouble was a sport, you’d take the gold.”

“C-could w-we look into t-that? I’m al-al-ways looking f-for new hobbies.”

He delivered a single hard smack to the back of her robe. “Stop being smart. Looks like your daddy already left to draw you a bath. Head on in, andtrynot to get into more trouble on your way.”

She grinned, unusually chipper for the circumstances. “You know I can’t m-make that pr-promise.” And then, before he could spank her again, she dashed off in the direction of the bathroom, giggling all the way.

* * *

Chyanne

This is the life, she thought as she gazed at the ceiling. She was surrounded by a pile of fluffy, shiny bubbles and a delicious smell enveloped the small room. She had stopped shivering a while ago and was now just enjoying herself.

I’m definitely starting to see the perks of having a daddy.She hummed to herself and ran her hand down her arm, popping bubbles as she went.Too bad that won’t last much longer. But I can enjoy it while it does, can’t I?

Somewhere between the giggles and the water fight that had erupted once she’d dove into the lazy river, she’d acknowledged to herself that this was coming to an end. All of it—the friendships, the job, and her two men. Before she knew it, it would be time to pack up and go back home.

It was a silly dream, thinking I could stay here. What do they need me for? They don’t—not Nate, and definitely not Aaron and Chandler.

The thought made tears rise, unbidden, to her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away and ignored the knots in her belly. She was a realist. This job had always been meant to be temporary, and so what if she’d fallen for two of the men that worked here? That was on her.

Stop it. Stop thinking about it. Just… enjoy it while it lasts. Justbe.

It wasn’t the norm for her. Chyanne was a self-sabotager by nature. But this time, she really, really wanted it to be different.

Right at that moment, the door opened a crack and Chandler poked his head in. He smiled warmly at the sight of her, and her tummy did a backflip. “Hey, princess. You ready for your bath?”

She lifted her leg, pointing her toe toward him. “Aren’t I already having it?” she giggled.

He chuckled, too. “Sorta. You’reinthe bath, but you haven’t been bathed, have you?”

She shook her head.

“Mind if I help?”

She smiled softly, happy to see him, and even happier to have him spend some time with her. “Please, sir.”

Chandler came inside and closed the door behind him. In no time he was taking a seat on the toilet lid and lathering up a loofah with wonderful-smelling body wash. “Turn around, please.”