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“ C ome on, we’re going.”

“Going?” Maggie glanced up at Jack in confusion. “Going where?”

Uncle Willy had been in the hospital for two days. Thankfully, he was doing a lot better. Jameson thought he might be able to go home tomorrow. He’d only kept him in the hospital for this long because of his age and the fact that his blood pressure had been a bit high.

She still couldn’t believe that Jameson stayed the other night with her. It had been so sweet and kind of him.

“Out for a while.”

“No. I can’t go out.” She shook her head.

“You haven’t left the hospital since your uncle was brought in,” Jack told her. “You need to get out for a while.”

“That’s not healthy, dear,” Uncle Willy said. “You need to go out. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? You don’t look so well.”

Great. Everyone was a critic. Did she really look that bad?

“I’m fine.”

“She’s always been stubborn,” he said to Jack. “Even as a child. She needs a strong man who won’t listen to her when she’s bent on taking on everything herself.”

“I don’t do that!”

Both men shot her looks.

“I don’t!”

“She’s always done it. Always took everything on as her fault. Her responsibility. She doesn’t know how to let someone else take care of her. At first, I thought the big, grumpy one would be the best fit. He looks like he wouldn’t put up with her running herself ragged. But you . . . you might work better. She needs someone fully on her side, you know.”

“Uncle Willy! What are you trying to do to me?” she asked.

He was in matchmaker mode again and it was so embarrassing.

“I’m trying to find someone to take care of you, dear.”

“I can take care of myself.”

Again, both men just stared at her in disbelief.

“Go with your young lad, dear. I’m going to have a nap.”

Her young lad? As much as it amused her to hear Jack called a young lad, he wasn’t her anything.

Yeah. Like you wouldn’t kill to have him as yours.

“Hux will sit in the room if you want,” Jack reassured her. “But you’re coming out for fresh air. I have a surprise for you.”

“I don’t think I like surprises.”

“You might like this one.” He gave her a sad look. “I went to a lot of trouble and you do owe me a date.”

“She hasn’t been on a date in a long time,” Uncle Willy said unhelpfully.

She turned to glare at her uncle. “I think I liked it better when you were unconscious.”

She immediately felt terrible. But her uncle just laughed.

“I think I get my sense of humor from you,” she told him.

“You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t say it was a good thing.”

“Shoo, child. I need to sleep and you’re distracting.”

Standing, she leaned over him, kissing his cheek. “I love you. I’m glad you’re all right.”

“I love you too, my dear.”

Finally, she pulled back and turned to Jack. “I’ll just get ready.”

“No need. You look great as you are.” He grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the door.

“Wait, I need my handbag.”

“No, you don’t.”

“What? Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t.” He kept tugging her.

“At least let me get my phone.”

“If anyone needs you, they can call me.” He had the door open by now and was dragging her through.

Okay, she didn’t put up too much of a fight.

Hux grinned at her as Jack led her past him. Looked like she was going out. For a surprise!

“This better be a good surprise,” she muttered.

Jack shot her a look. “If you don’t like it, we can do something else.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. “Sorry, I’m being a lizardbutt.” What a bitch. Here he was trying to do something nice and all she could do was complain. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s just . . . most surprises in my life have been bad. And I just . . . I don’t think I have the energy to go anywhere. I’m just . . . I’m really tired, Jack.”

Suddenly, he opened a door and drew her into a small storage room.

“What is this? What’s happening?” She glanced around at the shelves of cleaning supplies. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be in here.”

“It’s fine.”

She shook her head. “What if someone finds us?”

“Then they find us. What do you think they’re going to do?”

“I don’t know . . . call security? The police? There was probably some rule in that document that Ian tested me on about sneaking into supply closets.”

He sat on a small wooden crate and drew her onto his lap.

“Um, Jack. What are you doing? Why are we in here?”

“We’re having a time-out.”

She stiffened. Had Ian told him that she was a Little? Was he making fun of her?

“A time-out?”

“Yep. You’re over-stimulated. You need a break.”

She wasn’t over-stimulated, was she? Did she get that way? Then again . . . she had been annoyed by the lights, and all the people, the noise.

Maybe she had been.

“I thought time-outs were just for when you’re naughty,” she whispered.

“Nope. Time-outs are also for when everything gets too much and you need some time to just be. Without worrying or thinking.”

“I don’t think I know how to do that. Right now, I’m worrying that the crate might break. That I’m too heavy for you. That Uncle Willy might need me and I won’t be there.”

“Okay. You need to take a few deep breaths for me.” His hand went to the back of her neck. The hold was possessive. Dominant. Maybe it should have frightened her or made her wary.

But instead, her stupid body just melted.

“That’s it. Deep breath in. Then out.”

She followed his directions.

“I have no idea what’s wrong with me,” she admitted. “I don’t usually worry this much. It feels . . . I don’t feel like I’m coping very well.”

“Because you’re exhausted and you’re taking too much on. You have to lean on us.”

“But you’re just my guards.”

“Is that all I am? A bodyguard?”

She felt his breath against her ear and shivered with pleasure.

“I don’t . . . I mean, are we friends?” she asked.

“Just friends?”

Sheepsbollocks. Her mouth went dry as he turned her head so it was tilted up toward him. Then his lips lightly touched hers.

A groan escaped her. As her lips parted, he slid his tongue inside. His kiss was different from Ian’s. Ian was more demanding. He took control right away. Yet, Jack seemed to cajole. To dance and play.

But there was still no doubt in her mind of who was in charge.

“We . . . I . . . what just happened?” She placed her fingers over her lips.

“We kissed.”

“But I . . . bollocks. I kissed Ian.”

She braced herself for his response.

“I know.” Satisfaction filled his voice. “And now you’ve kissed me as well.”

Was it some sort of game? Ian kissed her so now he had to? She wasn’t some damn prize.

Although she guessed he probably knew that after being around her so much these last few days.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I met you.”

Shock filled her. Maybe it wasn’t some stupid game.

“You have?”

“Yes. And you’re even more delicious than I thought you would be.”

Yikes. She was?

She couldn’t help but be pleased. Who didn’t want to hear that they were delicious?

What did it all mean, though? Did they both want her? Were they attracted to her? Would Ian be upset that Jack kissed her? But he’d explained that they planned to share a woman.

That woman could be you . . .

Whoa. No. She couldn’t go thinking like that. A kiss didn’t really mean anything other than a bit of attraction.

Although she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from thinking about what it would be like to be theirs . . .

“What now?” she asked.

“Now, we’re going to have a few hours of fun. Without worrying.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You can.”

“Are you always this confident?” she asked.

“Yep. Do you find it a turn-on?” he whispered.

Jesus.

Yes. She found everything about him a turn-on.

However, she wouldn’t be telling him that. Jack had enough of an ego as it was.

“Are you feeling better now? Less overwhelmed?”

“Yes, thank you. How did you know?”

“Sometimes things got too much for Ma. It was all too overwhelming for her. She’d just want to lie down in a dark room with no noise and rest. I thought this might work. Anytime you need a time-out, you come to me. I’ll help you.”

For as long as she was here, he meant.

But yeah . . . she just might do that.

“Are you ready now?” he asked.

Despite her fatigue, she nodded. “Yes.”

“Are you sure? We can find a spare room with a bed and just nap.”

That actually sounded good too. “I can’t nap in the day. I can only sleep at night.”

“Hmm. I have ways of getting you to nap.”

He did? Did she want to know what those were?

Kind of.

But maybe she wasn’t quite ready for that.