Seduced By A Steele (Forged of Steele #12) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,46
beside her. “I’m sure you know by now that my family likes you, and we are here for you, no matter what.”
Mercury could tell his words touched her and she was about to get emotional. He wasn’t used to emotional women. For a moment he felt out of his element. Then he recalled Eli saying that he’d learned that emotional women liked to be held, when his wife, Stacey, was very emotional while pregnant. Hell, Mercury didn’t hold women; he bedded them and then moved on to the next. If he showed too much empathy, they might get clingy. A clingy woman was nothing but trouble.
But for some reason, he felt compelled to give Sloan a little more consideration than he gave to most. Probably surprising her just as much as he was surprising himself, he reached over and swooped her into his arms and placed her in his lap. Then he wrapped his arms securely around her.
When she tilted her head back to look up at him, he said, “I figured everyone needs a little cuddling every once in a while, and I would be the first to admit that the last two days have been pretty damn hellish for you.”
“Will they get better, Mercury?”
He released a soft chuckle that was meant to charm her. He wasn’t sure why, when he wasn’t a charmer like Gannon. “We’re going to hope, okay?”
“Okay.” And then she placed her head against his chest.
Why it was important to him that she felt safe and secure, he wasn’t sure, but it was. For a long moment neither said anything. Then he asked her the one question that was still on his mind. “Sloan?”
“Yes?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you speak Russian?”
She glanced up at him, her brow furrowing. “I speak seven different languages.”
“Seven?”
“Yes. Besides English, I speak French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian and Swahili. I assumed you knew, since the job I’m interviewing for is interpreter for the Miss Universe pageant.”
Mercury was surprised. “An interpreter for Miss Universe?”
“Yes. What sort of job did you think it was?”
He shrugged. He certainly hadn’t thought it would be that. “A traveling companion since Ms. Fowler likes to travel a lot. Mom had mentioned months ago she would be looking for one.”
Sloan chuckled. “A traveling companion? I doubt a salary doing that will pay my bills, Mercury.”
He’d figured that much, as well. “That job as an interpreter sounds interesting,” he said.
She smiled. “I think so, too. I’m excited about the prospect of doing something like that.”
She glanced at her watch. “I need to talk to your family. I hope they haven’t left yet.”
He doubted they had. His brothers and sisters-in-law would want to make sure she was okay before they left. “You don’t have to talk to them.”
“I want to. I know what you’re saying about my father’s scare tactics, but your brothers need to be told, as well. Harold is right—my father will try coming after anyone who befriends me.”
He stood and placed her on her feet. She tilted her head back to look up at him.
“So, you and your brothers speak Russian, too?” she asked.
“Yes,” Mercury said, grinning. “Besides English, we speak Russian, Spanish, German and French.”
She nodded. “That’s good to know.”
They headed for the door, Mercury taking her hand in his. “Yes, that’s good to know,” he agreed.
Hours later, long after his mother and Sloan had gone to bed and his sisters-in-law and niece and nephews had left to go home, Mercury, his brothers and father were still in his father’s man cave. Sloan had apologized to everyone for Harold’s unexpected arrival, and like he’d known they would, his family had basically assured her that Harold’s surprise appearance hadn’t bothered them. She’d also told them about what a tyrant her father could be and that he had no qualms about going after anyone who would help her defy him. They’d pretty much told her to let him try.