do for the fifth time.
When he was done, he took the tray he’d prepared out to the front porch where the grill was.
“Your friend is a really nice guy.” Ana opened the fridge and pulled out a head of lettuce, two tomatoes, four cucumbers, and a red onion. “I would have lost patience by now.”
Leon opened the pantry and took out a bag of potatoes. “I think she’s scared of it,” he whispered. “That’s why she doesn’t get it.”
Ana lifted a brow. “Scared of information?”
“Yeah. She has like twenty years of catching up to do. Finding out all the things she’s missed out on must be overwhelming.”
“We had some newspapers and magazines in Safe Haven. We weren’t completely isolated.”
Leon looked surprised. “So if Emmett allowed that, why not allow access to the internet and television?”
“Because those are time wasters, especially social media, and he wanted us to be productive. Before joining Safe Haven, I used to waste hours on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, you name it. I would start with something that interested me, and then I was offered something related, and before I knew it, two hours had gone by, and I hadn’t done my homework for the day yet.”
Smirking, he leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “That’s because you lack discipline. You need someone to keep you in line.”
As memories of last night rushed in, heat washed over her cheeks. “And you appointed yourself to be that someone?” Ana turned her back to the counter so Margaret couldn’t see her from the couch.
“It’s a tough job, but I’m looking forward to years of doing it.” He winked.
She didn’t know whether what he’d said was sweet or naughty, but she could think of no smart-ass comeback. “Save if for later, lover boy. You have potatoes to peel.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Outside the bedroom, her guy was so easygoing and accommodating that she would have thought that he was a pushover. His bossy attitude in bed, though, proved that he was anything but.
Last night, her plans for taking the blindfold off and catching him unguarded had been foiled because he had tied her hands behind her back. Hopefully, tonight she’d have better luck.
Did it mean that she shouldn’t bring up his odd reaction to Margaret’s comment about children?
She could wait with that for tomorrow, but finding out whether he had kids he hadn’t told her about was more important than watching his face when he climaxed, or even finding out what he did to her that felt like a bite but left no marks.
“After lunch, would you like to go on a hike with me?”
“I’d love to.” Leon paused his peeling. “But are you okay with leaving Margaret alone?”
“She’s not alone. She has Bowen.”
“What if she needs to go to the bathroom?”
“I’ll take her to pee before we leave. She should be fine for a couple of hours.”
“Then it’s a date.”
20
Arwel
“Ready?” Arwel glanced at Alfie before punching in the numbers on the keypad to open Emmett’s cell.
The Guardian pulled out the gun that had been tucked into the back of his pants. “Do we really need this? He can’t take on both of us, no matter how strong Eleanor claims he is. She’s a female. Of course, he’s stronger than her.”
“I’m not taking any chances. Just look menacing and point the gun at his head.”
“I can do that.”
Doubtful. Alfie was a good-natured guy, and he couldn’t pull off menacing if his life depended on it. But he was a good Guardian, and his aim was perfect.
As the door swung open, Arwel didn’t enter right away. Instead, he made sure that Emmett was following his instructions and was sitting on the couch with his hands tucked under his ass.
The guy glared at him. “Did you bring me anything I can actually eat this time?”
Arwel motioned for Mason to step in with the tray. “As per your request, this is pure carnivore fare. Six burger patties medium rare and a bottle of water.”
The sandwiches he’d brought him before had remained wrapped, and the only thing the guy had consumed other than water had been a cup of coffee.
“Thank you.” Emmett eyed the tray hungrily. “Can you leave now so I can eat? I’m starved.”
If not for the dark circles under the guy’s eyes, Arwel would have thought that it was an exaggeration. Then again, Emmett hadn’t eaten anything yesterday or this morning, claiming that his stomach couldn’t tolerate carbs.
“In a moment. When you are done eating, I’ll come back, put chains on you, and