Page 12 of Wanted 2

The thought that he’d visited my room pleased the dark, aroused side of me even as the rest of me got pissed—and a little scared. I couldn’t lose this job. Not now. I had a whole thing planned in my head, not expecting he'd beat me to the punch and ruin my lead in.

“Well?” he didn’t wait to prompt.

“My brother.” I jammed the mop back into the bucket so hard the water slopped on the floor. “He needs to stay here awhile. And before you toss me out, just think for a second, will you? How can I send him home to my father? You’ve seen what he's like. Jeremy’s weak enough as it is, don’t you think?”

The Count looked at me from under furrowed brows. Damn it. What a poker face. You’d think after our recent intimacy that I’d understand him even an inkling more, but I saw nothing in that face.

Then, he whirled and just left me there.

I dropped the mop and ran to my room. Arriving out of breath, I twisted the doorknob, only to hear the Count’s voice already from inside.

I shoved the door open so hard it bounced off the wall.

The Count sat on the edge of the bed, supporting Jeremy as he drank from a goblet. They both looked at me, surprised.

I just stared, mouth agape. How the hell had the Count gotten here so fast? He must have prepped the drink before he’d even asked me about Jeremy, but then…why had he even bothered to ask?

Jeremy grinned and waved for me to join them. "The Count is giving me his family recipe. Says it’ll help and it’s all natural.”

If it was the same mixture that he’d given to me, then I knew Jeremy would be healing fast. I walked to the bed and sat on the on the opposite side of the Count and brushed a lock of Jeremy’s hair out of his eyes. He needed a haircut.

When my brother finished the goblet, the Count gently eased him back on the pillow. "You'll sleep deeply and wake up feeling refreshed, Jeremy," he assured.

With the way Jeremy’s eyes drooped, I doubt he even heard. I knew he’d be asleep in minutes.

As the Count took his goblet and walked out of the room silently, I followed at his heels.

Out in the hall, I grabbed his arm. "Thank you," I said, nodding my head at the bedroom door. "He hasn't seen a lot of kindness in his life."

"He is a special boy," the Count murmured, and when he looked down at me, I saw the empathy behind his expression. Then, he added, "But he cannot stay here."

Even though I knew I didn’t have the right to complain—rules and all—I opened my mouth to protest.

The Count raised a hand to silence me. "My life… this house… isn't suited for children."

I snorted at that. "You think my house is? At least here, he won’t get beaten up. He'll have food. He'll have love." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "He'll have me.”

The Count said nothing. He just towered over me, his face a mask once more.

I didn’t let that stop me. “The thing is, I can't live here if I can’t keep Jeremy with me. I could still work for you. Do all the things you need me to. But I need to take care of my brother, and that means I need access to my phone at all times. He was stuck in the nurse's station for hours because they couldn't reach me. I can't do this to him. Not after everything he's been through."

By the end of my passionate speech, I was standing on the tip of my toes, hands clenched into fist. Yes, I risked everything by trying to change the rules, but did I have a choice? I could only hope the Count had a heart somewhere in that broad, chiseled chest—despite the fact I hadn’t heard it beat.

"You would give up this job to be with him?" The Count raised a dark brow.

My heart sank at the question’s direction, but in this, I had no problem telling the truth. “Yes.”

"He’s lucky to have you."

A tear escaped down my cheek.

The Count frowned and wiped the pad of his thumb across my skin to catch it. “Then you wish to renegotiate the terms of your employment?"

Thatdidn’t sound like a fully closed door. “Yeah. I guess I do," I said.

"And what do you propose?"

My mind raced to come up with an answer I could live with. "Let us both stay here, with full access to our phones and computers. We can share my room if you don't want to give up a guest room.” I could live with that. Easy. But as for his side of the deal, I had only one card. “You can dock my pay to compensate.”