attention, and she quickly scampered away. I released a breath of relief and turned
around the tree to see her usher a stray kit back inside her burrow. Hopefully, now
that she had my scent, she wouldn’t see me as much of a threat anymore.
Reaching up to flick my stray hair back, I suddenly noticed it lacked a certain
weight. My stomach immediately twisted in knots as I realized I’d left Darren’s
watch by the tree in the clearing … and I had no idea what time it was. Jumping up,
I dashed through the trees as fast as I could until I finally came to the clearing and
saw the shiny silver Rolex dead ahead. My heart pumping like crazy, I snatched up
the hunk of metal and looked for the time. 1:28 p.m.
“Shit!”
Wrapping my hand around the metal band, I raced through the clearing and back
into the trees. I was at least ten minutes away from the house, but if I ran fast
enough, I might just make it in time. I worked my legs like pistons, pushing them
as quickly as they could, jumping over stray branches and hoping like fuck I didn’t
tear my clothes in my haste.
Glancing down at the watch, I had about five seconds left before that timer
would go off, and I’d be fucked. I pushed harder, leaping my way over the stream as
I passed the hammock, finally back on the trail. The entrance was about a hundred
yards away when the timer went off, announcing the shit day I was going to endure
for the rest of the afternoon.
On a growl, I kicked it up one final notch and blasted my way through the trail
and finally shot of the woods. As soon as I hit the grass, my eyes landed on the
estate to find Clive and Owen standing on the edge of the patio. Owen lifted his
watch to his mouth before the two of them descended down the slope of the grassy
hill, heading for me.
I rolled my eyes and slumped to the ground as I fought to catch my breath and
calm my heartbeat. I felt like I was going to pass out from the terror and exertion.
Bad combination.
When the two of them finally reached me, they looked down with disappointed
smirks and shook their heads.
“You’re late, Miss Jaden,” Clive said, amused.
I looked at the watch still clutched in my hand.
“By three minutes,” I huffed between breaths.
“Three seconds or three minutes makes no difference to Mr. Davis,” Owen
added.
Right. I’d forgotten about his severe detest for tardiness.
“You guys gonna spank me now? Or do I have to face the corner until he gets
home?”
They repressed their sighs through their noses and reached down to haul me to
my feet.
“Let’s go, Miss Jaden,” Clive said, escorting me back to the house while Owen
grasped my other arm.
“You can let go now. I’ll be a good girl,” I growled at them, yanking my arms free
of their grasp. They let go without issue.
I was shunned to my room for the rest of the day, which was fine since I was
about ready for a nap anyway.
When it was time for dinner, I was escorted down to the dining room and waited
for Darren to arrive, which he did after about five minutes.
He kissed my temple when he arrived, and I couldn’t help but clench my jaw in
fear. “How was your day?” he asked as he sat down.
“Good,” I replied, making an effort at some pleasant conversation, hoping he
would ignore the giant pink elephant I knew he was waiting to address. “Yours?”
“Successful,” he said happily as he placed his folded hands on the table, leaning
toward me. I nodded and turned my eyes toward the window. I heard him take a
breath. “I understand you were late coming back from the woods today.”
I scoffed. “Did my tattletales tell you that?”
Darren’s eyes darkened. “They didn’t need to. Your cuffs have been modified to
register your heart rate, body temperature, exercise and sleep patterns. Your heart
rate spiked at 1:25 p.m. and then again three minutes later.”
I sighed, annoyed at his obsessive stalker tendencies, and placed my face in my
hands. “I accidentally left your bowling ball of a watch by a tree while I practiced
some yoga. Afterward, I went for a walk, and several minutes later, I suddenly
realized a ten-pound weight was missing from my wrist, then immediately ran
back to retrieve it and found out it was 1:28 p.m. I ran back as fast as I could. I’m
sorry; please don’t be mad at me.”
He sighed, just as annoyed as I was, and slid his chair back. “Come here.”
I groaned, wincing back my irritation. I’d known this was going to happen. On a
deep breath, I stood from my chair and took the
