Read Royce for Free Online Page A

honey? Your cheeks are red. Are you in pain?” Leah had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing when Kasey turned as best she could away from the man on the other side of her bed.
    “No, I’m not taking any more pain crap. All it does is make me sleepy and I can’t do anything while I’m asleep.”
    “That’s the plan, you know,” Royce said. “When you’re asleep, you can’t hurt yourself and your body has a chance to rest. It’s called cause and effect. You should try and practice that a bit more. You might learn something. Take the damn drugs and get better.”
    The only reaction Kasey had was to stiffen, but she didn’t answer him. Instead, she continued to look at Leah. Kasey smiled tightly. “I’ve been making arrangements with Uncle Jay. He said that I could move in with him as soon as I can get there. Aunt Suzy will be thrilled. And he said that he’d hook up the Internet if I still needed him to. It’ll help me—”
    “You are not going anywhere until I say so,” Royce cut her off. “I know for a fact that the doctor said you’d be here for another week or more until you could even begin to think about moving about. And if—”
    Kasey turned on him immediately. “Listen to me speak, you overbearing, pigheaded asshole. I do not work for you. You are not my boss. I don’t even know…what are you doing here? Get out. Shoo.”
    “No.” Royce turned to look at Leah. She could see the strain on his face and, for whatever reason, she thought it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen. “Could you give us a few minutes? I’d like a few words with your daughter.”
    “You’re not tossing my mother out. I want you to get out. I don’t even like you. You are the most stubborn, egoistical dickweed that —”
    Leah didn’t know what she expected, but she certainly didn’t expect him to lean down and kiss Kasey. Smack her, yes, maybe even flip her over and beat her bottom, but not kiss her. Leah stood up and left the room when she heard her daughter moan. There were some things a mother just didn’t want to know.
    Out in the hall Leah leaned against the wall and waited for the elevator, smiling. She knew then that Kasey had met her match and couldn’t be happier for either of them. She just hoped that she’d be around to... A slight dizziness came over her and she had to hold on to the railing before she fell. But it left as suddenly as it had come over her. Weakly, she moved toward the elevator and stepped inside of the opening.
    Time was running out. She knew this as well as she knew that she her daughter was going to be as happy as she ever hoped for her to be. Leah pushed the button to take her to the ground floor and held onto the railing again. Soon, too soon, she’d be gone and she was happy that her little girl would have someone to hold her when this was over. Leah knew her daughter wouldn’t be happy with her if she knew what she was thinking, but there were some things a mother did want to know. And Leah wanted to know that her only child would have someone to care for her, to hold her when she was no longer able to do it.

 
    Chapter 5
     
    Royce pulled back from her mouth regretfully. He couldn’t help but take another taste before he stood back. Then he nearly took another taste when she moaned again. Christ, the woman tasted like sex and heat all rolled into one. He watched her expression change from dreamy to pissed in a few seconds. Damn, she was amazing, and he found himself wanting to see her going from pissed to dreamy this time. He watched her face and knew the exact moment when she was herself again.
    “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just kiss me like that. I told you before to get out of here and don’t come back.”
    He grinned at her. “You behave or I won’t kiss you again. Now, we have some things to discuss. It’s about your position in my company.” Her sputtering nearly had him laugh, but he wasn’t that stupid.
    “Kiss me ag—are you