Bedmates Soulmates novel Chapter 34

What Did You Call Me? 

Conner’s heart skipped a beat. 

He leapt to his feet and stood at attention even though he knew Austyn couldn’t see him. 

Something bad must have happened. 

‘Mr McCarthy,‘ he said carefully, ‘could there have been a misunderstanding? May I know what this is about?‘ 

‘So Morton hasn’t called you,‘ Austyn said. 

Shit, what did his knucklehead cousin do this time? 

Conner started sweating. ‘Mr McCarthy- 

‘I want him gone from Stamford by sunrise tomorrow,‘ Austyn cut him off. ‘You have one chance to handle it yourself. If you fail to deliver, be prepared to share his fate.‘ 

He hung up and got back into the car. 

He undid his tie, tossed it onto the dashboard, and cast an exasperated look at Kira, sleeping like a baby in the passenger seat. 

Aren’t you just full of surprises,‘ he hissed. 

He never would have pegged his meek, innocent–as–a–lamb young wife as a booze hound. 

Just how many more secret sides did she have? 

Austyn started the car and soon accelerated. 

The Hummer turned onto a highway and zoomed past traffic signs. 

Kira squirmed in the seat, her face growing paler. 

She knitted her brows and mumbled something inaudible. 

It served her right, thought Austyn, as he stepped on the gas. 

She had to learn her lesson. 

What if he hadn’t shown up in time? 

Would she have gone home with that beady–eyed, fat–assed creep? 

Thinking of this, Austyn sped up again. 

He made the half–hour drive home in eighteen minutes. 

As soon as he stopped the car, Kira unbuckled her seatbelt, shoved open the door, jumped off her seat, sprinted to the nearest bush, and threw up. 

Austyn shut off the engine, got out of the car, strolled over to the other side and leaned against the door with his arms crossed. 

He watched Kira’s back trembling with the effort of puking her guts out. 

When she stopped gagging, he said in a cold voice, ‘Are you done?‘ 

Kira sat down on her haunches. 

A full minute later, she managed to locate the source of the sound. 

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What that you all M 

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She struggled to stand up. 

Failing that, she scooted on her butt and turned around. 

She looked up at Austyn, blinking those big, round, anime–girl eyes. 

‘What did I do wrong?‘ those eyes seemed to say. 

It reminded Austyn of his fluffy white–and–grey Dutch bunny again. 

Same open face. 

Same quileless look. 

The look that could get her out of any trouble. 

‘Damn it!‘ Austyn cursed under his breath. 

Why couldn’t he resist those damn eyes? 

He covered the distance between them with one stride and pulled her up by her wrist. 

She staggered to her feet before falling into his arms. 

Kira gave her husband a koala–style hug and pressed every inch of her body to his. 

Austyn made a half–hearted attempt to push her away 

She mewled and burrowed deeper into his arms. 

Austyn swept a strand of stray hair out of her face. 

Some colour had returned to her cheeks. 

Her eyes were closed, her long lashes brushing against his chest. 

Like a kitten who’d found its favourite box, Kira purred and rubbed her cheek against him before settling down for a long and deeply satisfying nap. 

*** 

Elsie had just come out of the kitchen when she spotted her young master walking through the front door 

with Kira in his arms. 

She quickly approached them and soon detected the yeasty smell of beer. 

‘Young Madam, have you been drinking?‘ 

She had never seen Kira in such a state before. 

‘Hmph!‘ Austyn snorted. ‘She can’t hear you. Your Young Madam is getting into the YOLO lifestyle big time, living it up at a fancy club and guzzling alcohol like there’s no tomorrow.‘ 

He didn’t see how much Kira had imbibed, but given she couldn’t walk in a straight line, her blood alcohol content had to be off the charts. 

If only he had a breathalyser lying around the house… 

Elsie tried to defend her young mistress. ‘Maybe something was bothering her. You know, a lot of people drink to get their mind off things.‘ 

‘If she wanted to drink her troubles away,‘ Austyn thought, ‘she could’ve done so at home. Didn’t she know there’s a wine cellar in the basement? Why must she go to a bar? Does she have any idea how many creeps are out there, prowling the streets for vulnerable women to prey on?‘ 

What Did You Call Me? 

374 

If he hadn’t gotten there in time, what would have happened to her? 

Austyn stopped himself before he got worked up again, 

‘I’ll take her upstairs. Good night.‘ 

‘Good night, Young Master. Good night, Young Madam. 

Austyn carried Kira up the stairs with ease. 

He headed straight for the bathroom, deposited her into the bathtub, and turned on the tap. 

Three minutes later, Kira was half submerged in water 

She was sitting up in the tub with her head against the rim. 

Her white cotton t–shirt had turned translucent. 

He could see the black outline of her bra underneath. 

Austyn recognised the bra. 

It had a clasp in the front. 

It was a plain cotton affair, with a bit of purple lace trim on the back. 

She wore it that night in the study.