It wasn’t until he was outside that he dropped his head and groaned. What the fuck was he thinking? Seriously? He’d just threatened to put her over his knee? He’d be lucky if she didn’t sue him for sexual harassment. Or if he didn’t terrify her into quitting.
Sure, she’d made a few mistakes. And she really didn’t have any clue about what they did here.
But he liked having her around. He looked forward to seeing her every morning.
And he hated that she’d been hurt.
But threatening to spank her? Way out of line. Way, way out of line.
“Idiot,” he muttered.
Look at him. He was pathetic. He was practically shaking. A mix of rage and fear rushed through him.
Why was he feeling so fucking emotional? He never got this worked up. Not anymore. He’d learned to control his temper. Sure, he might like to flirt. And when someone he truly cared about was threatened he could be a scary son-of-a-bitch. Or so he’d been told.
But he barely knew Tabby.
This was more than just her working for him. Than her being vulnerable.
He’d come to fucking care about her.
Fuck.
He quickly made his way over to where one of the doors had been forced up. What he didn’t understand is how they knew to take out the security lights. Or how they’d gotten through the front gate since it required a pin code.
Unless someone who knew the pin code had given it to them.
Could this be an inside job?
But as he walked around, switching on lights, all he saw was destruction. He’d need to check with Tabby about whether any of them were carrying anything, but as far as he could see, all they’d done was destroy the place. There was graffiti sprayed across the walls and a couple of bikes they’d been working on. And one bike looked like someone had taken to it with a crowbar or something similar.
It could have been worse. They hadn’t gotten to the bikes locked in the back room, the ones that were waiting to be picked up or delivered. Not wanting to be away from Tabby for long, although he wasn’t sure what reception he’d get, he headed back to the office.
He took a deep breath. She’d be within her rights to tell him to stay the fuck away. Or to file a complaint against him.
He just hoped like fuck that she wasn’t scared of him.
When he walked in, to his shock, she was still sitting on the desk where he’d left her.
He raised his eyebrows as she stared at him. She wasn’t in tears. She hadn’t thrown anything at him. And she wasn’t screaming at him to get out.
So, that was positive.
But he could tell she was concerned about something.
“What did you find?” she asked him, sounding anxious. “Did they take anything? Are the bikes still there? Equipment?”
Wait. She was worried about the shop?
He shook his head as though to clear it.
“What does that mean? That they didn’t take anything?” She let out a frustrated noise. “I’m going to go look for myself.” She wiggled forward on the desk.
“Nope. Don’t you move.” He pointed at her.
“Or what?” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “We both know you wouldn’t actually spank me.”
Oh, she thought that, did she? Well, he wouldn’t actually do that without her agreement. He’d never touch her like that without permission. Ever.
“Tabby, I’m gonna ask you a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t push me right now, okay? I shouldn’t have said what I just did and I apologize. I had no right to ever imply that I’d touch you without your permission. I hope you know I wouldn’t. But you’re within your rights to have me up on sexual harassment charges.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not going to do that. You only said that because I worried you. I know you didn’t mean it.”
“Thing is, I did.”
“W-what?”
“Not that I’d spank you.” He held his hands up. “I’d never spank anyone without their permission. But a naughty submissive, yeah, I’d spank her if it was an agreed-on punishment for breaking the rules or putting herself in danger.”
“You’re a Dominant?”
“Yeah. But I should never have said what I did. So like I said, you can make a complaint about me. Or you can leave this job. I’ll pay you out for the next two months and give you a reference. I’ll totally understand.”
Her mouth opened and closed. “No, I like it here. And I . . . I trust you.”
“Really?” That was big, considering her past.
“I think I trust you the most out of anyone. I know that’s pathetic when we barely know each other. But over these past few weeks, I’ve gotten to know you better. And, well, you’re a good guy, Razor.”
“You’re not scared of me?”
“What? No, not at all.”
“Then how come you can’t look me in the eyes?”
“I . . . I have problems with that.”
“Okay, baby, I mean Tabby, shit.”
“It’s okay.” She managed to give him a tiny grin. “Really, Razor. You don’t have to tiptoe around me. I’m a big girl. I’m not going to faint or cry if you call me baby or tell me you’re going to spank me.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. I’m not going to break. I’m stronger than you think. And I don’t offend all that easily.”
“All right. But I’m going to try to be careful not to cross any lines. I’ve called Dart and Sav, they should be here any minute. So let’s take a look at your hands, yeah?”
* * *
What if I want you to cross the line?
She’d just managed to stop herself from asking him that. She was kind of shocked at herself, if she was honest. It wasn’t that she wanted him to spank her.
Right?
She’d been in an abusive relationship. She wasn’t ever going to repeat that. In fact, she didn’t intend to ever be in another relationship again.
But she knew that BDSM wasn’t abuse. Not that she had any experience with it. But she’d read some books with BDSM scenes in them. It was hot to read about it, but would she like any of it in real life?
Razor just started cleaning her right hand when she heard some bikes approach. He set the cloth down and she expected him to leave her to fend for herself. He had more important things to attend to, after all.
Instead, he pulled off his jacket. “You’re shivering. Fuck, why didn’t you tell me that you were cold?”
She wasn’t cold. Right?
“I’m not cold. I don’t know why I’m trembling.”
He put his jacket around her and warmth flooded her. Oh, that was so nice. His scent surrounded her, easing the knot in her stomach. It was like being enveloped in a giant hug. She could only imagine how good that would feel. When was the last time she’d been hugged? She couldn’t even remember.
No, wait, yes, she could. It was from Millie. The night that she’d knocked Luther unconscious, just before she’d left to go back to her cousin.
Millie had hugged her. Maybe being carried in Razor’s arms counted as one, though. It was kind of a hug, right?
“Adrenaline drop.” He moved to her snack drawer and drew out a bag of chocolate kisses. When had they gotten in there? He unwrapped one and she immediately opened her mouth.
Shoot. She’d done that without even thinking. A blush filled her face.
“Tabby, look at me.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. You should get out there and deal with what’s going on.”
“Sav and Dart have things under control out there. Right now, you’re my priority.”
She gaped up at him.
“What? What is it?”
Tabby cleared her throat. “Um, nothing.”
Had she ever been anyone’s priority before?
“Right, let’s check out this ankle.” He grabbed her chair and wheeled it around so he could sit in front of her. Then taking
gentle hold of her foot, he eased her shoe off. She made certain not to let any noises escape. But shit, that hurt.
“You don’t have to hide your pain from me,” he told her without looking up from her ankle.
How had he known?
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Really? Does this look okay?” he countered. He moved back slightly so she could see her foot more clearly.
Aw, shit. It was swollen to twice its size.
Damn it.
“Guess I won’t be running for a while,” she said with a sigh. “Shoot.”
“You run?”
“Yeah, every morning,” she replied as he set the ice pack back on her foot. “Where did the chocolate kisses come from?”
“I bought them,” he told her. “Let’s sit you on the chair, then get you another chair to put your foot on.” Standing, he lifted her down before she could attempt to move, settling her on the chair.
He disappeared into his room while she held the ice pack on her foot. He wheeled his chair back into the room and was putting her foot on it as the door opened and Dart stomped in.
“Mother-fucking bastards. Should have chased after them and run them down,” he snarled.
She stared up at him in shock. She’d never heard the man say more than a word or two at a time. And he was always polite.
“Dart, Tabby’s here,” Razor said sharply. He picked up her other hand and started cleaning it gently.
Ouch. She tried not to flinch, but it wasn’t easy.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he said to her without raising his head. “But it has to be done. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
She stared down at his bent head in amazement. Did he really think she was worried about how rough he was? He’d already shown her more care than anyone.
Then she remembered that Dart was there. And he’d just heard Razor call her baby. What would he think of that?
But when she looked up at the big man, he had his gaze on her hands. “Sorry, Tab,” he muttered. “What the hell happened?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just clumsy.”
“It’s not clumsy when someone bowls into you and shoves you over,” Razor countered as he cleaned her other hand.
“What the fuck?” Dart snapped, his eyes widened. “Those asswipes pushed you over? They touched you?”
“I’m all right,” she reassured him. It was sweet that he cared. They’d barely spoken. Most of the time, she didn’t think he knew she existed.
“You’re not okay,” Razor told her. “And you need to stop acting like you are. Just look at her fucking hands. They’re ripped to shreds.”
That was an exaggeration. She had a few grazes, that was it. These two were acting as though she’d lost a finger or something. It was kind of amazing. Even as a child, she’d have been left to clean injuries like these up herself.
“And you should see her ankle. It’s damn well three times its normal size.”
Dart walked around and lifted the ice pack. She tensed, waiting for him to touch her. Razor lifted his head, obviously sensing that something was wrong. He watched her for a moment, then turned to Dart, who was carefully replacing the ice pack.
“Looks fucking sore.”
Razor nodded. “I reckon so.”
She’d noticed that his accent became more obvious when he was upset.
She shook her head. “It’s really not that bad, guys. I’ve had worse.”
They both scowled down at her, obviously upset at the idea of that. Her insides filled with heat.
She decided not to mention her bruised knees. That might just send them over the edge.
“What happened?” Dart asked.
“I was driving past when I saw the gate was open. I pulled up, and I was going to call Razor, but then I caught sight of someone. I had my pepper spray in one hand and my phone in the other, but as I got out of the car, one of them slammed into me and I dropped them. Then I heard something smash and I yelled out. Two more came running at me. I got knocked over again and my ankle turned. Then Razor turned up.”
Silence filled the room. And she forced herself to raise her gaze from her lap. Both men were staring at her. Dart looked shocked and Razor looked . . . mad?
“Is there a lot of damage? What did they do?” Were they upset with her because she hadn’t been able to stop them? She’d panicked and hadn’t been thinking clearly.
Razor seemed to be taking deep breaths. She got the feeling he was trying to calm down, but she couldn’t understand why.
“Is there something wrong?” she asked. “Why aren’t either of you saying anything?”
“She really have no idea?” Dart said to Razor.
“I don’t think she does,” Razor replied.
“You gonna change that?” Dart asked.
Razor sighed. “Fuck. Gonna try.”
“Good,” Dart replied.
She stared at them in confusion. She had no idea what they were talking about. “What are you going to change? I don’t understand. What is it that I have no idea about?”
They just stared down at her. All right, now she was starting to get irritated.
“Dart?” Razor said.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to take Tabby to the emergency room.” Razor sounded like he had something in his throat. Was he getting ill? “Can you find her phone? Then I need you and Sav to take care of shit here. Take photos of everything that was damaged. We’ll need a police report for insurance.”
“Fuck,” Dart said. “That’s the last thing we need.”
Razor sighed. “Take a look around, see what the damage is. If you think we need to claim insurance, let me know. I’ll call and deal with them. But warn the boys it’s a possibility. Might be best if Sav and Axel weren’t here since they’re on parole. Don’t want them getting blamed for shit.”
Dart grunted. Then he looked down at her and shook his head. “Girl, you got to know your worth.”
Huh? What did that mean? What worth?
But before she could ask him anything, he left.
That was weird.
She turned her gaze to Razor, but he didn’t say anything.
“Where’s Luna?” she asked suddenly.
“Left her home. I’ll call my neighbor soon to go get her.”
He grabbed some painkillers which he handed to her. “I’ll get you some water, then we’ll need to take your car to the emergency room since I’m on my bike.”
“I don’t need to go to the emergency room,” she told him.
“You’re going.” He handed her a bottle of water from the small fridge they kept in her office.
She looked down at the pills with a grimace. Nausea bubbled in her stomach.
They’re just pills.
“Take the pills.”
“I don’t need them.”
“Tabby,” he said warningly. “Take the pills.”
No way.
“What were you doing here so early, anyway?” he asked before she could come up with an excuse not to swallow the damn pills.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I couldn’t sleep, and I was just going to drive past and maybe go to the diner down the road.”
There, it wasn’t exactly a lie. She’d had no intention of going to the diner, but then again, she might have.
She didn’t think she even had to cross her fingers over that.
“At the moment, that’s the least of your transgressions,” he told her.
What? What the heck did that mean? What transgressions? What did she do?
Did he mean because she hadn’t stopped those guys from trashing the place? Surely not. Razor wasn’t an asshole. Now, Luther, he’d be spitting mad at her.
“Are your keys in your car?”
“Yes, but I don’t need to go to the emergency room.”
“I’m not arguing with you.”
Okay, then. She kind of thought he would put up more of a fight about her going to the emergency room.
&nbs
p; That wasn’t hurt she felt. She was getting her own way. Getting upset because he wasn’t insisting on taking her to the emergency room was just ridiculous.
She was an adult who could make her own decisions. She slipped the pills into the pocket of her pants.
Sneaky, yes.
But also, necessary. Pills made her gag. Luther had forced her to swallow some pills the same night that he’d lost his mind and threatened Millie. Now she grew nauseous at the sight of them.
The door to the office opened and Dart walked in with her phone and handbag. “Landed face up, so screen’s all right.”
“Thank you.”
Dart just nodded and left
“Right, let’s go.” Razor grabbed hold of the ice pack and then handed it to her before picking her up into his arms.
“I really don’t need to go anywhere. I can still work.”
Razor didn’t reply. Great, she guessed he planned on taking her home. He carried her out to her car. Sav jogged over to open the passenger door.
“Not sure how long I’ll be. Call if you need help. If we need to bring in the cops, then lay low, yeah?”
Sav just nodded, frowning down at her. “How bad?”
“She’ll be okay,” Razor said before she could speak.
“I’ll be all right,” she told Sav. “Everyone’s overreacting. It’s a few scrapes and a twisted ankle. That’s all.”
Sav raised his eyebrows as Razor set her in the passenger seat.
“I’m sure I can drive.”
“I’m sure you can’t,” Razor countered. Reaching over her, he buckled up her seatbelt. Then he grabbed hold of the ice pack and placed it on her ankle.
“I’m fine.” She huffed out an irritated breath and he gently caught her chin.
“Enough. You’re going to do what’s best for you. Understand?”
Her eyes widened, especially when Sav gave a satisfied nod. What? Was he agreeing with him? What was happening here?
The door shut before she could demand to know if they’d both had their brains taken over by aliens or something. Then Razor spoke briefly to Sav before knocking his fist against the other man’s and walking around the car. He climbed into the driver’s side.
“I’m not sure if you’re on my insurance,” she told him.
He just shot her a look before backing out. He laid his arm over the back of her seat and turned, looking back.
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