by Lila Fox
“Don’t even think about crying,” he said with a growl.
Her mouth dropped open at the threatening tone he used. “You can’t tell me not to cry. For God’s sake. I’ve never been a perp before, and it’s very upsetting for me.”
She stomped her foot again when they all grinned. “Do you know how much I want to kick you all right now?” she yelled.
That just made their grins wider.
The first cop gripped her upper arm. “Let’s get you situated in my car.”
She dug her heels in. “Wait. Is this because I just threatened you? I wasn’t really going to do it. I said, ‘I want to’ not ‘I’m going to.’”
He snorted. Then he opened the passenger side door and maneuvered her in, bent, and put her seatbelt on. “Hold on, and then we’ll get going.”
She growled and narrowed her eyes at him, which made him chuckle.
The three stood in front of the car she sat in, talking and laughing as they kept looking at her. She looked around the interior of the vehicle. It was packed with all sorts of things and buttons.
They continued to talk, and she rolled down her window, mad. “If you don’t stop talking, I’m going to start pushing buttons.”
They all laughed.
One of the guys walked to her car, grabbed her purse and phone, and handed it to the first one. Her mouth dropped open when one of them got in her car and took off.
“Hey, wait. He can’t steal my car,” she yelled out the side window.
The first officer put her bag in the trunk of his car, slid into the driver’s seat, and handed her purse to her.
She faced him. “Officer, did you see him? He took my car.”
He grinned. “For one thing, call me David, and he’ll take good care of it.”
“But he can’t just steal my car. I have all my things in it.”
David pulled out, concentrating on the traffic.
“On, my God, all my things are in there.” She just realized how appalling that was.
David glanced at her. “He’s not taking your things, Nia. Why don’t you lay back and rest?”
“I don’t need to rest.”
He grunted. “Yes, you surely do need rest.”
She gasped and pulled down the visor to look at herself in the mirror. Besides the shadows under her eyes, she thought she looked normal. “I don’t look that bad.”
“No, you don’t look bad at all, but you do look tired.”
“I’m always tired.” She looked around. “In all the cops shows I’ve watched, the perp never gets to ride up front.”
David snorted. “You’re not a perp.”
“Then, why was I arrested?”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re not being arrested. You’re being detained. If you were more rested, you wouldn’t be so muddled right now.”
The only word she heard was detained. “Oh, my God, that’s horrible. You suspect me of doing something bad, but I didn’t. I know all perps say that, but I’m telling you the truth. But then don’t all perps say that also?”
He reached over and patted her hand. “Nia, settle down. You’re not in trouble. Relax, we’re about there.”
She stared at him, trying to figure out what was going on, but her mind was sluggish from lack of sleep and stress.
They pulled up in front of a large white stucco building. David got out and then came around to help her out. Then he grabbed her purse.
She tried to reach for it, but he held it out of her reach. “Why can’t I have my purse? I don’t have a weapon in it. I swear. Check it. I know you shouldn’t believe me because every perp says that, but I’m telling the truth. Dump it out.”
They walked through several hallways. Everyone stared at her and said hello to David.
Nia looked around and then up at him. “You’re very popular.”
David snorted. He pulled her into a small conference room with a big mirror.
She glanced around. There was a table with eight comfortable-looking chairs. Turning to David, she asked, “Who’s going to question me?”
He grinned and set her things down on the table. “Would you like some coffee?”
She looked at the purse and then to David. “You haven’t checked my purse, David. You shouldn’t trust anyone. Why, I saw a show where a sweet little old lady robbed a bank.”
He smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. “But you said you didn’t do anything and that you didn’t have any weapons.”
She gasped. “You’re not supposed to believe a perp, David. Don’t they teach you this in police school?” she yelled.
He grunted, shook his head, and then laughed out loud. “Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you try to rest? I’m going to get your coffee. I’ll be right back.”
“All right.” She sighed and exhaled, releasing some of the tension she felt. Then she started to pace back and forth. Even though she was exhausted, moving helped settle her like nothing else. She jerked when the door opened again.
“Here you go,” David said and set the cup down.
“Thank you.” She picked up the cup and took a sip. Her face puckered up. “Yuck. Don’t you have any cream or sugar?”
“Look at it. I already put a lot of cream in it.”
She looked down at the off-white coffee in the cup and could tell it was mostly cream.
“Sorry. The coffee is always bad here.”
“Who makes it?”
“Everyone.”
“I could write down directions, and you could tape it over the machine. This stuff can’t be healthy for you if you drink it all the time.”
“You’re so darn sweet.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Just because I don’t want you to die?”
He grinned and shook his head. “I’ll be around. So if you need me, push one on the phone, and the desk will find me. And try to rest.”
“Okay.”
He got to the door.
“Hey, David. After I’m questioned, am I going to be able to get my car out of impound?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “For the last time, you’re not under arrest, you’re not a perp, and your car is in the parking lot.”
She looked at him skeptically. “But you said…”
He snorted. “Try to rest if you can. I’ll check in with you.”
She nodded and watched him leave. Then she sipped her cup as she paced the room. Her muscles got tighter, and her stress rose with every minute that passed.
David brought her a sandwich an hour later but then left her again. She looked at the meal every once in a while but couldn’t get herself to take a bite. Her stomach was in one big knot.
Nia kept telling herself that she would be okay. They’d get everything cleared up, and she could go on her way. She just hoped it was soon before she broke apart from the exhaustion and anxiety.
Chapter Four
Travis stood and looked through the one-way glass at the young woman he’d come to get.
Her eyes were a light tone, but he couldn’t determine the actual color through the one-way mirror. She was small, and although her jeans weren’t tight, they showed she had some womanly curves, something to grab on to. Something most men liked. He suspected her breasts were about medium size, but it was hard to tell with the baggy t-shirt she was wearing.
It was her blonde hair that struck him first. It was striking. It was long and fell to the middle of her back. It looked thick and soft, and he imagined wrapping it around his hand to guide her when she sucked him. Fuck. He didn’t need to be thinking along those lines. They didn’t even know each other. The hair and her full lips were something men dreamed about.
The shade of her hair was unlike any he’d ever seen. From what he could see, it was a very light blonde with almost a gray shimmer to it. He thought she had dyed it at first, but her eyebrows were the same color, just in a slightly darker shade.
His palms itched to touch her.
She paced like a caged tiger, and he could tell she was getting more wound up by the minute.
“She’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen. She tries to hiss like a cat, but it comes out sounding like a kitten.”
Travis glanced at David, the deputy who was in charge of her. Well, until right then. Now she was his responsibility.
“Are you sure she can’t stay?” David asked wistfully.
Travis grinned. “No, I’m sorry.”
Travis didn’t give any other explanation. When Kaleb had called and asked him for a favor of finding Aleena’s friend, he hadn’t been happy. He was busy running a security firm in Jacksonville, but he owned the man since he sent a lot of work his way.
Now, he was thankful he’d gotten the job of rounding up the runaway friend. She was so gorgeous and tiny. He could tell she was agitated and would fix it soon. In the meantime, he wanted to get as much information on her he could. He had the basics from Kaleb, but it didn’t tell him the personal things he wanted to know.
Travis had been there for only a few minutes. He’d watched her interact with David the last time he’d been in to check on her. She had a submissive personality and tried to act self-confident and sometimes belligerent but wasn’t even close to hitting the mark. David was right. She was a kitten trying to act like a cat.
“Okay, I think I’m ready.” He turned to David and held a hand out. “Thank you for taking care of her. If you ever want to relocate and make more money, look me up. I could use good men in my business.”
David grinned. “I might take you up on that. I’ve got nothing holding me here.”
Travis handed him a card. “Call me.”
“Thank you. Good luck with her. No matter what I say, she still thinks she’s a perp. She even instructed me that I shouldn’t even trust her because you never know who a bad guy is. When I said, ‘you told me you were a good citizen,’ she got exasperated with me and told me I shouldn’t listen to perps because they almost always lie. I’m going to laugh about this for a long time.”
Travis grinned. She reminded him of Aleena, Kaleb’s woman. She was beautiful, very sweet, and looked at the world differently than most women their age. He’d heard Kaleb talk about his woman many times, but it wasn’t until he’d met her that he understood her appeal.
He never thought he’d even consider a Big/little lifestyle. Still, after meeting Aleena, he was intrigued, and now seeing Nia, he wanted them to get to know each other and see if they could make a relationship happen. He’d use the time and maybe even take an extra day or two to get to know her and let her become comfortable with him before they got home.
He’d get in touch with Kaleb later. He’d already texted him with the information he had her so they could stop worrying.
Travis walked into the room and closed the door. His heart squeezed when she turned her bright-blue eyes on him for the first time.
“Oh, thank God. I didn’t know if they would allow me a lawyer.”
He grinned. He’d rather be dead than a lawyer. He’d had to work with too many of them when he was a cop in Chicago, and hardly any of them were decent people.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Travis Forrester, and I’m here to get you. And I’m not a lawyer.”
“Are you here to question me?”
“No, baby. I’m here to take care of you.”
He watched as she studied him suspiciously. She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what agency are you with, and can you tell me what I’m charged with?”
David had warned him, but it still took him by surprise that she thought she was in the station because of breaking the law.
“You didn’t break the law.”
“Then why am I being detained, and why are they calling me a perp?”
He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. “I think you’re the one who’s calling you a perp, baby. They didn’t.”
Her brows pinched together, and her eyes narrowed in confusion. “But I’m being detained?” she stuttered.
“Kaleb asked them to find you and then keep you safe until I got here.”
If anything, she looked more confused. “Aleena’s Kaleb?”
“Yes.”
“But why? I told them I was on my way.”
“When’s the last time you’ve slept, baby?”
“I … I’m not sure. But I won’t be able to until I feel more … secure.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Is Kaleb really mad?”
“No, just concerned.”
“So, he’s not going to spank me?”
Travis didn’t like the sound of that. If she needed a spanking, it would be him who did it. “No, Kaleb won’t spank you, but I might.”
Her eyes widened dramatically. “What?”
He smirked. “Come on, let’s get out of here. We’re going to find a hotel, eat, and sleep.”
“But I can drive myself.”
“No, you can’t. I can see how tired you are. Besides, your car’s gone.”
Her eyes widened. “Gone. Where?”
“I had one of my men take it to Jacksonville.” He could tell she was becoming more agitated the longer they stood there.
“How did you get here so fast?” she asked.
“We flew in a helicopter at the nearest airport and rented a vehicle. We didn’t want you to wait very long.”
Nia looked down for a moment. “Oh.”
He picked up her purse. “Where’s your phone?”
“It’s in my purse. The battery’s dead, and I can’t remember where I put the charger.”
He closed his eyes as if in pain. The thought of her on the highway, exhausted and without a phone, made fear skate up his spine.
“Come on,” he said and grabbed her upper arm.
She walked along beside him and stared up at him. “You’re very big.”
He grinned down at her as they made their way through the large room. “You’re very small.”
Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “There’s David. Can I go say goodbye?”
“Sure.” He watched as she walked over to the other man and tugged on his shirt sleeve to get his attention. She said something to him, and he grinned and opened his arms.
There was an unexpected feeling of possessiveness that took him off guard as the other man hugged her. He relaxed when she turned and headed his way. A sense of peace settled when she automatically took the hand he held out to her.
He waved at David and led her out to the SUV he rented. He grinned when she looked up at her seat, trying to contemplate how to get in.
“Here you go,” he said and lifted her into the vehicle.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
He typed something into his phone and then started the car.
“Where are we going?”
“I found a hotel nearby. We’re going to stop there for a bit.”
She nodded and looked out her window. He could tell she was jittery but also extremely tired, and he thought about what he could do to make her feel better. He’d never dealt with a woman like her. He tended to overwhelm women with his dominance, but Nia being a submissive could make it better or worse.
He pulled into the parking lot and parked. After he got out, he grabbed her bag he’d retrieved from her car before he’d went into the station. Then he picked up his small overnight bag before walking around and helping her out of the vehicle.
He locked up, took her hand, and started walking into the hotel.
“I didn’t realize you had my bag.”
“Yes. I thought you’d feel better with your own things.”
“I would. So, we’re sleeping here?”
‘Yes.” He walked up to the front desk and asked for a room. The only rooms left had king size beds in them.
“I don’t need a bed that big. I can get my own room.”
He ignored her and signed them in.
“Wait. I need a room,” she said as t
hey walked to the elevator.
“No, you’re sleeping in the same room.”
“Then let me pay for half of it.”
He snorted and kept moving her along past the elevator and into the restaurant in the hotel.
He picked a big booth in the back and set their bags in one of the benches with her. Then he sat across from her and handed her a menu.
She stared at it for a moment.
A waitress came by. “Hello, my name is Mandy. What can I get you?”
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
Travis looked at her. “Do you like eggs?” It was late in the day, but eggs wouldn’t upset her stomach.
“Yes, but I’m really not hungry.”
Travis turned to the waitress, put in his order, and then added hers. “And bring two eggs scrambled with wheat toast and two glasses of orange juice.”
Nia opened her mouth and shut it when he narrowed his eyes at her.
“Then I want coffee also,” Nia said.
Travis shook his head. “No coffee.”
The waitress waited for a moment until Travis gave her a look. “That will be all, Mandy.”
She shrugged, turned, and walked off.
He caught the annoyed look on Nia’s face when he turned to her, so he reached out a hand to her. “Give me your hand.” Once he had it, he sighed. “I’m here to take care of you. I doubt you’ve eaten anything good for you.”
“I had a few energy bars.”
He snorted. “Not enough, so I need you to eat for me. And we both know you haven’t slept, so the last thing you need is coffee.”
“I won’t be able to sleep anyway.”
“Let’s make a bet. If you can put your trust in me, I guarantee you’ll sleep.”
“You don’t know. When I’m anxious, I get insomnia.”
He grinned and squeezed her hand. “I know some things that might relax you.”
“Really?”
“Really. But you have to trust that I would never hurt you.”
“I know that, or Kaleb wouldn’t have asked you to come to get me.”
“You’re right about that.”
“But he doesn’t even know me,” she told him.
“He knows you enough, and the fact you’re Aleena’s best friend means something. You’re automatically a part of their family now.”