“Sorry. My real name is Jacob.”
“It’s a great name.”
“It’s also my father’s name,” he said darkly.
“You don’t get on with your father?”
“My father is… trying.”
“Trying?” She raised her eyebrows. “Coming from the man who has perfected the understatement, I’m guessing he’s a real asshole.”
Tiny grinned. “Yep.”
“Violent?”
He shook his head. “Verbally abusive. To me. My mother. Not so much to my sisters, thank God.”
She clenched her hands into fists. “Yep, he sounds like an asshole. Is your mother still with him?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“Because she loves him?”
“How could you love someone who is abusive? Especially toward your children.”
“My sisters and I have tried to help her. Tried to convince her to leave him. She doesn’t want to listen.”
“Change can be scary, even when it’s for the best. I’m sorry you had such an awful childhood.”
Tiny was silent for a long moment. “He used to call me stupid. Told me I’d never amount to anything. That I wasn’t smart enough.”
Reagan snorted. “Well, obviously you proved him wrong. You’re extremely intelligent. Not to mention kind and understanding and protective. Someone who picks on those smaller than him is nothing but a coward. He was probably jealous of you.”
“Jealous?”
“Because he could tell you are a hundred times the man he is. Even as a boy. Give me five minutes alone with him, I’ll teach him not to pick on those smaller than him.”
Tiny started to laugh.
She pulled back to look up at him. “What is it?”
“Nothing. You just…you’re one hell of a woman.”
“Oh, thanks. That was a compliment, right?”
“Yep.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Can I stop you?”
“No. How did you get the scar?”
His face closed down.
“Forget I asked.” She’d gone too far. Stupid.
“I got it while in the marines. A mission that went wrong. I can’t talk about it.”
She wasn’t certain if it was can’t or won’t, but she didn’t press him. “It must have hurt.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yep.”
When he fell silent, she guessed he wasn’t saying anymore.
“Thank you for your service,” she told him quietly.
He sighed, his body relaxing. “I really can’t talk about it.”
“That’s okay. I just don’t like to think of you in pain.”
“It doesn’t hurt now.” He gave her a small smile. “Comedy or action?”
“Comedy.” She snuggled into his arms.
Damn, how would she ever say goodbye to him?
***
“Reagan, can I speak to you for a moment? Privately.” Without waiting for her answer, her boss walked into her office and shut the door behind him.
“I’m kind of busy here.” She barely gave Lionel a glance. She’d struggled to sleep after receiving those flowers, and now it was Monday morning, and she was now fighting a fog of fatigue.
The five cups of coffee she’d already had hadn’t seemed to help, and now she was feeling slightly ill. Still, perhaps a sixth cup would be the charm. She hit the intercom button. “Hey, Tara, could you grab me another coffee. You want something, Lionel?” she asked, pleased she’d managed to remember he was there.
He shook his head abruptly. “I need to talk to you.”
“Go ahead.” She turned back to her laptop.
“Reagan. Please, look at me.”
She turned back to him. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat, and she thought he almost looked nervous. She couldn’t imagine why. “It’s about your, ahh, guard.”
“My guard? Oh, you mean Tiny? What about him?” She’d told Lionel everything so he’d realize why Tiny needed to be here. Everyone else thought she’d gotten a few threats and that Tiny was her overprotective boyfriend. She didn’t know if anyone actually believed them, but she didn’t care.
She couldn’t imagine why Lionel would want to talk to her about Tiny.
“He’s, umm, look I realize I agreed to his presence here, but that was before I realized how disruptive he would be.”
“Disruptive? He’s not disruptive.”
“Not everyone agrees. I have had some complaints about how intimidating he is.”
“Complaints? From who?” she half-raised her voice.
Lionel sat then straightened the cuffs of his suit. “Now, you know I can’t tell you that.”
“I just want to talk to them. Reassure them.” Tell them exactly what she thought about their complaint.
“The complaints were made in private. The fact is we can’t have your bodyguard here disrupting everyone.”
“You want him to leave? He’s not going to like this.”
Lionel fidgeted in his chair. It was an annoying habit of his.
There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” she called out with a frown.
Tiny walked in holding a takeaway cup from the cafeteria. “Here you go.”
“Lionel’s received some complaints about you being here. He thinks you’re disruptive.”
Tiny turned to her boss, who paled. “Umm, well, you see…”
“I need to stick close to Reagan,” Tiny said mildly. “She’s been threatened.”
“Yes… well… that’s why I thought that perhaps you should work from home, Reagan. Just while this threat is being sorted.”
Reagan frowned as she took a sip of her drink. “This isn’t coffee.”
“No, it isn’t,” Tiny agreed.
“Tara must have misheard me.”
“She didn’t. I got you tea.”
“Reagan? Does this work for you?” Lionel asked.
“What? Yeah, I guess I can work from home. It’ll be a bit inconvenient though.”
“We’ll pay you an extra allowance,” Lionel said, rising hastily. She barely noticed, she was too busy scowling up at Tiny. He watched her boss leave.
“Got no spine.”
“I want coffee, Tiny.”
“Not happening. You’re getting grouchy.”
“So?” she grumped.
“You get grumpy after too much caffeine.”
“I do not.”
“And stubborn.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then you crash with a headache. Drink your tea.” He turned to leave, and she glared at him.
“You won’t always get your way, you know,” she said loudly. And the only reason she’d drink the damn tea, which was one of those awful caffeine-free fruity teas, was because she could feel a headache forming.
He just laughed.
Ass.
Chapter Eight
“Hi,” Tara said cheerfully as Reagan opened the door to her apartment. “I’ve brought some forms for you to sign.”
“Thank you. Come in.”
“You okay?” Tara asked with concern.
Reagan forced herself to smile. Actually, she was feeling drained. And stressed. She’d woken this morning to find two ulcers in her mouth, and now there was a headache brewing at her temples.
“I’m fine.”
“Where’s your shadow?”
“My shadow?”
“Tiny.”
“Oh, he’s in the kitchen baking. Do you want some muffins?”
“I do.” Tara patted her stomach. “But my waistline doesn’t. How are you able to stay so slim with all the baking he does?”
“I don’t know. I’ve always been able to eat whatever I liked.”
“You bitch.”
Reagan widened her eyes. What had she done? “Did I say something wrong?”
“No.” Tara shook her head and placed the folder she carried on the cof
fee table. “I’m just insanely jealous.”
“Hi, Tara.” Tiny walked into the living room. “Someone pulled into 1A’s parking spot.”
“Was it an overweight male with a pony tail in a red truck?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“It’s Donald. If you’re going to talk to him, then I’m going to—”
“Stay here.” Tiny gave her a firm look. “Tara, stay with her.”
“Yes, Sir,” Tara told him with a small smile.
Reagan placed her hands on her hips with a sigh. He moved close to her. “I mean it. Stay here.”
“Ooh, I’ve got goosebumps,” Tara said after he’d left.
“Are you cold? I can turn down the air.”
“Cold? No, I got goosebumps over how forceful Tiny is. He always seems so easygoing and then bam! Out comes the Dom.”
“He’s bossy.”
“Protective.”
“Overprotective.”
“The best kind.” Tara sighed. “You’ve just got to know how to handle them. They’re all the same, stubborn, protective, and commanding. And we wouldn’t have them any other way.”
No, she guessed she wouldn’t. Although, she was starting to feel very constricted. Like she was stuck in a goldfish bowl. Everyone was watching her, and she was just swimming in circles, never getting anywhere.
She rubbed at her temple and sat on the sofa. “It’s not working out.”
“What’s not working out?” Tara asked.
“It’s not working with Tiny.”
Tara sat on a chair. “What’s not working? Is having him here too difficult?”
She felt like she was sitting on a ticking time bomb with no idea when it was going to explode. “No. Tiny has been pretty accommodating of the way I like to do things. And it’s been nearly two weeks, and he’s still here, which is longer than I thought he’d last.”
“Reagan, you’re not an awful person.”
“I’m awful to live with. Did I ever tell you I tried to live with a roommate when I first moved here? They lasted three days. Left half their belongings and just took off without even leaving a note.”
“Speaking of notes, has anything else happened?”
“No. And that’s the problem. Well, not a problem, exactly. It’s not like I want someone breaking into my apartment or leaving me creepy notes. But how are we going to catch this asshole if they don’t make a move?”
“I know you’re stressed, but Tiny knows what he’s doing.”
“And what if this person is just waiting until Tiny goes?” she whispered her real concern. “He’ll need to go back to his job eventually.”
Tara gave her a sympathetic look. “I know.”
This couldn’t continue on. She constantly felt on edge, waiting for something bad to happen. Add to that, her feelings for Tiny, and she was a mess of emotions.
Other than those few kisses, he hadn’t made a real move on her. Oh, he touched her. At night he would pull her against him on the sofa. The first time he’d done that she hadn’t been certain how to react. So she’d sat there, stiff as a board until she couldn’t hold out any longer and had relaxed against him. Now it was their ritual every night to snuggle up on the sofa in front of the T.V. She didn’t usually watch much television, but she’d watch whatever she had to if it meant spending time tucked up against Tiny.
But he hadn’t gone any further than that. Was it because of her?
“I thought he wanted me.”
Tara raised her eyebrows. “Umm, any idiot can see that he does.”
“Are you calling me an idiot?”
“No. I’m saying he definitely wants you.”
“Then why doesn’t he make a move?”
Tara bit her lip. “Maybe he’s waiting for you. Maybe he doesn’t want to push you because of everything that’s going on?”
“I suppose that could be right. Unless I have misunderstood his feelings for me. He is pretending to be my boyfriend, perhaps I have misread signals.”
Tara raised her eyebrows. “So he’s only affectionate in front of other people?”
She frowned. “No. He has kissed me when we are alone. And he touches me often. But it never goes any further. Oh, he’s also threatened to spank me.”
Tara brightened. “That’s a good sign. But if you want things to move faster, then you should make a move.”
“I just thought he would make the first move.” Most of the Doms she’d dealt with were pushier. They wouldn’t have held back. But then, they also wouldn’t have been half as patient with her. “I’m going to make a move.”
“Good.”
“There’s one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“What if I can’t submit to him?” It was a very real worry. She’d never truly submitted to a Dom. She found it hard to completely let go. “I don’t want to disappoint him, but I don’t know if I can let him dominate me.”
Tara burst into laughter. “You think he hasn’t been dominating you this entire time?”
“What do you mean?” she asked in confusion.
“Have you been working as many hours as you used to?”
Well, no, but it wouldn’t have been fair to make him stay at the office for too long. “No, I suppose not.” Even now, when she was working from home, she didn’t work long hours like she used to. After all, there were much more interesting things to do.
“And how often have you skipped meals since he moved in?”
Reagan frowned, not sure where Tara was going with all of this. “Tiny is a really good cook. You know that. You ate three of his lemon honey muffins the other day.”
Tara blushed. “They were good. That man is a great baker. But my point is that he’s dominating you, you just haven’t noticed.”
He had been?
“Not all Doms pound on their chests and declare ‘me Dom, you sub, get on your knees, and suck me off’. Some Doms are subtler, doesn’t make them any less dominant.”
No? Now that Tara pointed it out, she guessed he had been topping her without her even noticing. Clever. Very clever. And sneaky.
She admired that.
“Why don’t you take him to the club this weekend? Push him a little. I’m betting that beneath his calm exterior is the beating heart of a majorly possessive Dom.”
“You think I should try to make him jealous? That seems deceptive.” It just didn’t sit right with her.
Tara shrugged. “I’m betting when he sees you in some skimpy outfit he won’t be able to resist.”
Reagan could do skimpy. She smiled. “I can do that.”
“I can’t believe someone complained about him. Do you think it was Mel?” Tara asked.
“Why do you believe it’s Mel?”
“Because he’s jealous of you.”
“He is?” She’d never noticed. “He does try to undermine me often.
“He’s a dick.”
Mel was a dick. “I don’t understand why he would complain that Tiny was intimidating, though.”
Tara stared at her for a long moment. Then she smiled, which was a strange reaction. “You don’t see it, do you?”
“Do you think he’s intimidating?”
“Oh no, I think he’s as threatening as a teddy bear.”
“I once had a teddy bear threaten me,” Reagan told her seriously. “It was in the mall around Christmas handing candy out to children.”
“Uh-huh, what did you say to it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The teddy bear just threatened you for no reason?”
“Yes. All I said was that parents shouldn’t encourage their children to take candy from a stranger because for all we knew the person in the suit was a pedophile. I was only trying to help. It wasn’t my fault all the parents removed their children from the vicinity of the teddy bear.”
“Yeah, I can’t understand why he’d get pissed about that. Tiny’s appearance is probably a little intimidating to other people.”
&nb
sp; “Hmm. I suppose. He is rather large.”
“And that scar does make him seem a little scary.”
“His scar? Oh, yes, I suppose it does. When I first met him, I thought the scar was a little intimidating. Now I don’t even notice it.”
“Well, they say love is blind.”
“What has love got to do with anything?” Reagan asked. “Are you insinuating I love Tiny?”
“Yep.”
She laughed. “I don’t love Tiny. That’s ridiculous.”
“Why?”
“Because we barely even know each other.”
“Ever heard of love at first sight?”
“I don’t believe in that,” she scoffed. “Lust at first sight, sure. But love is built on more than lust. It’s shared interests and friendship.”
“You make it sound so boring. It’s also excitement and fun and realizing you can’t live without the other person.”
“I don’t love Tiny.”
“No, it’s probably too soon,” Tara agreed. “But when you think about him leaving how do you feel?”
Like her heart was being ripped from her chest. Like she’d never be whole again.
Well, shit. Was it possible she did love him? Just a little.
No. Impossible.
***
Tiny approached the building manager’s door. He’d been waiting for this asshole to return. When he’d spotted a red truck with the license plate, sux2bu, pull into the parking spot for apartment 1A, he’d almost smiled. An overweight, greasy-looking guy had climbed out, his hair pulled back in a ponytail, carrying a bag of take-out and a six-pack of beer.
Time for a chat.
And not about the cameras. They were already up. Screw waiting for permission to put up the cameras. As far as he was concerned, this guy didn’t do his job properly, so he didn’t have much to say in what went on. And Reagan’s safety was more important than following any rules.
He was probably being a touch overprotective. He could tell Reagan was starting to get annoyed with all the restrictions placed on her. But he would keep her safe. Reagan was more than just a client.
So what if he had to put the cups back a certain way or that she liked to check the door was locked three times before bed? It didn’t make any difference to him, and it was a big deal to her. He’d do a lot to ensure her comfort.
He knocked on the building manager’s door. He paused for a second then banged on the door again.
Make Me, Sir (Doms of Decadence Book 5) Page 7