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Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at his words. It was his job to protect her, she reminded herself. But she still liked hearing those words. She realized that she felt safe around him. She liked him, which was surprising because she didn’t like that many people.
Maybe it was because he didn’t treat her like she was a freak. She’d gone through the whole apartment, laid out where everything needed to go, how it needed to be sorted, and all he’d done was nod and listen.
Acceptance. It wasn’t something she was used to.
“Come on. I’m hungry.”
She quickly grabbed her handbag. He opened the apartment door, set the alarm and locked the door, pocketing the key. She frowned, thinking about objecting. After all, that was her key. Her apartment. But before she could say anything, he had his hand on the small of her back and was guiding her down the passage, and she was distracted by his touch.
As they exited the building, she could feel how tense he’d become. When she glanced up at him, she noticed the way he scanned their surroundings.
“Are we really in danger? I mean, this person hasn’t done anything violent.” Sometimes she felt like they were overreacting. She wasn’t famous or rich. She was ordinary if a little flawed. Did she seriously need a bodyguard just because of a couple of break-ins and a weird note?
The tightness in her stomach told her that she did.
When they reached her car, they paused, and she looked from him to her tiny Mirage. “Are you gonna fit?” Because he dwarfed her car.
“You callin’ me fat?”
She gaped at him. “No, of course not. You’re not fat…I would never…”
He chuckled and patted her shoulder before climbing into the passenger side. She climbed into the driver’s side and gave him a disgruntled look. “You were teasing me.”
Tiny winked at her, and she shook her head in mock exasperation. “I’m surprised you don’t want to drive.”
Didn’t Doms like to always be in control?
“You know the way.”
The whole shopping expedition went smoothly, except for when it came to who would pay. Reagan was handing over her card when Tiny snatched it out of her hand with a frown.
“I’m paying.”
“No. You’re not,” she told him. Funny, she’d expected an argument over other things, like who was driving, but she hadn’t thought he’d insist on paying for the groceries. Shouldn’t she cover his expenses since he was working for her?
He leaned in, getting so close she could see the tiny flecks of green in his eyes. She was aware of the checkout girl watching in interest, but didn’t back down. Despite the warning, she read loud and clear on Tiny’s face. Hey, maybe she was getting better at reading people, after all. That thought made her smile, and he narrowed his gaze. “What’s so funny?”
“That you think you’re paying.”
“Most of this is for me.”
That was true, she’d never buy this amount of food. But she wasn’t backing down.
“You work for me.”
He just snorted, and she didn’t know what that meant. He reached over and handed his card to the girl who snapped her gum. Reagan raised her hand to snatch the card away, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her close. His mouth was against her ear as he whispered, “Grab the card, and I’ll take you over my knee when we get home.”
She shivered. Whether from the threat or the feel of his mouth against her ear she wasn’t sure. Maybe a mixture of both. Such an arrogant statement shouldn’t fill her with desire and yet, her pussy clenched in reaction, her stomach dropping at the command in his voice. All of a sudden, she couldn’t get the image of her over his knee out of her mind.
As they climbed into the car after having loaded it with groceries, she looked over at Tiny. “I can’t believe you threatened to spank me in a grocery store.”
“I’d never spank you in a store. I’d take you home first.”
“That’s not what I meant. You know I don’t think an employee should threaten to spank their employer.” No matter how turned on she might get at the idea.
He snorted.