“Why do they call you Tiny?” she blurted out, totally fascinated by the small strip of skin she spotted between his T-shirt and jeans as he lifted his arms above his head.
He grinned. “Why do you think?”
“I don’t know. You’re so big it seems a strange nickname.”
“It’s ironic.”
“Oh, so because you’re big they call you tiny.”
“Yep.”
She wondered briefly if he was big all over… no, best not to think about that. She wanted to get some sleep tonight. And to get some sleep, there was one more thing she had to do.
She glanced around. “Don’t be mad at me, okay?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I need to recheck the door, windows, and locks. It’s not that I don’t trust you or think you can’t do your job or anything, it’s just—”
He placed his hand gently over her mouth. “It’s fine.”
He didn’t look grumpy or put out. She forced herself to relax. He let go of her mouth. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”
“Okay. Tiny?”
“Yeah?” He turned.
“Thanks for not treating me like I’m different.”
He nodded.
She sighed. She didn’t know how she was going to get through these next few days. Not only did she have a stalker, but now she had someone living with her. Someone she was way too attracted to for her peace of mind.
“Reagan?”
She looked up to see Tiny watching her. “Do you need something?”
“Being different isn’t a bad thing.”
“Tell that to everyone else.”
“I will,” he promised.
She stared at him in surprise.
“Check the door and windows then go to bed,” he ordered quietly. “You need some rest. I’m here now. Nothing bad will happen.”
“Tiny?” she blurted out again. He turned back once again. “Why are you doing this? I mean, you’re not even getting paid. We don’t even know each other.”
He let out a deep breath. “There was a job. A woman and child I was guarding. My job ended, and I left them unprotected. Her ex nearly beat her to death.”
Oh, so that was it. He felt guilty about what had happened to this other woman.
“I’m going to pay you,” she told him. She couldn’t let him do this for free.
“No.”
“But I can afford it, and it’s only fair.”