Ten? Ten spanks? Holy hell, did that mean he was going to spank her? She didn’t think she deserved ten spanks just for moving. She wasn’t stupid. She’d waited until he was certain the apartment was clear. She wouldn’t place herself or him in danger deliberately. But she was also dying to know what it was like to be spanked by him.
And ten spanks? She could take twice that without flinching.
Suddenly he whipped off his shirt, and all thoughts of being spanked by him fled as she stared at his naked chest.
Holy. Hell.
She hadn’t realized he would be this beautiful. His chest was wide, his waist trim, and those abs. Oh man, she actually licked her lips as she imagined kissing her way down the wave of abs to—
“Reagan. Get inside. Now.”
She moved into the apartment without hesitation. It didn’t seem like a good idea to argue with him when he was in warrior mode. He placed his T-shirt over the handle of the basket and picked it up, carrying it into the apartment.
“Call your detective friend,” he ordered before shutting and locking the door.
He wasn’t exactly a friend, but she knew who he meant. Jake had come around a few days ago to take her statement. She’d promised to call him if anything else happened. She pulled out her cell and called Jake, telling him what had happened. He promised to be over within the hour. She hung up.
“Well? Did you find a note?” she asked, disappointed when she turned to find he was dressed once more.
Damn it.
“Yep.” He was carefully extracting the note using a pair of tongs and a pen. She looked at the note over his shoulder.
Roses are red. Violets are blue.
Soon he’ll be gone. And I’ll have you.
“He knows about you,” she said, fear almost paralyzing her. “Is that a threat against you? Does it mean he’s going to get rid of you?”
“Hey. Nobody is getting rid of me.” He drew her against his wide chest, rubbing his hand up and down her back. For someone who wasn’t used to having people touch her, it amazed her how quickly she’d grown used to his touch, how she craved it. When she was scening, she could let people touch her because there were rules and checks in place. There was none of that with Tiny, but that didn’t seem to matter.
Right now, though, her fear was making it hard to enjoy his embrace.
“But he says you’ll soon be gone. He might try to hurt you.” Or worse. So far, this person hadn’t been violent, but this was a definite threat.
“Haven’t you worked it out yet?”
“What?” she asked, wondering how he could sound so calm.
“I’m not that easy to get rid of.”
She leaned back so she could look up into his face. He looked so confident, so relaxed, that she felt some of her tension fading away. “Yeah, that’s true. I haven’t managed to run you off yet.”
He ran his finger down her nose then across her lips. She parted her lips, and he moved his finger, replacing it with his lips. His tongue slid into her mouth, teasing her gently as he held her close, those large arms surrounding her, but not suffocating her. He always took care with her. As though she was precious.
For some reason, that thought brought tears to her eyes. When Tiny leaned back, the pleasure on his face morphed immediately into alarm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I don’t know. I’m being silly.” Damn it. Who cried after being kissed like that? She swiped at her eyes. He brushed her hands away, wiping any tears that escaped to drip down her face away with his thumbs.
“You’re frightened. And overwhelmed.”
Yeah, that too. And she felt completely out of her depth. And not just because of her stalker.
God, she wanted him. Funny, she’d never had problems articulating her wants and needs before. But she found herself hesitating with Tiny.
“Take a bath.”