“Basically, yes. I was in the Army. I belonged to a team that snuck in to silently take out the enemy. I don’t think you want any more details than that.”
She winces. “No. Thank you. Do you have a knife on you now?”
“Always, Little one.”
Cannon backs into his office. “My name comes from an incident with a cannon in the Army. But if you want a much better story, ask Mace how he got his nickname.” Cannon chuckles as he returns to his desk.
“Another time,” I tell June, guiding her farther down the hall.
I introduce her to two more of my guys, Spidey and Spike, before we return to the front desk. No one else is currently in the office besides Rachell, our receptionist.
She’s the glue that keeps us all running smoothly. She’s also kind and stands when we reach her.
“June will be under our protection for the foreseeable future. She’ll be staying with me. I’m taking her upstairs to get her situated. I’ll work from there as much as possible for a while. Yell if you need me.”
“Of course.” Rachell is so professional that she doesn’t flinch or bat an eye at my announcement. She wouldn’t dare make anyone who comes through the door feel anything less than her equal, but that’s not what’s surprising. She hasn’t known me to take someone to my apartment since she started working for us. I’ve never dated a woman or hooked up with anyone in all this time. She has to be reeling from this bomb. Bless her for being too polite to act like I did anything but point out that it might rain later today.
I usher June out of the office. There are two elevators and a door that leads to the stairwell. Normally, I take the stairs to go up one floor, but I won’t make June walk any farther than necessary. As it is, I feel like I’m holding her up by the elbow.
One of the elevators only stops on this floor and the one above. That’s the one I push the button to call. The other elevator stops at every floor. It won’t open on either of the top two floors without the occupant either having a code or Mr. Brinkman in the lobby calling up to check with Rachell first. I assume he spoke to her before June entered the elevator.
Rachell doesn’t turn anyone away. After all, many potential clients might not have an appointment or want anyone to know who they are. But it’s good for Rachell to have a heads-up when someone is going to step out of the elevator.
If Rachell weren’t also former Army herself and always armed, I wouldn’t leave her unattended at the desk. The woman can handle any situation better than most men I know. She may look small and fragile, but she is anything but.
June grips my hand tightly as we enter the elevator. “Are you sure about this? I don’t mean to be a burden. I had no idea you were so…important when I came here this morning.”
“You’ll never be a burden, Little one. Don’t insinuate such a thing.” I try to give her a mixture of stern and soft. I truly don’t want her to continue to worry about finances or being an imposition, but I also don’t want to be so dominant with her that I scare her off. She’s not ready for that.
Soft is not something I’m good at. I haven’t been soft with anyone in over a decade. I wasn’t kidding when I said I needed to clear out the cobwebs. I’m rusty at being a Daddy.
Not that I’m a pushover as a Daddy. I’m not, and I won’t be with June either. But she’s not ready for the kind of Dominant I am. I doubt she’s heard the term before.
The elevator pings, and we step out. There’s only one door on this floor. Mine. I use my thumbprint to open it, just like I did to bring the elevator to this floor.
June gasps. “Blade… This is not an apartment. It’s a penthouse. You’re making me nervous.”
“My apartment makes you nervous?”
“Your money does.”
I don’t like her comparing our finances. “Do I look like the sort of guy who cares about money?”
She meets my gaze as I square off in front of her. “No, but that doesn’t make it less than obvious you have a lot of it.”
“And you’re prejudiced against wealthy people?” I tease.
Her eyes widen. “No. Of course not.”
“Then let’s drop that subject.” I nod over my shoulder. “Come.”
I try not to panic as I lead her through the open great room toward the hall. I’ve never stopped to think about how my place might look through someone else’s eyes. Well, a woman’s eyes. No. Not just a woman. My woman. My Little.
My apartment is minimalist. Boring. Gray, silver, white, black. Very little color. Nothing that would catch the eye of a Little. But she’s here now. She can change every damn thing in this apartment if she wants.
“So many rooms…” she murmurs.
“Yeah, several of them are empty. You can pick a few and make them yours.” Am I overstepping? I’m sure I am. It’s hard to hold back. In hindsight, I knew June was mine the moment I met her yesterday. I could kick myself for leaving her alone last night. It won’t happen again.
