Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Jordi didn’t move as she tried to absorb everything Callen said. He seemed genuine.
He didn’t step closer to her as he continued. “I promise I’m a hardware store owner. Nothing more. Not a spy. I’m pretty good friends with some people you know, in fact. I could give you references.” He offered a slight smile.
Jordi blew out a breath, causing wisps of hair to fly around her face before settling back against her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I just panicked. You seem too good to be true.”
His smile grew. “Sometimes good things happen. I know you’re one of those. Let me prove I’m a good thing for you. Let me take you to dinner.”
She held his gaze for long seconds, wondering if she should take this leap. Take a chance. If he hurt her, he would hurt her badly, but she might as well throw all her cards on the table and see how he reacted now. Why pretend she was someone she wasn’t for days or weeks only to have him cringe when he learned the truth.
Fortifying herself, she drew in a deep breath. “I don’t want to go to dinner.”
His shoulders dropped slightly. So did his expression.
She lifted her hands in front of her to wring them together. “The truth is when I get off work, I just like to go home where I can be Little. I can shut off the world and switch my headspace and slide into my other persona.”
His brows lifted. “Okay…”
She needed to say more, make sure he understood. “I’m a tomboy in my adult skin. With three older brothers, I didn’t have much choice. I spent my childhood proving to them I could keep up and do all the same things as them. Now that I’m an adult and live alone, I can lock my door and re-create my childhood the way part of me wishes it had been.”
A smile grew on Callen’s face. “So your Little is girly?”
Jordi nodded. “That’s why I don’t want to go out for dinner. I’m exhausted from adulting. If you want to know who I really am, you’ll have to come to my apartment and see for yourself. We can pick up pizza or make mac and cheese or chicken nuggets.”
“I love that idea, Sunshine.”
Jordi stared at him hard, making sure he wasn’t a fake Daddy. She wished there was radar for that sort of thing—a tool you could use to hold up and determine if a man was just saying the things he thought he should say to get someone to show their vulnerability before he hurt them.
She set her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze, forcing every bit of her adult to stay in the forefront. “If you’re messing with me or you laugh at me, I will never forgive you.”
Callen took a step toward her. “I bet you have one characteristic that carries over from your adult to your Little.”
“I do?”
“Yep, your sunny disposition, Sunshine.” He gave her a mock frown. “Or am I going to find out your Little is sour and angry and bratty?” he teased.
She giggled and shook her head at the ludicrous thought. “Not a chance. My Little is sweet and sunny and fun. But she’s not a tomboy. She doesn’t like to get dirty.”
His grin grew huge. “I want to meet her. I’ll pick up the pizza and meet you at your apartment.” He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and handed it to her. “Can you type in your address for me, Sunshine?”
She took it and hesitated. “You’re sure you’re not an ax murderer, right?”
He chuckled. “Nope. If you want to call some people to vouch for me, I’m friends with Davis from Fitness Haven, Tarson from Little Cakes, Maniac from Maniac Tats… You want more?”
She shook her head. “You sure know a lot of people.”
He smiled. “I know them from Blaze. Have you ever been to Blaze?”
She shook her head again. “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been brave enough to go there. I’m not really into BDSM or anything. I’m just Little.”
“Well, Little girl, there are a lot of Littles who belong to Blaze. You’d be surprised how many people in this town are Little if you take a harder look.”
Jordi gasped as she realized if the men he’d listed were Daddies… That meant the women they dated or were married to were probably Little. “Wait, I assumed Ellie from Little Cakes might be Little, but Daisy, Tatiana, and Sue?” After all, Tarson was with Daisy, Tatiana with Maniac, and Sue with Davis. She’d at least met all of them several times. It was impossible not to since they all had shops in the area.
Callen’s smile grew larger. “Mmm.” He wasn’t giving her a committal response, but she was glad. It wouldn’t be polite to out people. She had a lot to think about though.