Page 49 of Owned (Office Intrigue Duet 8)
I was tempted to swat him away, but I’d learned my lesson with that earlier. When I’d tried, the good doctor had proven he wasn’t nearly as submissive as I’d once believed him to be, easily holding me down so he could perform his torturous look into my eye sockets.
“I’m good,” I mumbled, turning my head to dislodge his hand.
The move made my head throb behind my right eye. At least it was now a dull pain, rather than the obliterating headache I’d had before the painkiller had kicked in.
“How’s my sister, Doc?”
Jasper’s voice sounded distant as he moved across the room. “Well. She’s resting right now. I doctored her feet—nothing serious,” he added quickly when I pierced him with a glare. “Her ten-mile trek in only socks caused some minor abrasions. The worst one’ll likely be healed in a day or two. Nothing to worry about, but I’ll keep an eye on her, too.”
I closed my eyes again. “How long until we land?”
“Not much longer.”
“Not much of an answer,” I countered.
Jasper sighed. “A few hours. You should sleep.”
“So should you.”
“I’ll nap when we get there,” he said easily. “I’ll have Cody keep an eye on you so I can.”
Why it bothered me that he mentioned another man’s name so casually, I didn’t know, but it had me blurting out, “Who’s Cody? Your Dom?”
A small laugh sounded, and I could tell Jasper had moved to the other side of the room, probably sitting in the oversized, cushioned chair.
“What if he is?” Jasper retorted.
“That means he’s not.” It might’ve been nine years since I’d seen this man, but I knew how he operated.
Another sigh. “He’s the on-staff therapist.”
“Mental or physical?”
“Physical.”
I smiled to myself. “Didn’t think Talon would let a head shrinker into the compound. Could you imagine? They’d have a field day.”
Jasper didn’t respond, but I could practically hear his smile, so I opened my eyes and peered over at him. His hands were clutching the armrests as though he was trying to keep himself in the chair. His eyes were on me, and when they met mine, I could see something in them. Pain, maybe? Mixed with a little bit of heat.
“How long’ve you worked for Talon?”
“Four years.”
“You live on the island?”
“I do. Travel with him on occasion when he goes to the States.”
“Who watches over things when you’re gone?”
“My nurse.”
“Male or female?”
“What kind of question is that?”
I narrowed my eyes on his face. “A logical one.”
“Her name’s Jayda.”
“She as pretty as her name?”
This time Jasper was the one whose eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t know.”
A mirthless laugh escaped me. “Something’s changed in the past decade then.”
“Nothing’s changed,” Jasper argued, his voice low. “You were just too damn stubborn back then to realize it.”
If he said so. The last thing I wanted to argue about was whether or not my former submissive liked to mix it up with the ladies. I’d always thought Jasper was gay until right at the end, when I learned he had a penchant for a particular Dominatrix who liked to wear black leather and carry a whip.
“So you gave up on—”
“Don’t,” Jasper bit out, his voice a sharp echo in the small space. “Don’t go there, Ransom.”
I stared back at him, unable to recognize the expression on his face. It looked like something you’d see on a person who’d been tortured for a long time.
I didn’t say a word. Couldn’t. But I wanted to. Deep down, there was still that part of me that wanted to wrap this man up and protect him with every ounce of my being. But I’d learned the hard way that the feeling wasn’t mutual. Jasper had never needed me the way I’d needed him.
Which was for the best. I’d learned a lot in the years since we parted ways.
Enough to know my heart played absolutely no part in my extracurricular activities.
“I think I’ll sleep now,” I said, forcing my eyes closed.
“You do that. I’ll wake you when we start our descent.”
TWELVE
TALON
As soon as the plane landed on Sapphire island, I instructed Tiegan to get Braelyn settled in one of the guest rooms in the main residence, surprising my assistant with my command. Since that was something I’d never done for anyone, I knew Tiegan was curious as to my motivation. Thankfully, she worked for me, therefore she couldn’t question my actions. If she had, I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to give her a reason other than I wanted to keep Braelyn close and, at the same time, wasn’t sure I trusted myself around her at the moment. It was imperative that I remove the temptation, knowing that too much time in her company and I’d go with my instinct and likely end up doing something that wouldn’t benefit either of us.
As it was, I’d had to constantly battle the urge to go to her, to crawl into that big bed and get intimately acquainted with her long, lithe body. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d felt that sort of aching need, but it was growing stronger by the minute. Fortunately for both of us, I had a will of steel and managed to avoid engaging her in something she wasn’t ready for. No reason to take unnecessary risks, right?
