Chapter 12
Kourtney
“ R ight there is good.” Rolling over, I slowly blink my eyes open to the sound of men talking and a drill working somewhere outside of my open bedroom door. I stretch out and groan at the delicious feeling of sore muscles from last night’s activities.
The sheet slips down and lands at my waist, and I shiver at the cold air as it breezes across my exposed nipples. Dragging the sheet back up, I hop out of bed and head towards the bathroom. After relieving myself and washing my hands, I grab the baby blue silk robe from the back of the door and slip it over my shoulders, fastening it at my waist. I quickly brush my teeth and twist the rat’s nest on top of my head back into a claw clip.
Meatball greets me at the bedroom door by running his big, soft body against my bare legs. I heft him up into my arms and go in search of whatever the hell is causing all the ruckus.
Never in a million years could I have guessed what I’d find waiting for me.
Drool pools in my mouth and I nearly drop Meatball’s heavy ass to the ground.
Tiny is bent at the waist, shirtless, clad in only his jeans and shoes as he assembles some sort of monitor. Wires and cameras surround him on my living room floor while a kid in his late teens stands a few feet away from him with what looks like a spotlight in his hand.
The kid looks up at me, eyes widening, and clearly not hearing what Tiny is spewing at him about his plans for camera placement. Tiny looks up in disdain at the kid when he realizes the kid isn’t responding. Following the kid’s gaze, Tiny turns, and his eyes darken as he takes me in. His gaze travels from my bare face, down my robe-clad body, and settles on my bare feet.
I vaguely hear him let out what resembles a growl, but that could also be a purr coming from Meatball– I’m not too sure.
Tiny pushes up to his feet and stalks to me in three large steps.
“Good morning, honey.” Tiny swallows my gasp with a hard kiss pressed against my parted lips. I have just enough brain cells left this morning to kiss him back. “Seems like your pussy really likes me.”
My eyes widen and I choke on a swallow as the kid standing in my living room lets out a big bark of laughter.
I back away enough to see Tiny raking his large hand over Meatball’s head, who purrs in response and rolls his head for more rubs like the little hussy he is. I slap my other hand across my face as I blush, giggling. “My pussy?”
“Yeah,” Tiny smiles with the audacity to look sheepish.
“His name is Meatball,” I laugh, setting the fat cat back on his feet. I look around my living room at the open boxes of random tech laid out and raise my brows. “Did the Best Buy truck break down at the end of the road? Please tell me you guys didn’t commit felony theft that I’m going to need to get you out of.”
The kid is laughing so hard that he looks like he’s about to pee his pants. He’s bent at the waist and I watch in amusement as he almost drops the light in his hand.
“Best Buy?” Tiny growls, wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me up against him, pressing another kiss to my cheek. “I would never buy this shit from Best Buy, babe. This is your security system,” he says, waving his hand and gesturing to all the random equipment littering my living room.
“Jesus. What is this, Fort Knox?”
The kid, who still doesn’t have a name, laughs. “Told you this was a little overkill, boss.”
Tiny shakes his head. “Absolutely not. Safety is important to me.” He shrugs his shoulders and goes back to the monitor he was assembling.
“I’m Riley,” the kid steps forward and reaches his hand out.
Realizing I’m still only in a robe, I press my hand against my chest, hopefully confining everything I need to, and place my other hand in his.
The little flirt pulls my hand towards his face, placing a kiss against my knuckles, earning a possessive growl from Tiny.
“Hands off, kid. She’s mine.”
Goosebumps pebble along my skin at the greedy way Tiny claims me as his. Pulling my lips between my teeth, I bite down and blush at Tiny’s wink.
I clear my throat, pulling my robe tighter against my chest. Looking across the house towards the kitchen, I note the time on the microwave says it’s already ten in the morning. I’m surprised Meatball allowed me to sleep this late. Normally if he’s locked out of my room, he’s scratching at the door no later than eight for his breakfast. “Have you guys eaten?”
“I grabbed some coffee on the way here, I grabbed you one, but that was a few hours ago, so it’s probably cold by now,” Riley says.
I look his way and smile in thanks before padding toward the kitchen. The ceramic tile around the island shocks my bare feet as I reach for the lone to-go coffee cup. Taking the lid off, I take a tentative sip, expecting it to be ice cold. I shrug when it still holds the tiniest bit of warmth and take a large drink.
“How’d you know I like butter pecan?”
Riley smiles. The kid is way too damn young for me, but I can appreciate he’s a damn good-looking guy. “I didn’t. I just got two of what The Bossman drinks.”
“Hmm,” I hum, my eyes searching along Tiny’s frame as he works.
So he’s handsome, big as fuck, knows how to use his hands, his tongue, and the monster in his pants, and he drinks butter pecan creamer?
I’m in big fucking trouble with how perfect this man is turning out to be.
“I think they’re almost done,” I tell Reggie. It’s been at least an hour since I’ve heard any sort of power tool ripping holes in the walls of my home.
When Tiny first explained the extent of the security system he was installing, I tried telling him that it was way too excessive. He refused to hear it, then told me how important it was to him that I’m safe, especially having told him about the types of threats my dad had received when I was a kid.
“So can I assume you won’t be coming into the office today?” Reggie asks, I can tell by the amused sound in his voice he most likely has a smug smile pasted on his stupid face.
Reggie hangs up on me while cackling and rambling about bikers and how, as if I didn’t already know, screwed I am.
A while later, Tiny finds me sitting at the vanity in my bathroom, having just finished applying the last bit of my makeup.
The man is gorgeous. I know some people don’t think a man can be gorgeous, but fuck that. Tiny is absolutely beautiful in a rough sort of way, but beautiful nonetheless. His roughness is highlighted by the tattoos littering his forearm where faint, light-colored scars are sprinkled throughout. It makes me wonder what kind of life he’s lived. It’s also a surprise that I even give a shit and actually want to know. I want to get to know him on a level beyond knowing what he has in his pants and what he can do with it.
Spinning me in the swivel chair so I now face him, he bends at the waist, putting himself at my eye level. “You look good enough to eat.”
I smirk, lean back in the chair, and lift one leg to slowly spread them before crossing one over the other. “That can be arranged.”
Tiny lets out a guttural groan. “I wish I had the fucking time to devour you the way you deserve, but unfortunately, I have to head to the office.” He runs the back of his roughened knuckle along the hem of my shorts, and with a smirk says, “Come on. Let me show you everything before I say fuck it and miss my meeting.”
Pouting, I take his hand and follow him out of the bathroom. I don’t initially notice any cameras in the bedroom as we walk through, although I swear while I was in the shower it sounded like he was drilling into the other side of that wall, which would have put something on the wall across from my bed.
Starting in the living room, he points out a few very small cameras I wouldn’t have even known were there unless he showed me. After taking me around the whole house and pointing out the various cameras, he puts my big coat over my shoulders and takes me outside, showing me a few surrounding the house as well.
The big light Riley was carrying around is apparently another motion detection light, but this one is somehow connected to the security system and immediately starts recording when it detects motion. Depending on how sensitive it is, I imagine I’ll be seeing a lot of critters on my feed.
Next, he shows me the new touchscreen monitor panel right inside my front door and all of its different features. There is a button that, when pressed once, calls Tiny’s company directly, but if pressed twice, will alert the police.
“That’s a little overkill, don’t you think?”
Tiny shrugs. “Maybe, but all of our systems have it, and that’s part of the services we offer. I told you, babe. We aren’t just a security system company. We are a total access service, security, and protection company.”
I nod while flipping through the screens. They show me the view of every camera around and inside my house. It’s pretty cool, if not a little intimidating. This has to be too much, right?
“I downloaded the app on your phone and set it up while you were showering so everything you can do on this screen, you can also do on your phone. You’ll also be able to do the same as soon as I’m done at your office.”
“This is pretty cool,” I admit while scrolling the app on my phone.
Strapping a black backpack over his shoulders, Tiny grabs me around the waist and kisses me like a man starved before leaving in a cloud of dust. I blink at the front door, wondering if I just imagined the past 14 hours.
My mind starts reeling as I wander around the now-silent house. His presence is larger than life, and it’s not just because he’s a big guy. He seems to block out everything but him and consumes my every thought.
Where did this man come from? Why do I miss him already? Was this a one-night stand? No, surely not. He called me his at least five times last night and then again to Riley this morning. Do I want to be his? I don’t even really know him, so surely I don’t want to belong to a random man.
But is he so random, though?
So many questions fly through my mind as I cross over to my room to get dressed to face the cold. I can’t stay in this house now that the silence is nagging at my brain and making me think of things I don’t feel ready to think about. It’s way too soon to be consumed with thoughts of belonging to a man. Do I want to be in a relationship? I just moved here for God’s sake.
Taking a deep breath, I shake off the impending panic.
I don’t really have anything to work on today, but I think disappearing into the office to get away from the deafening quiet will do me some good.
Making my mind up, I rush through my closet and dress in a pair of white slacks and a tight blue sweater. Hopping into my heels, I practically run through my house to grab my coat and purse before tearing out of the garage like a bat out of hell and head towards the office.
Minutes later, I’m storming through the office and down the hallway towards Reggie’s office. Thank God he isn’t with a client as I fly through his open door and let it slam behind me.
If I wasn’t in such a panicked state, the look of absolute bewilderment on Reggie’s face would make me laugh.
I throw myself down into the armchair across from his desk and focus on the stupid bulldog-shaped paperweight on the corner of his desk.
“Uh, can I help you, Kourt?”
Biting my lip, my brows furrow. I look up and search Reggie’s face, feeling very confused.
Reggie’s brows lift in amusement as he waits for me to speak.
Coming to a conclusion in my head, I nod and look into my best friend's eyes. “I like him.”
Reggie bursts out with laughter, causing me to frown at him. As my best friend, he should be consoling me in my obvious state of freak out, not laughing at me. Worst best friend ever.
“You like him? And that’s wrong?” he asks, switching quickly from making fun of me to the supportive friend he is.
I shrug. “I don’t know him enough to like him this much, Reggie. It’s dangerous.”
“How much are we talking? Are you writing Mrs. Kourtney Hayes all over your binders?”
“Oh, fuck off,” I roll my eyes at him. “I’m being serious, Reggie. I barely know this guy. How can I already like him this much? Hell! He could be a criminal. I’m currently defending one of his best friends in an attempted murder case! How fucking crazy is that?”
Reggie holds his hands up. “Hold on, babe. Listen, I know I haven’t lived here that long, but I can tell you that I’ve heard nothing but good things about him and his friend group.”
“His club ?” I tease Reggie, who is still slightly uncomfortable that this “friend group” is a real motorcycle club, not just a fake one on TV.
“Yeah, that. Anyway,” he waves me off before continuing. “I think I’ve been in the community long enough to see the effects they have on the people here. I’ve seen multiple fundraisers and different things they’ve done to make this a better place to live. They also work hard to keep the town clean from drugs and shit. Can they really be all that bad?”
I sit up in my chair as what Reggie says hits me. I glare at him playfully. “Gregory Morgan, are you actually defending and rooting for a man that I’m interested in?”
Reggie holds up his hands and shakes his head, backtracking. “Woah, woah, woah now. I didn’t say that. I’m just trying to be a supportive friend.”
Based on the smirk pulling at his lips, he approves of my newfound feelings for Tiny, and that small little fact has butterflies erupting in my belly. “Huh.”
“What is that face for?”
“I just never thought I’d see the day that you approved of someone for me.”
Reggie rolls his eyes, sticking his finger towards his open mouth as he fake gags. “Oh please, bitch. Don’t act like I like it. The only thing I give a shit about is that you’re no longer with Benjamin. You dating a light pole would be better than him.”
I let out a cackle, pushing up from his chair. “I’ll let Tiny know you compare him to a light pole. I’m sure the big guy would appreciate that.”
Reggie’s eyes widen, and he sputters as I float out of his office on a high.
I know Reggie didn’t admit it out loud, but just on the small comments about them being good people, that was most definitely him putting his stamp of approval on Tiny. Which, in all of our years of friendship, I never thought would happen.
Not being able to sit in the office with the way my mind is racing, I decide to leave and check out my new town. One thing leads to another, and somehow after wandering for a while, I find myself pressing through the door of Desert Ink.