Owned (Office Intrigue Book 8) by Nicole Edwards (year 2 reading books TXT) 📗

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?

Hence the need for some space.

Not to mention, Braelyn had been through a lot for one day. The last thing she needed was to deal with me and this unsettled feeling I was now battling. Taking things slow had never been my strong suit, but I would make the effort. For Braelyn.

So I was the first to exit the plane, taking Auberon and Rolphe with me in one of the Range Rovers and heading directly to the house while the others took care of the rest.

Now, standing on the private veranda overlooking the four-acre courtyard, which was the main hub of activity on my vast estate, providing both entertainment as well as a means to get from one building to another, I couldn’t help but wonder what Braelyn was doing now. A few minutes ago, I had messaged Tiegan for an update, knowing she had purposely ignored me for the past couple of hours simply because she knew it would irk me.

A short time later, the click of her heels on the slate tile announced Tiegan’s arrival.

Drink in hand, I glanced over when she stopped at the railing to stand beside me. “Is she settled?”

There was a knowing smile on Tiegan’s full lips. “She is.” Her gaze swung to the lush gardens and swimming pools below. “She’s exhausted and rightfully so. If I had to guess, she’ll sleep through the day.”

One could only hope. She certainly needed it.

Because we had flown all night, the sun was still low in the sky, but much of the estate had woken for the day. I had plans to do the opposite, fully intending to indulge in a few hours of sleep before I got back to the grindstone. I hadn’t slept a wink on the flight, and it was catching up to me.

“I did remind her about the job,” Tiegan noted.

“Did she laugh in your face?”

Tiegan grinned. “She’s got spine, that girl. Accused me of lying in an effort to get her here.”

“And you told her…?”

“That my