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“Maybe.”
He sat me up. “One.”
Oh no.Though we hadn’t been around each other in a long time, I never forgot what happened at the end of one of his countdowns. Nothing good. My bottom stung from the attention along with the afterburn left behind. But my head and my heart still ached.
“I apologize, Sir.” Grabbing my bear, I buried my head into its soft fur so I wouldn’t see his reaction.
Jesse refused to let me hide. “Look at me.”
I did as he asked even though I was embarrassed. His jaw clenched and released as he stared at me as if gathering his thoughts before speaking, something I needed to do more often.
“What is bothering you so much, Tiana?”
“I haven’t called you Sir in a long time. And I didn’t even ask if it was okay. You’re in a relationship now and things are different.”
“I just thoroughly spanked your naked butt, and yet you’re hung up on a title?” Jesse blinked. “I don’t get confused often, buttercup. Can you explain?”
“Calling you Sir implies more than just a friendly, uh, thing.”
“To me it implies respect.” He rubbed his chin. “But there is another sort of dynamic that I would like to discuss with you later.”
“Sorta like college when I’d poke you, and you responded?”
“Sort of. We’ll talk about it on a different day.” He climbed off the bed and helped me to my feet. “Are you all packed, darling?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” I grabbed my blanket and bear, tucking them against my arm. “Please don’t tell anyone I brought comfort objects with me. I don’t want them to think I’m a baby.”
Shouldering my bags, he then held out his hand. “I won’t tell, but you’re not a baby. It’s human nature to seek comfort.”
“Thanks, Jesse.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lacing my fingers in his, I followed him out of my room. We spent so much time together years ago, but the atmosphere shifted. Though I’d dealt with a lot of adult things on my own without the support of my family, this one took the cake. Some crazy felon, who thought I snitched on him, escaped from prison and might be after me. If someone sent a BOLO to the Falcon Creek police department, then it wasn’t a stretch of the imagination that Chet might travel here. Though if he was out, why would he risk committing another crime? I guess criminals didn’t follow the rules.Duh.
We made our way to the car and the reality of the situation hit me. I was going away from my home to stay with Dane and Tanner. What would they think about the mess I’d gotten myself into? Would they be annoyed with me? Buckling me into the front seat, Jesse tucked the blanket around me. He patted my head and the top of my teddy bear’s head. The gesture was so sweet.
“How can you be so patient with me?” I sniffled. It was like my heart wouldn’t stop purging and my emotions were falling out in tears.
“I’m not the one who is about to ride through the worst construction zone in Falcon Creek with a burning tail,” he said sternly. “I don’t envy your bottom right now.”
“At least we agree on something.”
Chuckling, he shut the door. I always made him laugh, even in the middle of a crazy situation. Sinking deeper, I winced when my butt rubbed against the passenger seat. Curling as comfortably as I could, I tucked my legs underneath me. Jesse got behind the wheel and handed me the ugliest looking phone I’d ever seen.
“Your phone is packed, but I took the sim card.”
“What are you talking about, Jesse?”
“Sim cards can be tracked. Once Chet returns to prison you can have it back,” he explained patiently. “That phone is programmed with phone numbers of the people I trust. You are not to post on social media, no matter the platform. You need to stay off everything. If you don’t know if what you need to do can be tracked, ask me.”
I pursed my lips, scowling but he was doing all of this to protect me. “Yes, Jesse.” Once we hit the back roads, I desperately wished that I had listened the first time. Every bump in the road jarred the seat, increasing my discomfort. I’d likely feel the heat from his punishment well into tomorrow. “Hey. Um, are you mad at me?”
“For what?”
“This whole day.”
He side-eyed me before directing his gaze to the road in front of us. “If I was mad, you’d be in the back seat.”
