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I mmy felt like she was being watched.

Which was dumb.

Because of course she was being watched.

But it wasn’t really her they were staring at, it was Jenner. That’s what happened in public with him. They were nearly through the security at the airport, though. Thank God.

They had a private room to wait in once they got past this part.

Still. She had this weird creepy feeling that she couldn’t seem to shake. It was likely because of everything that had happened with Maeve. Now, anyone staring at her felt threatening.

You’re being silly .

“Sir, can you step to the side?”

She turned to find one of the TSA officers speaking to Tobias. The others had already gone through the screening process and were collecting their carry-on. So it was just her and Tobias left.

“Why does he have to step to the side?” she asked as Tobias looked at the officer coldly.

“Because he does, ma’am,” the TSA officer said sternly. “Now, you can wait over there or you can come back for a chat too.”

“Is there a problem here?”

Relief filled her as she heard Jenner’s voice. Immy hated flying. Not because she was scared of planes or thought something might happen to her. It was all the stress in the airport that got to her.

TSA officers could be scary.

“No problem, Mr. Knight. We just need to speak to Mr. Smith.” He said Tobias’s name like it was dirty.

“That’s all good. But you should know that Tobias is one of my bodyguards, so I hope this won’t take long.”

Jenner was smiling as he spoke, but there was an unmistakable thread of steel in his voice. He was making it clear that Tobias meant something to him. And relief filled her.

“Right. Come this way, Mr. Smith.” There was less derision in the officer’s voice this time.

“Immy, stay with Jenner and Sampson,” Tobias told her.

She nodded as Jenner took her hand and led her back toward where Lauren and their escort through the airport waited. The rest of the band were flying out that evening.

“What’s going on?” Lauren asked. “What’s the hold-up?”

“They need to speak to Tobias for a moment,” Immy explained.

“Oh. Is that all? Well, he can catch up to us. Let’s go to the private room and I’m sure he’ll find us.”

“We can’t do that,” Immy protested.

“Jenner needs to get away from this crowd,” Lauren stated, looking impatient.

“We’ll wait for Tobias,” Jenner told Lauren. “I don’t like the way that officer was looking at him. I want him to know he has our support.”

“But, Jenner,” Lauren said with a smile that was completely fake. “You really don’t want to get accosted by people, do you?”

“I don’t really think that people wanting an autograph or photo with me is the same as being accosted,” Jenner told Lauren.

Wow. The other woman didn’t look happy. But Immy was glad they were waiting for Tobias.

Although she did get Lauren’s point.

“I can wait here for him while you all go on,” Immy offered.

Both men shot her dark looks.

“Not happening,” Sampson said.

“No way,” Jenner said at the same time.

Okay. She was actually kind of relieved. She really did hate airports and she still couldn’t shake that weird feeling.

“I’m sure that Immy is capable of waiting for Tobias on her own,” Lauren said. “And we’re getting close to boarding. After all, it’s not like anyone knows who Immy is, right? Why would they bother her?”

Now both men turned to glare at Lauren.

“Why do you employ her?” Sampson snapped at Jenner.

“Because I’m the best in the business,” Lauren said.

“Are you? Does being the best mean you have to be a complete?—”

“Sampson!” Immy said, grasping hold of his arm. Sampson glanced down at her, still looking upset. “I think we should get something to eat. I’m hungry.”

“You are?” Jenner asked, looking alarmed. “Let’s find you something.”

“Wait, here’s Tobias,” she said with relief as she saw him headed their way. “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, they’re just doing their job,” Tobias grumbled. “I guess. Don’t think they really believed that my last name is Smith. Oh, and that I’m not going to blow up the plane or something. Come on, let’s go.”

Relief filled her as Tobias placed his hand on the small of her back to steer her through the people around them.

She’d gotten far too used to having Tobias around.

It was going to suck when he left.

“Immy?” Tobias knocked on her door for the third time. He had the spare key to her room and he was close to using it when there was a thump behind the door.

Well. Thank God.

Isaiah had set some alarms on her phone to help her wake up, but either they weren’t doing their job or something else was wrong.

She opened the door and blinked up at him. She was still wearing her pajamas. These ones had pictures of cookies all over them and were a pale green.

How many adorable sets of pajamas did she own?

“You okay?” he asked.

In reply, she stuck her thumb in her mouth and stared up at him.

Shit.

He should have checked on her last night. Had she not gotten enough sleep? Apparently, she was always sleepy in the morning and difficult to wake up. But when she hadn’t had enough sleep, she became even more zombie-like than usual.

Quickly, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He didn’t want anyone seeing her in this vulnerable state.

As soon as the door was shut, she was on him, climbing him like a monkey to settle her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck.

“Well. Okay, sweetness. You just hold onto me,” he murmured as he walked with her over to a chair. He remembered how much the guys had been worried about keeping her warm last time she’d been in this state.

Which was only the day before yesterday.

Tobias grabbed a fluffy white blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her before sitting with her settled on his lap, facing him.

What else should he do?

He knew what he’d do if she was his. But he figured that kissing her was out of the picture.

And so was lying down with her on top of him.

Hmm.

She squirmed on his lap and he glanced down to find her pressed to his chest. Her head was turned and her thumb was in her mouth. She moved around again and his cock definitely started to take notice.

Crap.

“Cherry, you need to stay still for me.”

A grunt escaped her and she shifted around again.

“Immy,” he said sternly. “Stay still.”

Another grunt. Which he figured was probably her non-verbal way of saying no.

So naughty.

Before he could pin her hips down, she was moving his T-shirt up and out of the way.

“What are you . . . oh.” She had nestled herself under his T-shirt so she was pressed against his bare skin.

A sigh of contentment left her.

Liked touching his bare skin, did she?

Well, he couldn’t say he didn’t like it. But that didn’t make it a good idea.

Shit.

Fuck.

He should move her. A better man would place her on the bed and step away.

Only, he’d never claimed to be a good man.

He’d done things that he would never tell anyone. Some things he was ashamed of. But most of them, he wasn’t. Most of the things he’d done had been to save himself or someone else.

Sometimes it was a matter of kill or be killed.

But other than some shit from when he was a kid, which was sealed, his record was clean. Probably part of the reason that Alejandro had sent him on this job and not one of his other guys.

“Ahh, Immy, you won’t be happy when you realize what you’re doing,” he murmured to her. “And especially when you realize exactly what this means.”

Because she’d just shown him her soft and vulnerable side. And not while she was in the arms of someone else.

Nope, she’d turned to him for protection.

And had sealed her fate.

Whether she knew it or not.

God. She felt so good in his arms. Soft in all the right ways. And her scent was sweet and tart. Like candied apples.

Perfect.

He brushed his lips against her cheek. Yeah, it was pushing the boundaries. But she had just climbed him like a tree, so he figured she’d already jumped the line of that boundary. And he was just taking another step over it. But he simply couldn’t resist.

And he kept it to that. Just the feel of her soft skin had him groaning. Not to mention the way she kept squirming against his cock.

Fuck. She would try the patience of a saint. And he certainly wasn’t one of those.

“Sweetness? Cherry? You have to stop moving around like that. You’re not ready for what you’re doing to me.” Then a sudden thought occurred to him.

Perhaps the sucking on her thumb and wanting to be held and carried were signs she was in Little headspace. Everyone seemed to think she wasn’t a Little.

But he wasn’t so sure.

So maybe that’s how he should be treating her. It’s how Jenner had treated her the other day.

“Immy? Do you have to use the toilet?”

Christ.

He waited for her to tense up and tell him off. But instead, she snuggled in even more.

All right. Seemed she wasn’t going to be any help. He would have to figure this out on his own.

He thought about messaging Jenner or Sampson. But Lauren had Jenner doing some sort of publicity event this morning. And then interviews this afternoon. The concert wasn’t actually until tomorrow night.

Sounded simple. But in reality it was going to be a bit harder.

Standing, he cradled her against him as he carried her into the bathroom. Then he tried to set her on her feet.

She simply wrapped her legs around his waist.

So. What to do now?

Tobias had dated some Littles, however wasn’t really a commitment type of guy.

Maybe because he hadn’t found the right girl.

Being a Daddy could make you feel like a champion. The king of the world. Or at least that’s how he felt around Immy.

She had a way of making you feel special and seen. Noticed.

Invincible.

That he was needed . . . wanted.

And sure if that feeling was only something he’d experience with Immy. But he would be lying if he said he didn’t want more.

“Right, Cherry. Need you to use the toilet, sweetness.”

She shook her head.

“Uh-huh. I don’t think you want there to be an accident. But to use the toilet, you got to let go of me.”