Talon pulled out of the parking space smoothly and emerged from the lot with an ease that demonstrated how much experience he had in controlling a bike. After the first corner, Elizabeth relaxed against him and earned a squeeze of her thigh with his powerful hand. She smiled against his back, pleased by his approval.
Elizabeth was sorry when he pulled into her apartment complex and backed the bike into a parking space. She didn’t want to admit even to herself how much she enjoyed having an excuse to snuggle close to his powerful body.
“Here you are. All in one piece,” he announced, cutting through her thoughts.
“You’re good,” she complimented, scrambling off and standing back to watch him. Elizabeth wished she was as graceful as he was in easing off the monster bike.
“I know. But I’m glad you noticed. Let’s take this up to your apartment and we can go have lunch,” Talon suggested as he unfastened her basket.
“Want to take my car?” she asked.
“Not ever.”
“Oh, motorcycles are in your blood, and you hate cars?” she teased as she opened her door.
“Let’s go with that,” he answered with a grin.
A flash of his expression from before at the market when that other biker caused problems jolted into her head and she blinked in reaction. He looked totally different.
“Who are you really?” she asked.
“I’m Talon. A Shadowridge Guardian and a mechanic. I also have some other roles in the MC.”
“Like the Enforcer or the leg breaker?” she asked, watching his face to judge his reaction as she led the way to the kitchen.
“Kade’s the Enforcer. You met him this morning. He’s tough but fair. His Little girl loves him from here to the moon,” Talon assured her as he set the basket on the counter and unloaded it.
“He has a Little girl?” Elizabeth echoed, taking Borscht when he handed the pink bear to her.
“He does. Her name is Remi. You’ll meet her tonight.”
Elizabeth tucked the stuffie in one of the stools at her counter before stowing her purchases away. Talon watched her silently as she finished placing everything in a bin in her fridge. When she closed the door, Elizabeth turned to meet Talon’s eyes. “How does someone know if she’s a Little girl?”
“Come here.”
Taking her hand, Talon led her to her couch and sat down. He drew her onto his lap and lifted her into place when she tried to avoid sitting on his thighs. “I want to hold you, especially when we talk about important things.”
After pressing a light kiss on her lips, Talon said, “Little girls are as varied as any other group of people. Bikers, librarians, religious people, police officers. You are the only one that knows if you’re Little. If you crave the close relationship with your Daddy where you want someone strong in your life to take care of you, nurture you, and love you with every ounce of his mind, body, and heart, you might be Little.”
Talon stroked the hair from her face that had escaped from her ponytail. Meeting her gaze once again, he added, “Are you turned on by having someone else in charge? Maybe not all the time, but when you have free time from work and responsibilities, does the idea of leaving everything else in someone else’s hands to make the decisions, deal with the annoyances of daily life, and protect you, make you feel good inside. Special?”
Forcing herself to be brave, Elizabeth nodded.
“Thank you for telling me the truth. Have you ever explored your Little side?” he asked.
“Not really? I mean, I like to read those books and I color sometimes.”
“What’s your stuffie’s name?”
“Puff,” she answered, not even hesitating because he asked so casually—like he already knew. “And now, Borscht.”
“Is Puff a dragon?”
She nodded, feeling self-conscious.
“I’d love to meet him in a few minutes. Would you like to know what I would like to do for my Little?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I would like my Little girl to do whatever she does as her job as long as she enjoys it—most days. When her day is over, she leaves everything at work and walks out the door. At home, she can relax and color, read, or watch a movie while I make dinner. After eating our meal together, we would spend time together doing whatever makes her happy.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do what you enjoy? Watch a game on TV? Go play poker with your friends?”
“I’m going to stop talking in general and concentrate on you. I think you’re my Little,” Talon stated firmly. “We will spend time with my MC brothers at the compound. There, you will enjoy the company of other Littles.”
“Some of the Shadowridge Guardians are Daddies?” Elizabeth looked at him in shock.
“Most, if not all, are. Five have already found their Littles,” Talon shared.
“Really?”
“They are absurdly happy together. We won’t spend all our time with the Shadowridge Guardians. I have an apartment there, but I also have a house outside of town. I don’t get there often, but it’s a great weekend retreat,” he shared.
“I’m glad you didn’t go there this weekend,” she confessed.
“Best decision ever.” Talon leaned forward to kiss her lightly. Leaning back, he brushed her hair away from her temple.
After thinking for a moment, he added, “If it makes you happy to spend time with other Littles, I’ll let you enjoy their company while I hang out with the other Daddies—supervising your gathering, of course.”
“Do you think the others will like me?”
“Indubitably.”
She laughed at his word choice and relaxed a bit more. Emboldened, she asked, “So being Little is all about games and playing?”
“No. Being Little often has an intimate component as well. For me, that’s equally essential. I will make sure you feel good by making sure you are sexually satisfied and happy. Daddies care for all their Littles’ needs.”
Elizabeth felt her cheeks heat and knew she was blushing. When she looked away, he gathered her ponytail in his powerful hand and easily turned her head to meet his gaze. “I will take care of your health. No part of your body will be off limits to me. I will correct you when you endanger yourself, like today.”
“A spanking?” she whispered, trying not to squirm on his lap.
“Among other things. Little girls need boundaries to help them make good choices.”
She thought for a minute before saying, “I can be stubborn sometimes. I would act again in the same way to help that woman.”
“That does not surprise me. Could you commit to calling me first before you put yourself in danger?”
“Maybe?” she hedged.
He arched one eyebrow and maintained eye contact with her.
“Okay, if you were my Daddy, then I’d call as soon as possible.”
“Before interceding.”
His stern tone made her hesitate before admitting, “It depends on the situation. I might not have time to call.”
“If you endanger yourself, there will be consequences.”
“You sound like you’re my Daddy already,” she said, bristling.
“Yes.”
That simple word deflated her indignation. “How are you so confident?”
“There’s something in you that calls to me. You feel like home. Go get Puff now. I’d like to meet him.”
Thinking over his simple statement, Elizabeth allowed him to boost her to her feet. She walked slowly into her room and gently untucked Puff from his nesting spot. Cradling him against her chest, she returned to his side and hesitated. Should she sit back on his lap?
“Come here, Buttercup.” Talon solved her dilemma by guiding her back onto his lap. “This is Puff?”
“It is. Puff is very fierce. Be careful. If he doesn’t like you, he’ll set you on fire.”
“Wow. I hope he likes me. Hi, Puff. I’m very glad to meet you. Thank you for taking such good care of my Little girl.” Talon held out a hand to the stuffie for him to sniff.
“Snort! Puff says you’re a stranger.”
“To him, definitely. But you and I know each other. Can you convince Puff to give me a chance?”
Elizabeth turned the stuffie to look at her. Looking into the dragon’s amber eyes, she tried to reassure her long-time friend that Talon was okay. After several long seconds, the stuffie relented and snorted again.
“Puff is going to keep an eye on you, but he thinks you’re good for me,” Elizabeth reported.
“Thank you, Puff. Is it okay if I take Elizabeth out to eat now?”
The dragon nodded his head once.
“I’ll go tuck Puff back into his lair,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll introduce Borscht to him later.”
As she returned to the sitting area, Elizabeth paused. “Oh, I need to put on some makeup. I’m sorry I didn’t do that sooner.”
“No makeup, Little girl. I’d rather look at the real you,” Talon assured her.
“But I look cuter in makeup.” She hesitated.
“You look scrumptious now. Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m starved,” Elizabeth admitted.
“Let’s go.”
Talon stood and ushered her out of the apartment. He paused in the doorway to make sure she had her phone and anything else she needed. When Elizabeth was ready, they returned to his motorcycle.