Page 22 of Barron

“Not now. I heard you, dude. Later,” he said, walking out.

He got on his bike and peeled out of the building’s driveway. It would take him five minutes tops to reach Yoanni’s place. Though she lived in Pooler, her neighborhood wasn’t far from the Johnston Agency in Garden City.

Barron made the turn into her street and slowed to approach her sidewalk without making too much of a racket. His idling hog was noisy enough. He turned off the engine in front of her house and dismounted. Carefully, he opened the side compartment and took out the bag he’d been carrying since he learned Yoanni had returned from Miami. The gift he hadn’t had the balls to show her. He strode to her door and rang the bell.

The door slammed open. Yoanni, her face contorted, rushed out, shouting, “Barron! Oh my God, Barron.”

“Baby?” He held her arm. Concern and fear roiled in his chest. Her face was blotchy and covered in tears. “What happened?” he asked as he pulled her into his arms.

“I—I,” she stammered. “I’m…scared.”

Concern and fear turned to red-hot fury. If anyone had touched or harmed his baby, they would answer to him and might not live to talk about it.

Tightening his embrace, he murmured, “Why don’t we go inside where you can tell me what happened.”

“No.” Whimpering, she buried herself deeper into him. “I don’t want to go. It’s ugly…and scary.”

The only way to make sense of the situation was to calm her down. Well, he’d brought the magic with him. Barron tore the edge of the bag with his teeth, then carefully pulled out a teddy bear. It wasn’t very big, but it was cute and smiley.

“Here, sweetie. He’s been waiting for you.”

The magic worked. Yoanni stopped sniffling and pulled back a little to dry her face. His heart trembled as her beautiful hazel eyes glanced from the stuffie to him. “For me?”

“Yes, little Nugget. Just for you.”

Time didn’t exist for him. Yoanni’s old nickname slipped out easily, as if the painful separation of endless months had never existed between them. Unable to stop himself, he caressed her forehead with the back of his fingers, then, brushing his hand down her long, silky hair, he dropped a soft kiss on her head. Might as well enjoy this tender intimacy while it lasted. Once she calmed down and remembered how he’d acted, her fiery Cuban temper would let him have it.

Capturing the teddy bear fast against her chest, she tilted her head with a quirky expression. “You won’t take him when you leave, right?”

Uh-oh. Change the subject.

He jutted his chin toward her door. “Okay, what happened in there?”

She sighed. “Not what happened, but what I found.”

“Show me.” Pulling her hand, he moved forward. But she refused to budge. He frowned. “I’m here. And no one is going to hurt you.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Yoanni. Move. Now!”

The barked order got her walking. Oh, yeah. More revelations for him. His Little’s response to dominance was natural and lovely to behold.

My Little.

Yielding at last to the concept he’d refused to accept gave Barron strength and purpose. He grasped her hand more firmly and entered her foyer. She followed without resisting.

But the sun was on its way down, and natural light was quickly waning. It was dark inside the house. He flicked the light switch.

From where he stood, Yoanni’s home hadn’t changed since his last visit. She kept a neat home. Its fresh scent traveled through his system with a sense of familiarity and comfort he’d missed. The memory twisted his stomach with guilt and regret. Shit, he hadn’t been here in a long time. How could he go through life pushing aside what mattered most? After all the sweet words and tender moments they’d shared, he’d left her hanging. It would take him years to make it up to her.

Meanwhile, back to the current situation. “Forgive me, but I don’t see anything that could…”

“It’s in the kitchen.”

The sharpness in her voice put him on edge. “Show me.”

Yoanni took the lead. She walked to the kitchen, stopped at the threshold, and thrust out her hand. “See for yourself.”

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