The Dom with the Dragon Tattoo (Masters of Submission #5)(9)

“Thanks.” Just the way he spoke the words left her in no doubt that he wanted her.

“What happened to your glasses?”

“I’m wearing contacts, but I can’t wear them eight hours a day. They hurt my eyes.”

He nodded knowingly. “Colored contacts are all the rage. Have you ever worn blue ones? You have stunning brown eyes, but you’d look equally beautiful with blue.”

His face held that I-know-something-you-don’t-know look that she’d seen a couple of times before. Why mention blue eyes?

“On occasion I wear blue ones. Why?”

He shrugged. “No reason. Just interested. That’s all.”

There it was again, that nagging feeling he knew something she didn’t.

Tyler’s deep, sensual voice broke into her thoughts. “I see you’ve brought some real estate brochures with you.” He took them from her and casually flicked through the glossy literature. He shook his head. “I can see you need my help. These are all wrong.” He pulled one from the pile at random. “Take this for example.” He tapped the glossy image with an index finger. “High crime rate in this area.” He pointed to another. “This house is in a better area, but there are no decent schools close by.”

Rebecca raised a brow in surprise. “Why do I need schools? I don’t have any kids.”

“But you will. Believe me, you will.” He touched a finger to his temple. “You have to look to the future, Rebecca, otherwise you’ll end up moving again and again before finding what you really want. Trust me, I know about these things.” He gunned the Dodge Viper into life and began backing out of the drive. “I’ll take you on a tour of the area. Then you can make a more informed decision about where you want to live.”

Rebecca realized he was taking over again, but she kind of liked it. Needed it even. “You seem to have everything organized, and as for children I—” She suddenly stopped speaking. It was too painful to even go there.

There was so much he didn’t know about her. She was thirty-three, and it saddened her to think she’d never be able to conceive a child. She shook her head and pushed the intrusive thought back down as Tyler maneuvered the Dodge across an intersection. Sitting so close to the man, she felt the warmth radiating from his powerful body. His sexual energy seemed to beat in sync with her breathing, which drummed provocatively in her stomach, making her * wet with desire.

Aware of her elevated pulse rate, she finally broke the silence between them. “Do you try and find all your employees a place to live?”

He laughed, bringing those sexy crease lines into action again. “Certainly not.”

“Then why me?”

“You’re a real asset to Cerberus Technology. I want you settled in Houston, not pining for Boston.”

“So it’s for purely selfish reasons you’re taking the time to help me today.”

“Yeah, partly. And because I like you.”

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile. She liked Tyler Stone. She liked his sense of authority, but she also liked his sense of humor, too.

He pulled the car to the side of the road. “Here’s the first one of the day, Rebecca.” He looked across at the upscale property. “What do you think? Three bedrooms, landscaping, and even a yard for junior to play in.”





Chapter Six




Later that evening



Tyler steered the Dodge Viper down the main street then cut through a series of interconnected roads, until he eventually turned onto a leafy tree-lined avenue. Welcome to Suburbia. Immaculate houses with their perfect white picket fences stretched endlessly ahead of him. Sugar Land was a property developer’s utopia.


Rob Ferino’s newly built home lay nestled at the end of a dead-end street, making parking difficult. When he saw Rebecca’s red Aston Martin sitting proudly on the driveway, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. In his opinion it was far too powerful for a woman, but he figured she’d never admit to it.

As the boss of Cerberus Technology, Tyler received plenty of social invites from his employees but generally turned them down, often using the excuse that he was too busy. Today was different. He’d known Rob and his wife Samantha since high school, and truth be known, when he’d learned that Rebecca was going to be there, he’d decided to join the party. That very morning, he’d had the pleasure of her company as they’d checked out the real estate for sale in the local area. Rebecca’s allure and charisma had seriously gotten under his skin.

After grabbing a case of beer from the trunk, he opened the gate and made his way along the winding path to the front door. He pressed the doorbell, which chimed annoyingly with “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” Jesus Christ, Rob, change the tune, man.

Sam Ferino opened the door, her infectious smile greeting him as always. “My, my, we are honored. A visit from our great leader.” She hugged him with genuine affection. “Always good to see you, Ty.”

She was a great girl. Her short blonde hair and elfin looks always reminded him of the young Mia Farrow. Just like she was in Rosemary’s Baby.

He kissed her cheek. “Great to see you, Sam. You look stunning, honey. I wouldn’t want to miss out on Rob’s barbecuing skills.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “Yeah, yeah, of course you wouldn’t. Just don’t spend the whole evening talking football and politics with him. We’ve got other guests.”