The Dom with the Dragon Tattoo (Masters of Submission #5)(21)
“I was about to bring you breakfast in bed.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you.” She smiled then took his head in her hands and kissed him full on the lips. “But I really need to get home. I was going to wear my jeans, but the thought of putting them on without panties has made me leave it to the last minute.”
“Panties?” Realization suddenly dawned. “Oh yeah, I ruined them, didn’t I? But as a Dom I really get off on the sound of tearing lace, don’t you? You could always borrow a pair of my boxers,” he teased.
Rebecca’s mouth formed into a sexy smile, and she raised an amused eyebrow. “Thanks for the offer, but do you seriously think I’m going to wear a pair of your boxers?”
“You’re wearing my shirt. Why not go the whole nine yards?”
She patted his forearm. “Believe me, this is all I’ll ever be wearing of yours.”
Tyler laughed. He loved the easygoing relationship developing between them, and he looked forward to stripping away Rebecca’s many complex layers in a slow, delicious seduction. The challenge was to get to the real woman beneath the formal persona she presented when at work. He’d briefly seen it when he’d f*cked her on the stairs. That raw inner core she possessed had opened up to him, and he’d been pleasantly surprised by how passionate she’d been. He wanted more of the same, he wanted more of the real Rebecca.
He motioned to a pair of stools beneath the breakfast bar. “Take a seat. It’s almost ready.” He flipped the pancakes one final time and then turned to her. “Cooked to perfection.”
She nodded. “I’m impressed. Who taught you?”
“I’m self-taught. Just like I’m a self-made man.” With a flourish, he flipped the pancakes onto warm plates, along with some crispy bacon he’d cooked earlier, before finally placing his culinary expertise in front of Rebecca. “Help yourself to maple syrup.”
Using her fingers, Rebecca stole a piece of bacon from her plate. “Mmm, that is good, crispy, just as I like it. You’re a man of hidden depths.” She picked up the jug of maple syrup and began pouring it over her food. “Tell me about your childhood, Ty.”
Tyler forked a generous portion of pancakes and bacon to his mouth. “You first, honey. I know a little already, but I’d like to know more.”
She took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “Okay, where to begin. As you already know I’m an only child, but despite that, my mother and father never really had any time for me. If I needed anything or I wanted to talk, they’d usually say something like, ‘oh, not now, darling, daddy and I are getting ready for the party tonight. There’s some very important people coming, so you must be on your best behavior. If you need anything, just ask Maria.’”
“Maria? Who’s Maria?”
“The maid.”
“That’s sad, honey.” He leaned across and stroked her hand.
“I think my parents’ lack of love made me focus on my career.”
There was something about Rebecca he liked, a shared empathy perhaps. They seemed to be on the same wavelength, too, and although their personalities and backgrounds were very different, they were well matched.
“Your turn now.”
“Okay then. I was adopted when I was just two months old.”
“Oh, Ty, that’s…that’s…I was going to say that’s so sad, but maybe it wasn’t? Go on.”
“It wasn’t sad. It was a lucky break. My adoptive parents are fine people. They sound like the exact opposite of your parents, selfless rather than selfish. They already had three kids of their own, but they were the sort of people who wanted to give something back to society. I grew up with three older sisters, who were great girls but teased me mercilessly as a kid. We were a genuinely happy family, and I can honestly say my parents treated me exactly like one of their own.”
“What happened to your real parents?”
“As far as I’m concerned, my adoptive parents are my real parents. They were the ones who raised me and taught me anything was possible if I worked hard enough. They were the ones who loved me and nursed me when I got sick. They were the ones who taught me right from wrong. As for my biological father, I tried unsuccessfully to find out who he was a few years ago. To be honest, he could have been anyone, because sadly my blood mother was a prostitute with a deeply ingrained drug habit. I was taken away from her and put into foster care for my own safety when I was just a couple of weeks old. She died barely six months later of a heroin overdose. Although I never knew her, I sometimes think about the life she must have led. Her name was Annie Parkes and she was born and raised on the wrong side of the tracks. Poor kid. She never stood a chance, and she was just eighteen when she died. What a f*cking waste.” He sighed wistfully. “It’s all a long time ago now, Becca. As far as I’m concerned, Mary and Joe Stone have always been my real parents.”
Rebecca squeezed his hand, and he saw she had tears in her eyes. “That’s so sad, Ty. Are Mary and Joe still alive?”
“You bet. My folks have a ranch about thirty miles south of here, out near Angleton, breeding horses.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it was their dream to own a ranch and breed horses after they retired, so, as soon as business at Cerberus Technology started taking off and making a good return, I bought it for them.” He shook his head and smiled. “Becca, you should have seen the look on their faces when I gave them the keys to the ranch. It was priceless.”