Protector (Doms of Mountain Bend #1) - B.J. Wane Page 0,56

the ridiculous idea while trying to clear the lust from her brain. She shouldn’t find his aggressive, back-and-forth strides in tight jeans and bare feet and those granite-hard glances he kept tossing her way so arousing. “There were only two affairs, and they broke off with me. I haven’t heard from either of them since.”

Did he mumble “they were idiots”? No, she must have heard his angry mutter wrong. He stopped pacing to rub his bristled jaw and peer at her with a narrow-eyed look.

“What about at the club you belonged to in Phoenix? A jealous Dom or sub, someone you turned down, or who chose you over another girl, pissing her off? Don’t make the mistake of thinking only in male terms as to who it might be.”

Was it all the questions she hadn’t thought to ask herself before now or the stress of searching her memory banks for a possible suspect that made her ache for him to take her over again? She couldn’t think straight with him glaring at her with his wide chest heaving, his tousled hair curling around his neck and probing eyes stirring her blood.

“Lisa.”

Her hand shook from the way he growled her name, his eyes going to slits as she pressed her hard nipples against his shirt. Edgy need forced her to tighten her legs together against the dampness threatening to seep out.

“I told you,” she said, her voice emerging in a husky whisper, “no one I know would do this. That’s the scariest and worse part to deal with, knowing a stranger has targeted me for some obsessed reason. Shawn.”

She stepped forward, ready to beg, but he halted her by taking her arm and turning her toward the counter, using his torso against her back to push her down onto the quartz countertop.

Shawn put his lips against her ear. “Actions, or nonactions in this case, have earned you consequences, not rewards.”

His warm breath, soft tone, and veiled threat sent a shiver down Lisa’s spine, with goosebumps popping up across her buttocks as he slid one hand between them and caressed her naked cheeks. Her eyes followed his other hand as he reached in front of her to select a wooden spoon from the ceramic utensil holder. Leaning back, he flipped up the shirt and delivered a hard spank to each globe before switching to the spoon. Every tiny molecule in her body burst into flaming sparks as he peppered her backside with blistering swats meant to burn and sting and bring tears of remorse to her eyes.

Chapter Eight

Shawn stopped belaboring Lisa’s ass at six swats with the spoon, the bright red hue covering her rounded globes and her tearful, choked apology enough to satisfy his need to know she wouldn’t hold back from him anymore. Tossing the utensil onto the counter, he filled his hands with her hot buttocks and dug his fingers into the soft flesh, enjoying her moan of discomfort and attempt to shift her hips away from his hold.

“No more secrets, Lisa. This bastard means business.” A chill swept him as he pictured her struggling to control her car late at night, frantically pumping brakes that wouldn’t catch. Fear for her safety had dictated his action as much as a need to ensure she would tell him everything from now on. “In fact” – he released her and helped her upright, turning her to face him as he finished – “you need to stay with me until I catch him.”

Taking in her eyes glittering with unshed tears, blonde hair in wild disarray, labored breathing, and flushed face tempted him to offer her a reassuring hug. Not until he got her cooperation though. From the instant denial crossing her face, she wasn’t there yet.

“Shawn, I have to get to work in the mornings, not to mention putting you and others on your ranch in harm’s way.”

“I drive into town for work every morning. You can ride with me. Whoever this is, he’s a coward who doesn’t stand a chance if he’s stupid enough to come onto our property. Every one of our hired hands carries a rifle to protect themselves and our livestock against predators of all kinds.”

She opened her mouth to give him further argument, and he yanked her against him, stopping her with his mouth. By the time he let up and placed his lips over the rapid beat of her pulse in her neck, she was leaning against him with a surrendering sigh.

“I really need to quit