Protector: Doms of Mountain Bend Book 1 by BJ Wane (good books to read for 12 year olds .txt) 📕

and libidos ran so high. Assuming she would agree, Shawn decided to ask her out. As soon as he learned where they’d met before, he was sure his odd obsession would disappear as fast as it came about. It would have to, he determined as he tethered Nevada at a corral rail outside the horse barn. Given she was only in town for a few months, nothing long term could come of whatever relationship he could talk her into.

Satisfied with his decision, and confident of the outcome, he groomed Nevada and turned him out to pasture before hopping in his SUV and returning to his place to see what he had to go with the buffalo burgers.

****

Lisa jerked awake on a gasp, struggling to breathe, her hand on her constricted throat. Heart pounding in terror, she cast a frantic look around the dark room, trying to get her bearings. Another dream, that’s all. That realization was little comfort as she sat up on the side of her bed, still shaking inside and out from the too-real heavy pressure threatening to suffocate her.

Reaching for the lamp next to the bed, she switched it on, wishing like hell the circumstances of why Shawn had whisked her out of that foster home had never resurrected again. Sometime between settling in with her new foster family and getting counseling, she’d effectively blocked most of the fear of that large, foul-breathed man pinning her to the bed, choosing to dwell on the comfort of strong arms and a deep, soothing voice instead. For the first time since her mother never returned home, a stranger had been willing to let her choose a path forward.

That night, with her assailant lying on the floor still way too close, it had been a no-brainer to go with Shawn. She’d lived with the memory of that rescue without fear until the threatening phone calls had started, reviving the terror of being victimized. The first time she went to the club after getting that first scary message, she couldn’t get past the coldness that had invaded her body. No matter how hard or what Master Wade tried, nothing had worked to separate her mind from her body, or to release the block keeping her from responding.

Just like twenty years ago, it was Shawn who had carried her out of the frigid darkness into the warm light. That didn’t mean she wanted him to know who she was, or why she’d come to Mountain Bend. Despite that unreasonable pang when he didn’t remember her, she wasn’t about to let him think she’d come seeking his protection again.

Oh, and by the way, I’m in trouble again, so can you please help me?

Yeah, right.

Lisa pushed to her feet and padded down the short hall, nudging up the heat and turning on lights on her way to the kitchen. As she fixed a cup of hot tea, she relived every moment under Master Shawn’s command at Spurs, the welcoming sting of his lashes, the hot clasp of his mouth on her nipples, and the strong, suckling pulls on her sore tips that had broken through her mental resistance. By the time the tea was ready, she was already warmer, pressing her thighs together as her thoughts resulted in a damp release from her empty pussy.

Before meeting her rescuer, she hadn’t contemplated sex in months, too on edge over everything else even to miss the act. But now, with the dredges of another nightmare still hovering, she could really go for a bout of fucking that would take command not only of her body but her mind, enough to banish the lingering fear.

And that, more than anything else, told her how deeply meeting Shawn face-to-face again had affected her in such a short time. Other than safety from her stalker until he backed off, there was nothing for her here in Idaho, with him. She needed to remember any interest he showed in her came from the questions she had avoided answering, and now, from discovering her submissive interests. She couldn’t bear to see his attentiveness change to suspicion were she to remind him of where he’d seen her before. In hindsight, she realized it was a mistake not to tell him about Father Joe and admit right away who she was. She blamed that error in judgment on the weeks of stress and fear clouding her mind and the surprise of their sudden meeting. As much as she craved another scene with the one man she now trusted above all others with her body, it might be best if she didn’t push her luck by seeking him out at Spurs again.

Lisa couldn’t get back to sleep, so she finished her weekend grading, cleaned the little bungalow that was the perfect size for her, and then took a long shower before accepting Jen’s offer to drop in for breakfast and a visit at the B&B.

There was only one car in the guest lot behind Jen’s place, but several were parked along the street. Lisa knew the Miner’s Junction Sunday buffet was open to the public, offering a full menu, including Jen’s specialty egg casserole and homemade cinnamon rolls.

“You’re up early,” Jen greeted her from behind the buffet table as Lisa walked into the dining room.

Picking up a plate, Lisa returned her smile. “Too early, but I couldn’t get back to sleep. I hate buffets. They tempt me to take too much.”

Jen eyed the scoop of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and now hash browns she put on her plate. “I’m glad your aversion isn’t stopping you. Leaning over the warming dishes, she whispered, “You and our hot deputy sheriff, huh?”

Lisa cursed her fair skin as heat spread over her face, her surprise at Jen’s knowledge of where and with whom she’d spent Friday evening rendering her speechless for a moment. Jen’s chuckle loosened her tongue.

“How did you find