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

retreating after they’d come this far. He’d understood her reluctance over revealing their previous connection, but now that they’d cleared that up, he couldn’t get a grip on what else she was holding back. Especially after today, when her obvious enjoyment with their outing had shone on her face and come through in her tone all afternoon.

Not to mention the light of expectation in her green eyes when he’d mentioned joining him tonight. For the first time since he’d met her on the road, she hadn’t tried to hide her revealing expression, letting him see the vulnerable ache he’d only managed to touch upon relieving last week. He still didn’t know what caused the distress that led to her mental block, and that was something he’d planned on addressing tonight.

“Bad news?” Ben asked, cocking his head toward Shawn’s phone.

“Nothing I can’t handle if I can get away.” Shawn scoped out the crowd and activities around the club, noticing all the doors upstairs were closed, the private rooms already fully occupied. The hot tub on the deck held six couples, and Clayton was putting the new fucking machine to good use, keeping a close eye on young Charlotte and the attached dildo slowly plowing her ass. “Excuse me,” he told Ben. “I need to check with the guys before taking off. Are you good here?”

“Like always. Anything I can do to help, other than keep an eye on things?”

“No, but thanks. I’ve dealt with stubborn subs before, just never one so reluctant to reveal personal issues that need addressing.”

Ben chuckled. “I don’t envy you the task. Easy-to-please subs are more my preference. I’ve got enough grief hunting down that fucking bear.”

Pausing, Shawn cut him a sharp glance. “Has there been another attack?”

“Only on livestock, and two destroyed campsites, but the son of a bitch left little of the animals, and the campsites looked like a war zone. He is one pissed-off motherfucker, and from the tracks, the biggest I’ve ever come across.”

“Be careful, and give us a call if you need extra scouts.”

Catching sight of Dakota coming down the stairs with a woman Shawn didn’t know by name, he veered that way, determined not to wait until tomorrow to question Lisa over why she had changed her mind.

“You don’t look happy,” Dakota remarked as Shawn reached him, the tall brunette sending Dakota a scathing look before tromping off.

“Neither did she…what’s her name?”

“Beth, Babs, Barb, something like that.”

“Shit, Dakota, can’t you bother to get their names right before fucking them?”

Shrugging his massive shoulders, he appeared unconcerned with the girl’s attitude. “I usually do, but she pissed me off. Instead of paying attention, I got right down to giving her what she wanted and then ended it. That’s the part she didn’t like.”

“If you don’t start giving them more than a quick scene, or fuck, you’ll soon run out of willing partners,” he warned, not that it would do any good. Dakota saved all his emotional energy for tracking down his mother’s murderer, and had ever since they’d first met.

“Then I’ll have more time for other things. What’s up with you?”

Giving up, Shawn said, “I need to take off to deal with my girl. Ben’s willing to help out if you’ll give Clay the message.”

“He’s a good man. Go.” Dakota jerked his head toward the doors. “Storm’s coming in fast, so don’t delay.”

He didn’t need further prompting, and Shawn left Spurs, driving into the storm that broke loose halfway to Mountain Bend.

****

Prickles of unease ghosted over Lisa’s skin seconds before the lights flickered and went out, along with the television. The storm continued to wage its furious assault, the pounding wind driving the rain against the windows with pelting force, the continuous racket of snapping bolts of lightning and thunderous rumbles enough to keep her nervous tension at a feverish pitch. Searching the sofa under the blanket she’d wrapped around her, she found the flashlight and switched it on.

“Not much help but better than nothing,” she uttered out loud, thinking she could use another dose of the anger-infused bravado that had deserted her way too soon earlier.

An eerie sense of foreboding assailed her as she huddled in the dark, listening for sounds other than those coming from the pissed-off skies. Without anything to do, her mind took the path she’d tried to avoid, and she started wondering how her deranged stalker had found her. She’d given up long ago trying to figure out who he was, and what she’d done to earn his attention and hatred.

A creak came from the hall – bathroom, bedroom? Shaking inside and out, Lisa discarded the blanket and gripped the flashlight before standing up and peering down the dark hallway. Another sound, maybe of a window opening, sent her heart into her throat and her feet into motion toward the front door.

“Liiisa.”

The whispery voice dragging out her name filtered through the dark and sent her racing outside and into the storm just as headlights turned into the driveway. Soul-deep terror formed a ball of nausea in her abdomen that threatened to come up as she stood undecided in the drenching rain, unable to see who was behind the wheel.

A whimper slid past her constricted throat, and her knees went weak as she watched Shawn unfold his large frame from behind the wheel. She’d recognize that hat and ground-eating stride anywhere and almost tripped over herself to get to him, and safety.

“Lisa!”

“Thank God,” she warbled, throwing herself against him, her whole body quaking against his solid strength. “I heard…something…a voice…so scared.” She was shaking so hard she couldn’t form a coherent sentence, could think of nothing except never letting go.

His arms came around her, righting her world once again, and she simply crumpled, turning into a shaking, garbling, sobbing heap against him.

“Fuck.” Pivoting without releasing her, he