Protector: Doms of Mountain Bend Book 1

by BJ Wane

  Shawn wanted to smile as she splintered apart, gushing over his fingers and hand, her inner muscles clamping around them with spasmodic clutches.

  That’s more like it.

  ****

  Lisa writhed and basked in the glory of a mind-numbing orgasm as Master Shawn kept her pinned against the thick muscles of his wide chest and shoulder. His quads and arm muscles bunched under her thighs and hands, his strength a calming antidote to the storm of pleasure drenching her senses. On some level, she’d always maintained an awareness of her surroundings when with a Dom, but not this time, not with this man.

  The place and people were lost in her subconscious, shoved aside to make room for the brief freedom of an out-of-body, euphoric experience. Attaining a measure of relief from the stress of keeping quiet about their past, Shawn’s constant poking about his suspicions, and the weeks of torment by her stalker was a heady trip she didn’t want to return from. Unfortunately, her body gave her no choice as she slowly drifted down from the shattering high, the lyrics of another country western tune infiltrating her fogged head, along with the low murmur of voices. A woman’s high-pitched cry brought her eyes open as Lisa realized Shawn’s hand was still between her legs, his fingers lightly caressing her throbbing flesh. No wonder leftover climatic ripples continued to course through her body.

  She registered his comforting embrace next and wished his arms didn’t feel so good wrapped around her, that she didn’t relish having someone to lean on so much.

  Unable to look at him yet, knowing what she would have to say next, she glanced toward the wall, surprised to see Master Simon wielding a wicked looking cane across the red-striped buttocks of a woman bound facing the St. Andrew’s Cross. His dark face revealed a sternness he’d reined in around her, as did the next forceful swing of the thin rod. The woman showed her willingness for his harsh strokes by pushing her butt out to receive the blow.

  Lisa shuddered then sucked in a fortifying breath and forced herself to say, “We have met before, a long time ago, only I didn’t know who you were until you stopped to change my flat.” She swiveled her head upward, blowing out a breath when she saw his face. “And you’ve already figured out when and where.”

  Shawn nodded. “Father Joe confirmed my suspicions. The question remains, why didn’t you?”

  Because I recognized you right away, and it hurt when you didn’t remember me. None of that was supposed to happen. Lisa wasn’t about to admit that embarrassing tidbit. “It’s been such a long time, we were so young, and it was only what, two or three hours before Father called the authorities and we were separated? I barely remember going to him, and when you didn’t recognize me, I let it go.”

  Dragging his hand out of her lowered shorts, he left a damp trail on her abdomen and each nipple with a light brush of his fingers before reaching her neck and pressing his palm against her throat. She shuddered at the slight compression and power move that accompanied the darkening of his silver gaze to pewter.

  “But once we hooked up here, our relationship went from casual acquaintances to Dom/sub, and you knew better than to answer a direct question with anything less than the full truth, did you not?”

  Oh boy, am I in trouble. Lisa nodded, running through possible punishments he might mete out, growing warm at the possibilities popping up in her head. “Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t know how you would react, and didn’t want to risk…” A return of the coldness. “You were on the verge of breaking through a mental block that’s plagued me for a while.”

  He pressed his fingers into the side of her neck before letting go and dropping his hand to her lowered waistband again. “Understandable but still punishable.”

  A shiver skated down her spine even before she realized his intent and he flipped her onto her stomach, across his knees. Shoving her shorts down, he exposed her bare butt to the cooler air and everyone mingling nearby. Lisa jumped with a gasped, “Oh!” as he tapped her right cheek then laid his hand over the tingling spot.

  “Have you ever earned a punishment from a Dom before?” he asked with a casual caress over both buttocks.

  Lisa huffed a laugh, grabbing his calf to keep her balance. “No, and I’ve never been spanked by anyone. Hard to believe, huh?”

  “It tells me your previous Doms were neglectful in your education. You don’t have to disobey a rule to earn a new lesson. I’ll give you credit for thinking you had a good reason for evading the truth with me after I correct your assumption. The safeword applies in this scenario as well.”

  Master Shawn gave her no time to contemplate what he meant by “credit” as he robbed her of air with the first hard swat. Prickly heat and sharp pain blossomed across her buttock, and she clenched against the sting seeping into her flesh. The next smack was just as hard, covering her opposite buttock, the burn and pain mirroring its twin. For the first time since entering a private club, she debated whether to continue or bail out.

  The third blow landed in the center of both cheeks, striking with enough force to shake her butt and bring a watery sheen to her eyes. With just three spanks, he’d left her aching and throbbing, the heat sinking deep into her quivering muscles. He rubbed the offended areas, the slight scratchiness of his calloused palm drawing a shudder, and Lisa welcomed the softer touch with a sigh.

  “Oh God,” she moaned, jerking from the sudden lightning bolt of pleasure striking her lower half as he slid a finger up between her buttocks and glided over the sensitive pucker of her anus. Struggling to maintain her equilibrium as he resumed his soothing touch, she braved a look up at him, her throat going dry at the carnal set to his mouth and the appreciative glint in his eyes. The lingering soreness from those hard spanks eased into a distracting twinge, the pulsating warmth spreading to her empty pussy and producing a surprising return of dampness.

  “Sir, are you done?” That wasn’t disappointment lacing her tone, was it? She didn’t want more of those blistering smacks but had to admit she enjoyed his callous-abrasive exploration of her backside.

  The corners of that sexy-as-sin mouth curved upward, her toes curling in response. “With phase one, yes. Phase two is just as much fun. You have a world-class ass, Lisa.”

  A warm fuzzy encompassed her chest every time he said her name with that drawling inflection in his voice. “Thanks.” She put her head back down, the tenseness slipping from her body with each caress, squeeze, and scrape of his nails across her sensitive skin.

  Lisa had never been so aware of her backside, the round, fleshy cheeks made for one purpose – to sit on – in her mind. But under Master Shawn’s tutelage, she was learning differently. Every light stroke over her skin and deep-fingered compression into her fleshy globes drew a tremble for more. Her empty sheath dampened and spasmed for attention, and even though he stayed away from making a return, she was content lying there, letting him continue playing.

  Until he started a rhythmic, light spanking across both cheeks, just enough to stir the warmth back to the forefront and remind her of the ache. She shifted in growing arousal as she found herself enjoying those softer smacks, the tingles they elicited spreading down her legs and up to her nipples. A titillating shiver danced down her spine as she eyed the large boots and smaller bare feet walking by them.

  With a pat on the undercurve of one buttock, he left her backside humming in pleasure to grip her hair and tug her head up. “You’re not falling asleep on me, are you?”

  Almost. “No.” With a rare blush of embarrassment staining her face, she accepted his help sitting up, grateful for his support as he stood her between his spread thighs and she wobbled.

  Shawn pulled up her shorts, saying, “Now you can say you’ve experienced spanking.” He tugged up her bra cups and stood, clasping her hand. “Come with me, and I’ll get you some water. We need to talk more but maybe not tonight. You look like you could use time to figure out where you want to go with me from here, and so do I about you.”

  “Yes, that’s a good idea.”

&nbs
p; But as she drove home thirty minutes later, Lisa realized how limited her options were since her life was still waiting for her return to Phoenix.

  Chapter Six

  “You’re not working on your campaign.”

  Shawn didn’t bother to hide his annoyance with Lyle. He’d had a few things on his mind since throwing his hat in the ring for sheriff, like one attractive blonde who continued to tug on his conscience. He understood meeting him on the county road her first day here had thrown her for a loop when she somehow recognized him after all these years. He also understood and appreciated her reserve in admitting their previous connection, considering the long passage of time.

  But, in the past two weeks, she had ample time and opportunities to learn more about him and come clean with the truth. Then there were the unanswered questions still running through his head to deal with, like why had she taken a temporary position so far from home, and what, or who was responsible for the glimpses of fear and worry he’d caught on her expressive face and lurking in her eyes a few times?

  Shutting down his computer, he stood, noticing Kevin had already checked out for the day. “I’m bogged down with other responsibilities,” he told Lyle, reaching for his Stetson on the desk and slapping it on his head. “If I get caught up soon, I’ll get on it. If not, I’ll drop out.”

  Lyle frowned, indicating his displeasure. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

  “What do you have against the other two candidates? Both are seasoned deputies with good records.”

  “They aren’t from this county though. Sandusky’s from Boise, in Ada County. He’s a hard ass, used to dealing with the crime that comes with a larger population and unfamiliar with our rural ways.”

  Shawn shook his head, believing they should give the guy a chance if the voters chose him. “We’re only thirty miles from the county line, and Boise, and we’ve had our share of crime.”

  Lyle remained stubborn. “Our entire county has a fraction of the population of the capital alone. And I flat-out don’t like Roberts. People won’t forget he resigned from our department to take that cushy job in Montana only to return here a year later with no explanation for his change of mind.”

  Shawn agreed with him about Roberts. The guy was a weasel. “I’ll give it my best shot, that’s all I can promise. I’m off until Sunday, so see you Monday. In the meantime, you might consider staying on for one more term.” Which would work for Shawn and the community. Despite his stubbornness, Lyle was a good man.

  His thoughts jumped right back to Lisa as he slid behind the wheel of his cruiser. He sat a moment, running through options for gaining her trust even as he asked himself why he was bothering, given her short residency in Mountain Bend. There was no denying he liked her. Between admiring her gumption in packing up and leaving the only place she’d ever lived to take a short-term job and enjoying the contrast between her submissive sexual nature and those sparks of annoyed defiance he’d caught in her eyes, he found it difficult to keep his distance.

  She intrigued him, and given he had experienced that same tug of protectiveness he’d felt all those years ago more than once since they’d reunited, he wasn’t about to walk away yet. There must be a reason she had chosen to come here knowing the three of them lived in Mountain Bend. And a reason she’d left Arizona in the first place. Those unanswered questions, coupled with his dominant physical attraction, made her impossible to resist.

  Starting the engine, Shawn decided he’d given her enough time to gather her thoughts and to recoup from their scene and discussion last weekend. Since it was after five, he swung through Charlie’s Chicken and picked up dinner then drove to the bungalow she rented from the Zimmermans, hoping to catch her at home. Turning the corner onto Maple, he spotted her yellow VW first then saw her pushing a lawn mower along the side of the duplex.

  With her head down and a fierce expression of determination on her face, Lisa didn’t notice as he parked behind her car, got out, and leaned against his cruiser with his arms crossed. Her slim arms strained as she struggled to get through the overgrown grass, and, from the odd pattern and missed areas in the mowed front, it appeared she was new to yard work. She looked up at the same time as she pulled back with the mower then quickly jumped to avoid running over her foot. The scowl she sent him as she cut the engine off indicated she blamed him.

  “What are you doing here?” Lisa huffed, looking none too pleased as she walked toward him, brushing her hair off her perspiring face with the back of her hand.

  Considering the late afternoon cooler temperature, he figured her strain with getting the job done accounted for her overheated appearance. Reaching into the open window, he held up the food bag. “I took a chance you haven’t eaten yet and got you a chicken platter, along with me. Take this.” She grabbed the bag, and he retrieved two drinks from the cupholder. “Coke for you, right?” His timing was perfect. She eyed the Coke with thirst.

  “Yes, and not that I’m ungrateful, but you could have checked with me first.” She snatched the Coke, handing him back the dinner, and took a long drink through the straw. “Ahhh, that tasted good.” She blinked, as if coming out of a sugar-induced trance, and her eyes turned wary. “What do you really want, Shawn?”

  “A simple dinner and conversation. Come on, let’s eat while it’s hot, and then I’ll show you what you’re doing wrong out here.”

  Lisa glanced around the small yard, her face falling as she took in the clumps of tall grass where she’d missed running the mower. “I guess I didn’t do such a good job, huh? I’ve only lived in apartments, but I was hoping to repay the Zimmermans for the short lease agreement by saving them some time on this chore.”

  “It’s not that bad. Lead the way inside. It’ll still be light enough to finish up out here after we eat.”

  She let out a sigh, shoulders slumping as she pivoted. “Okay, but only because that smells too good to turn down.”

  “Of course.”

  Shawn eyed the enticing fit of her jeans over her ass as he followed her into the kitchen, remembering the softness of her pliable cheeks and the way her pale skin reddened so nicely. He’d stopped at three punishing swats since it was her first time over a Dom’s knee, but he’d made sure they were hard enough for the discomfort to linger for a while. Playing with her delectable butt had been as much fun as spanking the heart-shaped globes.

  “Have you picked up Charlie’s since coming here?” he asked, handing her the covered platter before taking the seat across from her at the small table.

  “No. I’ve only gone to the B&B’s buffet and to the restaurant with you.” She scooped up a forkful of creamy mashed potatoes and hummed in appreciation, the low murmur going straight to Shawn’s cock. “These are good,” she said, taking another heaping bite.

  “Try the chicken. It’s even better. Will you join me at Spurs tomorrow night?”

  Her hand paused on the way to her mouth, a closed expression replacing the pleasure she’d shown in the food. Maybe giving her time to settle her thoughts this week was the wrong thing to do as it gave her time to erect the shields he’d noticed right off.

  “I don’t think so. Given my temporary stay, it’s probably not a good idea to get involved any deeper.”

  “We’re already involved, so that’s a moot point. If that’s your way of saying sex is off the table, I can respect that.” He might not like it, but it wasn’t the first time a woman passed on taking things that far. Instead of pushing her, he went in a different direction. “But, that’s fine. If you haven’t visited a working ranch before, that’s something you don’t want to miss out on before returning to Phoenix. Spend Saturday with me at our place. I’ll take you riding, and we can fish for trout to grill.”

  Shawn smiled, seeing the quick flare of longing and excitement on her face before she masked it and shifted her focus out the window. He wasn’t above playing dirty to persuade her. Reaching across the table, he gripped her chin, and her gaze swung back to him. “You want to, so admit
it and say yes. I’d like to hear about the family Father Joe found for you to live with after I carried you away from Atkins, and what made you go into teaching and prompted you to take the short-term job here.” Dropping his hand, he buttered a biscuit, adding, “I asked Father about you several times during those first months, but he refused to say anything other than you were adjusting. You’ve kept in touch with him, so you know how close-mouthed he can get.”

  “You asked about me? I thought…never mind.”

  The surprise in her voice cut him to the quick. All these years, he’d thought she wouldn’t remember much about that night, including him, not enough to feel hurt believing he’d forgotten all about her. “I wouldn’t risk a kidnapping rap just to walk away without making sure you were better off. That just goes to show how little we know about each other. This time around, I would like to rectify that, wouldn’t you?”

  Lisa busied herself cutting a piece of chicken breast, spearing it with her fork and waiting until she swallowed to answer, the wheels of serious contemplation going on in her head reflected on her face. He ran through his options if she refused then she finally replied, and he was able to put away the drastic measures he was considering.

  “Thanks for the offer. I’d like to see your ranch. I’ve never ridden, and it sounds like fun.”

  Shawn noticed she didn’t shy away from getting on a horse, and she didn’t admit she wanted to get to know more about him, but he suspected she was as curious as he. It was a start, something to build on before he could delve into what had brought her here and what caused the block she mentioned overcoming at the club.

  ****

  Phoenix

  “Gotcha,” Bruce crowed as he hung up from the sleazeball investigator he’d finally broken down and taken the risk of hiring to unearth Lisa Halldor’s whereabouts.