by BJ Wane
Shawn smiled when she wrinkled her nose as he slid a worm onto each hook. Setting his rod down, he moved behind her and placed the smaller one in her hands, showing her how to hold it.
“Okay, now bring your arm back over your shoulder and fling the line as far out as you can.” Her head came up to his chest, her soft butt a nice cushion for his hips as he guided her swing. “Excellent. You’re in a good spot.” Taking his hands off hers, he heard her breathing hitch as he slid them up her arms then down her sides, brushing the plump curves of her breasts before settling at her waist. “Get comfortable on the blanket while I throw my line.”
Turning her face toward his, she licked her lips, her eyes conveying his success in heightening her senses. “What are you fishing for, Shawn, other than trout?”
“I did mention last weekend we should get to know each other better. You can start by telling me more about your life in Phoenix.” He turned to pick up his rod and flick the line into the creek, his aim perfect as it sank into the water several feet from hers. “Come on, sit down.”
Lisa gave in to the inevitable and sat next to him, forcing herself to ignore the low, simmering arousal his light touches and constant nearness had produced. She didn’t mind telling him about herself, maybe because she’d enjoyed hearing the respect and caring in his voice when he’d spoken of the couple who’d taken the three teenagers in, and his adjustment to living here, so far from home. But she knew it was wise to keep reminding herself his interest meant no more than a Dom’s obligation toward a sub, or an old acquaintance wanting to appease his curiosity about a young girl he’d stepped in to help a long time ago.
She’d decided to take what she could get while she could and stifled the growing ache for more as she told him about her college days and landing her dream job of teaching first grade at a small, private elementary school right after graduation.
“You don’t mention dating or affairs,” he said when she paused.
She stifled her pique with a shrug. “I didn’t think you’d be interested, besides, there isn’t much to tell. I went out very little during college, and when I did, it never amounted to more than a movie or dinner. I dated a fellow teacher at the parochial school for a year, but when we split, things turned awkward, and I ended up changing jobs. After that disappointment, I made sure I didn’t go out with a colleague again.”
Shawn rested his rod on his bent leg and leaned back on one arm, his Stetson tugged low enough to hide his eyes, so she couldn’t tell what he thought of that personal disclosure. His mouth tightened then curled in that way that pumped her blood flowing faster.
“He sounds like a wimp. Who came after him?”
Frowning, she switched her gaze back to watching her line for a tug. “Why? Are you going to tell me about every woman you’ve slept with?”
“Nope, because there’s been no one who has left a lasting impression. From the hurt in your tone, the breakup with that dickhead bothered you.”
“You know, sometimes I hate how astute you are. The last Master I was involved with didn’t need to know such intimate details.”
“All that tells me is neither of you were in it for anything more than a few Dom/sub scenes.”
“I’m leaving at the end of May,” she reminded him, despite the quick stab of pleasure over the hint he wanted more than that.
“So you keep reminding me. You’ve got a bite.” Pushing to his feet, he helped her up and stood behind her again, helping her reel in her first catch.
Baffled by his attitude, Lisa reminded herself of her life back home. For the rest of the afternoon and on the ride back to the stable, she shored up her resolve to stick to her decision about reaping everything from her limited time with Shawn while she could.
“I can add Walleye to my short list of fish I’ll eat. Fresh caught is much better.” Lisa took her last bite, enjoying the breeze as they sat out on Shawn’s deck finishing dinner.
“My reaction was the same the first time I ate a catch, and I didn’t like fish at all at the time. Miss Betty always insisted we try a new food once, no matter how much one of us would balk. Eventually, we did it without fuss just to please her. Split the last roll with me.”
He picked up the soft roll from the bakery in town and buttered it, her attention drifting to his long fingers, and how he’d broken through her block, touching her in just the right way. She hadn’t figured out yet why his plunging strokes inside her pussy, his pressure against her clit, and his voice in her ear had set her off where Master Wade’s same expertise had failed.
“Oh, you go ahead. I’m full,” she stated as he held half the roll out to her. “I’ll take the dishes inside then get going.”
He had grilled vegetables along with the fish, and it was the best meal she could remember eating in a long time, that was what she kept telling herself as he helped clear the table and carry the dishes inside the cabin home. It was better to believe food was the reason for the contented warmth in her abdomen as she’d sat across from him and the burning intensity of his focused gaze for the past hour.
Lisa set the plates next to the large stainless steel sink. The inside of his house mirrored the log structure of the exterior with some walls of smooth, rounded logs and others covered with sheet rock and painted off-white. The high ceiling boasted dark wood beams and low-hanging fans in both the den and dining area, and several large windows let in an abundance of natural light.
“Will you join me at the club tonight?” he asked as she turned from the counter and he took her elbow.
“Sure, but I’ll meet you there. I have to change clothes.”
A wicked gleam entered his eyes. “I can bring one of my shirts for you to change into.”
She liked that idea way too much, since donning his clothing would hint at an intimacy that was neither true nor wise to wish for in a temporary relationship. “Thanks, but then I won’t have my car and it’s way out of the way to come back here to get it afterward.”
“Not if you stay the night.”
That idea appealed even more than wearing his shirt, and she tried stepping back from him and the longing to take him up on the offer, but he kept hold of her arm and shook his head. Without his hat, his thick hair fell forward, framing his rugged face.
“If you’re not ready, just say so, don’t retreat. I thought we had moved past that defense mechanism of yours now that you’ve reminded me when and where we’ve met before.”
“That doesn’t change the fact…”
“Yes, I know,” he cut in, displeasure coloring his voice, “you’re only here a short time.” He started to say something else then obviously thought better of it, huffing in frustration instead. “I’ll walk you out, and see you soon, then.”
Feeling braver and excited about returning to Spurs for another scene with him, Lisa grinned and went up on her toes to brush a kiss on his corded neck. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I.”
Chapter Seven
A vehicle approaching from the direction of Clayton’s place snagged Shawn’s attention from shutting Lisa’s car door, and he stood back as she started for town. He cringed, recognizing Miss Betty’s purple Mazda realizing she was close enough to have seen him telling Lisa goodbye. Not that he wasn’t always happy to see her, he was. But given her penchant for lecturing them lately to find a good woman and settle down, he knew how she would take to him inviting a female friend to the ranch.
The first day he, Clayton, and Dakota had arrived on Buck’s ranch, he’d sat them down and drilled the rules into them. Number one: Show proper respect to his wife, Betty, at all times. Number two: What Betty wanted, she got. The man fucking doted on the woman, and neither he nor she was shy about expressing their love. Clayton was the only one between them raised with both parents, and Shawn remembered seeing sadness darken his friend’s eyes when Clayton had first watched the Coopers together.
If it weren’t for Miss Betty, as she’d insisted they call her, and her comf
orting hugs and homemade cooking to soften Buck’s gruff, strict control, Shawn doubted neither he, nor Dakota or Clayton would have given her husband a chance to turn them around. Bracing for questions he wasn’t ready to ask himself, let alone answer for someone else, he went to help her out as soon as she parked.
Taking her arm as she opened the car door, he zeroed in on the casserole carrier sitting on the passenger seat. “I was going to ask what brings you out today, but I see you’re feeding us again. At least, I hope that’s for me.”
Shawn bent down, and Miss Betty placed a hand on his chest, went up on her toes, stretching her five-foot height to five-foot-two to kiss his cheek. “I think Dakota and Clayton are already digging in, neither happy I didn’t stay and join them.”
“They forgot it was bridge night, didn’t they?” He took the wood handle of the quilted holder, catching a whiff of her mouthwatering enchiladas. “I wish I hadn’t just eaten. Damn that smells good. Do you have time to come in and say hi to the dogs? They know you’re here.”
She smiled, looking toward the side of the house where he’d built the shepherds’ dog run. “I see and hear them, and I’m so glad you’ve finished a safe outdoor space for them while you’re away from home. Walk over there with me so I can get going faster, and tell me about the pretty blonde.”
“I knew you would ask. Oddly enough, she’s someone from my past, was another kid Father Joe stepped in to help. She’s only in Mountain Bend until the end of the school year, so don’t get any ideas.”
Sending him one of her secret smiles that hinted she wasn’t buying that was all there was to it, she unlatched the gate and he moved quickly to make sure the exuberant dogs didn’t jump on her. She might appear sturdy, and look a decade younger than her sixty-four, but he wouldn’t chance her getting knocked down. Curly and Mo had taken to her as fast as they had Lisa.
“If you say so, dear. Hello, boys.”
Ten minutes later, Miss Betty looked up at him as she settled behind the wheel again, her hand on the door handle and eyes twinkling. “Bring your girl over for tea and cookies sometime. I’d like to meet a protegee of the good priest.”
She closed the door then drove off with a wave, leaving Shawn to question why he hadn’t corrected her when she’d called Lisa his girl.
****
Other than pushing her for more than she thought was wise to accept, Lisa was looking forward to spending more time with Master Shawn. She drove home after dinner with giddy anticipation, thinking he was right, now that the secret was out about their brief past, she could stop fretting so much and enjoy the next few weeks, maybe extend her stay if she was needed for summer school. By then, surely her stalker would have forgotten all about her.
Her burst of positive thinking lasted until she returned to her duplex bungalow, through a long hot shower, and while she mulled over what to wear. As she chose a simple ivory camisole to pair with her one denim skirt, her phone beeped with an incoming text. Thinking it might be Shawn, she snatched it off the end table, her eagerness to hear from him changing to a cold knot of dread as she read the message from the one person she never wanted to hear from again.
I’VE FINALLY FOUND YOU. DID YOU MISS ME AS MUCH AS I’VE MISSED YOU?
Hand shaking, she tossed the phone down and cast a frantic look around, as if he was in the room with her. It wasn’t until she searched every corner of the entire house and scanned the street for a suspicious vehicle or loiterer that the fear tensing every muscle eased enough for her to take a much-needed breath. She still didn’t want to but saw no other choice than to ask Shawn for help, and his protection, even though she cringed imagining his reaction.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she sank down onto the sofa, putting her head in her hands. The distant clap of thunder heralding an approaching storm startled her enough she jumped, raised her head, and searched the shadows in the room. Regardless of what Shawn thought about the nine-year-old girl he once protected showing up in his town twenty years later needing his safeguarding again, she was out of options. She couldn’t tell him at the club, though, humiliating herself in public. Even if she had to sleep with one eye open here on the sofa, she could wait one more day to enlist his help.
Returning to the bedroom, she picked the phone up and sent him a quick text, saying only she couldn’t make it and would talk to him later. Her gaze landed on the camisole and thong she’d planned to wear tonight, and a spurt of anger shoved aside her fear for a moment. She’d been looking forward to being with Master Shawn again, to submitting to whatever he commanded. He’d come to know her needs well in the short time since they’d reunited, and it grated that she’d finally reached the point of risking further heartache by going for everything she could get only to have the chance stolen from her.
Lisa strode back into the living room, cursing this unknown person who had upended her life. Following her mother’s death, she’d been given few choices about her immediate future. The foster family Father Joe recommended had been welcoming and supportive, but she’d missed her mother’s love, that extra mile a parent was always willing to go for their child. She’d learned to fend for herself at school, never complain or ask others for help out of fear of ridicule for being a foster kid. Working two jobs and burning the midnight oil for four years to put herself through college had left her too tired or with not enough hours in the day to make friends, date, or party. She’d graduated without forming any close bonds like most college kids did and had been fending for herself for so long, she’d gotten used to not relying on others for help.
A jagged streak of lightning lit up the midnight sky outside the window, the ensuing thunder boom striking much closer and bringing with it a driving downpour. Her nervousness returned, along with the fear, and, to keep herself busy, she retrieved a flashlight, blanket, and pillow and settled on the sofa with the television turned low. Telling herself there was a good chance her stalker had been bluffing and didn’t really know where she was, helped calm her anxiety, but the night couldn’t pass quickly enough to suit her.
****
Shawn put his beer down to glance at the text from Lisa, his annoyance with her tardiness escalating to anger. Pissed off didn’t begin to describe his reaction. Fuck this. He wasn’t about to let her get away with 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?”
&
nbsp; “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.
