by BJ Wane
Kurt moved to her side and ran a hand down the back of her head and hair, the soothing caress tempting her to lean against him. But that would strip away the last of her defenses, so she forced herself to stay upright and worked up a teasing grin. “Sorry, looks like I’ll be late getting to your place.”
His hand tightened in her hair, his knuckles pressing against her nape, the grip holding her head immobile. “Not funny, Leslie. Why would someone deliberately shoot at you?”
She sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Cutting right to the chase, aren’t you?”
“Do we have time not to?” Grayson growled.
Leslie succumbed to the inevitable. “No. I have to make a phone call and then,” her voice caught and she yanked her head hard enough for Kurt to drop his hand, “I have to leave. I’m sorry I brought this down on you.” Her gaze swept the three of them, but her words were for Kurt.
Mitchell continued to lean against the wall, staying silent but eyeing her with both medical concern and dominant frustration. Grayson crossed his arms and continued to glare, both of them leaving it up to Kurt to address that statement.
His eyes flashed with temper but his response, a blunt, emphatic, “No,” warmed her even as it got her ire up. Before she could vent, he surprised her by saying, “Call your liaison in Witness Protection and tell them you have a safe place to stay with me. Or better yet, let me talk to them. I have a few words to tell them about their ability to keep you safe.”
“How did you know?” The relief over having the secret out couldn’t prevent a cold slither of fear for him, and anyone else who came near her. If Glascott had sent someone after her, he wouldn’t get paid until he’d completed the job.
“It didn’t take long to figure it out once I found the bullets in your car.” Grayson took the few steps to her other side. “I can vouch for the security surrounding the Wilcox ranch which includes how many cowhands all proficient with a rifle?” He glanced toward Kurt.
“Fifty, at last count.” His black eyes bored into her. “They not only spend their days riding our property, they have to carry rifles and know how to shoot fast and accurately to keep our livestock safe from predators. A bear or cougar attack can spring without warning. Someone might be savvy enough to disable a sensor or avoid a camera, but alarms will signal such a breach, in the bunkhouse, main house and offices.” His voice turned gruff as he held out his hand. “Come home with me, sweetheart. We can discuss your plight further when you’re feeling better.”
Mitchell spoke for the first time since re-entering the room with Kurt and Grayson. “You shouldn’t make any important decisions for the next twenty-four hours, and not while you’re heavily sedated, like you are now.”
Leslie knew when she was beat, only unlike four years ago when she’d railed and despaired over having to enter the program and forge a new life, this time, God help her, she was going to risk holding onto what she had for a little longer.
Ignoring the presence of Mitchell and Grayson, she gave Kurt her full attention, and her stipulation. “Fine, I’ll come to your place, but I’m not sleeping with you.” If the sheriff’s office and whatever help Grayson got from the Feds couldn’t stop this threat, and fast, she needed to prepare for leaving everything, and everyone she cared about again. She couldn’t do that if she and Kurt continued to grow closer.
Grayson snorted and walked out. Mitchell raised a sardonic brow before leaving them alone. Kurt was blunt and to the point. “Sweetheart, there’s never been any sleeping when we’ve been together. Let’s go.”
He was going to be difficult, Leslie knew it. That didn’t bother her, which meant she was already in deeper than she should be, or wanted to be.
Kurt swallowed his irritation over Leslie’s terms, not surprised she would try to pull back from their relationship. She’d agreed to his protection, and for now, that was enough. On the drive back to the ranch, he listened as she called the principal and arranged for an emergency leave of absence and then insisted she put it on speaker when she pressed the number for her Witness Protection contact. They indulged in a bit of a pissing contest, but he and Agent Summers came to a grudging agreement when Leslie spoke up with another provision, tacking on a two-week limit to her stay. By the time he drove through the gates onto his land, he could tell by her set face she wouldn’t budge on that.
“How far back does your property extend?” she asked as he pulled in front of the house.
“Farther than you can see. Don’t worry,” he added, seeing the look of consternation crossing her face. “I stand by what I said and told Agent Summers. You’re safe here, I’ll see to it.” Leaning across the seat, he cupped her nape and drew her forward for a deep, possessive kiss.
He nipped her lower lip before shifting back, his cock jerking as she licked over the bite with a narrowed eyed glare despite the definite pucker of her nipples under the blue knit top. “I told you, I’m not…” She clammed up as soon as he held up his hand, an immediate submissive response that he wasn’t above exploiting.
“As you can see, we’re not in position to sleep. Wait there and I’ll help you inside.”
Of course, she didn’t, opting to display her annoyance by sliding off the high seat of the truck. He got there just in time to catch her as her legs gave out, either due to pain or her drug-induced grogginess.
“You better get over this stubborn streak or another part of your anatomy will be smarting as much as your side and head.” The warning had the desired effect – she didn’t complain as he swung her up into his arms and carried her inside.
Leslie cast an uneasy glance around the large foyer and into the den. “I’m fine now. You can put me down.”
“Relax. No one is here today except my father, and he’s ensconced in his room at the other end of the house.” Kurt released her legs and let her stand but kept an arm around her waist.
“Is he doing any better?”
Her thoughtful concern after her ordeal helped ease his tension. If she could think of others so soon after such a traumatic event, she wouldn’t let herself crumble under another upheaval of her life. She’d shown the same considerate solicitude when he’d first told her about Leland in the hopes she would share more about herself. Now that she was here, he would have more opportunities to coax her out of her shell.
“He could be back in the saddle by now but refuses to put out the effort to get there. I don’t understand his attitude,” he admitted, leading her toward the hall. “He seems content to get by with the bare minimum of therapy and let Cory, his aide, or me help him otherwise. I’ll introduce you when you’re up to meeting him, just remember not to take any flak from him. You’ll be comfortable in here and there’s an attached bath.” He ushered her into the blue bedroom, glad she wasn’t the type of woman to gush over the obvious signs of wealth exhibited by the size of their home and property. Having suffered a trauma that landed her in Witness Protection, he imagined she’d learned what was of real value in life a long time ago.
Leslie turned to him all of a sudden, that familiar look of desolation and desperation clouding her eyes as she uttered in a fretful whisper, “Kurt, Sir, are you sure? I couldn’t bear it if someone on your ranch came to harm because of me.”
Her slip in addressing him as a sub revealed the effort it was taking for her to agree to stay here. One of those tight, uncomfortable sensations in his chest grabbed hold. The unaccustomed pangs started in the last week and the one now was the strongest yet. “You concentrate on recovering and let me worry about the safety of everyone here. That’s an order.” She opened her mouth then snapped it shut with a nod. “Good girl,” Kurt murmured, running a hand down her back before giving her ass a friendly pat. “Mitchell said for you to rest. I’ll check on you every hour this afternoon. In the meantime, think about what you want me to get from your apartment. Or I could take you into Willow Springs to pick up a few things. I’m sure word of what happened has already spread.”
She lifted a trembling
hand to brush her hair back. “I’ll worry about all that tomorrow as long as you have a spare toothbrush and I can borrow something to sleep in.”
“Yes to both. Lie down, Leslie.”
Leslie waited until Kurt walked out, closing the door behind him, not needing the authoritative tone and command to give in to the stress and drug-induced weariness to stretch out on the double bed with a shaky sigh. A swath of sunlight streaming through the wall-dominating window splashed across her butt, the warmth adding to the little tingles from that light, friendly tap. If he continued with small, innocent touches like that, she was doomed from the get-go reverting their relationship into a platonic one.
Over the next few hours she heard him come in several times, felt him sit next to her and run his hand down her back and over her butt as she mumbled vague answers to his probing questions. By the time she blinked open her eyes all the way, an amber glow illuminated the background of the mountain view outside the window. Spotting the glass of water and pain pills on the nightstand, she downed two and then lay there a moment wondering what insanity had prompted her to risk everything by agreeing to stay here. And then she thought of leaving, starting over in a strange place, getting used to a new name and a new existence, and a slow burn of anger coiled through her aching body.
Fuck Edwin Glascott and his two murderous sons, she swore, rolling off the bed. She’d trusted Kurt when he’d been a stranger and again when she’d met Master Kurt. It didn’t surprise her she trusted the wealthy landowner with resources she couldn’t imagine to keep her safe. Padding over to the window, she took in the stables and barns across several acres beyond the landscaped lawn around the house. Even though it was Sunday, she could make out several ranch hands riding in the fields among a large herd of black cattle and noted the rifles either held across their laps or nestled in scabbards at their sides. Even those employees working around the outbuildings wore guns tucked into the back of their waistbands, and Leslie realized how seriously Kurt had taken the threat against her, and how fast he had moved to inform his employees.
The thought of something happening to him, or anyone else, added to her rage against the Glascotts even as it sent her pulse into a rapid, erratic beat of panic. Praying for a swift and final end to this threat, she turned from the window and padded into the bathroom. The royal blue towels and decorative tile in varying shades of blue that drew her eyes longingly toward the shower matched the soft, comfortable bedspread she’d rested on. After a quick face and hand wash, she debated whether to hunt down Kurt and get something to eat or crawl back into bed. The loud rumble of her stomach as she left the bathroom settled the matter and she went in search of her host.
Instead of finding Kurt when Leslie reached the center of the house and took in the spacious great room, dining area and kitchen, an older man turned his wheelchair away from the bay of floor to ceiling windows to give her a cool, appraising once-over from eyes as coal-black as Kurt’s. He masked the bleak expression on his face as he’d gazed out the windows, his look turning sharp and angry. Tensing her shoulders, she braced for Kurt’s father to lay into her for bringing trouble to his son and ranch.
“You’re the one my son has been spending so much time with lately. He has enough to do without adding your problems to his responsibilities.”
Leslie regarded him coolly for a moment, deciding the best way to deal with a recalcitrant old man was the same as she would a confrontational second grader. Head on. Fisting her hands on her hips, she blinked back the encroaching wooziness from the pain meds before stating in a firm but polite tone, “Kurt doesn’t need you to run interference on his life for him. From what I’ve heard, all he needs from you is a little effort on your part to improve your condition.”
She almost laughed at the comical shock on his face, but then her heart rolled over as a look of hopeless despair entered his eyes as he swiveled his gaze toward a photo sitting on the fireplace mantle. Leslie didn’t need him to tell her the pretty young woman with coal black hair and striking blue eyes was his daughter, the sister Kurt mentioned who had died tragically in a car accident at the age of twenty. What did it say about her that she knew so much more about him than he did her and yet he never hesitated to offer his protection?
Leland’s gruff voice pulled her from regrets she couldn’t do anything about. “Kurt is outside but you shouldn’t wander out of the house without him by your side.”
Since she didn’t know what to say in the face of his sadness she offered an olive branch of friendship. “I’m sorry if having me here has disrupted your life. I’m sure you know your son is a difficult man to argue with when he’s hell bent on something.”
“Yes, I know.” He spun around to face the stunning mountain view. “I also know you must mean a great deal to him. He only gets so overprotective and demanding with those he cares about the most. Go help yourself in the kitchen and then sit down before you fall down.”
He sounded as commanding as Kurt just then and since she didn’t want to risk collapsing either, she left him to his brooding to mull over what he’d said and wonder about the guilt etched on his face. The thought of Master Kurt having deeper feelings for her besides that of a Dom gave her a thrill of pleasure even as it ratcheted up her anxiety over this new threat to her peace of mind that could force her to start over far away from him and Montana. That small burst of happiness confirmed she’d made the right decision to end the physical side of their relationship now in preparation for the worst.
Chapter 10
Kurt had wasted no time in sending out an employee text as soon as he’d settled Leslie, explaining the situation and offering paid leave to anyone who was uncomfortable with the risk of having her on the ranch. It didn’t surprise him no one took him up on the offer, the quick replies ranging from joking about looking forward to some excitement to anger over the cowardly actions toward a woman. Then he’d spoken with Leland, not giving him a chance to order Kurt to make other arrangements for her by telling him she stayed or he went with her. That had stifled the instant denial he’d seen as he’d spoken but not the flash of fear in his father’s eyes.
“You’ll be safe, and so will everyone else, Dad,” he’d rushed to assure him. “You know how good our security is and have to know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think the risk to everyone was minimal and worth it.”
Leland had shaken his head and turned away from him with a slump to his shoulders. “Fine. Just keep her out of my way.”
Irritated, Kurt had snapped, “That won’t be difficult since you rarely venture out of this room to be sociable to anyone.”
Now, as he re-entered the quiet, darkened house, he breathed a sigh of relief Leland had turned in. He intended to rouse Leslie so she could eat something, but as he slipped into the guest room and spotted the empty plate next to the bed, he was relieved he wouldn’t have to disturb her. Her eyes were clear the last time he checked on her and, according to Mitchell, it should be fine now to let her sleep.
He didn’t like going to his room and leaving her to sleep alone but respected her wish to step back from the physical side of their relationship. After the obvious struggle she’d portrayed with wanting to keep him and others safe from whoever was after her, he didn’t take that ultimatum personally. He also didn’t intend to play fair in abiding by her wishes as soon as she healed enough to move around without pain.
To Kurt’s surprise, he found Leslie already up, dressed and chatting with Babs in the kitchen early the next morning before he could introduce them. Sitting at the counter sipping coffee, she looked well-rested and not bad for someone who had survived such a horrendous car accident the day before. Gazing at the swelling and bruising around her bandaged head, his gut cramped with the same sucker punch as when he’d connected the dots between seeing the wrecked car and then Leslie on the ambulance gurney. He’d known in that moment of breath-robbing fear that sometime in the last month she had gotten under his skin too deep to let her go. For the first time in his
life, he wanted a woman for the long haul and he embraced the prospect with a surge of protectiveness and excitement.
Now, all he needed to do was convince her to get on board with the idea.
“My two favorite ladies. Good morning.” Strolling over to Leslie, Kurt watched her eyes widen in surprise and alarm as he bent to give her a thorough, deep kiss before drawing back and smiling at Babs. “I see you’ve met our guest.”
Babs nodded, beaming at him. “She was telling me about what happened and trying to warn me to stay away from her outside the house.” She huffed, stirring the pan full of fluffy eggs on the stove. “As if you or anyone else on this ranch would let anyone get close enough to harm her or me.”
Leslie rolled her eyes. “Kurt can’t be everywhere at once.”
“No, but I can be where you are whenever you leave the house,” he returned, walking over to get a cup of coffee. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Sore but better. Thank you for setting the pain pills out for me. They helped enough last night and I don’t need them this morning.”
“Don’t push yourself, Leslie. Do you remember what your car looked like?” He sure as hell did. It was something he doubted he would ever forget. Sliding onto the seat next to her, he eyed her askance, wondering how soon he could start poking at her for the whole story behind her placement in witness protection.
“I remember,” she admitted with a visible shudder, tightening her hands around the coffee mug. “I guess I should be grateful he missed instead of killing me with a direct hit.”
Cocking his head, Kurt regarded her solemnly before saying, “He didn’t miss, sweetheart. Grayson speculated he aimed for the tire to drive you off the road and then for the gas tank, which he did miss, but not by much. An explosion would have delayed not only identifying you, but the car and discovering the bullets.”
