by BJ Wane
As Grayson returned leading his horse carrying the last rider for now, Dan pulled out his phone to call Nan, tired of waiting. Seeing a missed text, he started to pull it up when another one came in, this one making his blood run cold as fear threatened all rational sense.
“What’s wrong?” Grayson’s sharp, demanding tone broke through Dan’s paralyzing disbelief as he thrust Pete’s message toward him. He scanned the message then said exactly what Dan was thinking. “Fuck, let’s go.”
“Take over,” Dan called out to the college kid helping at the riding ring. Without waiting for a reply, he jumped into the passenger seat of Grayson’s cruiser parked in the field outside the makeshift coral.
“We’ll head north, cut across the bluff and reach that corner in five minutes. What the hell’s going on?” Grayson floored the accelerator, bouncing the SUV over the rough terrain with a tight grip on the wheel and a concerned frown darkening his face.
“I don’t know, just step on it,” Dan growled as he read the previous text, thankful Pete had noticed Nan and followed when the driver’s behavior looked suspicious. He couldn’t come up with a plausible reason for her to be on that road instead of at the fair with him, but given the harassment of the past few weeks, he wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
They cleared the rise above the backroads intersection just in time to watch Pete ram his truck into the back of a compact sedan. Grayson sped forward, both of them swearing and reaching for the rifle on the rack above the seat as Nan stumbled from the car as soon as it stalled. Dan saw red when he noticed the trickle of blood dripping down from her forehead and vowed someone would pay for hurting her.
Disoriented, Nan fell to the grassy ground then struggled to her feet, fearing for her life. Her heart pounded with the panic clamping her throat closed as two shots rent the air, one slamming into Pete’s shoulder as he rushed forward and tackled her back to the ground with a heavy grunt, the other sending Alice flying backward with a neat hole in her forehead.
“No!” Scooting out from under her protector’s body, she scrambled to her knees, frantically pressing her hands against Pete’s blood-soaked shoulder, tears streaming down her face. “Where did you come from? Who…” She sobbed, saying, “You saved my life.”
Pete offered a weak smile, reaching up to grip her hand, his pale face reflecting calm relief. “No, ma’am. Believe it or not, I think you saved mine.”
And then Grayson and Dan were there, taking over as the sheriff checked to ensure Alice was dead and Dan stooped down next to them, pulling a roll of gauze from a medical kit.
“It looks like it went right through.” Wrapping the bandaging around the wound to stem the flow of blood, he looked into Pete’s painfilled eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”
Nan kept hold of his hand, the chain of events a jumbled blur as she replayed Pete’s timely interference followed by Dan and Grayson’s arrival. All she knew for certain was life was too short to second guess feelings. With sirens and flashing lights heralding the arrival of more cops and an ambulance, abundant questions that needed answering and her body racked with nausea and pain, she turned on Dan as Grayson helped Pete stand. Heedless of who heard, she grabbed his shirt, pulling up onto her toes with a furious whisper. “Damn it, Shylock, what we used to have, that was before…”
She choked as he lowered his head, his dark eyes as warm as the brush of his lips over hers and his voice. “That was then, and this is now. I love you, Nan.” A euphoric sense of relief flooded her system as she sagged against him, convinced the trauma of her past was finally over.
Dan’s words and his hovering, protective presence the next few hours eased the stress of getting her stomach pumped and going over the series of events with Grayson that had resulted in Alice’s death and Pete’s injury. There were no words for Nan to express her deep gratitude to Dan’s troubled employee, or how much more she now resented the Avet family for what Gerard and his mother had put her through. As Dan drove her home from Billings several hours later, she nodded off against his shoulder, relaxing and feeling good for the first time all day.
Dan stripped Nan and settled her in his bed before undressing and joining her. God, he was tired, he admitted, pulling her into his arms, relishing her soft curves molding to his side. He didn’t know how long it would take to dislodge his heart from his throat, where it had been stuck since seeing that crazed woman aiming a gun at Nan. Nothing could have clarified his feelings so effectively or cemented his future intentions faster than coming close to losing her yet again. He owed Pete a debt he could never repay and hoped he took him up on his offer to stay on at the ranch after his probation was up. From the way he’d left Bertie hovering over Pete in the barracks, he knew his foreman would ensure Pete’s acceptance.
He still wasn’t happy Grayson had taken the shot Dan felt should have been his. His friend’s terse reply, “I’m the sheriff, less paperwork,” did little to appease him after Nan relayed the scope of Alice Avet’s attempts to delay and discredit her testimony against Gerard while sitting in the emergency room being pumped full of toxin-killing drugs. Tightening his arms around her, he settled on gratitude for good timing and pure blind luck.
“So,” Nan whispered against his chest, her soft breath stirring his nipple into puckering, “how long do you think we’ve felt this way about each other?”
A low rumble of laughter shook his chest. “Longer than either of us will admit. I’m sure there’s a lesson to be learned there.”
Nan giggled, a rare sound coming from her as she pulled away and climbed on top of him. Straddling his hips, she reached down to grip his straining cock. “The only lessons I’m interested in learning are those that can make me feel this,” she lowered herself by slow increments onto his shaft, “good.” She sighed as she settled her soft, plump ass on his groin.
With her snug pussy hugging his rock-hard flesh, he gripped her hips and lifted, dragging his rigid length along her slick walls. “Then I’ll get started teaching right away.”
Dan’s heart finally settled back into his chest as she arched above him, crying out, “I love you, Master Dan,” as he surged up inside her.
Epilogue
Two months later
The bailiff opened the door into the front of the courtroom and nodded at Nan. “They’re ready for you, miss.”
Rising from the hall bench, she ran clammy palms down her sides before crossing the hall on rubbery legs. No matter how many times she told herself she could handle seeing Gerard again, she continued to wonder if that were true. Despite the hours Dan spent tutoring her on her testimony, giving her pointers, telling her what to say, and not say to certain questions, a small sliver of insecurity remained.
Offering her a smile of encouragement, the bailiff ushered her forward with a wave of his hand. “Deep breath, miss. Everything will be fine.”
“Let’s hope,” she replied, gazing into the courtroom. Instead of looking toward the defendant’s table, she sought the front row, every roiling emotion inside her settling when she saw the two most important people in her life sitting side by side. With Dan and Jay there, giving her their undivided support, how could she go wrong? Seeing Tamara, Sydney and Avery behind them was icing on the cake, their surprise presence sending a warm glow coursing through her. If they were in New Orleans, Nan didn’t doubt their husbands were here also.
Her heart rolled over as she entered, taking the first step toward a bright and promising future.
The End
BJ Wane
I live in the Midwest with my husband and our two dogs, a Poodle/Pyrenees mix and an Irish Water Spaniel. I love dogs, spending time with my daughter, babysitting her two dogs, reading and working puzzles. We have traveled extensively throughout the states, Canada and just once overseas, but I much prefer being a homebody. I worked for a while writing articles for a local magazine but soon found my interest in writing for myself peaking. My first book was strictly spanking erotica, but I slowly evolved to writi
ng erotic romance with an emphasis on spanking. I love hearing from readers and can be reached here: [email protected].
Recent accolades include: 5 star, Top Pick review from The Romance Reviews for Blindsided, 5 star review from Long & Short Reviews for Hannah & The Dom Next Door, which was also voted Erotic Romance of the Month on LASR, and my most recent title, Her Master At Last, took two spots on top 100 lists in BDSM erotica and Romantic erotica in less than a week!
Visit her Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/bj.wane
Visit her blog here
bjwane.blogspot.com
Don’t miss these exciting titles by BJ Wane and Blushing Books!
Single Titles
Claiming Mia
Cowboy Doms Series
Submitting to the Rancher, Book 1
Submitting to the Sheriff, Book 2
Submitting to the Cowboy, Book 3
Submitting to the Lawyer, Book 4
Virginia Bluebloods Series
Blindsided, Book 1
Bind Me To You, Book 2
Surrender To Me, Book 3
Blackmailed, Book 4
Bound By Two, Book 5
Determined to Master: Complete Series
Murder On Magnolia Island:
The Complete Trilogy
Logan - Book 1
Hunter - Book 2
Ryder - Book 3
Miami Masters
Bound and Saved - Book One
Master Me, Please - Book Two
Mastering Her Fear - Book Three
Bound to Submit - Book Four
His to Master and Own - Book Five
Theirs to Master - Book Six
Masters of the Castle
Witness Protection Program
(Controlling Carlie)
Connect with BJ Wane
bjwane.blogspot.com
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