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 h
and 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.”