He wore down her
independent resistance with his arousing dominance but would it be enough for
her to trust him with her safety when her life is threatened?
Excerpt:
With
a frustrated swing and exasperated huff, Mitchell buried his ax in the wood
stump and shook his head in disbelief. What the hell was someone doing driving
a sporty Mazda Miata on a Montana backroad during a raging snowstorm? They were
lucky their inevitable stranded predicament occurred near his cabin, that he
happened to be here and outside getting wood to witness their loss of control
through the trees separating his place from the road. Yanking his sheepskin
lined coat closed and his Stetson down to shield his eyes from the blowing
snow, it was too bad he didn’t get to share in the occupant’s luck.
Mitchell
trudged through the piling snow, bemoaning the loss of his solitude for the
next few days. Given the weather and the distance between his cabin and the
nearest towns of Billings and Willow Springs, it looked like he would have a
guest for the next few days. He wasn’t happy about that; the month of February
was still difficult for him two years following his wife, Abbie’s lost battle
with cancer. This was his first winter in Montana, and he’d been looking
forward to these few days away from his new practice as the encroaching
memories pushed the heartache he kept tucked away to the surface.
Tabling
his irritation, he breathed a sigh of relief for the break in heavy snowfall as
he emerged from the woods and sloughed through the already several feet of cold
accumulation toward the stranded car still puffing out exhaust from the running
engine. The lull wouldn’t last, so it was imperative he get the occupants back
to his place as quickly as possible.
The
driver’s side door creaked open as he reached the back end, his annoyance with
the woman struggling to release her seatbelt dropping away when he eyed her
pale, bruised face. The car hadn’t landed buried in the snow wall with enough
impact to open the airbag, and the snug fit of the seatbelt would have
prevented those injuries from happening just now.
Mitchell
got to the open door as she emerged, her gasp of pain as she bent over with an
arm wrapped around her upper waist prompting him to reach for her
sweater-covered arm. “Sit down. You are not going to get sick or pass out.” He
pressed on her shoulder until her butt returned to the seat, her booted feet
buried up to her calves in the snow. She was alone in the car, which made it
easier on him to have to deal with only one unwelcome guest.
To
his surprise, she glared up at him out of dark purple eyes, shaking her cloud
of deep auburn hair out of her face as she snapped, “Says who?”
I’m
not only stuck with a houseguest, but one with attitude, yet another pesky
irritation.
“Me.” Squatting in front of her to block the wind, he cupped her chin with a
gloved hand and held her still as he examined her black eye, swollen face and
cut mouth, his hand tightening at the obvious signs of abuse. “Let me guess.
You walked into a door,” he drawled, figuring she would skirt the truth like
most abused women.
She
jerked her head and he released her to keep from causing her more stress. Her
lips curled in derision as she replied, “Yeah, a door with fists.”
Her
honesty surprised Mitchell and earned her brownie points despite the sarcasm.
He nodded, the hot ball of anger coiling in his gut the same response he’d
experienced with every case of abuse admitted into the trauma center in Denver
he had headed for five years. Pushing to his feet, he curtailed the desire to
question her and searched for a coat among the belongings piled on the back
seat. “I can check you over at my cabin, just through the woods. Can you make
it that far?”
She
frowned, her eyes turning wary as she cast a look around at their desolate
surroundings. “I can if I have to, but it would be foolish to follow a stranger
to a secluded cabin in the woods.”
“And
it wasn’t foolish to drive in this weather in a vehicle ill-equipped to handle
it without ending up like this?” he returned dryly. “I’m cold and the heavy
shit will start up again any moment. I’ll give you two minutes to talk to the
sheriff in Willow Springs and then I’m hauling ass back to my place, with or
without you.” Digging his satellite phone out of the heavy coat pocket, he
punched in Grayson Monroe’s direct number, praying he caught him in. When he
answered, he gave his friend a quick rundown and then thrust the phone toward
her, swearing as he noticed the blue tinge to her lips despite the heat blowing
inside the still idling car and his position blocking the wind. “Make it fast.”
Blurb:
Following the death of her twin sister
and the abuse of her sadistic ex-boyfriend, Lillian Gaines drove away from her
home to flee her heart-wrenching grief. Exhausted, numb from sorrow, she drives
into a snowstorm and ends up stranded on a Montana back road.
The last thing Doctor Mitchell
Hoffstetter wanted was to put up a stranded motorist at his cabin, but seeing
the bruises marring Lillian’s face stifles his irritation. He couldn’t help
offering comfort when her grief kept her awake, and for all her sass and
independence, she succumbed to his commands and touch without pause. They went
their separate ways the next day unable to forget that one hour.
Mitchell soon discovers Lillian is
living in the motel in town. He offers his garage apartment which leads to
another opportunity to show she wasn’t as opposed to his dominance as she claimed.
Lillian discovers a side of her she couldn’t control whenever Mitchell leveled
one of those potent gazes her way and showed her ways of pleasure she never
imagined she would embrace.
It takes a threat to Lillian’s life for
Mitchell to admit his sassy, independent tenant and lover had found a way
through his grief to his heart, but had they both waited too long to express
their feelings or would he and their friends ride to her rescue in time for
them to start over together?
This is book seven in the Cowboy Doms
series but can be enjoyed independently.
Publisher’s Note: This contemporary
western romance is intended for adults only. It contains elements of mystery,
suspense, danger, sensual scenes, adult themes and power exchange. If any of
these offend you, please do not purchase.
About the Author:
I live in the
Midwest with my husband and our dog, Oscar, a lovable Goldendoodle. I love dogs, enjoy spending time with my
daughter, babysitting dogs and kids, reading and working puzzles. We have traveled extensively throughout the states,
Canada and just once overseas, but I now 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 books were strictly spanking
erotica, but I slowly evolved to writing erotic spanking romance with a touch
of suspense. My favorite genre to read
is suspense.
CONTACT & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
https://bjwaneauthor.com/
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