Her Cowboy Doms(49)

It was an easy thing to trust them with her life. She’d already trusted them with her heart.

“Yes, sir.”

“What the hell is wrong with you fuckers?” Jack lessened his hold on her. He waved the knife at the men. “Where do you think you are? At your pervert club?”

Paul put his finger on the trigger. “Listen up, baby.”

“Yes, Master Paul.”

“Master? Damn, you guys really are freaks.”

She jumped her gaze from Paul’s to Destin’s. He nodded once, then spoke the words she’d obey without question.

“Go dead. Now!”

She turned loose, her body going limp in Jack’s hold. Her body was deadweight as she fell to the ground. She’d given over complete control to the men she loved, trusting them to protect her. Another part of her, deep inside, a part that she’d shared that day under the tree took flight, ridding her of the last of her guilt.

Jack stumbled, trying to keep his hold on her, but her abrupt collapse was more than he could handle.

“You cunt!”

A gunshot echoed in the air, frightening birds from the trees. She heard Jack’s groan and felt his body hit the ground next to her.

Destin and Paul were beside her, pulling her into their arms. Staring down at the unseeing eyes and the bullet hole in his forehead, she felt nothing for Jack. The day she’d waited for, all the hours she’d spent laboring over files and mug shots, had come to a quick and final end.

Every ounce of energy was gone. She lay limp against Paul and pressed her face against his chest. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, baby.” Paul picked her up, carrying her as he’d done before.



* * * *



Georgia set the white chair on the front porch, rocking, and watched as Paul and Destin strode toward her. She knew what they’d say. They’d spent the past week trying to convince her to return to Atlanta. The local sheriff had called the Dallas Police Department who had arrived within a few hours to take custody of Jack’s body and go over the crime scene. She’d already explained time and again what had happened the day Jack Warton had tried to kill her, and now all she wanted was to sit and enjoy the tranquility of the ranch.

Until that moment, she hadn’t been able to voice why she didn’t want to go. Other than not wanting to ever leave their side, of course. But even after they’d offered to come along with her, she’d still refused.

She held up one finger as they took the chairs on either side of her. “Don’t even start. We’ve gone over it enough.”

Paul lowered his chin and gave her a pointed look. “You should go. The Atlanta Police Department doesn’t hand out medals every day.”

“Yeah, sugar.” Destin put his hand on top of hers. “You deserve the recognition.”

It was an argument they’d tried several times before. “No, I don’t. I’m not the one who stopped Warton. You two are.”

“Hey, I didn’t pull the trigger, either, so how do you figure I deserve any credit?”

“Because you were there, Destin. You helped me know what to do.”

“The same could be said of you, baby.” Paul didn’t rock his chair. He never did. He crossed his arms and studied her. “You’re the one who kept hunting for him. You’re the one who made him come after you.”

“Not on purpose. I didn’t know who he was.”

“Okay, maybe that’s so. But your relentless search for him made him uncomfortable enough that he felt he had to find you.”

She let out a sigh. “It’s still not the same thing. You’re the one who finally got him, Paul. Not me. I don’t want any medal.”

They sat in silence for a moment, yet she knew they hadn’t given up. And she was right.

“Damn it, Georgia. You deserve the medal for knowing what to do. For giving me the opening I needed to shoot him. For having courage in the face of real danger. As your Dom—”

She tensed, then put all her anger into her scowl. “No. You can’t use that. You can’t command me to go. You said you were my Doms in the bedroom, in play, and at the club. Not in any other part of our life. So don’t push that shit on me now.”

Paul’s irritation hit her like a Texas tornado. “You’re right. I can’t force you to do that or anything else you don’t want to do. But don’t you get it, baby? Can’t you see how far you’ve come? The first day you arrived here, you didn’t know what it was like to be a sub. You denied ever being able to obey us. But then, you listened to your heart and let the submissive side of you come out. For that alone, you deserve recognition.”