Hill, Meagan - Master Me [Masterson] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free

just dropped in off the highway. However, the surprise that his mother was at the shop was minor compared to his shock at what Mandy had just told him. “Seriously, she said, ‘Hakuna matata,’ like from The Lion King ?” At Mandy’s nod, Mitch’s mind began racing. It was a code phrase, of course. Over the years, they had developed a kind of language all their own so they could talk freely around the regular humans without worrying about revealing their existence. “Hakuna matata” meant “This one is special. Take good care of him.” Nina had only used it a few times, and in each case, the subject of the conversation was in danger of some sort and needed protection. They also tended to end up being very powerful. “Okay, thanks for telling me.”
    “You’re not going to tell me what it means, are you?” Mandy asked in a resigned tone.
    Mitch could only smirk and shake his head. “Nope.”
    “Okay, fine. Be that way. For all I know...” Mitch watched as Mandy pulled her feet beneath her in preparation for standing up. She couldn’t stifle the cry of pain as her ankle buckled beneath her, landing her back in her spot on the bank. Mitch was next to her by the next second. If Mandy hadn’t been so distracted by the pain, she would have been startled he was there so quickly.
    “What hurts, Mandy?” Mitch asked, his voice concerned. He reached out to steady her by her shoulders, wanting to keep her steady and prevent further injury. He nearly jumped back with the jolt that rocked through him as he touched her. He wasn’t too shocked, however, to notice an answering jolt go through her, nor her eyes widening in reaction. He also wasn’t too shocked to notice how her personal energy and his blended together. That had never happened to him.
    Mandy could only blink at him for a moment, appearing to be just as blown away by their connection as he was. Finally, she responded, “Hurt. Oh, it’s my ankle. I must have twisted it on the way down. It’s really not that bad. I was just taken off guard.” Again, she tried to rise from her spot, but Mitch’s hands would not let her move.
    Mitch mentally shook his head, amused at the stubbornness she was displaying. He wasn’t about to let her try to walk on an injured ankle. Certainly not until he’d had an opportunity to look at it. Without bothering to warn her, Mitch stepped up next to her and swept her up into his arms, making sure to get the tail of his shirt so that her bottom was covered, and cradling her to his chest. She was so tiny she felt like she weighed next to nothing. Mitch couldn’t help but moan silently at the feel of the woman in his arms. She felt like she belonged there. Mitch tried to control his reaction to this beautiful stranger as he began the long climb to the house.
    Mandy yelped in surprise before allowing herself to settle against his chest and wrap her arms around his neck. “I’ll take a look at it up at the house. We have some first aid supplies there. If it’s bad enough, I’ll take you to County General for an X-ray,” Mitch muttered. He could see it was already starting to swell, but it didn’t look like it was bruising. From experience, it appeared it was just a sprain, though sprains were still plenty painful.
    “No. No hospital. Besides, I’ve had worse. Way worse. And had to work with it without any type of medical treatment. You can put me down. I’m sure I can walk.” Mitch was distracted from savoring the feel of the small woman in his arms when her words finally sunk into his brain. “What are you talking about, no medical care? How did you get hurt and not have medical care?” His normally strong protective streak exploded within him. He couldn’t get the image of her injured badly, with no healing help, out of his mind. He had no idea how very close to reality his worst thought was.
    “Well, my, uh, the guy in charge of where I live refuses to allow us medical care unless it’s a matter of life or