Bodywork (26 page)

“I don’t want
you to like him too much,” he admitted
. “But I don’t care about his luck with women. Sexing it up with strangers isn’t my thing.” He winked at her. “I only like playing doctor with a sexy massage therapist I know.” He loved her blush. “Shelby, do you want to come clean with the others?” And let everyone know she was his.
Finally.

She toyed with her food. “I don’t know. This
thing
between us is special. I guess I’m afraid they’ll ruin it.”

He’d wanted another answer, but he could respect her for the truth. “Your call. But how about another beer while
w
e figure out how to handle our well-meaning but troublesome friends?”
Because I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those nights.

Chapter Sixteen

She
lby
didn’t want everyone to know
about them
, b
ecause that would make her fantasy time with Shane all too real.
She smiled and laughed, but inside she
cringed
. Maggie had been plotting, and
Shelby
hadn’t seen it.
Nor had she recognized Mac’s pretense in coming in for massage work.
Just like she hadn’t seen Rick’s perfidy until she’d caught him in the act. Would there be something about Shane
as well? Something
she’d learn too late to save her pitiful heart from breaking all over again?

And there was the truth—she’d fallen for Shane Collins.
If she’d believed in love at first sight, which she didn’t, she might have admitted he
r
fascination with him when she’d called him Mr. Tall, Dark
,
and Rude.

“Shelby?”

“What?”

“
Did you want dessert?” he asked, and she noticed the waiter hovering. “
They have a
terrific
cheesecake.”

“
Sure
.” She softened even more toward him.
The blasted man had remembered her favorite dessert. Everything about him added up to her dream
man
.
When they talked, he listened. He’d been through his own relationship hell and had survived. He made
love
like he’d been built to please. He had a great job, family he loved, and friends she actually liked.
Hi
s neatness nicely tailored her organized if slightly messy aesthetic.
And they liked the same kinds of movies.

But he had yet to meet her mother and Ron.

“I hope
dinner
tonight
wasn’t too hard to bear
.” Shane must have noted her quiet. He looked way too serious for a guy who’d downed three beers.

“I
’m fine
.” She forced a smile. “Honestly?”

“I always want you to be honest with me. Truth hurts, but it’s better than
a
lie.”

He had that right. “
I’m worried about my mother.”

“How’s that?” He moved back when the waiter arri
ved to clear their plates. After the guy set down their dessert and coffee and left, Shelby explained.

“
My mother is a whirlwind. She’s loud, opinionated, and likes to think of herself as a hippie lost in the concept of free love. She married my dad, had me, and left him when he grew too boring for her, I guess. I haven’t seen the man in twenty years.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. He faded away, but Ron took his place.” She smiled. “He’s the perfect fit for my mother. They design together, believe in the same weird stuff, and generally love me to death.”

“So what’s not to like?”

“They’re over
protective. They check up on everything I do. And they are always involving themselves in my life. I love them. I do. But they’re a lot to
deal with
.” She swallowed audibly, taken by the compassion in his gaze.

“Afraid they won’t like me?”

No, that they’ll scare you away.
“Not exactly.”

“Shelby, we can keep our relationship, such as it is, to ourselves if that’s what you want.” He sounded so caring, she wanted to cry. God, if her mother ruined this thing she had going with Shane, she’d never forgive the woman.

“Could we?
” Then what he’d said penetrated. “
Wait,
‘
relationship
,
such as it is
’?
”

“Well, we have sex, and we’ve been on one
—
or
if you count tonight
—
two dates. You said you only wanted something physical.”

“So did you.” Panic set in. What had she done wrong this time? He sounded as if he wanted to break it off with her. Was that why he was okay keeping everything a big secret?

“And maybe I changed my mind.
I want the chance to be with you. Dating, Shelby.
” He cut a bite of cheesecake and lifted it for her to eat.

She blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and took a bite,
the flavor bursting on her tongue.

He watched her eat, looking satisfied.

“Boyfriend
-
girlfriend, hmm?” She took some dessert in her fork and lifted it to his lips.

He ate it, and the act became an intima
cy tying them together
. Giving and taking freely from each other.

“That’s what I’d like, but I don’t want to rush you.”

She frowned. “You’re being awfully gentle with me. Afraid I’ll bolt?”

He chuckled. “We’re being honest with each other, aren’t we? Yeah, I’m afraid you’ll leave. That I’m not what you signed on for. You wanted a no strings attached hook up, and like always, I fucked it up.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I just… you make me happy.”

“I do?”

“You really, really do. And I don’t just mean in the bedroom. I want this to last for as long as it can, and I tend to go
right for the things I want in life, a
lot faster than most
people
are comfortable with. No, get that panicked look off your face. I’m not proposing.” He
chuckled
. “I’d like to go out with you in public. To call you my girlfriend. To hang around my family and hang around yours. That’s a pretty big commitment right there.”

“You got that right.” She blew out a breath.
Especially because I’m falling in love with you. And it’s not my mother I’m worried about screwing us up. It’s me.

“
You need time. No problem. That’s something
I can give you. We stick to the plan for now.”

“For now,” she agreed and reached across the table for his hand. “I
just…I
need to think about this.”

“Fine. But don’t forget. Breakfast on Sunday at
your
house.”

“And Monday night at
your
place. For the fun stuff.”

He winked, and relieved she hadn’t ruined anything by being honest, she polished off the cheesecake. Nice guy that he was, he let her.

When Shelby left him at his house, she felt as though she’d come full circle. The sexual fling she’d intended had blossomed into a romance, and she planned to embrace it. She just needed to wrap her mind around it.

After h
e kissed her goodbye and went inside
, s
he drove home, thinking hard. Would her mother approve of Shane? Hell yes. He had everything going for him, including a wonderful family. She
lby
loved Lorraine
and had liked what she’d seen during her
brief meeting with Chad Collins
. A
fter
over
hearing him
badger Shane about protection and spending time together, she knew she’d like him as much as she liked Shane’s mother
.

George was
terrific.
And Shane…
Scary as it was to feel, she loved him. It didn’t make a lot of sense, and maybe she was blowing an intense crush into something more, but she respected him a lot more than she’d ever respected Rick. Shane didn’t seem intimidated by her career or ability to think for herself. He liked being with her
and didn’t seem to expect her to change for him. A
nd he listened to her, something Rick had pretended to do but never actually done.

Shane knew she liked cheesecake
and romance books
. He gave her the rough sex she craved. And he held her and kissed her like he cared
, because he
did
care
. He’d had her for sex from the get-go. There was no reason to pretend to like her to get into her pants, as he’d said. He genuinely liked her for herself, a novel idea.

She smiled as she pulled into her
driveway. After letting herself into her house and locking up after herself, she fell asleep and dreamed about Shane.

Saturday passed too slowly
, a mundane day spent doing chores she’d put off for too long. Then
Sunday arrived
, and with it came Shane, bright and
way
earl
ier than expected
.

Never a mor
n
ing person, she greeted him at the door wearing her robe
and a scowl
.

“Hey
,
sunshine.” He held up a paper bag that smelled delicious. In his other hand, he held a
holder carrying several cups of coffee.

“Now I know I love you,” she murmured and took the
coffee
from his hands.

He held onto it, and she looked up at him.

He stared at her.
“What did you say?”

“What?” She couldn’t think past the need for coffee.

“Nothing.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Nice hair.”

“Screw you.”

“Promises, promises.”

She grunted at him and took her coffee to the counter, where she fixed it with cream and sugar. She inhaled it and felt almost human again. Until she realized Shane was seeing her in all her morning glory. If this didn’t scare him away, nothing would.

“You’re cute when you’re half awake.”

She frowned at him. “You said ten.”

“It’s ten fifteen.” He chuckled when she whipped her gaze to the microwave clock. “Yeah. I can see I’m not the only one who’s time-impaired. Just so you know, I’m always late.”

“Oh. Well, as you can see, I’m not a morning person.”

“Me either.” He took a cup
of coffee
from the holder
she hoarded by her side and drank it black. “But I cook.”

“And clean.” She made a face at him. “You’re almost too neat to be a guy.”

“Funny.”

“That or you’re secretly gay. Ron is so neat it makes my teeth ache.”

“Now who’s stereotyping?” He fished a pastry out of the bag and handed it to her.

She bit into it and groaned. “So good,” she mumbled with her mouth full.

He shook his head. “That is the ugliest bathrobe I’ve ever seen. Neon green terrycloth? Didn’t they stop making those in the eighties?”

“Hey!”

“Your hair is sticking up in the back. You have
jelly
on your lip, and you put way too much sugar in your coffee.”

“Look, you idiot, I’ll drink my coffee any way I
—
”

“So why do I have the urge to make love to you right now? Right here?”

Her annoyance quickly faded. “Um, even with my morning breath?”

“So maybe we won’t kiss.”

She had to laugh. “Yeah, don’t spoil the romance by cringing near my mouth.”

“You know, there are other things you do very well with that mouth,” he rasped. “I am
in love
with that tongue of yours.”

She let him draw her close and ran a hand down his front to grip his erection.

He hissed and closed his eyes. “Yeah, like that. But I want your mouth over me. I want to watch you take me between your lips
and see
you suck me off
.”

“But we didn’t schedule this. Isn’t today a date day?”

“Fuck schedules.” He unbuttoned his fly and unzipped his jeans. Then he lifted his cock out. He pulled on the collar of her robe, tugging her down. “Let me fuck that mouth.”

She had no interest in her coffee
or pastry
anymore
and set them down
. She knelt before him, intrigued that she
aroused him, even in her ratty bathrobe.
Shane was a handsome, successful man. He could have had any woman he wanted for the asking. Yet he wanted
her
.

“
Open
your robe for me.”

“I’m not wearing anything underneath
,” she warned.

“Let me see those tits.”

She remembered that he’d said he wanted to fuck them
and grew wet
.
She straightened and bent closer to his crotch.
“Slide through me.” She cupped her breasts and pushed them together, pleased when he moaned her name.

“Just a few times. I don’t want to come on your tits. Not until tomorrow night,” he said in a low voice. He
thrust at on odd angle and positioned
his cock between her breasts. He slid that thick, hot shaft between her
mounds
, his sac velvety smooth and taut when she felt him.

He swore and straightened. Then he grabbed himself with one hand and with the other palmed her head
, pushing her back down
. “Open up, baby. Blow me.”

She knelt, quivering.
The request was an order, because he knew how much she liked
it
when he was demanding. He pushed his cockhead between her lips
,
and she drew him in, licking with
firm strokes of
her tongue.

“Fuck, yes. That’s good sweetheart. So sexy.”

She could feel him staring at her as she took him deeper. Unlike the way she’d pleasured him before,
this time he fucked her mouth
. She opened wide and took what he gave her.

“Play with yourself,” he said hoarsely and held her hair from her face so he could see himself fucking her. “I want you to get off while you
I shoot
down your throat.”

She moaned and masturbated while taking as much of him as she could. Dirty, sweaty sex in the morning with the man of her dreams. Even when he came
, filling her mouth and trickling down the back of her throat
, she didn’t mind, satisfied by his orgasm.

But he wouldn’t let
them be done
. “Uh uh. You didn’t come,” he said
,
panting as he caught his breath. He withdrew from her lips and stood her up. Then he
lifted her onto the k
itchen counter and spread her thighs
over the robe tucked beneath her.
He latched onto her nipple with his mouth and fingered her pussy.

“God, Shane.” She writhed under him, in lust and love and flying with feeling.

He added another finger while he toyed with her clit. And then he sucked her other nipple into a tight peak. She tightened around him without thought, clamping on those fingers that didn’t fill her the way his cock did.

He released her brea
st
to
whispered into her ear,
“Come, baby. All over me
.
”
Then he flicked his tongue into her
sensitive canal.

She reached her pinnacle and drenched his fingers,
her
climax
muddling her ability to think
. He
returned to
suckl
ing
at her breast while she came down from such intense pleasure.

Slowly, he withdrew his fingers
, a self-satisfied male watching his lover with possession
, which she hadn’t wanted. Or had she?

She was shaky and confused and in love. “I’ll be back. I need a shower. Alone,” she said before he could offer to join her.

He smirked and glanced at the pastries. “Don’t blame me if there’s nothing left when you’re done.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Don’t tease, baby.”

With a laugh
that ended in a groan
, she left him in the kitchen. She returned twenty minutes later to find him snoozing on her couch. He’d left her coffee and several pastries. As she’d expected. The man didn’t have it in him to be selfish.