Bodywork (30 page)

She fed her rage with images of them sleeping together as she parked in front of his house and raced up the steps to his front porch. She knocked hard on the door, surprised to see Mac there.

“Where’s Shane?”

“Upstairs getting ready for a…date.” His eyes widened. “You? Really? Son of a bitch.” But his smile didn’t fully form as
he looked into her face. “Hey.
You okay?”

She brushed past him and stormed up the stairs. She heard the shower running but
didn’t care. She slammed into Shane’s
bedroom and moved quickly through to the bathroom, where steam fogged the shower.

“Mac?” Shane called out, his sexy voice making her heart ache even worse.

“No, me.” She ripped the shower curtain back, and he swore. “Expecting someone else?
Megan
maybe?”

He didn’t look guilty or shocked or scared. Just surprised. “What are you talking about? Shit, is it seven already? I thought I had more time to get ready for you
. I was going to kick Mac out before you got here, I swear
.”

“I want an explanation.” Her heart beat so loudly she couldn’t hear much else.

He turned off the shower and grabbed a towel, which he wrapped around himself. It bothered the hell out of her that she noticed how terrific he looked naked, with water dripping down his impressive six-pack. “Okay, She
lby
. Try again. What are you talking about, and why do you seem so upset?”

She couldn’t cry. She was too knotted up to shed another tear. “I know about
Megan
.”

He frowned. “
Megan
? The only
Megan
I know is Mac’s old girlfriend from the gym.”

“Ha! You admit it.”

“Admit what?” He looked concerned. “What’s up, baby?”

“I know about you and her. How you’ve been seeing another woman while you were supposed to be faithful to me.” The tears sta
r
ted again
.
Damn
it.
“After all that talk about Lisa and how she fucked you over.
And
Rick did th
e same thing
to me. How could you?”

She wanted to hear him say it. To listen to the truth and watch him with a straight face admit his lying, cheating ways. God, she wanted this hurt to turn to anger.

“Are you drunk?” He stepped out of the shower
,
and she hit him. Hard in the stomach.

He grunted but didn’t doub
le over
, as she’d hoped. So much for brutality making her feel better. Instead she felt worse.

“You’re losing it. I have no idea what this mess with
Megan
is about, but if she did anything to hurt you, I’ll
—
”

“George told me,” she shouted, finally stopping him.

“What?”

“Your little brother swung by my work this evening and told me all about
Megan
and your sex on the side. I can’t believe you’d do that to me, but I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said bitterly.
“You’re all alike. Using women for sex, even when you don’t have to
.
”

“Shut up for a minute,” he cut in, his voice low and filled with an anger she’d never before had directed her way. Sure they’d argued from time to time, but he’d never been really mad at her. “I don’t know what fucked up story my brother is spouting, but I have been into you one hundred percent from day one. I don’t cheat. I don’t need to,” he said, his arrogance pissing her off all over again.

She wanted to belt him in that sexy mouth, and her overwhelming temper scared her. “I’m leaving.” She hurried out of there before she did something she’
d regret and fell to his level.
If she hadn’t known it before, this pain clearly told her she’d loved the asshole.
With her whole heart.
Rick’s defection had hurt, but she’d known she’d carry on. Shane… She just didn’t know.

She skirted Mac and left in a rush. With nowhere else to go, she hurried home, not wanting to talk to anyone right now. Later she’d call Maggie, and maybe her mother. But right now, she needed a good cry, solitude, and a pint of coffee ice cream.

Mac still couldn’t believe his best friend had been tapping such a fine piece of ass
—
attached to a fine woman—and he hadn’t known. No wonder Shane hadn’t been chafing to find Shelby. He’d been doing her for a while,
apparently. That lucky SOB.

Loud voices from upstairs told him something was wrong. If Shelby’s drawn face hadn’t clued him in, her shouts would have. And then to hear his calm buddy shouting back? The argument didn’t last long, though, because Shelby raced out of the house with tears in her eyes. That bothered him. A lot. He liked Shelby. She’d done a hell of a job on his knee,
which
was doing better than it had been in months, and from what he’d seen of her, she was perfect for Shane.

His buddy came storming down the stairs dripping wet and hugging a towel to his waist. He seemed leaner than the last time Mac had seen him, but then Shane was a nut about running. Too bad he wasn’t fast enough to catch Shelby before she
raced away,
squeal
ing tires
down the road.

“What the hell, man?” Mac stared in fascination, not sure what the hell he was looking at. Shane looked pissed, sad, and frustrated all at once. Definitely woman problems, but Shelby didn’t seem like the type to play games. And Mac knew Shane wasn’t that kind of guy. So what—

“I’m going to
kill
my brother!” Shane slammed the door shut. “Go find him, or your
interfering
ass is next!”

Chapter Nineteen

While Shelby
ran away
, Shane hurriedly dried off, dressed and shot out
of his house
on a mission to fix things. He gathered he’d supposedly cheated on Shelby with
Megan
, and that she’d gotten that insane idea from George. What he didn’t know w
as
why his little brother would strive to fuck up his life, and more importantly, how Shelby could think Shane capable of cheating on her.

He
loved
the woman. Had all but said out
it
loud, and a few times he’d
slipped during sex and yelled it while he came. He
would never imagine
she’d cheat on him, but then, he loved her. After dealing with Lisa, he knew the difference between quality and flash. Shelby had heart. He knew she’d been faithful. She was too honest and responsive to him. She shared herself more and more, and
he’d started to believe she might love him back.

And now this.

He pulled up to her front door, saw her car in the drive, and parked behind it. Then he walked around the house to
the
backdoor, grabbed the key from the hideaway she’d shown him, and let himself inside.

He heard emo music playing and saw a pint of ice cream with a spoon sticking out of it on the kitchen counter. Then he saw her exit the bathroom. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was blowing her nose. A dozen or more crumpled tissues littered the floor by the couch.

“Get out,” she growled, apparently still seething through her tears.

“I can’t believe you would think I could do that to you,” he said quietly, feeling the hurt she must have been feeling. “I understand why you would, since my brother loves me and is a pretty decent kid. But we both know he’s told a few lies to get what he wants.”

She opened her mouth
—t
o argue, no doubt
—
then snapped it closed. “So you’re saying he made it all up? There’s no
Megan
, no gym, no affair?”

“No.
Megan
’s real. She’s a groupie at the gym, and my brother had a thing for her big time until Maggie started working there. Now he’s into blondes. I’m surprised he didn’t use her instead of
Megan
as my su
pposed lover.” He wanted to hug Shelby
and offer comfort. And he wanted to spank her for believing such terrible things about him. “What the hell did my brother say to convince you I was cheating with
Megan
, of all people?”

Her eyes filled again. “It’s just… He said he wanted us to be together. That you were making a mistake with some
gold digging
witch
,” she added nastily. “And that I should make a move to save you from yourself. Not those exact words, but that was the intent.”

“And after fucking my brains out every time we make love, you thought I’d go to another woman?” His voice rose. “For what?”

“How the hell should I know?” she cried. “Rick did it. Why wouldn’t you?”

He figured as much. “Damn it, Shelby. I’m not Rick! I thought we’d been honest with each other. Lisa ripped my heart out when she cheated on m
e, and
I never loved her as much as I do you.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“I love you, but God knows you don’t deserve it.” He fed the anger building inside
him
. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s been for me to trust
you
? Lisa lived with me. I saw her every fucking day, and she had an affair under my nose. But you and I
don’t see each other as much, an
d
it’s all I can do to convince you to spend a rare night at my place
. You don’t want to tell anyone about us, and I’m trying to give you the space you asked for, but it’s fucking hard. Then you have the nerve to accuse me of cheating?” He paced around her dining room. “When would I have the time? When I’m not with you, I’m working out or doing one of three projects I’ve been assigned at work.”

“I don’t know.” She sounded miserable.

Good.

“I
trusted you before I ever saw
your physical results
. I trust that you’re on birth control, though I’ve never seen it.
I trust that you’ll eventually tell me how you really feel about me, because I thought the way you responded in bed meant something.” And how wrong he’d been.

“Shane. I’m sorry, but George
—
”

“Is my brother. Yeah, I know. I also know if Maggie or Mac told me you’d been cheating, the first th
ing I’d do would be to hear
your side of the story before accusing you of anything. And maybe I’m an asshole for believing in someone after being screwed over like I was, but I love you. You trust the people you love.” He let out a disgusted breath. “Obviously I’m the only
one
feeling that way.” He turned around and headed back out the
door
.

“Shane, wait.”

“Now I need time to cool off. I’ll talk to you later. Maybe. Fuck if I know.” He slammed out
of the house
, having said his piece. But he didn’t feel any better for it. Instead, he felt worse.

*
*
*

A week had passed, and Shane refused to talk to her. George had made an apology. Apparently the actor had thought he was doing Shane a favor. In what world that stupid story was a favor, Shelby had no idea. But he looked despondent about the whole thing, so she forgave him.
It went without saying he broke up with Amber over the incident.

Mimi Vanzant
had been amazingly quiet about everything. She didn’t comment or criticize when the ugly mess poured out of Shelby one night at dinner. And Ron had been
silent
as well. For the pair of them to not offer advice was like
entering her own little alternate universe, and their attempt at kindness made her cry more.

Maggie, bless her, commiserated. Of course Shelby should
have been hurt. Sure she
’d
believed Shane’s own flesh and blood. Why wouldn’t she? And
Maggie
wasn’t talking to Mac, though she continued to work for him. Mac had stupidly taken Shane’s side in this, and Maggie, loyal friend that she was, took Shelby’s.

Shelby didn’t tell anyone, but she’d left a message for Shane to call her yesterday. He hadn’t
responded yet
.

Another week went by
without contact
. She missed him.
So much.

No more wisecracks about her being a book nerd. No more arguments over what to watch. Now she had her choice of Lifetime movies but continued to linger over the stupid car channel, wondering if he was watching it. And she missed the intimacies they shared. He’d never made her feel ashamed for wanting exciting sex. For all that he loathed the word vanilla, their slow lovemaking
,
missionary style
,
often made her feel
like
a part
of him. Like a real girlfriend and lover, half o
f a whole.

It all wouldn’t have been so bad if she wasn’t aware she’d hurt him with her doubts.
After all he’d been through,
then
she’d added to it, knowing what a bitch Lisa had been. She wanted to apologize again and make things right, but she also understood he needed to be alone. If only she’d trusted him more.

No. If only she’d trusted herself.