I’m staring down at my cell, praying for a response as I walk into the living area so I don’t look up to the door until I’m right in front of it.
And when I do, I can’t help but gasp in shock.
35
Chelsea
Standing on the other side of the glass door is Shane.
He looks exactly as I remember, his shaggy blond hair styled in its usual messy style, his emerald eyes staring at me as if he sees all the way into my soul and his full lips that make my stomach clench with desire. But that’s where the similarities end because he’s wearing a crisp white shirt and a pair of slim black dress pants, and in his hands is a giant box.
My hand trembles as I fumble with the lock to allow him inside.
“Hey,” I say in a rush the second there’s a gap in the door. “You look… amazing.”
“Thanks. Can I come in?”
“Oh shit, yeah,” I say jumping out of the way and holding the door open for him.
I stand, awkwardly rocking on the spot as I fiddle with my fingers, not knowing what to do.
Fuck, I’ve missed him.
I watch silently as he places the box on the coffee table and turns to me.
His eyes run down the length of my body, I have no idea why, I’m just wearing a massive hoodie and a pair of yoga pants, it’s not sexy in the slightest.
“Shane.” Just being able to say his name gives me tingles. “Fuck. I’m so fucking sorry. I had no idea… I should have told you… shit… I don’t even…”
“Stop,” he demands, reaching forward and taking my hand in his, tugging me into his body.
His heat burns, but in such a good way. My knees threaten to give way as his scent fills my nose.
“Oh god,” I whimper as he stares down at me. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Chels, will you go to winter formal with me?”
My chin drops as his words register. “Y-you want to go to the dance?” One side of my lip twitches with the beginning of a smile.
“If you still want me.”
A laugh bubbles up my throat, but not because there’s anything funny about this situation but because it’s so unbelievable.
“You’re serious?”
“Deadly.”
“Um…” I look around, my head spinning with this unexpected little visit. “I don’t have anything to wear.” I think about the dresses I’ve worn to previous dances and even though I’m not showing, I know they’re not suitable.
“I’ve got you covered.” He stands aside and allows me to see the box that I’d forgotten he carried in.
“What have you done?”
Without saying a word, he walks over to the box and pulls the top off. Inside is an abundance of tissue paper.
“Go on then. Let’s see how well I know you.”
I step up to the box and peer inside, but the contents are totally hidden.
“You chose it all by yourself?”
“Sure did. Go on the suspense is killing me.”
Pulling back the tissue, I find fire engine red fabric staring back at me.
Tingles erupt in my stomach as I reach in and pull the dress free.
“Oh my god, Shane. It’s stunning.”
It’s full-length with a deep V and a high split up one leg. It has a lot more fabric than the dresses I’m used to wearing, but it’s so freaking sexy.
“Yeah?” I look to his hesitant eyes.
I relax for the first time in days, and a sob erupts from my throat out of nowhere. The relief of seeing him after not knowing what he was thinking, what he was doing, or even where he was the last few days is suddenly just too much to take.
“Shit,” he mutters, gathering me up in his arms and pulling me tightly into his chest.
I breathe him in and it only makes me cry harder. Having him here, being able to wrap my arms around him. It’s everything.
“Shush, it’s okay.”
“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry.”
“Hey,” he says, tucking his thumb under my chin and lifting my face up so I can look at him. “We’ll do that later. Right now, I want to take my girl to formal. So dry those eyes, put on that sexy dress and let’s enjoy our night together.”
I swallow down my emotions and nod at him, a wide smile on my face.
“Sounds incredible.”
He releases me, picks up the dress I’d dropped back into the box and with his hand in mine, pulls me toward my bedroom.
He settles himself in the middle of my bed. He looks fucking breathtaking and all I want to do is crawl into it with him.
“You’ve got thirty minutes. You also need to pack an overnight bag.”
“Shane Dunn, have you been holding out on me?”
“What?” he asks innocently. “You think you’re the only one who can have secrets?”
“I guess not,” I say lightly, ignoring the ball of dread that threatens to fill my stomach at the mention of my secret.
He said he wants to talk later. We can do that.
“Come on, time’s ticking.”
“Okay, okay.”
With his eyes burning into me, I pull the zipper down on the hoodie I’m wearing, revealing the bra I’ve got on underneath. After peeling my pants down my legs, I turn to him and he groans.
“I should probably go and wait out there, shouldn’t I?”
With his gaze locked on my covered breasts, I reach behind me and drop the fabric.
“This was a really bad idea.”
“Too late now. If only you came sooner and gave me more than thirty minutes to get ready. Just imagine how we could have used the time.”
I push my panties from my hips and smile when his teeth sink into his bottom lip.
“Now I know, I can see it.”
My brows furrow for a moment before I realize that he’s looking at my belly.
I turn to the side, looking at myself in the mirror, and run my hand over my stomach.
“You think?”
“Yeah.”
Anticipation crackles between us. The possessive look in his eyes has heat flooding my core.
Pulling my eyes away from his in the mirror, I force myself to focus on what I should be doing.
Pulling a drawer open, I find a suitable pair of panties for that dress and pull them on before sitting at my dressing table and making quick work of my hair and makeup.
“You could do that with more clothes on you know,” Shane grumbles behind me.
“And what would be the fun in that?”
“If you’re trying to make a point by showing me what I’ve been missing, trust me when I say it’s really not necessary.”
“Been a hard few days, has it?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
I know I shouldn’t be winding him up right now but I can’t help it. I’m so happy that he’s here and happy to joke with me once again that it’s too much to ignore.
I know we’ve got a lot of heavy stuff to talk about but he’s come offering a little fun first and I’ll grab on to that with two hands.
The fact he’s here at all means everything to me, let alone the rest of it.
“How about you help me cover it up?”
I step up to the bed and hold my dress out for him.
He makes quick work of sliding to the edge of the mattress and holding it out so I can step into it.
I turn so my breasts aren’t right in his face, feeling like that might be a tease too much.
He pulls the fabric up my legs before I feel the soft brush of his lips on the small of my back.
“Shane?” I moan as they begin trailing up my spine as the fabric encases my body.
Slipping my arms into the holes, he pulls them up until the straps are resting over my shoulders.
I shudder as the tip of his nose runs along the line of my shoulder until his lips brush against the column of my neck.
“Oh god.” My nipples pebble against the fabric they’re now hidden behind, and all
I can think about is taking it back off again.
Pressing the length of his body against my back, the obvious bulge of his cock presses against my ass and his hand slides around to my stomach, resting gently on the very slight bump he pointed out earlier.
“You’re mine, Chelsea. Are you ready to go and show the world?”
“Yes,” I whimper, too overcome with happiness at having his hand possessively on my stomach.
Lacing his fingers with mine, he spins me away from him so I can face him.
“Whoa.” His eyes rush around my body, not knowing where to look first. “I knew it would be perfect but… fuck.”
As I find some suitable shoes in my closet, he takes hold of the small bag I’d packed as I was getting ready and we leave the pool house.
Clearly, he wasn’t the only one in on this little surprise because I find Mom, Dad, and Maddie standing in our backyard ready to take pictures.
“Jeez, it’s not prom night or anything,” I say with a laugh when both Mom and Maddie get a little choked up at the sight of us.
The thought of prom suddenly terrifies me. How big will I be by then? Will I still even be pregnant, or will I have had the baby?
A shudder of fear races down my spine. Shane squeezes my hand and I wonder if he’s having similar thoughts.
Our lives are about to change so rapidly, and although I’m excited and sure that it’s what I want, it’s still scary. Everything we’d planned for the rest of our lives has potentially been turned upside down.
We smile for a couple of photographs before our teary-eyed moms wave us off, wishing us a fun night. I’m assuming they’re aware that Shane’s just told me to pack a bag and that we’re spending the night together. Although, I guess they’ve not got much to worry about now, the worst has already happened.
The second we’re settled in his car, Shane reaches over and takes my hand.
“Are you ready for this?”
I think of almost our entire class in the gym enjoying themselves. The last thing they are probably expecting is for the two of us to turn up hand in hand.
I think back to when we walked into school together on Monday and he openly kissed me in front of everyone. Hell, how was that only four days ago? It feels like a lifetime.
Might as well give them something to stare at. His words hit me and I can’t help but smile.
“Yes. I think I am.”
He glances over at me with a smile playing on his lips.
“You always wanted the attention, looks like you’re doing a good job of getting it, hey?”
“Yeah, once I decided that I no longer wanted it. Go figure.”
“They’ll soon get over it.”
“What? When I’ve got a belly the size of a basketball? Yeah, that should really take the heat off me.”
“A basketball, bit small don’t you think. More like one of those exercise ball things.”
I gasp in mock horror and swat his shoulder.
“Carry on and you won’t be capable of making any more.”
“You want more?”
“Who knows. It’s not like I planned this one.”
“Good to know,” he mutters.
“Shane,” I say, reaching over to rest my hand on his thigh. “I didn’t… I wouldn’t…”
“I know, Chels. That wasn’t why I said it.”
“I fucked this all up so bad.”
“Not now. Let’s just enjoy the evening.”
I love his idea. It’s so sweet and thoughtful after the way we left things the other day. Although I can’t help but feel the huge elephant in the corner of the room—or car.
As much as I want to lose myself in him, in the connection between us and how electric it is when we touch, I know we’re only masking our issues. Just like I’ve done since I came back.
It’s time I ripped that Band-Aid off and expressed all my truths, my fears, and what I want for the future.
36
Shane
I thought I was crazy doing this. I didn’t think anyone would understand but the second I told Mom my plans, she was fully on board. Her eyes went all soft and I thought she was going to burst into tears on me.
She immediately sent me back up to my room to get dressed so we could go out shopping. She didn’t take me to the Rosewood Mall but her favorite one a few towns over. She might have been there to help me, but I knew the dress the second I saw it. I didn’t bother looking at any others. After taking a chance on the size, I walked out of that store with the first genuine smile playing on my face that I’d had in days. Something just isn’t right without her. I’m not right without her.
That being said, walking up to her pool house with the hope she’d agree to this plan was one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever done in my life.
She could easily have said no. I told myself time and time again that she probably would just so I could be prepared. But I knew the moment I looked in her eyes that she needed me there just as much as I needed to be.
The relief that flooded me was all-consuming. I desperately wanted to pull her to me and make her mine once again, but I knew I had to wait.
There’re a lot of things that need to be said between us. And yeah, maybe we should have the conversations before spending the evening together at the formal, but fuck it. I just want a normal night with my girl. Is that too much to ask? I want to push everything aside, just for a few hours so we can enjoy each other’s company before we allow reality back in again and accept that everything is about to change for us.
The parking lot at school is mostly full when we turn up. I know we’re late, it’s how I planned it.
I’ve always been the one to hide in the shadows, to shrug off the attention being part of the team brought me, but not tonight. Tonight I was going to hold my head high and show the world what I wanted.
After telling her to stay put, I jog around the front of the car and open her door for her.
Reaching in, I tighten my fingers around hers and pull her from the car. I don’t step back so when she stands to full height her breasts brush against my chest and with her heels on her lips are in the perfect position.
It would be so easy. Every muscle in my body screams for me to close that little bit of space.
Her dark eyes stare up into mine, begging me to make the move because she knows she can’t.
I’ve got to be the one to make the move tonight. I’m calling the shots.
“Ready to show that dress off?”
I feel the shudder that runs through her body at my question.
“You’re not scared, are you?”
“I…” She hesitates, and I hate the apprehensive look in her eyes.
Leaning in, my lips brush against her ear, this time her shudder is for a whole nother reason as my breath races past her skin. “You’re Chelsea fucking Fierce, baby. Walk in there with your shoulders back and show them that you will never hide from them.”
She gasps at my words but after a beat, she nods.
“Only if you’re by my side.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“Okay. Come on then, let’s do this.”
She slips her hand into mine and after slamming the door behind her, we set off toward the gym where Rosewood High hosts all their events.
The music booms out long before we get there. A few students loiter around outside, probably trying to locate the alcohol that stashed throughout the week in the hope of sneaking some in.
A few of them look our way, but no one says anything.
As we approach the door, Chelsea’s hand begins to squeeze mine harder.
I can’t help but smile to myself. Only a few months ago, I wondered if she really was an ice queen. Nothing ever affected her. Everything anyone said or did just washed over her like water off a duck’s back. But I see it now. I see her vulnerable side, her fears, her nerves, and I fucking love it because I know full well that I am the only one who can.
She suc
ks in a deep breath before we both push the double doors open and walk inside.
We go straight through to where all the action is. As if they’re expecting us, the music bottoms out for a beat as we step inside and almost everyone in the room turns our way.
“Fuck,” she squeaks beside me. But only a second later, she sets her shoulders and follows my lead toward the center of the room.
All eyes follow us as I pull Chelsea in front of me. As if on cue, the song changes and I pull her into my body.
“Might as well give them something to stare at,” I say as she stares at me in total awe.
A shy smile appears on her lips as she shakes her head.
“You’re amazing. You know that?”
I shrug. “You bring it out in me.”
Unable to resist her any longer, I lower my head. It starts as a soft brush of lips knowing that our entire class, hell, the entire school, is watching. But I’m unable to leave it at that when she presses the length of her body tighter against mine.
With my hands on the bare skin of her back, I part my lips and lick into her mouth. She eagerly accepts my kiss as if it’s just the two of us inside her pool house.
I can only assume that everyone gets bored with us because when we eventually part, a little breathless and dizzy a few songs later, most kids have gone back to their own conversations and dancing.
Chelsea laughs, and it makes my heart clench. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“It was time for some new gossip around this place, don’t you think?”
“It still focuses on us, though.”
“Maybe, but at least it’s different.”
“Well, well, well,” a familiar deep voice says making its way over. “Didn’t think you had that in you, Dunn.”
Looking up, I find Ethan’s amused face with Rae tucked into his side.
“You don’t need to worry about Shane. He’s got plenty in him.”
“Huh, I thought that was you,” Ethan deadpans, looking at Chelsea and making Rae snort with laughter.
FIERCE: A High School Enemies to Lovers Romance (Rosewood High Book 4) Page 29