by Jess Bryant
Lemon.
God, had it really only been two weeks since he kissed her, touched her, made love to her? It felt like so much longer than that, like he couldn’t remember a time before he’d felt her soft skin beneath his hands or tasted her on his tongue. It felt like he’d known her for an eternity and it still wasn’t enough. He didn’t think it would ever be enough. And that meant he had to convince her to stay, for good, stay with him, to give them a chance beyond these few weeks of vacation, of running from her real life, to give them a chance at making this real.
For the past few weeks he’d spent every free moment he had with her and he couldn’t get enough of her.
They ran together most mornings and their workouts never ended at the mile marker. They always ended up stumbling inside, all hands and lips and sweaty bodies. Sometimes they ended up pressed to the door for hot, fast, rough sex as soon as it shut behind them, other times they made it all the way to the shower and took it slow and easy as the steam built up around them. But no matter how many times he had her, no matter how many ways or in how many places, he always ended up hugging her and holding her close after because he couldn’t convince himself to let her go.
Leaving her was an impossibility. Just getting up, forcing himself to get dressed and go to work in the mornings was now one of the hardest things he’d ever done in his life. Walking away from her felt wrong, somewhere deep in his chest, it felt wrong walking away from Lemon and it got harder every day because he felt like he was running out of time.
He was distracted at work now. His dad had noticed and slapped him on the back, told him it was about time he focused on something other than working himself into an early grave. His buddies in the department had ribbed him endlessly about his cute little blonde running mate. But none of them got to him because he was just counting down the hours and minutes until he could rush back home and see Lemon again.
They spent almost every night together.
On the nights when they were alone they had dinner or sometimes went out. They’d gone to a movie. They’d gone to the diner. She’d even convinced him to go out to the Roadhouse once and they’d danced and played pool and he’d gotten the pleasure of hearing her do karaoke. It had been fun, something he’d realized he didn’t have near enough of in his life until Lemon had invaded it.
And the nights when he had the girls, when it was all five of them, he had even more fun. He got to see Lemon interact with his children and them with her. He got to see glimpses of what his future would entail if he could convince her to stay. Game nights and cartoon movie nights and taking turns helping the kids with their homework. She read Rosie stories until she fell asleep and Sophie had started to come out of her shell more with Lemon’s lively influence. Even Georgie had been in a better mood, throwing fewer temper tantrums and serving out her grounding without too many complaints as she whispered to Lemon late at night.
It was those nights that convinced him more and more that this was where Lemon belonged. With him. With them. She’d come back to Fate for a reason. She’d been looking for home, for family, and he wanted to give her his.
He’d even gone so far as to have another talk with Holly and this time he’d owned up to his feelings for Lemon. His ex-wife hadn’t seemed surprised. She’d said it was obvious from the way they looked at each other that day on the street that there was something between them. He’d tried to laugh it off, joke that what she’d seen had been some seriously powerful lust and desire, but he wasn’t fooling anyone, especially not himself. He’d known even then that what he felt for Lemon was far deeper than mere attraction or a fling.
He wasn’t the type for meaningless sex. He wasn’t built for it. He’d only ever been with Holly because she was the only woman he’d ever loved. He’d had a dozen excuses, a hundred reasons, for not getting involved with anyone after the divorce but they’d all fallen away in the mere presence of the brave, beautiful blonde that twisted him up and made him want to live again.
He was attracted to her. Sure. He wanted her. But he also wanted to keep her. He was falling in love with her and he thought, maybe, he’d been falling since the moment she jumped into his arms in the middle of that rainstorm. She’d hit him like lightning, jolting him back to life and he couldn’t imagine being without her now.
He didn’t want to.
So he had to figure out a way to keep her without caging her. He knew that she had a big life in Nashville. She was a superstar. She had millions of fans around the world. She played in stadiums that held more people than their entire town. She had a life, a good life, and he couldn’t keep her from it. He had to figure out a way to convince her that he could be a part of it, him and his girls, and that she could be a part of theirs.
Which was what he intended to do tonight.
The kids were with Holly. It was just him and Lemon and he hadn’t seen her all day because he’d skipped his run to go into work early for a meeting. He’d cooked dinner. He’d lit some candles. And most importantly, he’d strategically placed everything she’d left behind in his house over the past few weeks where she could see it.
He had a plan. Of course he had a plan. He might have lost his damn mind the first time he ever touched Lemon but he was still Shane Lowry. He had a plan to make her see how good they were together, to show her how easily they fit. And then he was going to make love to her until she was as addicted to him as he’d become to her.
The knock came at his door the same time he flipped off the oven and tabled the food. Lemon was on time? Now that was a shocker. He grinned as he rushed to the door. There was only one reason Lemon would be anywhere close to on time and that was if she’d missed him just as much as he’d missed her today.
He tossed the door open and laughed when Lemon launched herself at him. He was getting better at expecting her leaps and caught her easily this time. Her legs were around his waist, his hands were on her ass and their bodies were intertwined in two seconds flat. She kissed him and he groaned, trying to steady them as he stumbled back and kicked the door shut behind her.
Fire ignited in his veins the instant he felt her skin beneath his hands and when her tongue licked at his lips he pulled her closer and lost himself in her taste. She always tasted so damn good. Addicting. He was an addict now. Had been from the first taste of her. He couldn’t even break the kiss. Lemon had to do it. She pulled back and peppered his jaw as she wiggled against his growing erection.
“Missed. You. Today.” She murmured between kisses and he smiled beneath her touch.
“Missed you too, baby.” He found her mouth again at the same time he slid a hand into her hair and held her firmly, taking control and making her gasp. He nipped her lip and she made the small, whining sound in the back of her throat that drove him crazy. He groaned, “Slow down.”
“Don’t want to.” She rolled her hips with a playful smirk.
“Lemon…”
“Are the girls here?”
“No.”
“Then fuck me. Please. I’ve needed to feel you inside me all day.”
He groaned at the desperation in her voice as much as the words. He wanted nothing more than to sink inside of her. But that wasn’t true anymore. He did want something more than that. He wanted the right to claim her, body and soul, for the rest of his life. And that meant he had to do more than simply haul her to bed and ravish her every time they were alone together.
“No.”
“No?” She pulled back enough to blink at him, shock and confusion clear in her big blue eyes, “Did you just say no when I asked you to screw me senseless?”
He chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, “I made dinner for us.”
“Only hungry for you.” She countered.
“I want to show you something first.”
“Is it your dick? Because I’d like to see that and say hello. It might’ve forgotten me it’s been so long since I saw it last.”
He chuckled at her sass, “It’s been less than twe
nty-four hours and no, he hasn’t forgotten you. You, my gorgeous girl, are unforgettable.”
“I thought I was irresistible.”
“That too.”
“And yet here you are… resisting.” She pouted beautifully and he had to laugh.
Only Lemon could turn the sweet night he’d had planned into a conversation about his dick in less than two minutes. Only Lemon could surprise him and make him laugh when his insides had been clenched in knots all day. Only Lemon made him feel this giddy, ridiculous, incredible buzz of pure pleasure and fun and lightness.
“I want to show you something first.” He repeated.
She sighed and unhooked her legs from around his waist as he put her back on the ground, “It better be good.”
“It is.” He turned her by the shoulders so she faced the living room and then held her loosely from behind, “Tell me what you see.”
She shot him a glance over her shoulder, “Uh… the living room?”
“Focus, Lemon. What do you see?”
She turned her head back and stared into the living room and he found himself holding his breath. He couldn’t see her reactions since he was behind her but he was so attuned to her that he felt it when she began to notice what he wanted her to see. Her head tilted slightly and her hand came up, gripping his arm where it was around her waist. She squeezed and he pulled her in tighter against him when her breathing stuttered.
To almost anyone else, his living room would look the same as it always had, but Lemon had spent enough time here to note the changes. She would recognize her own things thrown in the mix too. He’d had some help from her parents which he’d taken as a good sign. They supported him and what he was trying to do. They’d let him into the house and only asked a hundred questions instead of a million when he packed up Lemon’s things and carried them across the road.
Her running shoes were beside his at the door. Her jacket was on the coatrack. He’d cleaned out a shelf on the bookcase and it was lined with her albums and plenty of empty space for more. The girly magazines she liked to pick up at the supermarket were on the coffee table. The blanket she always stole while they were watching a movie because she said her feet got cold was tucked in her favorite spot on the couch. And most importantly, he’d had a photo that Georgie took of them printed and framed and added it to the mantle over the fireplace.
“Shane?” Her voice was almost a whisper, “What is this?”
“It’s us, baby. It’s what we could be, what we could have, if you want it.”
She turned in his arms and he swallowed hard at the tears filling her big blue eyes, “Shane, this is crazy.”
“Yeah.” He cupped her cheeks softly.
“And fast.”
“Uh huh.”
“But I want it.” She nodded quickly, “I want you.”
“God, I’m so glad you said that.” He wiped at the stray tear that escaped the corner of her eye, “Because your clothes and that gigantic fucking suitcase are in the bedroom.”
A watery giggle escaped her and she hugged him tight, “You moved me in with you?”
“Yeah, I kinda did.” He hugged her back, “I want you here, with me. I told you that. And you’re here most of the time anyway. There’s no reason your stuff shouldn’t be here too.”
“So it’s about convenience?”
“Yeah, convenient access to you.” He nuzzled her neck, “Say you’ll stay with me.”
“I will, of course I will… but…”
“No buts.” He cut her off because he knew where she was going with that line of thought. She was going to remind him that this was temporary. Her stay in Fate was a vacation at best. She would leave, eventually. But he didn’t want to think about that right now, not tonight, not when she’d agreed to give him more time and more chances to convince her to stay with him permanently, “Not tonight.”
“Shane…”
He cupped her cheeks and stared down into those gorgeous blue eyes that he’d fallen into, “Day by day, we’ll figure it out. Just give me another day for now.”
She nodded and was already tiptoeing up to press her lips to his when he swooped down and claimed her mouth. It was a wild kiss. Full of all the things they hadn’t yet said. Because it was fast and it was crazy but it was also perfect. There was no denying that. They were good together. Better than good. They were like a matched set, two ends of the spectrum, that balanced everything when they were put together.
His tongue forced her lips open so he could taste and she moaned into his mouth. His blood went hot again at the sound. He wanted her. He always wanted her. He couldn’t imagine a time when he would ever be able to look at her and not feel his heart race and his palms turns sweaty, when he wouldn’t be hard and aching with the need to join them as deeply as humanly possible.
“God, Lemon.” He broke the kiss when he had to gasp for air and stroked a finger over the pulse in her neck, feeling it race as fast as his own, “Touching you like this, it reminds me I’m alive.” She trembled and he felt his own fingers shake in response, “I stopped living for myself a long time ago. I stopped wanting things for myself. But I want you. I need you.”
“Shane.” His name came out breathy and needy and full of all the emotions he was feeling too.
He cradled her cheek with his other hand and leaned in close. He met her eyes as he stroked her full bottom lip softly. She shuddered, her lids sliding closed, and he took her mouth with his again.
He kissed her with everything he’d been holding back. He poured everything he felt for her into that kiss, all of the passion and fire and softness and protectiveness. All of the love.
This thing between them, it had burned out of control from the moment he touched her. It had come out of nowhere seemingly but he knew now that wasn’t true. She’d had her childhood crush and he’d… well, he’d always felt this need to protect her. Why it had taken until now to turn into this, he might never know, but he was grateful that she had come home, that she had come to him, and he planned to do whatever he could to keep her as a part of his life now that she was here.
Lemon moaned and her hands fisted in his shirt. Her tongue dabbed at his lips on the next stroke and he groaned and let her in. He stroked and circled and deepened the kiss until his head felt foggy and his body was on fire. He only broke it when Lemon started trying to undress him.
“Bed.”
“Mhmm.” She was still trying to get under his clothes and he smiled as he picked her up, and pulled her to his chest, and she smiled at him, “What?”
He carried her down the hallway, “I want you in our bed.”
“Our?” Her voice was soft, questioning, and he quickly lowered her onto the mattress and followed her down.
“Our.”
Her big, blue eyes stared up at him for a long moment and he waited to see if she would object. It was best she do it now if so. Because if she was going to put up a fight, he needed to know. He’d go to war for her, with her, but he wasn’t giving her up. Not without a fight. She licked her lips and then gave a slight nod.
“Our bed.”
His heart warmed, “You’re mine, Lemon.”
She whimpered softly, her eyes closing as she arched against him, begging for more.
He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, “Let me love you.”
Her breath caught but he didn’t give her time to question it or overthink it. He took her mouth again in a soft, sweet kiss. He sank into her, tasting her, letting her wrap around his body as surely as she’d wrapped herself around his heart. They’d talk about the words later, about what they meant and what he wanted, about what she wanted, but for now, he wanted to show her.
He leaned forward and took her mouth again. He always seemed to be kissing her these days. Whenever he could. Wherever he could. Passionate kisses as they ripped at each other’s clothes. Sweet kisses as they said goodbye during the day and even sweeter kisses when they said hello again. Stolen kisses when his kids weren’t looking and
laughing kisses when they got caught. Kissing Lemon had become his favorite hobby and he couldn’t imagine how he would ever go a day without it.
He couldn’t.
As his tongue stroked against hers, he eased back to undress her. Slowly. Gently. He wanted to go slow this time. He wanted to love her. He’d had her hard and fast so many times. Desperate. As if they were constantly worried that this time would be the last time, but that wasn’t how he wanted her tonight. He wanted her to know that this wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning.
She raised her arms to help him pull her shirt over her head but when he tried to undo her bra she was too busy shoving her hands beneath his shirt. He jerked his own off and tossed it aside so she could explore his chest the way she liked as he went back to work on her clothes. He slid her bra off as she nibbled on his collarbone and then slid his hands down to unbutton and unzip her pants. She arched, helping him remove them until she was naked and then pushed at his until he did the same.
He moved back over her once they were both undressed and groaned as their skin slid together. Lemon whimpered and dragged him even closer. Their bodies automatically lined up, two puzzle pieces clicking into place and he growled. He could feel just how wet and ready she was as she arched against him. Her small hand slid down her chest and stroked him, dragging his hardness through her wet folds, but when she tried to position him to take him inside he pulled back.
“Slow down.” He nibbled on her lips, “We have time.”
Lemon whimpered slightly and arched her hips, grinding against him again. She was so damn needy when they were like this and he loved it. Loved that she wanted him this badly. Just as badly as he wanted her. Loved that she got loud and yelled his name and scratched him. Loved that she could take him, all of him, even the parts of him that he hadn’t known existed until he was with her.
“You’re just begging for a spanking, baby.” He growled and used one hand to still her hips, “But that’s not happening tonight.”
“Shane.” She whined.
“Shhh… let me love you.”
Another whimper but she stopped fighting him, stopped trying to force him into taking her fast and hard. She softened her grip and looped her arms around his neck. She kissed him but it was softer now too. They stroked and stoked at the fire instead of letting it consume them instantly and they moved together, as one.