“Ollie’s in love with you.”
“I know. I’ve known almost from the first time I met him. But that isn’t important,” Shane said relieved that was her only revelation.
“You don’t think his being in love with you is significant in what happened?”
“No I don’t. If this was about Ollie’s feelings for me, he would have hurt you, not me.”
“Don’t you care that he loves you?”
“Nah, I don’t. He knows I’m not into blokes, so his feelings ain’t my problem.”
“God, this is all so bloody confusing.”
Shane agreed. But more importantly, he was also now considering the fact that Ollie could well be a psychopath.
“When I questioned him while I was in the hospital, I thought he was hiding something. He admitted he’d known what Dara wanted to tell me. That Dara had been with you when he told you where I was and what had happened to me. He said he’d tried to keep Dara from coming to the hospital, but she’d ignored him. That she’d insisted because she thought I deserved better than the way you were treating me.”
“That man is the most manipulating shit I’ve ever come across. He must have something on her for Dara to act in the way she did.”
Knowing she was probably right, but as Dara wasn’t his favorite person at the moment, he said nothing. “I have one more question for you. Why didn’t you return my telephone message?”
“I didn’t get a message, maybe you left it after I misplaced my phone.”
“Misplaced it?”
“Well, actually, I lost it.”
“When?”
“It was about a week after my party. Dara and I were out and…”
Without comment, Shane took Crystal’s hand and headed back towards the house. “Let’s get out of here. This mess has gone on for long enough.”
Thirty minutes later they were heading towards his car. Crystal hesitated at the sight of her vehicle still sat on his driveway—tilted sideways in a pothole.
“What about my car?”
“Leave it. You don’t need it right now.”
“What am I supposed to use if I leave my car here?”
“You can use this one when we get back to London. Or, if you like, you can use cabs and bill me.”
“Well, that very magnanimous of you, but I’d rather use my own car. If you’ll just help me get it out of the–”
“Sorry, love, there’s no point. I heard the chassis break the other night.”
Telling the bald-faced lie, Shane hoped she wouldn’t call him on it. If she did, he was sticking to his story.
When Crystal gave him a dirty look and got into his car, he breathed a sigh of relief and joined her.
“You and I both know there’s nothing wrong with my car apart from your messed up driveway. For attempting to take me for a fool, I expect you to return it in showroom condition.”
Her smile told him she wasn’t really angry and he gratefully accepted his reprieve. “Deal.”
The return journey back into London passed quickly with Crystal and Shane lost in their individual thoughts. For his part, he just wanted an opportunity to speak to Dara. He already had a good idea of what she would say, but he needed to look her in the eyes when she gave her explanation.
After he had dealt with Crystal’s cousin, his next port of call would be Switzerland. It was now late November and the Formula 1 season was over. Shane knew Ollie was already back in London where he normally spent the off season. He was pleased that when he finalized matters on his business trip, he wouldn’t have to trek halfway across the world to locate the other man. But even if that had been the case, he would gladly circumnavigate the globe to get the answers he was due.
“Call Dara and have her meet us at your place.”
Crystal didn’t question him, she just made the arrangements. When they pulled up outside her apartment, Shane was surprised at the contemporary look of the glass and chrome building. Apparently, her taste had changed over the years.
Inside, his amazement grew even more. He hated her home. The place resembled a morgue with its endless white walls and sterility. And where was her bloody furniture. To his mind, the place was practically empty. He knew all about the minimalistic look, and as far as he was concerned, whoever invented the concept should have kept it to themselves.
Taking a good look around her sitting room, he almost managed to withhold his sarcastic comment. “So, what are ya calling this mode of décor, then?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“There’s nothing in ‘ere. Did ya run out a money or something?” Shane held up his hand to stop her just as she was about to respond to his sarcasm. “It’s alright though, seeing as how you’re not going to be living here for much longer. Don’t worry, love, I can afford to put some furniture in our place.” Giving her a cheeky look he went on in a loud whisper. “Might have to get another interior designer, though.”
Bracing himself for her comeback, the sound of the door buzzer saved him. When Crystal returned with Dara in tow, his gaze was fixed on the one spot of color in the room. On the mantle above a white painted fireplace stood the crystal he had given her for her birthday.
“You could have told me he was here!” Dara accused Crystal with a dark look.
“Yes, I could have, but I didn’t want to.”
“What’s going on with you, Dara?” Shane broke into the conversation giving the frightened woman a fixed stare.
“What exactly are we talking about?” She hedged.
“Are we really going to do this,” Crystal asked her cousin with a look of disappointment.
“As neither of you can tell me what this is about, I’ll leave this ambush!” Dara said as she took rapid steps towards the door.
That she was attempting to duck out of answering his question pissed him off. “Let me tell you about being ambushed. You came to my hospital bed and told me the lie of the century. Now we want to know why?”
About to bristle up, Shane gave her a contemptuous sneer. Looking at Crystal for help, Dara only encountered another icy glower. With a sigh that sounded like resignation, she flopped down on one of the white sofas.
“Whatever he told you is probably a lie.”
“He, didn’t tell us anything because we haven’t spoken to anyone else. You’re family, so Shane and I are doing you the courtesy of speaking to you first. Which is more than you did for us.”
“I don’t need a lecture, Crystal!”
“You meddle in our lives and think ya get to talk to her like that! Well, ya don’t—do ya hear me!”
Her look of indignation lasted only a short while before it fell away. As though her shield of armor had diminished into thin air, tears gathered and ran down her cheeks. Before long she was crying in earnest making no attempt to stem their flow.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Shane bit back an angry retort when Crystal sat beside her cousin and began to comfort the woman who had played such a major part in destroying their lives.
“Crystal may be buying ya waterworks, but I’m still waiting to hear something I give a shit about!”
Disregarding Crystal’s death glare, he folded his arms across his chest and waited for Dara to start talking. For what seemed like endless moments her only response was the sounds of her crying and sniffles that got on his nerves. So much so, he was almost ready to wring her neck. Instead of acting on his urge, Shane drew in a deep breath and prayed for patience.
“I can’t begin to imagine what it’s been like living with what you did. But I know there’s a good reason. The sooner you tell us about it, the sooner you can begin to heal,” Crystal prompted.
“He had photos of me.”
“How bad are they?” Crystal asked.
“Bad enough that when he threatened to send them to Mum and Dad; I did exactly what he wanted me to. I’m sorry… I had to do it, I had to!”
“It’s okay, Dara. You can stop crying
now. Everything’s going to be alright.” Breaking off, Crystal silently pleaded with Shane to back her up.
“Yeah, everything’s gonna be alright but it ain’t gonna be because of her!”
“Shane!”
“What?” He shot back. “She’s lucky I don’t track down those photos, blow ‘em up and stick ‘em on billboards across London!”
Dara caught Crystal’s hand as she was about to castigate Shane for his rough treatment of her cousin.
“It’s okay. I deserve his anger.”
“Although that thought wouldn’t have entered my head, I agree with him. We’ve all been angry and scared for way too long. So, you need to tell us about your part in all of this.”
Dara told them everything. By the time she was finished, some of Shane’s anger had tapered off. He didn’t know if he would ever forgive her, but he was okay with that, because to him, she didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
“I’ve got one more question for you. Why did you take Crystal’s phone?”
“Ollie made me. I was just going to pretend that I took it, but he made me bring it to him for proof.” lowering her head, Dara mumbled yet another apology.
Ollie had manipulated them all in the worse possible way. While it embarrassed him, he had learned from the experience. He had no control over the past, but the future was entirely different. He intended to ensure that Ollie never had the chance to meddle in his life again.
Wanting time alone with Crystal, Shane wasn’t sure how to get a distraught Dara to leave. Surmising the cousins still needed time together, he decided he should be the one to go. He had a lot of thinking to do before his trip.
“I’m gonna go, Crys.”
“But we need to talk.”
“I’ll call you later. Hopefully, she’s stopped bawling by then.”
From the look Dara shot his way, Shane knew he’d said the wrong thing—like he cared.
“I’ll walk you out.”
Standing near the front door, Shane turned to look at Crystal. As their gaze met, it seemed as though she was about to ask him a question. Unsure of what he would say if she delved too deeply into his line of thought, he attempted to distract her.
“Please tell me that in there,” he tipped his head toward her sitting room, “wasn’t how you were going to do up my place.”
“I know it’s bad. I was going through a rough time when I decorated. I meant to change it, but I’ve been so busy with work that I never got around to it.”
“I hate your place and you hate mine. The only conclusion I can come to, is that we need to get somewhere together.” He hadn’t asked a question, and this wasn’t the first time he had mentioned them moving in together. He knew it was way too soon to be even thinking along those lines, but he was serious.
“That may be a possibility for the future. But it would depend on whether you can see your way to refrain from being rude to my family.”
“Of course I can. As long as they stay out of our business and give us a fighting chance.” Shane gentled his tone as he ran a finger down her cheek. “It’s the least we deserve, Crys.”
“The way you spoke to Dara wasn’t very nice.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be.”
“You don’t need to worry, I’ll deal with my family.”
“I wasn’t worried. But I’m curious, what ya gonna do, hug um into submission?”
“I can see you’re still as sarcastic as always!”
“Thank you.”
Her sigh in reaction to his comment was so loud Shane staggered backward in mock response. In an instant, his joking was gone. “I need to go. How about a kiss before I leave?”
“Do you deserve one?” she teased.
“Maybe not, but I want one.”
Shane held his breath and waited to see what she would do. Crystal stepped into him and he pulled her close. Their lips met and her scent invaded his senses and his cock jumped and hardened at even such a simple touch.
A wildness overtook him. Where this feeling of raw intensity came from, he didn’t know, nor did he question it. He just wanted to bask in it. Take it in, and allow it to wrap around them both.
Maneuvering her toward the wall, he pressed his throbbing cock against her as he swept his tongue around her mouth. She pressed and gyrated against him and his heart picked up pace until every pulse point in his body throbbed.
“I want to fuck you,” he whispered.
“Shane, keep your voice down, Dara’s here!”
“I know, and I still want you. I want to take off your knickers and bury myself inside you.”
Crystal groaned and clutched on to him, her eyes taking on an animation he couldn’t resist.
“Are you wet for me? Don’t answer that, I’ll find out for myself. Do you want me to know, Crys?” He whispered against her ear before swiping his tongue along the column of her neck in one long, wet continuous stroke.
“Yes,” she moaned.
“Open your legs for me, love, and I’ll know.”
Her legs parted and Shane bunched up her skirt. His fingers ran along the inside of her leg and she shivered at his touch.
Taking the time to brush his hand against the silkiness of the material of her panties, he then lifted the edge and slipped a hand beneath it. Her legs parted even more and he found his mark. His strokes were relentless and her wetness covered his fingers.
“You like that don’t you? Do you want to come, Crys? Do you want me to do that for you even though Dara is in the next room?”
She groaned and he silenced her with his mouth. He inserted two fingers inside her. Keeping an arm locked around her waist. When he had her how he wanted her, he fastened his lips against hers and finger fucked her.
He could feel her inner heat and it spurred him on. Although his body cried out for the touch of her seeking hand, he couldn’t allow it.
Using every skill at his disposal, Shane worked her body towards completion. Her breathing changed but he didn’t remove his lips. He just pushed her even harder and faster toward her climax. She stiffened, and another gush of wetness covered his questing fingers.
Needing her touch, he allowed her to palm his throbbing cock and knead it for a few moments before he removed her hand.
When her uneven breaths equalized, and he was more under control, he removed his hand and slowly ran his fingers across his lips. He then bent down and took off her scent drenched panties and tucked them into his pocket. One hard kiss later and he was gone.
~~~
Walking back into her sitting room, Crystal looked over at her cousin, wondering if she had any idea of what had just taken place between her and Shane. If Dara had heard them, her expression gave nothing away. Pushing her erotic thoughts aside for later, she regarded her cousin.
Dara had always been the most vocal of the three cousins, but below the surface was a dreamer. She was the one person the whole family had to protect from herself.
“I’m finding it really difficult to like you right now, Dara.”
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“Don’t play the martyr, it doesn’t suit you!”
“Why are you angry at me now? I explained why I had to do what Ollie said.”
“Don’t give me that, you had a choice. I’m family and you saw what I went through—what Shane went through. And all you thought about was saving your own arse!”
“You didn’t see those photos–”
“How bad are they?”
“They’re really bad. They look like stills from some Z-rated porn movie.”
“You’re in idiot, do you know that?”
“Shane’s going to confront him, isn’t he?”
“Yes, and so am I.”
“Good, I’m glad. Living with the part I played in messing up your life’s been hell. I don’t even care if Ollie sends those images to Mum and Dad. I knew what I was doing. So if they come out, I’ll just have to live with it. You lived through much worse.”
/> “Thank you for saying that, I needed to hear it. For a while, I was almost convinced you were a selfish bitch whose only concerned was her own self-preservation.”
“You’ve really changed do you know that?”
“Yes, I do—it was time. And you don’t have to worry. I promise you that Ollie isn’t going to do a thing with those photos.”
Chapter 16
Shortly after Dara left the call she had been expecting came in. Since the loss of the baby, Gwendolyn had called her every day without fail.
“Crystal-Grace, where have you been?”
“I’m fine, Mother. I just needed to sort something out.”
“That tells me nothing! I’ve been worried about you.”
“I know and I’m sorry. Didn’t you get my email?”
“Yes, I got it, and it said absolutely nothing of any consequence.”
Unwilling to have the type of discussion Gwendolyn wanted over the phone, Crystal cut the conversation short with an assurance she would meet her for lunch the next day.
Before she ended the call, Crystal made sure she was the one to arrange where they would meet. Past experience had taught her if she gave Gwendolyn an opening, they would end up in a stuffy restaurant surrounded by equally puffed up waiters.
Her mother had mellowed over the years, but in Crystal’s opinion, she still placed too much emphasis on her reputation. That notion even stretched to the places she ate. Over the years, Crystal had been attempting to persuade her out of this restrictive way of thinking, and although the pace was slow, it was finally working.
That was one of her reasons for selecting the restaurant in which she now awaited her mother.
Gwendolyn arrived on the stroke of 1:00 pm and Crystal observed her as she looked around with skepticism. When Gwendolyn’s gaze had made a full sweep of the room, Crystal saw that her dubious look had increased. Withholding a smile, she rose as the older woman approached.
Kissing each other on the cheek, they took seats facing each other. The whole kissing in greeting was also a new occurrence that had started when Crystal was at her lowest. Who had initiated it, she didn’t know, but it was obvious they both liked the change and had continued it. At first their embraces were awkward, but as time went on it had become second nature.
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