Two of Hearts

by Christina Lee

  Chapter Thirty-four

  DAKOTA

  We picked at Shane’s dinner sometime after midnight, both of us on the phone until then. I spoke to my mother and Kai, and then finally to Rachel and Stuart. All of us were equally shocked at this turn of events. Shane had fired up his laptop and then fielded a couple of calls from Charlie and Alex as they worked some angles about Ridge’s business holdings to prepare them for his interrogation.

  As it turned out, Shane was right. Ridge was a silent partner in the Whitman Corporation. He had been involved in all of their dealings when they’d invested in other casinos, a large chunk in his father’s, despite their precarious relationship.

  Ridge had begun showing interest in me, coming around the casino, courting me in front of my father, if you will, during those first months that the Whitman Corporation had been trying to purchase the sacred ground. The thought of that, in light of recent events, made my stomach turn.

  It was as if he were living a double life. The nonprofit organization front and center, as he fought so tirelessly, it seemed, to leave a positive legacy in his mother’s name. That was the side of Ridge that he had shown me. Charismatic and gentlemanly and kind. But behind the scenes he was making deals, acquisitions, and loads of money while he invested in the casinos lucrative business in an underhanded way.

  The idea of his secret identity was so mind-numbing that Shane said little to me as I lay on the couch flicking the channels on the TV. Once we got into bed, I already knew I’d have trouble getting to sleep and though I eventually drifted off, I was now wide awake in the middle of the night.

  I didn’t want to disturb Shane because he needed his sleep as much as I did. And though I slept better when he was in my bed, I continued to be plagued by moments of unrest. Tonight I just could not shut down my brain. Everything was niggling in the very back of my mind and I couldn’t help the slideshow of events that played out starring Ridge over the years.

  How he’d fooled me and maybe everybody else around him. I knew that his anger for his father ran deep, and he couldn’t get over the loss of his mother, going so far as setting up a nonprofit in her honor. But to have ownership in a company that had caused many problems over the years with our very people?

  Not only had Ridge shown up and rocked my foundation yet again, but also something had shifted and changed between me and Shane tonight, and I wanted to memorize it. Memorize him and all the ways he looked at me, spoke to me, protected me.

  I had the urge to blurt it all out to him now, in the dead of night while he slept next to me. His breaths were shallow as his full lips parted, as if inviting me to kiss them. This beautiful man made me feel warm and safe in a way that quenched something deep inside my soul.

  I sat up and gently pulled back the covers so as to not disturb him. I’d make some coffee and sit on the balcony for a while to get my thoughts in some semblance of order.

  Before I could properly place my feet on the ground, a strong arm hooked around my waist, and Shane hauled me back to him. “Angel, where do you think you’re going?”

  “I couldn’t sleep,” I said. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “What did I tell you about that?” His gravelly voice slid across my shoulders like a warm caress.

  “I-I don’t know,” I whispered. I did know, but saying it out loud was slightly mortifying.

  “A good listen or a good fuck, whatever you need,” he said. “I’m here for you. With you. Now get back in bed.”

  He pulled me to his chest as his fingers drifted beneath my T-shirt to the skin on my stomach. His fingers intertwined with mine, and I lifted his hand in order to kiss each of his knuckles. The fingers of his other hand slid up my throat to my chin, and he titled my face toward him.

  I narrowed the sliver of air between us and tentatively brushed my lips across his mouth. That small action ignited a spark between us, and he took firm hold of my neck, kissing me deep and wet. It was a hungry kiss filled with affection and unspoken words and even hope.

  I drew back to catch my breath and to look into his handsome face, now that my eyes had adjusted to the moonlight filtering through the curtains.

  “You been thinking about all of it again, baby?”

  “Yeah, honey,” I said. “Can’t help it.”

  He nodded and tenderly kissed the side of my head, his fingers digging into my nape. His eyes fastened on mine and I felt devotion so intense it almost hurt. His gaze refused to leave mine and our mutual admiration seemed to tether us together.

  My heart began doing that thing it did whenever I was this close to him—how it would fill to a bursting point because of all the unspoken things I wanted to say. So many things that it was already spilling over the sides.

  “Honey,” I breathed out as my heart rose to my throat, nearly choking me. “You . . . you didn’t believe that stuff Ridge said about you tonight, did you?”

  The way he was looking at me made my insides melt. Next thing I knew I’d be liquid in his hands. And I’d welcome it irrevocably. I wanted him to drink me, consume me, make me part of him. I wanted him to tuck my heart in the safe pocket of his soul.

  “Nah, I didn’t believe any of that shit,” he whispered and then swiped his hand through my hair from root to ends, twining my long locks around his fingers.

  “Good,” I said, nearly sputtering, because I couldn’t possibly contain it any longer. Not one more second, no matter the consequences. “Because I love you, Shane Garrity.”

  His body stilled and his hand grew motionless in my hair. His eyes became round, yet warm and soft. I believed those words so fiercely that I couldn’t even draw forth any humiliation that I had allowed them to tumble out. It felt like a release of a profound and overwhelming and prolonging ache.

  This good and beautiful man needed to know, whether he returned the sentiment or not. Even if he couldn’t say the words back, I was relieved that he knew the powerful feelings I’d been harboring for so long.

  “Angel,” he murmured, his features still frozen in wonder. I shut my eyes and tilted back my head, releasing all that pent up energy and frustration—letting it go, letting it all go. It felt freeing to not hold onto those feelings so stubbornly.

  Suddenly I was flipped to my back and my eyes flew open. Shane pinning me to the mattress, his eyes alight with tenderness and his lips closed the distance to mine. “Tell me again.”

  “I . . .” I said and then held my breath while my heart thrashed haphazardly in my chest. I didn’t understand what he was asking of me.

  “Tell me again.” His fingers cupped my head.

  “I . . . I love you.”

  His gaze was so devastating, but his mouth never made a sound.

  “Shane,” I said, nearly regretting my admission as mortification crept in the balance. Maybe I had spoken it too soon. “Let’s just—”

  “You love me, angel?” he whispered against my ear before kissing it tenderly.

  “I . . . I . . .” Hadn’t I just said so, twice, in fact? My eyebrows slanted together in confusion. Was he not hearing me, understanding me? Why did I need to repeat myself? Even still, I couldn’t deny it, so I simply and softly said, “Yes.”

  “Thank fuck.” He gathered my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing across my cheeks. “Because I’ve always loved you, Dakota Nakos. Always. Even back then.”

  His gaze singed and embedded, catching all my nerve endings on fire. My entire body sizzled at his proclamation. “I just wasn’t man enough for you yet. Not like I am now. And goddamn do I love you, angel.”

  My breath leeched from my lungs as his hot lips crashed into mine. I moaned into the intense kiss. His tongue slashed past my lips, plunging deep, and he ground his hips against mine, making me nearly animalistic for him.

  We kissed that way for minutes or maybe hours, as his tongue slowed us down to a drugging rhythm. Our hands reaching, stroking, caressing—our teeth bruising and our lips swathing—as we transformed our words into physical mani
festations, professions of love.

  We took our time undressing one another, our hands discovering and noticing and realizing the significance of this moment between us. I kissed and licked my way down his shoulders and chest and stomach and then wrapped my mouth around his taut and silky head. I loved hearing him groan, seeing how much my touch affected him as I sucked him deep into my throat. “Not gonna last, baby.”

  Another minute more and I was pressed yet again to the sheets, his head now moving between my legs, and I didn’t want to be anywhere else in the whole damn world, except on the receiving end of exactly where his hands and mouth were delving. His tongue circled and kissed and licked my clit while soft mewling noises escaped from my lips.

  I grasped out to his head and held his mouth to my center, while I squirmed and jerked against him. I could feel the shadow of his beard as it grazed my thigh, and the friction felt strangely satisfying.

  “That’s it, angel,” he growled. “Take what you need.”

  “I need you, honey,” I said, in the destitute voice he’d become familiar with as his mouth released me and he kissed his way up my stomach to my breasts. “Now, Shane. Give it to me.”

  “Anything baby,” he said, reaching for the side table. “Let me grab a condom.”

  “No, not tonight,” I said, grinding my hips into him. I was nearly desperate for release. “I want to feel you skin to skin.”

  He stilled. “Fuck, baby. Are you sure?”

  “Yes, honey.” I had told him I was on the pill a few days back. Plus, he and I knew regular physicals were part of his Marshal requirements. “I’m sure.”

  When he first entered me, he hissed at the sensation. To actually feel his skin slide against mine was so overwhelming, I felt tears burn the back of my throat.

  When he was fully seated inside of me, he became motionless as if reveling in the sensation. “So incredible, feeling you like this, angel.”

  He pumped in and out lazily for several long moments while kissing me deeply.

  “Oh God, Shane, I need you to move. Faster, harder,” I ground out. “I want to feel you deep.”

  He tugged on my nipple the moment before he slammed into me. I gasped and then moaned because nothing had ever felt quite like this. I was so close to coming that I yanked his head down and took his mouth in a searing kiss while he pounded into me at a frantic and reckless pace.

  “I can’t . . . feels too damn good like this,” he murmured, his lips open, his eyes glazed over. He looked so beautiful right then. So open and alive and vulnerable.

  My legs were already trembling, my belly tingling, my toes practically numb, so when his thumb swiped over my clit, I came so hard that I could’ve sworn I had reached the heavens.

  He followed soon after and then stayed inside of me for long minutes as if refusing to break our connection. My body could scarcely respond, so when he tugged me by the waist and pulled me flush to him, I tucked my face into his neck.

  Eventually he slid out of me and returned with a warm washcloth. “I like seeing us mixed together like this,” he said, gently rubbing his fingers between my legs.

  My heart bloomed in my chest at his tender care and his reverent words. I smiled and traced my fingers over his swollen and gorgeous lips. Then he slid back into bed, pulled me into the curve of his body, and I fell into a deep and satiated sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  SHANE

  I pulled into the Coyote Moon recreation area that was located on the reservation grounds and parked in one of the last available spots. The lot was full, as were the pavilions. In a grassy area to my left, some children were playing kickball while other tribe members sat on blankets or benches enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze.

  I was running late, but it was with good reason. The man who had pulled the trigger after Ridge had confronted Mr. Nakos in the parking lot had been identified in a lineup, and his ties to the Whitman Corporation would make this case a slam dunk.

  He was the same man who had threatened Dakota in her garage so in her own way, she felt vindicated. Not only would Ridge Thornfall be implicated as an accessory to a murder, but he’d also appear before the tribal council, who would implement their own brand of justice.

  Today was also a special day because the tribe would be performing a house blessing ceremony. According to Dakota, the ritual was normally practiced to consecrate a new dwelling. In this rare case, it would be used to bless the Golden Arrow Casino because new owners had inhabited it. Though Dakota and Mrs. Nakos have worked there for years, the idea was to promote luck and harmony to the new proprietors.

  As I rounded the crest of the hill my breath stalled in my lungs because Dakota had never looked more stunning. She stood in a circle of family and friends wearing a traditional Indian shirt made of suede with embroidered flowers as well as a crown of eagle feathers in her hair.

  The eagle is the most important symbol to the Native American people, and looking around at others gathered for this picnic I saw many wearing them, either around their necks, in their ears, or about their heads.

  As soon as Dakota spotted me, she made her way through the crowd to get to me. Her hands reached out to grasp mine and when our eyes met it was like the sun and moon had collided to create an array of shooting stars inside my chest. These past few days our connection had become stronger than ever before, and I never wanted this feeling to end.

  Now that I had her back in my life, losing her again was out of the question. I still needed to figure out what that meant for me though, now that this case was wrapping up. Dakota and I never truly broached the topic, either out of avoidance or fear, other than me telling her that we’d somehow make it happen. I knew that she was nervous about us being apart, and I wanted to abate that apprehension for her. Because no question, I wanted to make this work between us.

  I had some ideas about my career goals and as I spotted Alex and Charlie at one of the picnic tables near Rachel and Kai, my plan solidified in my head. No matter what, I knew that we’d always remain friends, so I needed to make some decisions based on my gut.

  Alex and Charlie were invited to the ceremony by Dakota, and I could tell they were moved by the request. Because whether they admitted it or not, they had also become enchanted with this reservation, its people, and their customs.

  “We’re almost ready to start,” Dakota said as I pulled her against me and gave her a peck on the head.

  “You look beautiful, angel,” I whispered in her ear, and my heart strained as a rosy flush crept across her cheeks.

  “Thank you,” she said as she yanked me over to a side table where she reached for a handmade necklace of eagle feathers. “Aren’t these great? The Wildlife Association made the feathers available to us, and Meadow and Jade put all of these together.”

  I wasn’t into jewelry, but I knew was this meant to her, so I proudly adjusted it around my neck. It was a symbol of this tribe being reunited once again, and I felt that sentiment deep in my chest. I nodded and allowed her to lead me to where her mother and brother stood near the pavilion of food.

  “Shane,” Mrs. Nakos said, greeting me with a kiss on the cheek. She also wore a crown of eagle feathers and looked as relaxed as I’d seen her in the last couple of months, if not a bit melancholy. No doubt wishing Mr. Nakos could be here to witness this ceremony.

  Rachel and Kai were wearing similar necklaces and sharing a plate of traditional food. Alex had just bitten off a chunk of fry bread and offered me a brief nod before turning back to the conversation he and Charlie were involved in with Stuart and Grayson.

  I realized how starved I was and just as I loaded some cornbread and fruit onto a plate, I heard some shouts. I immediately reached for the gun holster on my belt and in my peripheral vision I saw Alex and Charlie do the same.

  “What’s happening?” Dakota’s voice rang out, but I kept my eyes on the periphery of the property.

  “Stay back,” I snapped, attempting to make my point clear and to keep
her a safe distance away. The three of us inched near the top of the hill toward the parking lot where the noise was coming from.

  “Sounds like a heated argument,” Charlie said, and as we rounded the knoll, my steps nearly faltered.

  Tribe members had formed a line, a chain of hands, keeping Flint Thornfall from crossing over the cement to the grass. I heard Dakota gasp behind me as she watched her employees and the people she considered to be family defend her against this intrusion.

  “What is he doing here?” Mrs. Nakos said, in almost a whisper.

  We continued our approach cautiously, never raising our guns because it was evident that Flint was not armed. Instead he held a large gift in one hand and what looked like a plate of food in his other and was fumbling to keep them upright.

  “I’m not trying to intrude,” Flint said to the line of people gathered to keep him away. “I’m trying to make peace.”

  “You turn around and go back where you came from,” Sam, the normally soft-spoken blackjack dealer, could be heard saying. “Bad spirits are not welcome here today.”

  Flint’s shoulders slumped as if Sam’s words had been a heavy weight on his heart.

  When Flint spotted the group of us approaching, his eyes focused on Dakota. “Please. I’m so sorry. I promise you I didn’t know.”

  He was referring to his son. Apparently, though he knew that Ridge secretly shared ownership of the Whitman Corporation, police did not believe that he knew the magnitude of his manipulation and after an extensive interrogation, neither did I. Flint was greedy, sure, and welcomed his son’s financial backing for his casino, but seemed too blinded by his guilt to resist any attempts to repair their relationship over the years.

  “You are still not wanted here,” Sam said, and the others in line mumbled their assent. “Not today.”

  As Dakota walked to the line of supporters, her employees, neighbors, and friends turned to her with warm and softened eyes. This reservation had her back, and I felt immense relief and gratitude because of it. Dakota realized the gravity of their kindness and protectiveness because her eyes began filling with unshed tears.