Shane

by Vanessa Devereaux

  Shane thrust harder, throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes shut as he saw stars and fireworks, and then a happy release. He leaned his body forward, resting his chin on her back. They breathed together. In perfect harmony. He could even hear her heartbeat, and it was keeping time with his own.

  He pulled out of her and she turned around and slid her butt up on the edge of the table while wrapping her legs around him. She rubbed herself against his now subsiding erection.

  “Maybe by the time I’ve gone upstairs to get another condom this cowboy will be ready to ride again,” he said.

  ****

  Since she’d crossed the border into Big Sky Country, Lacey had done lots of firsts. Been drunk in public, been carried out of the bar by the town sheriff, made love with a cowboy, and now making love to him on top of a pool table. His fingers certainly knew how to excite a girl before the main act. He inserted a second finger deep inside her and tickled every wall of her pussy.

  She’d just thought of another first for her. Having sex three times in less than an hour. He rubbed his nose against hers as he slid inside her. The felt under her ass was soft yet a little rough, and it added to the pleasure as her body moved up and down with Shane’s heavy thrusts.

  She stretched her arms above her head melting into his body as his dick drove harder and faster. The pool table creaked a little and then stopped. She wrapped her legs around Shane’s hips, allowing him to delve deeper. He groaned.

  “Show me what you’ve got cowboy,” she said.

  “Is that a challenge?”

  “It sure is.”

  He put his hands on her forearms and moved faster than she’d ever known a man could in this position. Her toes curled, and her calf muscles almost seized. She saw lights flash across the ceiling of his basement as she enjoyed another orgasm.

  The pool table creaked again, and as Shane found release two of its legs gave way causing her and Shane to slide toward the floor.

  “You okay?” asked Shane as they sat on the floor.

  “Sure am.”

  Shane laughed. “I’m trying to think of what excuse I’ll use when I take this in for repair.”

  “Just tell them it was caused by a very rough game of pool,” said Lacey.

  ****

  Lacey snuggled up to Shane. They hadn’t discussed her staying the night, but he’d automatically turned off all the lights in the house, and they’d wandered into his room naked with their arms around one another. He was already fast asleep. She watched his chest rise and fall and snuggled into him some more. Something howled outside, and she strained her ears to listen.

  Wolves.

  It had to be wolves. She’d never heard them in person before. Only on the nature shows on TV. She wondered how close they actually were, and if they ever ventured into people’s backyards.

  Shane turned over, and Lacey pressed her body up against his back. Wolves and stars you could actually see when you looked up into the sky. So many different things to get used to. Sleeping with a cowboy was another. And that definitely had its pluses.

  Lacey hadn’t remembered falling asleep until the sound of a phone ringing woke her. Shane stirred, and she saw by the clock on his side table said that it was just after one in the morning. Her first thought was wrong number, but then she remembered he was the sheriff.

  “Hello, Sheriff Malone speaking.”

  Lacey heard a woman’s voice on the other end.

  “Just calm down Sarah, okay?”

  Who’s Sarah?

  A pang of jealousy hit her.

  “Right now? It can’t wait until morning?” asked Shane.

  Lacey distinctly heard the woman say no, she wanted to see him right now.

  “Okay, give me about thirty minutes, and I’ll be right there.”

  Lacey switched on the light, wondering if maybe it wasn’t police business but an old girlfriend or some other woman he knew.

  Shane ran his hands over his face and hair and got out of bed. “Sorry if that call woke you.”

  “No, I understand you’re the sheriff. Duty calls.”

  “I won’t be long. Try and get back to sleep, okay?”

  Lacey nodded. He hadn’t confirmed that it was sheriff’s business. She watched him pull on his jeans and sweater and head out of the bedroom. Next thing she heard was his truck backing out of the driveway.

  She bit her fingernail. She was jealous. That meant only one thing. She’d fallen hard for the cowboy.

  Chapter Eight

  Shane wished he’d taken a mug of coffee along for the ride. He yawned several times, even cranked open the window in his truck hoping to let the cold Montana night air help keep him wide awake. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing if the sheriff got into an accident and was found in a ditch?

  Sarah Halesby had been crying when she’d spoken to him on the phone. In fact, it sounded like she was close to a total breakdown. Maybe it was because of her husband and the accident with John. Maybe he was having problems coping with what he’d done, and she was worried about him.

  Guess he wouldn’t know for sure until he got to the house. He turned onto Main and then onto Fifth Street, and pulled in the driveway, noting that the light was on in the front of the house. He got out and headed to the door. Sarah must have been watching and waiting because she opened it before he even reached the first step.

  “Thank you for coming all this way in the middle of the night. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do, like sleep,” she said

  And snuggled up in my bed with a beautiful woman.

  He stepped inside the house and took his hat off.

  “Come through to the kitchen. I’ve made some coffee.”

  He sat down, set his hat on the stool beside him and took the mug of coffee from Sarah. Her eyes were red. Bags hung under them, and she looked like a woman fifteen years older than her true age. She sat down, the contents of the mug spilling slightly onto the countertop where her hands were shaking so much.

  “I can’t keep this to myself any longer. I was having an affair with John.”

  Well now, that admission had opened up a can of worms for his investigation. Shane took a sip of coffee, almost scolding his lips on it. He blew across the top of it before attempting another one. “How long had this been going on?” he asked.

  She drew what looked like scribbles with her nail on the countertop.

  “Since the beginning of summer, Memorial Day, I’d say.”

  “Todd know about it? Did John’s wife?”

  She shook her head. “Not while he was alive, but I told Todd when...” she paused for a second, “…I told Todd right after the accident.”

  “You think maybe Todd knew and pretended he didn’t?”

  A tear ran down her cheek. “We were as discreet as we could be, but I guess not quite enough.”

  “Being discreet in a town this size isn’t always easy.” Shane finished the sentence for her. “Where’s Todd now?”

  “Gone to a motel. Shane, I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”

  “Are you thinking that maybe your husband knew you were sleeping with John and planned the whole thing, pretended to taking him hunting and then shot him?”

  She burst into tears. “God, no, I can’t imagine the man I’ve been married to for ten years would be capable of something so cold-blooded.”

  Shane reached across and took her hand. “Sarah, I think you did the right thing by calling me and owning up to all this. You know I’m going to need to bring both Todd and Richie in for questioning now?”

  She nodded.

  Shane dug into his pocket for his cell phone. He’d have Mike pick up Richie, and he’d bring Todd to the office. Looked like he wouldn’t be snuggling back in bed with Lacey any time soon.

  ****

  Lacey had tried to get back to sleep. She was tired, but all she could think about was the woman’s voice and Shane going off in the middle of the night. Giving up on the idea of getting any shut eye, she got out o
f bed and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Maybe Shane had some hot chocolate she could make for herself.

  She glanced at the fridge, seeing photos of him and his brothers and Emily. Looked like it had been taken at Christmas because a large fir tree with decorations adorning it stood in the background.

  All the Malone brothers were good looking, but Shane had the edge. Well, at least she thought so. There was something about his eyes. A little glint, and yeah, a little bad boy. Guess she’d always been attracted to bad boys, and maybe that was her problem. Other women liked them too, and bad boys always liked the attention.

  She decided against the hot chocolate and instead poured herself some milk. She sat at the table and found some paper and a pen. She’d do some sketching. That usually took her mind off of things. She’d done that very thing the night that had supposed to have been her wedding night. Shane was different to her ex. She knew that much about him already. The way he was around people. The way he’d taken care of her that night in the bar. He’d gone well beyond his civic duty as a lawman.

  Lacey began sketching, suddenly remembering that it was Emily’s birthday and she’d been invited along to the meal. She couldn’t go empty handed so maybe she’d offer to do a sketch for her. She threw the pen down. Great idea, but in the back of her mind she was still thinking about Shane.

  Standing up, she made her way back to the bedroom and crawled under the covers. She could smell his scent. She rubbed her nose against his pillow, also detecting the lingering smell of their last round of lovemaking.

  “You better not break my heart, Shane Malone.”

  Chapter Nine

  Shane put the key in the door, wondering if it was really worth going back to bed. The sun was just peeking up behind the mountain range to the east. There was a cold nip to the air, and he was glad to finally be home. He hadn’t expected to be gone this long. He’d thought about calling Lacey to tell her not to worry because he had to bring in a possible suspect, but he didn’t want to wake her.

  There was no sign that she was up and about, so he guessed she was still asleep. He tiptoed into the living room. He took off his hat and jacket and then walked slowly down the hallway to his bedroom. He opened the door and sure enough she was fast asleep, snuggled under the quilt that had once belonged to his grandmother.

  He crept as softly as he could over to the bed and sat his body down upon it, watching for signs of her stirring, and all the time hoping he wouldn’t disturb her if he got into bed. She wrinkled her nose, murmured something and turned, causing her arm to flop over his body.

  He couldn’t help but look at her beautiful skin and hands with pretty pink nails. He couldn’t help himself any longer. He ran his hand over her arm, causing her to stir.

  That had been naughty of him, but after the night he’d had, that had been his only option. Finding solace with Lacey. Someone to come home to. Shit, he hadn’t realized how empty his life was until right this very second.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Is it morning already?”

  “Yep, sun’s just coming up.”

  He leaned over and kissed her.

  “That was brave of you because I probably have morning breath.”

  “I thought I’d take my chances.”

  He looked into her eyes. Like Sarah’s, they looked red and slightly puffy.

  “Have you been crying?”

  She tried to turn away.

  “Something happen while I was gone?”

  She didn’t say anything, so he got hold of her arm and turned her to face him.

  “You’ll be honest with me, right?” she asked him.

  “Sure, but about what?”

  She took a deep breath. “If there’s someone else, you’re to tell me because I don’t want to get hurt all over again.”

  “Someone else? Last time I went out on a date was, wait a minute, is this about me going off to meet with Sarah Halesby?”

  Lacey didn’t answer which told him it was about him leaving so abruptly in the middle of the night.

  “Sarah wanted to speak to me to tell me something about, well, I’m not at liberty to say, but I guess I can tell you that cross my heart, cowboy’s honor, it was a professional call and visit, and you’re the only woman in my life right now.”

  She smiled. “Guess you’re angry with me being so possessive and jealous at this stage of our relationship.”

  “Nope, I’m flattered because only someone who has true feelings for me would be jealous. You’re the real deal.”

  Shane rested his head back on the pillow. He smiled. Guess the feelings between them were mutual.

  ****

  Lacey was scared. It was only a lunch and birthday celebration, but all of Shane’s family would be together in one spot. He put his hand in the small of her back and encouraged her to sit at the table beside him. He’d introduced her to his big brother Rory who now sat at the end of the table, carving the biggest slab of roast beef she’d ever seen.

  “Anyone like their beef well done?” he asked.

  “I do,” said Lacey.

  Shane handed her plate down to Rory, and he set two thick slices of beef upon it and handed it back.

  “This looks wonderful,” said Lacey.

  “Rory’s a great cook. He’ll make someone the perfect wife one of these days,” said Shane.

  Emily laughed, and Rory knitted his eyebrows together and gave her a playful look.

  “So Emily Ann, how does it feel to be officially a teenager today?” asked Marie. She passed a bowl of mashed potatoes to Lacey.

  Emily shrugged her shoulders. “The same.”

  “Seems like just yesterday you were a baby,” said Marie. “And here you are a young woman. I think we’ll need to fill the house with some more babies very soon.”

  She glared at all three of her sons. “Of course, it would help if you found yourself some women first.”

  She looked at Shane and winked. Lacey glanced at him and noticed he was blushing.

  “So how are you settling into the apartment?” Marie asked her.

  “I love it. I got a bed yesterday, and the view every morning is the best.”

  “Does that mean you’re definitely making Timber Creek your home?” she asked.

  “If the sheriff allows me to stay in his county,” said Lacey.

  “Well as long as I don’t get any more drunk and disorderly reports, I think I can offer my approval,” said Shane, taking a bread roll from the plate in the middle of the table.

  “Have I missed something?” asked Rory.

  “I didn’t realize just how strong the local bartender pours the drinks and got a little too happy my first night in town,” said Lacey.

  She saw Shane pulling a face, and she jabbed him with her elbow.

  “Don’t worry about the teasing from my son,” said Marie. “He’s got his father’s dry sense of humor, but that’s what made me fall head over heels for him.”

  “I have a great idea, why don’t we start handing out our gifts for Emily,” said Shane.

  It was plain to see that his mom was matchmaking, and more than obvious that Shane was finding it uncomfortable.

  “Yeah, let’s do it,” said Emily.

  Flynn reached over to another chair and put a hat that said official teenager on her head, making Emily burst out laughing.

  “I would like to say I have the most wonderful daughter in the whole world, and for giving me thirteen years of love and pride, we’re going on a long weekend vacation to a hotel in Missoula. There she’ll swim, play in the game room, and just have lots of fun.”

  “Really?” said Emily. He nodded, and she flung her arms around him.

  “That’s perfect because while she’s there, I have tickets for her to go and see a play at the new theatre,” said Rory.

  “No,” said Emily.

  Rory nodded.

  “And she’ll have something special to wear because I have a gift certificate for her favorite
clothes store,” said Shane.

  Emily put her hands over her mouth. “None of its true.”

  “Oh yes, it is, and while she’s at the hotel, she and her grandma are going to have a day at the spa. Our nails will be painted, and our faces made even prettier.”

  Emily began crying, and Flynn put his arms around her and hugged her. “Why are you crying honey?” he asked.

  “I’m so happy. My family makes me happy.”

  “That’s what we’re here for,” he said.

  “And I also have a surprise,” said Lacey.

  Emily looked around at her. “While you’re gone I can draw a design of whatever you’d like on your bedroom wall. Here, I have some ideas.”

  Lacey slid the paper with her sketches over to her.

  “Dad, I like flowers, can I have them on my wall?”

  “Sure you can, but I think we need to empty and tidy the room first. Maybe get rid of some old things?”

  Emily nodded and then got up and threw her arms around Lacey’s shoulders. She kissed her cheek.

  “Thank you,” Shane mouthed to her.

  ****

  Lacey put her sketch on the carpet and stepped back to look at the blank wall in Emily’s bedroom. She began sketching the outline by the baseboard and worked her way up the wall but was suddenly distracted with what was happening outside the window. Shane was helping out his brother Rory while Flynn and Emily were away on her birthday treat in Missoula.

  He literally took her breath away as pushed his cowboy hat back and rode the horse down the path and into the stables. Could a man get any sexier? She seriously doubted it.

  She watched until he was out of sight and then got back to work, forming the stems of the flowers, and then a branch of a tree running at the top as if it was hanging over the room.

  Lacey hoped Emily would like it. She was a great girl and Lacey liked her a lot. In fact, she liked the whole Malone family. A tap on the window made her look that way. It was Shane. She walked over to it and opened it.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.