Shane's Fall (The Escort Series Book 2)

by Kennedy, Sloane

  She continued to ride him, her hand gripping his wrist, trying to control how he stroked her. He began to meet her thrusts with an upward motion of his hips and she was forced to release his wrist so she could drop both her hands to his chest in order to support herself as she countered his powerful lunges. When her hair brushed against his chest and her small nails raked his skin, he lost the battle and grabbed both her hips with his hands. He raised himself up in one quick motion and had her pinned beneath him a second later, his body pushing into hers as far as it could go. Another powerful thrust and he reached up to pull the blindfold off, his control shattered. Several long seconds passed before he realized two horrifying things – one, she was no longer writhing in pleasure around him but was in fact pushing against him in terror and two, he recognized the beautiful, pale blue eyes staring back at his in fear.

  Chapter 2

  Holy Shit.

  Shane couldn’t believe it. He was balls deep inside of Savannah Bradshaw, his best friend Logan’s little sister, and she was scared to death and trying to get away from him. She hadn’t made any sound as she squeezed her eyes closed and pushed at his chest. Tears began to stream from her eyes. Her abject fear had obliterated all his lust instantly, but his brain was still confused by what was happening so he hadn’t been able to pull himself from her yet. She started crying these hoarse, harsh sobs as she fought him and that was when reality finally kicked in.

  “Savannah, honey, it’s me Shane. Open your eyes.” He gently pinned her flailing wrists so she wouldn’t hurt herself or him in her struggles. “Open your eyes Savannah!” His voice was harsher than he intended it to be, but it seemed to knock her out of the daze she had been in and she finally stilled, tears spilling down her face and disappearing under the collar of the white, button up blouse she was wearing. “I’m going to pull out now but I need you to be still so I don’t hurt you, okay,” he said quietly, carefully, his heart ripped to shreds as he saw the pain and fear in her eyes. She nodded slowly, her hands still fisted in his grip. He gently pulled free of her body and lifted his weight off of her, his hands releasing hers as he positioned himself next to her on the edge of the bed. The second she was free of him she curled onto her side away from him and cried, her tormented sobs clawing at his insides. He covered her lower body carefully with the bedspread and went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, grabbing his pants off the floor on his way there. He returned with a wet washcloth and a glass of water. He’d managed to pull his pants on but was still shirtless.

  Her cries had slowed so he lowered himself to sit back down on the bed. “Sweetheart, can you sit up for me please?” he asked softly. She wiped at her tears and pulled herself into a sitting position, her back pressed against the headboard, her arms wrapped protectively around her pulled up knees. He gently cleaned her red face with the washcloth and then handed her the water and waited as she took a long drink. He put the glass on the nightstand and then turned to look at her. She looked young and innocent and his insides knotted as he realized what he’d done – she was his best friend’s baby sister. He’d know her since she was fifteen years old, had lusted after her almost as long and now he’d actually gone and fucked her. And it had ended with him hurting her, even if that hadn’t been his intention. From her violent reaction the moment he took control, he knew something bad had happened to her at some point and he had triggered a memory of it.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked brokenly, afraid to hear the truth, but needing to know all the same. She shook her head.

  “I’m sorry Shane,” she said, fresh tears welling in her eyes. She snatched the washcloth off the night stand and wiped at her face. She was a mess, but God, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It was her pale, luminous eyes he’d envisioned when she’d first touched him, her long, sleek black hair he’d imagine brushing over him. And it was long, down to the small of her back, and he’d always wondered what it would feel like against his skin. And now he knew. Shit.

  “I don’t understand what’s going on here Savannah,” he admitted. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined this happening. He’d promised himself he would never touch her and yet here they were.

  “I just…” she paused and shook her head. “I just needed to know if it would be possible to be with someone like this someday.” He could see the shame in her eyes. “I picked you because I knew I could trust you. I used you,” she cried, as the harsh reality of her words seemed to sink in even to her own ears.

  “Start at the beginning,” he said, surprised at his even tone despite the knot of anxiety in his gut. He knew this situation could only get worse as she revealed more.

  “I found your card in Riley’s purse last week when we were having lunch and she said I could borrow some tissues from it while she ran to the bathroom.”

  “So you know what I am?” he asked, ashamed that she knew his secret. It wasn’t that he was exactly proud of what he did, but it wasn’t something you flaunted in front of an innocent young girl.

  “And Logan too,” she said quietly. “I overheard you guys talking about it one night when you thought I’d gone to bed. You were all a bit drunk,” she said sheepishly.

  “When?”

  “A few years ago. Gabe was there too.” She was talking about Gabe Maddox, his other best friend who had just recently managed to get out of the life after meeting Riley. And she knew about her brother, something Shane knew Logan would be horrified to learn.

  “So you found my card,” he pressed.

  “I thought with the blindfold you wouldn’t figure out it was me and I could have this one time to see if I could go through with it. I thought if I was in control-” Her voice dropped off.

  “Why did you need to be in control Savannah?”

  She was quiet for a really long time. It clearly hurt her to have to tell him, but he needed to know, even if he already suspected what she was going to say.

  “Because I didn’t have any last time,” she whispered, the words barely audible.

  Shane tensed, his hands fisting. “Did someone hurt you?” His world fell apart when she nodded and he sucked in a breath and bit back tears. He hadn’t seen it – how could he not have known? Yes, he’d avoided her as much as possible, but something like that would have shown, right?

  “Does Logan know?” When she shook her head, Shane had to get up and move. He was about to put his hand through a wall when he realized that would scare the hell out of her and she was already freaked out as it was. He paced back and forth, but the room was too small and his rage was too big. They’d failed her and she had gone through it all alone. She hadn’t trusted any one of them to tell them the truth.

  “When?” was all he could get out. When she didn’t answer, he looked at her. She had her chin resting on her knees, her eyes on the bed. He got the message – she wasn’t going to tell him anymore specifics.

  “Please don’t tell Logan. It would kill him,” she said softly. She was right. Her brother had given up everything to raise her when their parents had died in a car crash shortly after she had turned fourteen. Logan was barely nineteen and in his first year of school with Gabe. Shane was younger, just sixteen at the time. He and Gabe had been friends since childhood, along with Shane’s older brother Michael. Gabe and Michael had befriended Logan in college and it was only natural for Shane to be part of the group, even after his brother’s death later that year. He’d even followed Logan and Gabe into the escorting business, but their reasons had been so different. Shane knew that Logan had needed the money to keep Savannah out of the hands of child services and he would be horrified to learn that not only did his sister know what he did for extra cash, but that she’d been hurt, presumably while under his care.

  “Please Shane,” Savannah pleaded and Shane realized he’d been silent for a long time, giving her the impression he was contemplating telling Logan her secret. He wouldn’t, not now anyway, not until he knew more about what had happened.

  �
�I won’t tell him,” he assured her and she visibly relaxed. “Help me understand this,” he said, motioning to the room. She was quiet for so long that he thought she wouldn’t answer but then she finally spoke.

  “After,” she began before swallowing hard. “After, it was hard to be around men. It got worse at school.”

  Shane realized she’d just slipped up by indicating she’d been assaulted before leaving for college. Jesus, she’d barely been eighteen when she left.

  “I just felt like I was suffocating – it was a coed dorm, the classes were coed. I tried to just keep to myself, but they’d approach me and ask me out and I would just freeze up.” She chocked back a harsh laugh. “They started calling me a freak around campus, but at least they stopped asking me on dates.” She wiped at a stray tear so he grabbed a tissue from the dispenser on the nightstand and handed it to her. He was glad to see she didn’t flinch away from him.

  “Did you talk to anyone about it?”

  She shook her head. “Not at first – I thought it would go away, the fear. But I started spending more and more time in my room, took online classes. But things got really dark so I went and saw a counselor.” She fell silent and took several long breaths to calm herself. “None of what she said made any sense to me – it just seemed like a lot of psychobabble so I stopped going.”

  “What happened then?” He was reeling at the knowledge that she’d been going through all this and no one had known, no one had stepped up to help her.

  “Nothing. I just focused on finishing school. A guy asked me out just before graduation a few months ago – he must have been new to campus because he didn’t seem to know I was the freak…”

  “Don’t,” he said quietly, firmly. “Don’t call yourself that.” He hoped the anger in his voice didn’t shut her down, but he couldn’t hear that word used in reference to her again and keep his sanity.

  She nodded at him before continuing. “I agreed to go to get coffee with him. I managed to keep it together but I was a mess inside and when he tried to kiss me good night I lost it – the dorm’s RA had to help me back to my room because I couldn’t remember where I was. She wanted to call someone but I begged her not to. I convinced her I was just really tired and hadn’t slept well because of finals.”

  “Why didn’t you tell Logan? Or me?” He saw her flinch at the accusation in his voice and he cursed himself.

  “I’m sorry I did this to you Shane. I know it was wrong.”

  “Savannah, look at me.” When she lifted her eyes, he moved back to the bed and sat down on the edge so he was facing her. “I don’t blame you and I understand why you did it. I just wish you had come to me-”

  “I couldn’t,” she said roughly. “I knew what you would say – you only see me as Logan’s little sister. I knew you could never want me that way.” When she dropped her eyes again, he placed his fingers under her chin and forced her eyes up to meet his.

  “You’re right – I would have said no, but not because I don’t want you.” He leaned over and kissed her gently, his lips barely brushing hers. He pulled back so that there was just a sliver of space between them. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I met you.” He sealed his lips back over hers and licked the seam of her closed mouth until she opened on a gasp, then thrust his tongue into the warm depths. A few more seconds, he promised himself as he twined his tongue around hers. He just needed a few more seconds to memorize her taste. When he finally pulled back she followed him, her hand closing around the back of his neck to stop his departure. He allowed himself another few moments of pleasure and then put his hand on her cheek as he separated their mouths. They were both breathing heavy and he rested his forehead against hers for a moment.

  “I’m not saying no because you’re my best friend’s sister,” he began and he saw her squeeze her eyes closed because she knew he was going to walk away from her. “I’m saying no because I still have enough sense to know that you deserve better.” He brushed another kiss over her lips and then stood. He forced himself not to look back as he grabbed his shirt and shoes and disappeared out the door. He thought he heard a sob as the door clicked shut, but he wasn’t sure and it didn’t matter anyway.

  ***

  The sun was just starting to set and the room had grown dim when Savannah finally forced herself to move. She hated that she was cold again – in those few brief moments when Shane had been inside her, she’d felt nothing but warmth. The noise in her head was back too – that annoying white noise that always seemed to be taunting her, reminding her that the control she had over her life was an illusion. The knot began forming in her stomach and she felt the tingling underneath her skin – it was nothing like the sparks she had felt when Shane had grazed her thigh or the overwhelming tightness she had felt when he stroked her as her body welcomed him deep inside her.

  When she’d first seem him on the bed, his nudity had overwhelmed her and it had taken everything in her not to grab her clothes and run. She hadn’t been sure what she was thinking when she had come up with the idea that someone like her could control a man like him. He was strong, beautiful, confident, experienced – she was none of those things. But when he hadn’t moved or made any effort to break the rules she had set, her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she’d approached him. He’d warned her that he wouldn’t allow himself to be tied up, but when she saw his muscular arms raised in submission, she’d been humbled. He was giving her as much as he could. His good looks had been what her initial fifteen year old crush had been based on, but as the years passed and she’d gotten to know him, she’d starting losing her heart to his charm and kindness. But he’d been different when she’d returned home just a couple of months ago – harder, darker. Whenever she had spoken to him, he’d replied with short, clipped answers and rarely tried to draw her into any further conversation.

  The impulse to hire him had been just that. She’d had many years to ponder what he, her brother and Gabe did for extra money and her young mind hadn’t really comprehended it at first. The word “prostitute” had kept flashing in her mind when she looked at her brother after overhearing that brief, drunken conversation. But then she would see how tired he looked and she remembered how hard he worked to keep up with his studies, work full-time and still take care of her so that they could stay together. As a teenager, he hadn’t dated much so she figured he hadn’t been into the whole thing just for the thrill of having sex with strangers for money. He had done it purely out of need so he could take care of her.

  In his younger years, Shane definitely seemed the most likely of the three men to enjoy what they were doing. He had always had a girl on his arm though she couldn’t remember anyone serious, or even seeing the same girl more than once for that matter. But whatever his motives might have been, he wasn’t the same, charismatic boy next door that he’d once been. He seemed haunted. It was probably foolish to think of him that way, she was probably just over dramatizing the whole thing. The man was incredibly successful – top of his class in law school with plans to join his father’s high-powered, criminal defense law firm in Chicago next year. He even had a gorgeous, rich girlfriend that he often escorted to fancy parties and functions – she’d never actually met the woman but every once in a while her face would be in the society pages of the paper as she arrived via limo in a fancy dress to some important event, a beautiful but bored looking Shane on her arm. Bile rose in her throat as she realized that not only had she used Shane for her own selfish needs, she had been a part him cheating on his own girlfriend. How had she fallen this far, this fast?

  Savannah made her way to the bathroom and turned the shower on. She took the blouse off, her eyes carefully avoiding the mirror. She was glad he hadn’t asked why she’d left the shirt on – lying to Shane was hard, but there was no way she could have shared that part of her life with him. She climbed into the shower and let the water warm her. She ran her fingers over her body and allowed her mind to drift back to how she’d been able to explore Sh
ane’s naked body. The initial fear she had had when she first touched his chest had evaporated when she felt how warm and hard he was, all at the same time. She hadn’t meant to kiss him, but his lips had been too tempting – she’d never actually kissed a man before - and when he had opened his mouth to hers, she’d been stunned at the desire that had flashed through her body. She had nothing to compare the kiss to, but she couldn’t image it got much better than that. She also hadn’t meant to explore his body either – her plan had been to get him inside of her as quickly as possible so she wouldn’t have time overthink things and freak out.

  His hardness had been too difficult to resist though. And his moans of pleasure as she touched his length with her tongue had made her bold. She’d read about oral sex and had even snuck a peek at some porn online, but it wasn’t something that had overly appealed to her. But his taste, the feel of him in her mouth…it had been hard to stop when he had called out his warning. If she hadn’t been so desperate to complete the act to prove that she could, she’d have kept going for sure. And then it had all gone to hell.

  She didn’t even know her own body well enough to realize that she wasn’t physically ready to take him. When she’d felt that burning pain as she tried to force his length inside her, dark memories had assailed her and threatened to pull her under. Her humiliation was complete when he called her on it and she had wanted to die on the spot. But he had given her a choice to continue, no pressure, no condemnation – just a choice. And then it had felt amazing, like someone had set fire to her from the inside. She had felt so full when he finally slid all the way into her depths and something inside of her just kept winding tighter and tighter. At that point, her instincts had taken over and all she could do was feel.