Shane's Fall (The Escort Series Book 2)

by Kennedy, Sloane

  “So you’re going to be a defense lawyer too?”

  “Yep, you’re looking at the reason future pedophiles, mobsters and murders are going to walk away scot free so they can hurt more people.”

  She reared back in shock at both his words and the venom behind them. He seemed to have realized he had revealed too much and began drumming his fingers on the table. She could tell he didn’t want her to ask, but she had to know. “Why?” was all she said.

  “It’s expected,” was his curt answer.

  “Do you even want to be a lawyer?” she asked softly.

  “Why’d you choose to be a teacher?” he asked suddenly.

  “Because my mother was a teacher,” she began, but at his “there you go” look she finished with, “And because I love it.”

  Her answer seemed to irritate him, but she guessed it had more to do with him not getting off so easy on explaining away his career choices. He looked around the deli and then said, “Let’s just say I inherited my future.”

  “From Michael?” she ventured.

  He was quiet for a moment and then suddenly let out a sigh of resignation. “It was supposed to be him. He was the oldest, the prodigal son. I was sloppy seconds.” He started drumming his fingers louder and she stifled the urge to cover his hand with hers. “I think he was open to the whole idea of being a lawyer – he was always good at arguing. Our parents had drilled the idea into his head from the time he was old enough to understand what our dad did for a living and the idea of having his name next to Dad’s on the letterhead gave him a connection to our father that he couldn’t have gotten any other way.”

  “What about you?”

  “As long as I got good grades and stayed out of trouble, they didn’t seem to really care what direction I was headed in. I was only sixteen when Michael died and hadn’t really made any plans at that point. After he was gone, everything just shifted onto me. I was so overwhelmed by the attention that I didn’t even think to argue.”

  “And now?”

  “And now it doesn’t matter anymore. My parents lost a son. They may not have agreed with Michael’s decision to be who he was, but they loved him. I know they love me too. I won’t fail them like I did him.”

  “You didn’t fail your brother,” she said automatically and this time she did close her hand over his. He stopped drumming his fingers, but didn’t pull away from her.

  “I didn’t like seeing you touch him,” he said quietly, his dark eyes on hers.

  “Who?” she asked, confused by the abrupt change in topic. Instead of answering, he studied her. “Robert?” she finally asked.

  “When I saw you touch his hand, I wanted to beat the shit out of him.”

  “I was just cleaning-” she began.

  “I didn’t say it was reasonable, Savannah. I said I didn’t like it.” He shifted his hand beneath her so that his palm faced up and he could stroke the inside of her wrist with his fingers. Satisfaction went through him when she shuddered at the contact. “It made me realize how you must feel when you think of me with all those women.”

  He saw her bite her lip and pain flickered across her features. He was surprised when she suddenly reached out to snap a band that was wrapped around the wrist he’d been stroking. Shock ran through him as it registered that the rubber band he thought was just a hair tie was something else entirely. He tightened his hand on hers and then he was standing, pulling her up behind him. She barely had time to grab her purse before he was pulling her towards the back of the deli. He pushed open the bathroom door, flipped on the light and dragged her into the small space. He slammed the door closed and locked it, then leaned back against the door and pulled her tight against his body.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it that way,” he muttered against her hair as she wrapped her arms around him. “I was trying to tell you that I haven’t been with anyone since that first night in the hotel.”

  She lifted her head, her eyes wide. “But your girlfriend-”

  “Not my girlfriend anymore. I wasn’t with her either. There’s been no one else.”

  “Why?” she asked, clearly surprised.

  “I can’t answer that. I’m trying really hard not to try and figure it out myself because it won’t change anything. It can’t.”

  “I don’t want Robert or anyone else,” she whispered firmly.

  He nodded and then dropped a kiss on the top of her head before saying, “Let’s get out of here.”

  ***

  Savannah moaned as Shane slammed his apartment door closed and kissed her. He’d been on her before they even made it to the door and she’d welcomed it. They’d been making out against the locked front door so fervently that it had taken a polite cough from a passing neighbor to drag them apart. Shane had wrestled with the lock and had his lips back on hers before the door even latched closed. Their conversation at the deli and his subsequent confession about the other women had done nothing to cement what their relationship actually was, but she didn’t care. The jealousy and pain she’d been feeling about the other women in his life had needled her since their first time together. Being the other woman was something she never wanted to be and knowing the relationship between him and his girlfriend had already been on the rocks made her feel a little less like a home wrecker.

  Shane pulled away from her long enough to free her of the silk blouse she’d been wearing and then he went to work on her pants. As he fumbled with the zipper, she put her hand over the bulge in his pants and rubbed him lightly.

  “Shit,” he growled as he stripped the pants from her. She was glad she had picked slip on shoes today instead of the ones with the laces because Shane seemed to have lost all patience for foreplay. She loved how rough he was, but still gentle at the same time. As he began working the buttons of his own shirt free, she released his cock from his pants. He’d managed to get the buttons undone on his shirt but then gave up and maneuvered her so she was bent over the side of the couch, her arms braced on the plush arm beneath her. Within seconds her panties were gone and his thick fingers were probing her. She knew what he’d find, since her desire was ripping through every nerve in her body.

  “Now Shane, please,” she cried brokenly and before she could even finish the desperate plea he was pushing his length inside of her. It burned as he stretched her, but also felt so incredible that she had to fight back tears. He kept working himself in and out of her until he could go no further and then he hung there, his front pressed against her back, his lips on the back of her neck as he sucked in deep breaths. Her inner muscles clung to him and she could tell he was bare inside her again.

  As he began long, slow thrusts, he played with her breasts through her bra. She locked her elbows to brace herself against the force of him plunging in and out of her. “It’s so good Savannah,” he groaned as stilled inside her once more. She cried out in frustration, but he remained still and then turned her head so their mouths could meet. As he played with her tongue, she felt him withdraw from her.

  “No,” she whispered at his departure but he stilled her with a hand on her hips. He pulled his lips from hers and she hung her head down as the need in her body crawled through her like a living thing. Within seconds he was back inside her and this time she could feel the latex separating them. Disappointment flared through her, but it was short-lived as he began hammering into her, his own body forcing hers further down over the arm of the couch. He’d never taken her this hard or this fast and she loved every second of it. His fingers bit hard into her hips and she knew she’d have bruises tomorrow.

  She could feel her orgasm building and she automatically tightened her inner muscles around him every time he pulled out. He was groaning harshly and one of his hands moved up to close around her lower neck. His hold was gentle, but firm and she knew he needed to control her body’s movement. In the past, the move would have brought back all her old fears, but now she reveled in how he mastered her body, owned it. She couldn’t wait to return the
favor.

  Her orgasm hit her harder and faster than she expected. One minute it was building and building, the next minute it had rocketed through her – there was no in between this time. She screamed and dug her fingers into the soft fabric beneath her. As the pleasure rolled through her in waves, she actually felt Shane slow his pace so that he was gently rocking in and out of her. Sweat rolled down her brow and her muscles gave out as she relaxed her weight all the way down on the arm of the couch. Shane returned his hand to her hip and pulled her back hard on his cock. When he began stroking her overly sensitive clit, she cried out and put her hand over his, but he kept rubbing her slowly, his hips matching the pace.

  “No more Shane,” she muttered, but he leaned down so that his lips were by her ear.

  “One more Savannah.” And then he was stroking her with more urgency and lunging into her again. Her body began to respond, but her muscles were still too lax to do anything but lay there and take the pounding. He gave her one last final hard pinch on her clit and then another orgasm tore through her. He shouted against her neck as his body jerked inside of hers. He kept stroking in and out of her as his body emptied itself and then he fell against her back, her body still clutched tightly around him. She would have been content to lay there underneath him all night, but he eventually pulled out of her, disposed of the condom and then dragged her sated body up the stairs and into the shower.

  ***

  “Does this help?” Shane asked as he fingered the band on Savannah’s wrist. She was sprawled over him, her naked, relaxed body warming him wherever their skin touched. The room was dark and quiet except for a ceiling fan that he’d turned on to cool them down after another round of scorching sex. He’d taken her again in the shower, this time remembering to grab a condom from the drawer in the bathroom, and then again after the water had finally turned cold on them and they’d managed to crawl into his bed. This last time had been less frenzied and he’d taken the time to explore every part of her body and then she’d done the same to him. He knew he needed to feed her since it was well past dinner time, but he just couldn’t find the energy or desire to move yet.

  She nodded against him. “Dr. Henderson suggested it.”

  Since he’d gotten the doctor’s name from Gabe, he knew who the man was, but he hadn’t been sure if Savannah would follow through and make the appointment.

  “Did you like him?” He felt her smile against his chest.

  “I was determined not to, but he was actually really nice.”

  “Are you going to go see him again?” he prodded.

  “I have an appointment on Monday.” He felt her soft lips graze his chest and his relaxed body immediately tightened. “I thought he’d be this stuffy old guy who would tell me to stop the cutting or he’d have to send me somewhere. But he didn’t – he said he wouldn’t try to take it away from me. This,” she said, lifting her wrist to look at the band, “brings me back from the place I start to go.”

  “I’m proud of you, Savannah. I know it’s not easy to have to open up about that part of your life.”

  She snuggled further into him. “I don’t know how I can love and hate it at the same time. It gives me so much, but it takes so much too. I’m worried that it will take everything someday.”

  He tightened his arm around her. “Logan will understand – so will your friends. They won’t judge you for it and they won’t turn their backs on you. It doesn’t make you weak – it shows how badly you want to live despite the pain inside.”

  “You know what it’s like, don’t you?” she whispered. “When the pain goes so deep inside that you need to try and find a way to let some of it out?”

  She braced her arms on his chest so she could look at him and even despite the darkness in the room, he could feel her eyes on him. “But you don’t actually let it out, do you? You become someone else – someone who doesn’t hurt, someone who doesn’t have to hide.”

  Her perceptiveness chilled his blood and any desire he was feeling was quickly replaced with fear. She was way too close to the truth. She must have felt his withdrawal because she sighed and dropped her head back on his chest. “I think you need to feed me,” she said casually and then suddenly ran her tongue over one of his nipples. He let out a hiss at the pleasure that coursed through him.

  “Otherwise I might need to find something else to taste,” she said wickedly as her hand traveled down his abdomen. Had his own stomach not been growling, he gladly would have let her follow through on her threat, but instead he grabbed her straying hand and dragged her out of the bed after him.

  Ten minutes later they were on his couch, her wearing just his shirt and him wearing a pair of sweats. He’d thrown together a couple of sandwiches and she’d rummaged up some sodas for them. He hadn’t missed her sending a text, presumably to Logan to let him know she’d once again be out all night. He felt a pang of guilt, but forced it down.

  Once they were settled on the couch, he turned on the TV. He noticed she kept glancing at the arm of the couch where he’d fucked her long and hard just a few hours ago. When she found him watching her, she blushed. He laughed and kissed her, then began searching for a movie.

  As he pressed the play button on the remote, she said, “Okay, I gotta know - what’s with all the romantic comedies?”

  “What?” he said.

  “You’re like obsessed with chick flicks. What’s that all about?” She was completely serious.

  “Are you kidding me? They’re for you.”

  “For me?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I figured…”

  “What? That just because I’m a girl, I only like to watch ridiculous movies about love and happily ever afters?” He heard the teasing in her voice and smiled.

  “Okay, what kinds of movies do you like?”

  She sat back against the couch and took a huge bite of her sandwich. “Violent ones – the more deaths, the better.” He was sure he was gaping at her. “I really like the natural disaster ones – you know, meteors destroying the world, tidal waves, earthquakes…as long as the body count is high.”

  Shane laughed and it felt so good, so foreign that he did it again. At her mock look of outrage, he tried to stifle himself, but failed and laughed some more. “Have at it,” he said as he handed her the remote and then swung an arm around her shoulders. It took her only a couple of minutes to find something about the world being threatened by aliens and when the bodies started dropping like flies, she relaxed against him. He chuckled again and then started on his sandwich – she never stopped surprising him and he guessed, and hoped, that she probably never would either.

  ***

  “Savannah, you need to focus,” Gabe said to her and she snapped herself out of her reverie and focused on the big man in front of her. He’d been showing her the basic technique for a move that was supposed to allow someone of her size to drop a man even as big and strong as Gabe. Her thoughts had been where they almost always were now, on Shane. They’d spent the entire weekend together both in bed and out of it.

  He’d taken her downtown to see the sights and they’d even gone up in the Space Needle, something she hadn’t done since she was a child. She’d lived in Seattle almost her entire life, but had somehow forgotten how beautiful the city was and how much it had to offer. They’d shopped at the busy marketplace and then gone to the small aquarium on the waterfront. After lunch, they had hopped on one of the ferries that crossed over to Bainbridge Island and then they’d explored a couple of beaches. At one point he had even taken her hand as they walked and she’d never felt more complete and at peace in her life.

  “Hello? Savannah?”

  “What? Sorry,” she muttered and then shook her head to clear it. She heard her phone ding with a new text and she wanted very badly to dart around Gabe and run over to the bench where she’d left her stuff to see if it was another dirty message from Shane telling her what he was going to do to her the next time he saw her. She smiled sheepishly at Gabe and then tr
ied to focus on her stance so that she was mimicking his. She watched as he awkwardly tried to explain her position versus that of her imaginary attacker.

  “Hold on,” he said and then looked around the gym. “Hey Jim, can you come here a second?” he motioned to a guy lifting free weights against the back wall. “I’ll show you what I mean on Jim.”

  “Gabe, it’s okay. You can show me on me.” Gabe studied her for a moment and then shook his head at Jim as he neared the mat.

  “Are you sure?” he asked. She nodded and he said, “Thanks anyway, Jim. We’re good,” but his eyes never left hers. He was trying to make sure she was really okay with him putting his hands on her. And for the first time, she really was. They’d only had a few sessions, but her trust in him had grown with each one. She’d also found herself less nervous in a crowd and had even managed friendly “hellos” and polite conversations with a few of the male teachers at work. The shift had been so subtle that she hadn’t really realized it until now.

  Gabe reached around her tentatively at first to position himself as if he were attacking her, then relaxed when she didn’t have a meltdown. A shimmer of self-pride went through her and her first thought was that she couldn’t wait to tell Shane about it. She forced herself to focus on Gabe’s instructions, and then went about learning how to bring a man nearly twice her size to his knees. Another check in the victory column, she thought to herself and then proceeded to ask Gabe if she could knock him down again.

  ***

  “You knocked Gabe on his ass and I missed it?” Shane said in utter disbelief as he watched Savannah cutting up vegetables on the butcher block island in his kitchen. Apparently his menu of sandwiches and take-out food no longer impressed her, so she’d brought sustenance with her in two overstuffed, cloth grocery bags. He had cringed when he saw her pull vegetable after vegetable out of the bag but then felt relief – and a little bit of drool – when she dropped two huge rib eye steaks on the counter.