Shane's Fall (The Escort Series Book 2)

by Kennedy, Sloane

  “My wife has taken a fondness to you. I give my wife whatever she wants,” he said simply but something in his voice dragged Savannah’s eyes to his. There was pain there – a lot of it. She’d also felt the briefest tightening of his grip at her waist, not enough to frighten her, just enough to show that the man wasn’t as unaffected by emotion as he appeared to be. Whatever he felt for his wife ran deep, but there was some turmoil there too.

  “Thank you for doing this Mr. Barretti. And for what you did that night,” she said.

  “It’s Dom and you’re welcome sweetheart. Now let’s go get you back to your man.” He led her to where Shane and Sylvie were dancing and the exchange was quick and effortless. She instantly pressed up against Shane. It felt like coming home. They didn’t speak, he just held her against him as they swayed slowly back and forth. Her body had the same sated feeling she got after a night of lovemaking with this man and she couldn’t help but wonder at what that meant.

  When the music ended, he led her back to their table and they talked about mundane things. It was comfortable and natural. As they finished off with dessert, she excused herself to go to the restroom.

  ***

  Shane watched Savannah disappear into the bathroom. He made his way over to the bar where Dom and his wife sat. He noticed that when Sylvie saw him approach, she gave her husband a quick kiss and headed toward the bathroom, smiling at him as she passed him. He wondered if she sensed he needed a private moment with her husband. Even better would be if she could distract Savannah to buy him some more time.

  “Drink?” Dom asked him as he motioned to the now empty stool next to him. The man was cool as a cucumber and seemed unsurprised at Shane’s intrusion. Dom had willingly agreed to his plan without question when Shane had called earlier that day to see if he could bring Savannah in so she could work through everything that had happened last time. Shane considered himself to be a pretty good judge of character and had known from Dom’s protective nature that night when Savannah freaked out that Dom would be the perfect one to dance with her. He was a big, physically imposing man who could easily take what he wanted, but also had a soft spot for women, as evidenced not only by the way he revered his wife, but by the way he had emptied out his own restaurant to save Savannah the embarrassment of having to face all those people when she’d fallen apart in the very public setting. He’d even gone so far as to break down a door in his own establishment to stop Savannah from hurting herself.

  “No, I just have a minute,” Shane said as he sat.

  “You have a couple…Sylvie’s good at small talk,” the man said casually, knowingly.

  Shane smiled briefly. “You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Barretti.”

  Something dark past through Dom’s expression, but it was gone quickly. “Dom,” was all he said.

  “You’re not just a restaurant owner, are you Dom?” Shane asked as he toyed with a cocktail napkin.

  Dom slid his cool eyes towards Shane and then took a slow sip of his drink but didn’t say anything. Shane ignored the intimidation tactic. “You own Barretti Security Group.”

  “Co-own, actually,” Dom finally acknowledged.

  “With your brother,” Shane said.

  “Brothers,” Dom said, emphasizing the plural. Another flash of darkness. “What can I do for you Shane?”

  Shane hadn’t really given him permission to use his first name, but he supposed they were well past formality at this point. “I need you to do some digging for me.”

  “I don’t know if you can afford me,” Dom interjected. “Law students usually don’t have a lot of pennies to spare, do they?” he quipped. “But then again, you’re not like most law students either, are you?”

  Shane straightened on the stool. The message was loud and clear – it appeared that Dom had already done some digging on his own.

  Dom shrugged. “My wife is quite fond of your girl. She was worried about her after that night and I had your phone number…”

  “So you decided to take a look behind the curtains, so to speak,” Shane offered.

  “I don’t like for Sylvie to worry,” was all Dom said.

  “Right,” Shane chuckled. “I think I’ll take that drink now.”

  One wave of Dom’s hand and the bartender appeared and poured a drink for Shane. He took a long sip and enjoyed the alcohol as it burned his throat and then settled in his stomach, warming it. Shane recognized the liquor as one of the more expensive brands.

  “What is that you need dug up, my young friend?” Dom asked as he waited for the bartender to refill his drink.

  “You’ve probably figured out that something happened to Savannah.”

  Dom nodded, anger clear in his features.

  “She won’t give me the details, but I’ve managed to figure out a few things from the little that she has told me.” He had all of Dom’s attention now, but the man remained mute. “I think it happened sometime after her parents died, but before she left for school. My guess is she knows the attacker.”

  He heard Dom draw in a breath. “But she won’t give you a name.”

  Shane shook his head. “She’s worried about telling her brother, but I think it’s more than just knowing the guilt he’ll feel for not having been able to protect her.”

  Dom’s hand closed tightly around his glass and his body stiffened as if he were ready to strike. “You think the attacker was a friend of her brother’s.”

  “She mentioned once that she shouldn’t have opened the door that night.” Shane chugged the rest of his drink as he felt his own anger mounting. “She wouldn’t have opened the door to a stranger.” He paused, then said, “It also could have been someone from her high school or something, but the way she’s worked so hard to keep it from Logan makes me believe it’s someone from his life – a college buddy maybe. Some of the guys would meet at his house for poker night throughout college. Savannah met them all at one point or another.”

  Dom mulled the words over as he nursed his drink and then nodded. “I’ll have to dig into the brother’s background – all of it. You realize that, right?”

  Shane hesitated for only a moment before saying, “Do it.” He knew Logan would understand and forgive the intrusion if it meant finding the monster that had taken Savannah’s childhood. “Logan Bradshaw.”

  Dom nodded. Before either could say another word, the ladies were walking towards them, Sylvie saying something that made Savannah laugh. Shane vacated the bar stool he was sitting on.

  “Honey, I was telling Savannah that she and Shane should join us one of these weekends up at the house. We could go out on the boat, maybe do some whale watching or island hopping,” she said hopefully.

  The difference in Dom’s appearance was instant and dramatic. He smiled genuinely and his big hand instantly closed around his wife’s tiny one as he drew her close. The woman automatically fit herself against his side as if she’d been born to be there and Dom’s whole countenance relaxed once she was there. A pang of envy shot through Shane as he realized he wanted that same thing – he wanted Savannah to become an extension of him – like two halves that didn’t truly work until they were together. Savannah seemed to notice Dom and Sylvie’s connection too, because she looked up at him with those liquid blue eyes. But she made no move to sidle up against him because she knew, rightly so, that he was still keeping that last piece of himself apart from her.

  “I would love that,” Savannah said and Shane didn’t miss that she’d said “I” and not “We.”

  “Are you ready to go?” Shane asked, suddenly needing to get as far away from this place as he could.

  She nodded and he took her elbow. “Good night and thank you,” he said to both Dom and his wife. As he led her away, he saw Savannah smile and silently mouth the words “thank you.”

  As they made their way to the front of the restaurant, Shane found his hand moving from her elbow down to her hand and then he was intertwining their fingers. He cursed himself for the intimate gestur
e, but his heart refused to allow his brain to release her. For every moment he spent with her, he kept pulling her closer instead of pushing her away. How was he ever supposed to give her up when he couldn’t even tell his fucking hand to let hers go?

  It made him a selfish bastard, but still his hand hung onto hers like a lifeline. And as they waited for the valet to get his car, he was drawing her closer to his body so she could benefit from his heat in the cool, damp Seattle air. People walked past them, cars honked in the busy intersection, but all he felt was her pressed against him. All he heard was her soft breathing. All he smelled was the floral scent of her shampoo along with that fragrance that was unique to her.

  The ride home was silent and the only way he could keep his hand from grabbing hers again the way it demanded, was to hold on to the gearshift until his knuckles turned white. He pulled into his assigned spot and put the car in park. His nerves were frayed with a combination of lust and need, but just beyond that was a longing for something he knew he couldn’t have and that was worse than anything. She’d made him feel more in the last month than he had in years. She’d seen things in him that he had tried so hard to bury, but instead of criticizing him or judging him for those weaknesses, she’d offered her strength and understanding.

  He felt like his whole identity was crashing around him and panic needled at him. When he heard her unclick her seatbelt and reach for the door handle, he snaked out his hand and grabbed hers. She stilled but didn’t say anything, as if somehow sensing the turmoil that was wreaking havoc on his soul. How had something as simple as a night out of dinner and dancing had this profound effect on him? And then he realized it hadn’t. It hadn’t been just tonight that had started this. It had started as a slow burn inside of him the moment she’d first touched him with those lips. He’d been blindfolded then, but something inside of him had known the woman leaning over him, her soft, sweet lips exploring his, was different. She hadn’t even seen all the ugliness inside of him yet and she stayed. Even now as she sat next to him, she waited patiently for his next move.

  “Why didn’t you just walk away when you had the chance?” he muttered as he dragged her across the armrest in between them. His lips were on hers before she could even finish awkwardly straddling him. With the steering wheel behind her, it was a tight fit but she didn’t seem to care because she was kissing him back. His mouth was demanding and hard, almost punishing. It was unfair to take his frustrations out on her for the confusing thoughts that were coursing through him, but he couldn’t stop himself. She moaned as his tongue sought out hers and he felt her hands tighten in his hair. Her dress had ridden up so he could feel the softness of her thigh under his hand and he immediately began to seek out her warmth. The sound of a car door slamming was the only thing that kept him from slipping his fingers under the line of her panties.

  He pulled back from her and ripped his mouth from hers. She cried out at the loss and tried to follow him. “Not here,” he managed to get out, his voice sounding too guttural even for his own comfort. Getting out of the car was awkward as she scrambled off his lap and he nearly dragged her up the stairs two at a time. It was only sheer will that got them inside of the apartment and then he was stripping her as he hurried her towards the stairs.

  Instead of trying to maneuver them up the spiral steps, he placed her hands on the thin metal bar that made up the top rail of the bannister and stepped behind her. Within seconds, his hard length was sheathed and pressing into her in one hard lunge. She cried out at his entry, but the slickness that welcomed him and her hips pushing back against him reassured him that his hurried methods were welcome. A few hard thrusts had her coming and he didn’t even try to stop himself from following her over. His control was completely gone, replaced with the fiery hell of pleasure that he finally acknowledged he was never going to be able to let go.

  Chapter 14

  Savannah lay in Shane’s bed and listened to him move around the kitchen. She’d felt him leave the bed a few minutes ago, but she’d been too exhausted and relaxed to even wake up enough to kiss him good morning. She was seriously hoping he was going to come back to bed, hopefully with coffee, because her muscles were too drained to do her body any good right now. He’d kept her up almost all night, his need suddenly insatiable. She’d lost count of the number of orgasms he’d given her and her body ached from his relentless lovemaking.

  At some point, warning bells had gone off in her head that he was too desperate, too determined. It was like he couldn’t stand to be away from her for too long and even after taking her, he’d stayed inside her for long periods of time as they each recovered. He’d pull out long enough to get a new condom and then he was working her body into a passion all over again. Hard and fast, slow and gentle. Shower, floor, wall – and he’d been there through it all. He hadn’t just been fucking her to sate some physical need. No, she could see by the almost pained, hopeful look in his eyes that he was trying to vanquish some feeling inside.

  She wanted to believe that maybe he was finally starting to feel a little bit of what she felt for him, but it was foolish to get her hopes up. He’d said some heart stopping things to her last night about how badly he needed her, the things he wanted to do to her body and some other dirty things that even now had her blushing, but had her body awakening with desire. But no words of love, no telling her they’d always be together. It was sex, she had to remind herself, phenomenal sex, but still just sex.

  When she heard someone knocking at his front door, she glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was early, just barely after six in the morning. She needed to get moving so she wouldn’t be late for class. As it was, she barely had enough time to stop at home for a change of clothes. She couldn’t help but stifle a laugh at the thought that she was glad their last time was in the shower so at least she wouldn’t reek of sex when she got to work. She heard Shane open the door. Because of the open layout of the floor below, she could hear nearly every word being spoken as it drifted up into the loft.

  “Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?”

  ***

  Shit, shit, shit. Shane felt his mother’s arms close around him as he stood there dumbly, spatula in hand. He’d been attempting an omelet and had been in mid-flip when someone had knocked on his door.

  “Shane, honey, we’ve been so worried about you,” his mom said as his father slapped him on the back in greeting. Linda Matthews reached out to pat her carefully coiffed, honey colored hair to make sure hugging her son hadn’t messed it up. Fresh looking highlights suggested she’d been to the hair salon recently. She didn’t look at all like her fifty-nine years and Shane knew she paid a lot of money to make sure that was the case. She was petite and slim, her five foot frame encased in a purple pantsuit with absurdly high heeled gold, strappy shoes. Gold jewelry glittered on almost every visible body part and he couldn’t help but wonder if the excessive jewelry physically slowed his mother down. Even with the early hour and the sun still hiding behind the horizon, she was in full makeup and had a fancy shawl draped around her shoulders.

  “Paige called us,” his father announced as he moved into the apartment and pulled off his heavy wool coat. Jonathan Matthews was wearing his typical go-to business suit and tie along with silver cuff links and the big gold watch he’d had before Shane had even been born. It was a Rolex that his father had received from his own father as a graduation gift when he followed in the family footsteps and graduated law school. Shane’s grandfather had died before he was born so he’d never met the man, but his father always talked about how they’d planned to start their own firm one day. Shane supposed that was where his father’s obsession with bringing his son into his practice had started. He’d just ended up with the wrong son since the first one refused to be forced into a life he didn’t want.

  Shane sucked in a breath when he suddenly understood what his brother had been trying to escape. Michael hadn’t wanted any of it if it meant he had to someday give up the person he was meant to
be with.

  “She told us about the engagement,” his mother said excitedly. “You should have told us you were finally going to make it official.”

  Shane couldn’t really hear either of their voices anymore as realization slammed through him. He had literally taken his brother’s place in every way, including falling in love with someone he wasn’t supposed to want. He’d known it last night as he was making love to her and she returned his every touch and kiss, long after he’d sated her and himself. It had been like his body couldn’t exist if it was disconnected from her for even a few minutes. He’d been rough at times, gentle at others. He’d made her laugh as he said naughty things to her and then had her screaming his name over and over as she begged him to give her release. Using everything in his arsenal, he’d tried to bind her further to him by owning her body, but all he’d done was give away more of his heart. He was in love with her.

  Dizziness overcame him as his predicament kicked in and he leaned back against a small table near the front door. He wanted Savannah more than anything else in his life – more than his parents, more than the drugs. But how long would that last? At what point would he give in to that craving that was always burning the back of his tongue. That need for one more taste?

  If he chose Savannah, he’d have to be willing to walk away from the only family he had left because they only wanted Shane, the soon to be lawyer and prodigal son, not Shane, the always on the edge, almost drug addict. He’d be rudderless, like Michael. He’d have Savannah, but she would be at risk everyday of losing him to the addiction that was always shimmering along the edge of his very being. She’d fight for him too, no matter what it cost her and then she’d have nothing. Even if it wasn’t his intention, he would end up taking her love and using it against her to get what he wanted.