by Sara Hess
She blinked rapidly, eyes swimming with emotional, hazy tears. When I’d learned Shaw never had a genuine birthday party I’d made it my mission to make certain her next birthday was amazing. And the first part of her amazing birthday, while ten days early, was a surprise party.
Wrapping my arms around her I smiled down at her with all the love I had for her…which seemed unlimited and consuming. It dumbfounded me how intense my feelings for her were. How much they continued to develop over the months.
Whatever she or I might have said further was cut off because a screaming horde of females descended pushing me to the side. My smile widened witnessing Shaw’s expression of teary-eyed delight as she was engulfed in affectionate hugs and squeals of glee. Seeing her happiness…even though it wasn’t my birthday…it was the best present I could have gotten.
Soon the engines started and the captain was taking us out to open waters, and the caterer’s were setting up tables full of appetizers. During the next few hours we ate some delicious food, drank a large quantity of alcohol, and on the upper deck a gambling area was set up for everyone’s amusement. Dan had arranged it to where anyone could bet what they wanted; from quarters to hundreds.
Shaw was having a really good time hanging with everyone while only betting quarters on all the games. I knew that was all she would bet so I made sure to set her up with a large bowl of quarters. It was two hundred dollars worth of coins that she didn’t argue about taking since I shared it with her.
After a while Shaw’s gifts were brought out and she received numerous gift cards for electronic stores, department stores, and several pieces of jewelry. I got her an emerald bracelet to match the earrings I’d gotten her months ago, that matched the lucky necklace David had gotten her, as well as a new laptop, phone, and more RAM for her PC.
Shaw gave me a glassy glare because of the expense of it all. She didn’t yet know that Dan, mom, Nic, Landon and I had gotten her a new car that we were going to explain away as a company car since she was working for all of us.
Dan and I had convinced Shaw to come in once a week to scan the company’s computer system for irregularities. We had her doing this for two reasons; it needed to be done, and I loved having that extra time with her. I only wished she could drop by more. She’d tried refusing the pay at first but Dan and I were having none of that.
Nic had finally located a building for his company and would soon be closing on it, and Shaw had decided to take the job he was offering. She was officially graduating this spring but planned to take a few additional courses in graphic design to assist Landon in the computer aspect his art. She was already doing a lot of projects for Nic that he was paying her for, and because of that she’d sold her Deceivers.com business to her photographer, Tori, for the low price of two hundred dollars.
I’d been extremely happy about that because I really hadn’t liked her involved in that shit. There was always the possibility of some disgruntled prick retaliating, and it wasn’t helping her cynical view of relationships, and the last thing I wanted was her thinking that our relationship wasn’t going to work.
“Hey Mamacita, I’ve got one more gift for you.” Trey strode over and the lusty smirk on his face had me tensing in irritation and possessiveness.
“It better be something that doesn’t require you touching her, shi…excrement-head.” I quickly amended my swear word because Izzy, Nadia’s twelve year old sister, and Nola, Maya’s little girl were sitting directly across from me stuffing their cute little faces with cake.
A few snorts resounded around the room. Izzy giggled.
“Evan, that’s not all that better than what you were about to say.” Maya rolled her eyes trying to hold back a grin.
An amused leer pulled up Trey’s mouth. “I’ve already touched her, gringo. Did you miss the big cuddle I gave her earlier?”
“No, I didn’t miss it, and you’re lucky you still have arms.” I snipped.
Each of the Cruz brother’s had given her a celebratory hug and I’d had to fist my hands so as not to drag them away from her. I knew they were harmless but I didn’t like to see other guys hugging her; especially guys with a look of appreciation in their eyes.
Maintaining his smirk, Trey flexed his substantial arms in his short sleeved shirt. Yeah, they were slightly bigger than mine, but I’d still remove them if they came near Shaw with sexual intent.
“Shaw, you going to let your boy toy speak for you?” Trey arched his brow at her.
She simpered back. “Either those steroids or gas fumes are messing with your eyesight, Curly.” Ha…a Three Stooges reference. “You must have missed my puppet master action at his back.” Shaw hand moved to my back and began to imitate talking. “My girlfriend is my precious and only the most special of hands are allowed near her.”
Shaw’s ‘my precious’ came out sounding Gollum’ish and she received several laughs from that as well as her acerbic performance.
Trey shook his head with an admiring grin. “Mami, the things we could have had together.”
My jaw ticked at his Spanish word for ‘baby’. The guy loved pushing my buttons…at least that’s what he better be doing. Ever since Shaw’s kidnapping they’d been treating her like they did Maya; sisterly with a touch of lewdness. It was only a smidgeon better than before.
“Homicide and extenuating circumstances.” Shaw quipped merrily.
Trey, as well as everyone else, cackled, and my jaw unclenched.
“That Bobbitt lady got away with it.” David added and got a high five from Shaw, as well as cheers from the other women in the room. That female seemed to be inspiration for women world wide.
“Quit playing with him, Red. It will only encourage him.” I tugged Shaw closer to me, only partially kidding.
Shaw tilted her head onto my shoulder with a happy laugh and all my jealous tension seeped out of me.
Something flickered in and out of Trey’s eyes so quickly I wondered if I’d seen it and what it might denote. His smile remained amused however as he held out a plastic card. “I know Juan already gave Evan a free pass to all our races, but I wanted to give one of mine to you, chica. I didn’t want you to think you needed Evan to come. In fact, I highly support girl’s day out at the track.” He waggled his brows. “Call ahead and I’ll get all you in for free.” He looked around the room at the other girls.
Yeah, that was never going to happen.
Shaw reached out and accepted the pass with a sober expression. “Wow. Are you sure you want to give me one of your free passes? Don’t you only have a certain amount you can give out?”
He shrugged, the muscles of his face going slightly tight. “We don’t have many family members…that we want to claim at least, so yeah, I’m sure.”
Shaw’s head tilted and I knew we were both pondering that statement, but she didn’t dig. “Well thank you.” Before I could stop her she rose and gave Trey an awkward hug…he gave me an evil smirk over her shoulder as she did. When she sat back down I tucked her back into me with a smirk of my own. “Surprisingly, I’ve really enjoyed watching cars go around in circles over and over and over again.” She snickered as the three brothers scowled at that.
“That pass can be confiscated right after we douse you with motor oil, chula.” Juan threatened with a growl.
I was going to have to have a serious discussion with the guys about all the endearments they were using on her.
“Ohhh, so scary.” Shaw gave a mock shiver but slipped the pass into her back pocket. “But hey, if you ever need more of these and they can’t give them to you just let me know and I can get more made up for you.”
The brother’s looked at her in confusion and skepticism. I backed her up with a proud nod of my own, squeezing her waist. “Don’t doubt for a minute she couldn’t. She’s got mad skills.” Shaw gave me a loving smile that had everything in me warming.
Another flicker of something came and went in Trey’s eyes. “Lucky sands of beaches.” He grumped pg-style wi
th a shake of his head.
“Mr. McKay.” A crewman stepped into the room. “The fishing equipment is set up if anyone is interested.”
“Hot shi…p!” Noah improvised with an excited yell. “The guy who catches the biggest fish or mammal gets bragging rights for life.”
“Or female.” Nadia corrected.
“I want to catch a fish too, Mommy.” Nola jumped up eagerly.
In the next minute more than half the room had moved to the stern of the yacht. Shaw and I ambled after them but then she suddenly pulled me off to the side.
She backed me up against a railing pressing herself up against me. “I’m mad at you for all the money you spent on me, so I’ve decided to take a page from Carrie’s book and start saving for a really spectacular gift for your birthday that will make you mad and completely blow you away.”
I pulled her flush against me; bringing her legs between mine so that we were meshed hip to breast. “I don’t get mad, I get even.” She rolled her eyes as I smirked wickedly. My fingers slipped into her back pockets, teasing her ass. “Are you having fun?”
“Yes.” Shaw slipped her arms around my waist, kissing my collarbone. “I can’t believe you did all this…without me finding out. Where the heck was I?” She huffed out a laugh.
I knew what she really meant was ‘I can’t believe you did this for me’. “You know my manliness engrosses most of your thoughts so it wasn’t that hard.” My lips teased her neck, making her squirm, before moving up to her ear. “I would do anything for you, Red. My love for you is like the energizer bunny; it keeps going and going and going.” She giggled breathlessly and arched into me when I nipped her ear. “I was going to wait until tonight to show you something, but…” I set her slightly away from me so I could pull my shirt over my head, letting it hang slightly off my right shoulder.
Shaw licked her lips keenly and chuckled. “Evan, I’ve seen your chest…” Her words cut off and she frowned in concern at the sight of the bandage on my left pec. “What the heck happened? Did you hurt yourself?”
Without answering I peeled the bandage partially off my chest revealing what was underneath. Shaw sucked in a shocked breath and her gaze seemed glued to the new ink I’d gotten added to my existing tattoo this morning…by special appointment…while she was still sleeping in the hotel room.
Shaw’s hand shakily reached out to outline her name interwoven into the art, stretching from mid-torso to my side. She looked up at me, green eyes dark and teary.
“I can’t believe you did this. What if we don’t…”
Bending down I stopped those words with a hard kiss. When I pulled back I growled, “Only some extinction level event could tear us apart, and if by some fluke that did happen I would always want something of you with me. You’ve marked my heart and soul so it’s only right my body show that mark as well.”
A deep, shaky sigh escaped her and she traced a finger under her name. “Your name is tattooed on my heart and soul too.” Tilting down she kissed the center of my chest. “I just didn’t have the balls to let everyone see it. There’s still this part of me that’s terrified you won’t stay, that I won’t be able to keep you.”
I’d started to grin at the ‘balls’ reference but it vanished as she continued.
Shaw’s finger rose to stroke under my lower lip. “But that part of me diminishes each day with the love you shower me with. Soon I’ll have the balls to tattoo your name on my boob.” Her lip twisted at the joking declaration, but her eyes expressed everything in her heart.
My girl was finally starting to comprehend I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Everything of mine is yours…even my balls, so if you need to borrow them.” I teased.
She rolled her eyes and hugged me. “You’re so full of it.”
“You’d love to be full of me.” I grabbed her ass and jerked her hips to mine. “With great penis comes great responsibility, and I take that seriously.”
Catching my lower lip Shaw tugged on it while grinding ardently against me. I groaned, my dick pulsing out some pre-cum.
“I’ll never be able to watch Spiderman with a straight face any more. Peter Parker just became a whole new connotation.”
I chuckled hoarsely, nipping at her lips while slipping my leg in between hers. “We can make our own porno; I’ll be Spiderman and you can be Mary Jane, and I’ll tie you up with my webbing and do all sorts of sinful things to you.”
“Spiderman is supposed to be the hero.” Shaw’s fingers twisted in my hair as she rode my leg.
We needed to find one of the bedrooms, pronto.
“All superheros have a little badassness in them, or they’d be too pansy-assed to be interesting.” Lifting her up by her ass I headed for the closest bedroom.
Shaw wrapped her legs around me. “I’ll make curtain to check off Spiderman underwear for one of your birthday presents, because you make the perfect superhero.” She tilted back to grin at me, her face flushed with passion and soft with love.
I leaned forward to kiss her tenderly, even though lust rode me hard. “I’ll make sure to get you some Cat-woman underwear, because you’d kick my ass as an even better superhero.”
She scoffed. “Please…Cat-woman. You guys are such costume whores. I’m more Black Widow from the Avengers or Phoenix from the X-Men. Now those are some kick-ass female superheroes.”
My dick throbbed with my laughter as I carried her below deck. My habit needing feeding and I was going to glut myself.
Greg’s story will be next. It will somewhat overlap with Evan’s story.