Paying Up

by Mary Wine

  He growled at her response and thrust up into her body. She clung to his shoulders as her passage stretched and he lifted her even higher. His next thrust penetrated deeper, making her moan as pleasure shot into her womb. His movements were hard and deep. His hands held her in place for the deep penetrating thrust of his body.

  He couldn’t stop. She was too damn wet and his cock too hard to slow down. He felt the first twinge of climax nipping at his cock and slammed into her body harder. She moaned and dug her fingers into his shoulders. His next thrust was just as hard and she gasped as her pussy tried to grip his length.

  “Come for me, baby. Now.”

  She did. Her body tumbled into climax as he slammed his length up into her with a force that shook the wall behind her. Pleasure exploded in her womb as the hot spurt of his seed hit her center. Her body clamped around him and greedily tried to extract even more.

  He cussed low and hard as his brain managed to get a single thought through his skull. His climax had been so hard he was practically dizzy and grateful for the wall behind them. She lifted her head from his shoulder as his profanity hit her ears.

  “If you become pregnant…”

  “I’ll have my baby.” Her words were soft but firmly spoken. Her lips touched his with a gentle kiss as she wiggled her bottom against the hard surface behind her.

  The length still lodged inside her body twitched in response. Shane glared at her but she refused to look away. “One of my reasons for waiting was the fact that no birth control is foolproof, Shane. A woman should think long and hard about a man before she takes the chance of having his child. So save your cussing for your men, I could have gone to my cousin’s house for the night.”

  Instead she came to him. That humbled him. Her thighs wrapped around his hips made him shake his head with the pure gift she was giving him. Lifting her off his cock, he cradled her against his chest as he turned toward the stairs and her bed.

  The night seemed far too short.

  Chapter Seven

  The bed was empty. Christine shoved the comforter away and looked around her room. Shane’s gear was missing. She blinked her eyes and look at the corner where the army duffel bag had sat and found nothing but the wall staring back at her.

  Jumping to her feet, she grabbed her clothing and jerked it on. She took the stairs at a breakneck speed on bare feet and slid to a halt as she found Shane standing by the back door. He was leaning against the doorframe watching the stairs and obviously waiting for her.

  He looked so foreign to her. Head to toe he was dressed like the oversized action figure she’d first labeled him. Twin press marks went down his chest and his belt was buckled over his fatigue pants. His pistol was resting against his thigh. She searched his face for any hint of the man who had been her lover. His lips twitched up just slightly in response as he stood up and stepped forward.

  His hands cupped her head, holding it in place. His mouth took a sip from her lips before slipping over their surface and parting them. He turned her head as his lips coaxed her to open her mouth for him. The tip of his tongue slipped in to join hers as she yielded and took the hot taste he offered her. Her hand lifted to his shoulders and smoothed over the fabric of his shirt. The green and brown camouflage garment seemed so foreign to hands that had spent an endless day free to roam over his skin.

  She sighed as he lifted his head and ran his hands down her neck. Goose bumps rose all over her skin making her smile. Shane lifted one of her hands and gently bit the skin on the underside of her wrist. A little purr of delight came from her as another, deeper shiver traveled over her body. The sharp pressed lines running down his crisp shirt made her push her lip into a pout.

  “I want to tell you something.” His hand cupped the side of her head again. His eyes were somber as they looked into hers. “I want you to remember this one thing, honey. I love you.”

  Christina felt the blood drain from her face. The words weren’t said in a joyful voice. Instead, his face had taken on its military mask of blankness as his voice became the steady firm commanding one she remembered too well.

  “I don’t live here, Christina. Not here in this world with you. It’s time for me to go back.”

  He wasn’t coming back to see her either! She saw it written in his eyes. The mask on his face was impenetrable. Not even the hint of an emotion rippled across it.

  “Shane…”

  His thumb closed her jaw. Her teeth snapped together as he held her jaw shut and her eyes locked with his. It was another one of those holds that just drove home how deadly he could be. His thumb applied just a small amount of pressure to an area that seemed completely vulnerable and she had never known it was.

  “Remember that I loved you enough to walk away from you, honey.”

  Her head was suddenly free as he lifted one hand in his. There was a small click before he released her completely and turned toward the door. He grasped his duffel bag and was out the door in the same second he’d opened it. She surged forward to follow him but was jerked to a halt by her wrist. Looking behind her she saw the shine of a handcuff around her wrist. It bound her to the checkout counter as the door shut with a slam that shattered her heart.

  He was leaving her.

  It felt like half of her body was being torn away. Pain coursed through a body that only seconds earlier had rejoiced under his touch. His scent still clung to her skin, the taste of his kiss still lingering on her lips. She felt like screaming as she frantically jerked on the handcuffs. The metal bracelet cut into her wrist as an engine turned over and she listened to the Hummer drive away.

  Shane wouldn’t look back. She knew it in the center of her heart. He was a man who stuck to his decisions no matter the cost. But he had never lied to her.

  Christina collapsed against the counter as her eyes refused to contain the tears that slipped down her cheeks. Shane had been painfully honest with her. He didn’t live in her world and he had never intended to stay.

  She wiped her tears away and straightened her back. Shane hadn’t treated her like a child and she certainly wasn’t going to stand there acting like one! Her parents were going to walk through the door in ten minutes and she didn’t need them to witness her breakdown.

  Her eyes looked at her wrist and tried to figure out how to get unhitched from the counter. It was a solid connection. Shane had cuffed the metal railing with one side of the manacles and the other was secure around her wrist. No cheap imitation handcuffs either, they looked like heavy-duty ones. Even the links between the cuffs were large and double-welded.

  Great.

  Her eyes moved over the counter looking for help in any form. A small brown box sat just within her reach, opposite the door. Reaching for it she pulled it across the counter to look at its lid. Her name was written on the top and it was simply tucked into itself.

  Well, of course he’d made it easy to open. He’d planned to handcuff her to the counter. She lifted the lid. A small silver key lay over a single piece of paper. Lifting the key she fit it into the lock and ended her imprisonment. The note was curled from the weight of the key but she didn’t have to lift it in order to read it.

  “And if you love me enough, follow me.”

  The message didn’t make any sense. She pulled it out of the box to look closer. She froze at what she found. In the bottom of the cardboard box was a small velvet jewelry box.

  Her fingers shook as she picked it up. The soft velvet tickled her palm as she opened the lid. The white brilliance of a diamond flashed at her as she revealed a single stone, solitaire engagement ring. The stone had to be over two carats and was cut in a marquise-shape. A tiny note was taped under the ring.

  Sunday 1400 hrs.

  It’s a one way trip, honey.

  That was less than a week away! Oh God, it was almost forever! She pulled the ring from its velvet and pushed it down her finger. It fit her perfectly, making her smile. Shane certainly was a man who got the details right.

  The front
door suddenly swung in as her mother bustled into the room.

  “There you are! Christina! Why didn’t you tell me? Honestly! There is so much to do! One week? Who plans a wedding in one week?”

  “Stop fussing at the girl, Terry. One week is plenty! Shane’s a military man, he hasn’t got time for nonsense. There’s only one church in town and they already booked it. Go get the girl a dress and order some flowers. I’m sure Mick can handle the drinks.”

  Her mother ran off to the stairs as she continued to lament the lack of time. Her father stopped and pointed to his cheek. Christina gave him his kiss as she curled her fingers around her engagement ring.

  One week was horribly too long!

  * * * * *

  Little girls fantasized about the wrong things. Christina stood in the open door that lead to the sanctuary of Benton’s church and stared at the man waiting for her. Yes, little girls dreamed about their wedding dress and the flowers and the dresses they would insist their girlfriends wore.

  What was really worth dreaming about was the man standing at the front of the aisle. Shane Jacobs wore his dress uniform. A smile covered her face as she realized that was exactly the most perfect thing he could ever wear. It defined him, almost looked like a refection of his soul.

  Her dad looked ready to burst as he took her toward the man he fully approved of. Roshelle stood waiting to witness the wedding that would unite not only a couple in wedlock but a pair of friends separated by adulthood. Roshelle’s new husband, Jared Campbell, stood behind Shane as her father handed her over.

  The words spoken weren’t really needed, the man standing there with her said everything she needed to know with his eyes. The message went straight to her heart and settled there.

  Turning around she looked at the church. The faces that stared back at her were ones that most of Benton had rarely laid eyes on. Sheriff Campbell stood with a green-eyed woman that few knew was his wife. There were more uniforms in the pews than not. Rourke Campbell stood with his brother and winked at her.

  It was a family. Their habits might be different but they were all bound by the common thread of love. Life could be carried out in so many different ways, right there civilian and military stood together for a single moment of life-changing action. A one-way trip? If she was lucky, Shane would keep that promise and never let her go.

  The second the minister finished, Shane bent her over his arm to the delight of the men in the chapel. He winked at her as he took off down the aisle at a near run. Christina ran after her husband as his men leaned over the pews to swat her bottom.

  She picked her feet up faster and doubled her pace. After all, life was too short to be slow!