Leaning forward, she touched her lips to his and as she eased back, his eyes opened to slivers. “Did you just kiss me?” he mumbled.
“Can you look at something for me?” she asked. “Tell me if it means anything to you.”
He licked his lips and his eyes closed again. “If this is a dream,” he murmured. “It never stops at looking.”
Making her laugh now was quite an achievement, the man was barely conscious. “Please, Boo, just look for one second and I’ll leave you alone again.”
“Then I’m definitely not looking, ‘cause I want you to stay.” He was funnier when he was sleepy. Running her fingers through his hair, she took a breath and rested her face against his perpendicular cheek. He hummed out pleasure. “Good dream.”
Talking him into this wasn’t working, so she took a different tack. Twisting around, Ginger turned his hand over, palm-up, and put one of the rings in his hand. Curling his fingers around it, she looked back to try to read his features as they moved in time with his fondling of the object.
“What is that?” he murmured and bent his arm to open his palm beneath his nose. Shane blinked at the too close object and pulled his head back. She was biting her lip and tugging on a tendril of hair when he finally focused and in that instant, he became fully awake. “What the fuck?” He shouted the words as he leaped into a seated position.
Ginger reared up high on her knees to push her fingers to his lips. “Shh!” she said. “It’s late, everyone’s asleep.”
“Where the fuck did you get this?” he demanded.
All traces of sleep were gone, Shane was furious and confused, just like she’d been. “Do you know what it is?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said. Holding it between his thumb and forefinger, he scrutinized the stone then blinked his angry eyes to hers. “It’s your fucking engagement ring.” And that was it. Sinking down to sit on her feet, Ginger didn’t know if she should be relieved or devastated as all emotion drained out of her. “Where did you find this? Your wedding ring should’ve been—” With a sigh, she held it up, though the rest of her body was too heavy to move. She’d first shown him the ring without the inscription on purpose, now that he’d identified it, she didn’t need to conceal the second ring. “Fuck, Bit, where the fuck…?”
He snatched the wedding ring from her too and she balled her empty fists. Well she was free of the jewelry, but not free of the demons. “You were right,” she mumbled.
“What? Gin, where did you find them?”
Her head fell back because she was too weak hold it up. “In Calvin’s drawer,” she murmured. Shane began to rise with fury burning through him, lighting his eyes and hardening his form. But she shook her head and clambered up to clasp his shoulders to keep him seated. “No, you are not going through there now. He’s asleep. More importantly, Cam is asleep. Do you want to wake him up with shouting? You’ll scare him.”
Although Ginger could see the tick in Shane’s jaw and the tightness radiating in his body, he didn’t fight her and instead bared his teeth to growl. “Ginger…”
“I know,” she whispered, stroking his bare shoulders. “I know, baby. I’m sorry. You were right. I’m sorry.” Still stroking, she pushed him back into bed. “Lie down, just be calm, ok?” Climbing over him, she got onto the bed beside him and guided his arm around her as she coiled herself against him. This was instinct, she couldn’t think of what else would make her act this way. “There. Doesn’t that feel better?” Whispering the words against him, Ginger stroked a soothing hand up and down his sternum. She moistened her lips. “Easy, Boo. It’s good. We’re good.”
He began to relax and the weight of his arm was reassuring when it eventually rested around her. “The fucker knew, the whole fucking time.”
She was pleased that Cam wasn’t here to hear his father’s language or witness his rage. But she understood Shane’s reaction and couldn’t judge him for it. “I guess he did,” she said. Pain and embarrassment made her eyes close. She’d believed Calvin loved her, she’d believed that he wanted to be with her forever. Ginger had risked everything in her past to be with a man who’d manipulated her every single day. Coming to terms with that wouldn’t be an easy process. “How did the meeting go?”
“Meeting?”
“With Julianna?”
“Seriously?” he hissed. “I don’t give a fuck about that.”
“Maybe not,” she said, lifting her body so she could make eye contact. It felt important to be looking him in the eye, like it might help with calming him down. “But I give a fuck, I’m asking, so tell me.”
Her command surprised him, but it surprised her too, still, she wasn’t backing down even though her heart was beginning to race. “It went fine,” he sighed. “She’s full of herself, loves money, but figures speak to her. We have negotiations planned at the lodge tomorrow, she’s leaving the following day.”
“Ok,” Ginger said, laying her cheek on his chest. When he began to stroke her arm, she lost her train of thought and wriggled out from under his arm to lie on her back separate from him so she could think. “We can’t say anything to Calvin while she’s here. If I tell him that…”
“Tell him that, what? He’s a lying fuck who’s going to spend the next few years in jail?”
Rolling to her side, Ginger wasn’t surprised to see Shane scowling again. “He didn’t break any laws… did he? I wasn’t locked up in a tower… I have to talk to him. To find out what he was thinking and—”
“No,” Shane said, flipping over to glower at her. “You’re not going near him. You’re going to—”
She put a hand on his chest. “We’re going to play this smart,” she said. “We don’t let on that we know anything, to anyone, until Julianna is on a plane.”
“But why wo—”
“Because I don’t trust him not to screw up the deal,” she said, making it as plain as she could. “Calvin will make a scene or say something inappropriate. He understands business, he values it, so he’ll think the easiest way to hurt you is to hurt the business.”
Shane wasn’t swayed, but he was too angry to understand sense. “I don’t give a damn about the deal or the business. I—”
“Do you want to give him the satisfaction,” Ginger asked, sliding her hand up to his throat so she could touch the groove she’d once thought about kissing. “I don’t want complications and I don’t want anything to hurt Cameron. So we deal with one thing at a time. You charm Julianna, get the deal done, and then we’ll… deal with Calvin.”
“You’re not marrying him.”
Ginger scoffed and flopped to her back. “No kidding,” she said, covering her eyes with a hand. “God, how did we end up here? How could I have been so blind? I let that man near my baby.”
Soothing her seemed to center him somewhat. “You’re ok now,” Shane said, sidling up to her side, the weight of his hand on her belly was reassuring. “You know the truth. You found out before there was any permanent damage.”
Dropping the hand from her eyes, she saw him looming above her. “We don’t know that yet,” she whispered and touched his lips.
“Cam is fine,” Shane said, grasping her wrist to kiss each of her fingertips.
“And you?” she asked, seeing that love emanating from him again. “God, Boo, what did I do to you?”
His head tilted and he smiled. “That sounded like… for a minute there you were… her.”
Ginger knew that she had to be clear with him about what their reality was, despite this revelation. “I’m not her, I can’t… I can’t remember our life together,” she said. “But I see what you’ve done for me. That you were right all along and I was… bull-headed.”
“Just like my Ginny,” he said and dipped to kiss her forehead. “Are you going to sleep there?”
Was that hope in his voice? “No,” she said and his body loosened in disappointment. Ginger was so tired of letting him down. Pushing him onto his back, she returned to her previous place, pressed
against him with her head on his chest. “I’m going to sleep here… unless you object.”
Shane laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Doesn’t sound like me, does it?” Stretching to turn off the light, he returned to his place and held her tight. “Good dream.”
At least he’d relaxed and didn’t want to beat on anyone anymore. Her eyes were closed by the time she had a thought she probably should’ve had before. “Boo?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you naked right now?”
The mischievous smile on his lips was audible in his tone. “Yep… Want me to put something on?”
She should say yes, she was the girl who’d blushed at anything close to sex talk and now she was in bed with a virile, naked man who’d claimed to want her more than once. But after processing the possibilities and realizing what her gut was feeling, she smiled. “No… I don’t.”
Shane kissed her head again and fumbled with her hand, she wasn’t sure what he was doing until she felt him slide the two warm metal bands around her ring finger. He’d just put her rings back on. Ginger would have to take them off before they left this room, but if it made Shane feel better to put them there, she wasn’t going to object. If nothing else, it felt nice to cleanse her hand of Calvin’s ring and she needed this… normalcy.
17
Shane didn’t know what time it was when he woke up. There was light coming through the crack at the edge of the roller blind over his window, not much, but enough that he could figure out that it was morning.
When he yawned and tried to lift his arm to rub his face, he found it pinned by a body. That was when he recalled Ginny coming to his room.
After his fury flared through him again, he remembered her crawling up against him and pressing herself into him. That memory was enough to erase everything negative from his thoughts. His wife had shared his bed with him again. She’d chosen to share his bed with him.
Lifting his head off the pillow, Shane expected to see his wife and he did. Ginger was there, curled on her side, on top of his outstretched arm.
But she wasn’t the only one.
Cam was in the space left between Ginger’s curled body and Shane’s straight one. His son’s little mouth was open, and his eyes blinked at the ceiling like he’d woken in unison with his father. Rocky was on the bed too, stretched out behind Ginger.
Shane decided he’d have to get a bigger bed.
As he exhaled a whisper of a laugh, Shane slapped his free hand on his cheek. Had he really gone to sleep alone, missing his son, desperate for a glimpse of his wife?
He’d literally gone to sleep with nothing and woken up with only a small fragment of the bed beneath him, but he didn’t care that the littlest member of the Warren clan was kicking him to try to claim more space.
This was the dream, Shane’s ultimate fantasy, except he was definitely awake. This was his reality.
Cam rolled over to his front and Ginger whimpered. “Boo,” she exhaled.
“I’ve got him,” Shane said, steadying Cam as he rose onto all fours and then sat up between mother and father.
“No,” Ginger said and opened her eyes a sliver. “I can do it.”
Cam’s presence proved that Ginger must have gotten up in the night. That made this morning all the more special because it meant his wife had gotten up and had the chance to leave him. Instead she’d returned and brought their son with her. “You’re too beautiful to wake up.” And he didn’t want to lose this moment.
Ginger smiled and curled tighter, clasping her hands beneath her chin. “I’m not beautiful when I’m awake?”
God, what was she doing to him? He fell in love with her all over again. Though the moment was shattered when Cam punched her arm. “Ma! Mama!”
“Yo, buddy,” Shane said, flipping onto his side to prod Cam’s belly. “Pick on someone your own size.”
“It’s ok,” she said and straightened her legs in a stretch.
Ginger’s toes touched his shin. Shane glanced down to see that her legs were beneath the sheet he was using while Cam was on top of the sheet with his own smaller blanket. Although her eyes were closed, Ginger knew what she was doing by making contact with him. Shane could read that sly little smile on her lips when she wiggled her foot between his shins to slide her leg up between his as her other curled over the top.
Cam was still on the bed between them, playing with his mother’s hair that slid from her elbow down to her breast that was teetering on the edge of sliding free from her satin slip. Could he be aroused by the sight and feel of his wife when his son was in the same bed? Shane wasn’t sure on the rules.
“Dada!” Cam called.
Snapping out of his selfish desire, he looked at his son. “Yes, buddy, you hungry?”
“Num!” Cam said and threw himself forward. Wriggling up, Cam pushed his face between Ginger’s breasts.
“That better be Cameron.” Ginger grinned and Shane combed his fingers into her hair to move it over her back. It was so long, and silky, and it felt amazing. Mesmerized again, he almost didn’t notice his son squeezing his hand into his mom’s top.
“Mama!”
Cam was trying his best to get his mouth to the right place. Shane understood the struggle. “No, Angel,” Ginger said, easing Cam back and sliding his hand away from her breast. She tried to roll to her back, but Rocky was in the way.
Shane leaned over her to give the dog a shove. “You shouldn’t be up here. Down, boy,” Shane said.
Ginger went onto her back and stretched again. Cam climbed on top of her and grabbed both boobs this time. “Gentle,” she said, but Cam fell face first into her cleavage.
“Mama! Num.”
“No,” she said, using her mommy voice. “Daddy doesn’t want to see that.”
Her feeding his son? Was there anything more natural? If the accident hadn’t happened, he’d have seen it already, it would be a common sight for him. “Actually,” Shane said, watching his son roll about on his wife. “Daddy would be honored.”
Her eyes popped open, showing her surprise. “Really? You’d let me feed him? Here? In your bed? It wouldn’t gross you out?”
“Hell no. Why would it?” he asked.
“Well, I…” she said, pushing up to a slouching sit. “Calvin never liked to see it… In fact, he was completely against the idea of me feeding Cam myself… I had to really fight for him to let me do it.”
Why wouldn’t someone want what was best for anyone’s child? If she’d chosen not to do it, fine. If she’d had issues and been unable to nurse, he’d have supported her. But if it was her choice to feed their baby the natural way, why should anyone object?
Just when Shane thought Bishop couldn’t slide any further down in his estimation, he outdid himself. There was enough drama on the horizon and Ginger was all too aware of how he felt about Calvin.
So instead of adding to the aggro, Shane bowed and kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear, “I’m not Calvin Bishop.”
“Da!” Cam hollered and punched his shoulder. “No! Dadeee!” Pushing his father away, Cam was wearing the cutest intense frown when Shane eased back.
“What? We can’t share mommy?” Shane asked.
With wide arms, Cam pressed himself to Ginger and babbled. “Ca, mama!”
Ginger was laughing but Shane was in shock, he’d just been cock-blocked by his own son. “What?” Shane asked.
“Aww,” Ginger said, ruffling Cam’s hair. “I love you too, Angel. He’s only doing what you told him to do, Daddy. He’s protecting me from your dishonorable intentions.”
The urge to carry on with the banter left him when Ginger shifted to sit up straighter and stole his pillow to put it on her pulled up knees. Turning Cam to his side like a pro, Ginger bent to kiss their son’s plump cheek and then like it was no big deal, she slid down the strap of her slip and exposed her breast. Right there in front of him, without any modesty. Scooping a hand around Cam’s head, she guided him in, but his boy knew whe
re he was going and latched on like a pro.
Her smile was so warm and loving as she gazed down at their feeding son. With her other hand, Ginger stroked Cam’s face and when the baby fumbled for her hand, she gave him her thumb. “There, my love,” she whispered. “Mommy’s angel… so handsome.”
That soft mommy voice split Shane in two and poured fire into his soul, he’d never felt so… primal before. This was his woman and his son, vulnerable, together, and they needed him.
Words burst out of him. “Marry me,” he said.
Ginger’s attention rose and she whispered out a laugh before holding up her hand to show him her rings. “We’re already married, Shay.”
God, she was still wearing them, and this was actually real… Maybe he’d slipped into a coma in the night and this was all a delusion. Except… it wasn’t… he pinched himself to check.
“I know, but…” Clambering closer, Shane didn’t know what he wanted, he just wanted to be near. Cam was slurping and gulping, and he reached over to touch him, but hesitated.
“It’s ok,” Ginger said. With Cam’s hand still attached to hers, she managed to use her fingers to guide Shane’s hand to Cam’s face.
“It’s amazing,” Shane said, he didn’t know why watching his son enjoy his breakfast was so incredible, but it was. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
It wasn’t such a big deal to Ginger, she really was a veteran. “He shouldn’t really be getting this,” she said. “I’m supposed to be weaning him off.”
“Why?” Shane asked wishing he could see this every morning.
“He can drink regular milk when he’s one and the breast becomes a comfort.”
“I get that,” he said, transfixed by this natural sight.
Cam let go of his mother to push Shane’s hand away, except that pressed his father’s knuckles into the cushion of Ginger’s breast. He shouldn’t touch her there, but Cam’s hand stayed on his and Shane didn’t want to disturb breakfast, so he froze.
Ginger laughed again. “Boo, are you blushing?”
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