“I’ve missed you all weekend, actually.” I imagined pressing my body up against Shane’s long, muscular frame, and I ached for something I might never get a taste of if I didn’t dare myself to love. And I wanted to love.
He stopped walking and brought me into him. “Dakota, are you starting to open up to me?”
“I think I am.” I grinned as his arms circled my waist and he brought me closer.
“Well, I could really get used to it.” His gorgeous smile sent a wave of emotions through me, and I couldn’t help myself.
“Are you still hungry?” I asked.
“For you.” His lips hovered over mine. “But not much else.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Should we go inside?” I asked, taking a step back.
“The neighbors might appreciate it if we did.” His laughter sent a thrill through me like I’d never experienced from any man.
Ever.
“Well, there is one weirdo across the way I’m not sure about.” I grinned.
“We’ll be sure to leave the curtains open just for him then,” he teased.
“Yes, let’s.” As I turned to walk toward the house, he took my hand in his.
I stopped as he brought my palm to his lips and softly kissed the tender spot leading to my wrist. My breath caught as he took a step forward and cupped my face in both his hands and kissed me. The kisses were soft and yielding as my lips parted, silently begging for more with whispers from my heart.
As my body weakened from desire, I leaned into him for support but all that did was make me want him more.
The way his kisses deepened with each passing second made the wait nearly painful as I thought about feeling his warmth against me. About getting inside and letting him see me. All of me.
Shane swiped his lips back and forth, teasing me as if he knew how much I craved him.
“Let’s go inside,” I whispered between kisses, and he let out a deep growl of acceptance, but he wouldn’t let go.
Instead, he slid his arm along my body and picked me up, carrying me up the steps to my front door, still kissing me as we went. When we reached the door, I let out a giggle, realizing the door was locked, and my purse had somehow slipped out of my hand and onto the sidewalk.
Without missing a beat, he carried me back down the steps to where my purse was and managed to kneel without dropping me or the purse as he snagged it with one quick hand.
“You could have put me down, you know,” I said, never wanting him to let me go.
“It would lose something if I did.” He slid another kiss along my lips as I dug into my purse and found the key. I fumbled with the key but managed to unlock the door in a matter of seconds.
“This is so sexy,” I whispered.
“And we haven’t even gotten to the foreplay,” he teased.
“I’m not sure I’ll survive.”
“Which part?” he asked, his mouth tracing mine.
“All of it.”
I dropped my purse to the floor, and he kicked the door shut behind us.
“I’ll take care of you, Dakota. If you’ll let me.”
My eyelids fluttered open and his gaze met mine.
I went to answer, but all I could do was nod as he carried me into my bedroom.
The electricity running through us was nearly painful. I wanted to experience everything about this man that I could. I wanted to be his.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I first met you.” His lip turned up at the corner as his eyes steadied on mine.
“Even when you thought I was sleeping with your sister’s husband?” I teased and his twinkled with mischief.
“Even before then,” he confessed, bringing his lips back down to mine.
Shane’s kisses became deep and hot with every moment that flew between us. His hands sliding along my bare legs sent a divine chill through me. He slowly laid me on the bed, leaning over me as he traced his fingers along my chin, bringing my gaze back to his.
“Nothing prepared me for how beautiful you are lying here.” His voice lowered. “How you smile every time I touch you. How you concentrate so hard on not letting yourself fully enjoy this.” He pointed between us and my chest tightened.
Even when I thought I was letting go, I wasn’t.
Shane’s body caged me in and for the first time in a very long time, I felt safe and protected. Like it was okay if I let myself be free.
I wanted to surrender myself to him.
Shane brought his mouth down to my neck and ran his lips along my bare skin along my collarbone before coming back to my mouth and kissing me in an urgent way.
I slid my hands under his shirt, feeling lean muscle under my fingertips as my hands worked along his waist.
He caught my hands in his and pulled them away. “Not so fast, Dakota. I’m taking it over from here.” He kissed me before I could reply, and all my worries slipped away as his tongue swept along my mouth as I parted my lips.
Every part of me was on fire with need, but the need wasn’t purely physical with Shane. I wanted so much more. I craved so much more for the first time in a very long time.
He broke away from kissing me and moved his arms under me, unbuttoning my dress with ease as I giggled.
“Done this before?” I teased and he put his finger to my mouth.
“Don’t diminish this, Dakota. I won’t let you.” He moved his hands down my dress and worked the fabric over my head leaving me completely exposed in my lavender underwear and bra, but without another second going by, he dipped down and began running his mouth along my exposed belly, sending a wave of chills over me as my mind and body craved more. “You’re so gorgeous. So perfect, Dakota.” Shane tilted his head and his eyes connected with mine as a smile touched my lips, and he moved slowly down my stomach.
I drew a deep breath as his fingers expertly traced my underwear and slowly moved the lace down my legs, his breath skating along my thighs as my body tensed with anticipation. His tongue slipped into my curves and my body responded with an explosion of fireworks in every cell as I let out a little moan, my fingers twirling through his hair as he brought me to climax. My entire world felt like it was spinning into another orbit as I felt Shane’s hands gliding along my body as sounds escaped my lips before he brought his mouth back down to mine.
Shane was claiming me with his mouth, his kisses defending what he deemed his, and all I wanted was more. More of him. More of a world where he was in it. More of a life with him.
He unfastened my bra with one hand as I worked on unbuttoning his shirt, which he quickly shook to the floor before he unfastened his jeans and I pulled them down.
Seeing his nearly naked body redirected my mind to what more was in store. I tugged on his boxers and his lips curled into a warm smile as I took him in, unable to believe how beautiful of a man I had nearly on top of me.
“What’s that smile for?” he whispered, combing a piece of my hair from my face.
“You’re gorgeous and so…” My hand caressed his chest. “Strong.”
His smile only widened as his mouth found mine once again before he began exploring every inch of me, making my body tremble with want and longing as he teased and taunted me with what all was in store.
“I’ve never tasted such sweetness.” His voice lowered and my entire body arched with pleasure as his mouth ran along my body.
I moved my hands along his back, feeling the long, lean muscles that only working in construction could bring. As my fingers dug into his skin, he stopped and brought his gaze to mine.
“Please,” I whispered.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Looking into his smoldering eyes made my entire world spin into a happy oblivion. I no longer cared what my past relationships meant or turned into. All I cared about was living in the here and now without worry about how this would end. When it would end. If it would end.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” I looped my arms arou
nd his neck, and he gently nudged my legs open with his knee as I felt him enter.
My breath caught with surprise and desire as he pushed into me melding our two bodies into a world of possibilities.
With every beat of our hearts, Shane moved in a rhythm that I never experienced before, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out.
“Don’t keep it in,” he said, his voice gruff as he kissed me. “Let go with me, Dakota.”
On his command, my entire body went from a gentle ache of desire to a roaring fire of need. Everything about Shane Parker consumed me, and I couldn’t imagine feeling this way in anyone else’s arms as his breathing turned ragged. His eyes clenched shut with the same swirl of ecstasy that shot through me as he pulled me into him and held me tightly.
I felt thoroughly disarmed as I finally let go, as I finally let Shane Parker have all of me.
A few minutes went by with Shane holding me as the world around us managed to float by undetected.
“I think you just redefined what ecstasy meant,” I teased, resting my hand against his chest.
“I was thinking the same thing about you.” His smile warmed my heart, and I melted with relief.
I looked into Shane’s eyes and saw something I didn’t know if I’d ever see again staring back at me.
Love.
Pure and simple love that made me feel like I was soaring the heavens but could easily be brought to my knees.
“I wish we had done that a little sooner,” I whispered, circling my finger along his abdomen.
“The timing wouldn’t have been right,” he said softly, turning on his side.
“What do you mean?”
He tapped my heart and shook his head. “You wouldn’t have let me in.”
“And you’re sure I have?”
His eyes twinkled with the same spark I felt for this man.
He knew. There was no denying that he had my heart.
For how long, I didn’t know.
“I know you have, Dakota.” He swept a kiss along my cheek, and my entire body readied for more. “Now, you just need to learn to love again.”
I stared at Shane Parker, feeling ripped open and exposed in a way that I’d never felt before. And I didn’t mind. I didn’t care that he had the power to take me to my knees with one look. I didn’t mind that he had the ability to carry me to the heavens and back again in ecstasy from just one kiss.
I wanted to experience Shane Parker fully, and the only way I could do that was to let him in.
“You know things have been focused primarily on me,” I began.
“As they should be,” he said, his voice gravelly.
“There’s a lot I still need to learn about you.” I traced my finger along his jaw. “Like your favorite food, if you went to college, more about your family…”
“Favorite food is sausage pizza. I went to Montana State University, and I love my family. Deeply.”
I nodded. “And Cynthia?”
He rolled over on his back, the sheet sagging just low enough for his treasure trail to be exposed.
Darn him.
I drew a breath and ripped my gaze from his abdomen and waited for his reply. I needed to stay focused.
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time. Lots of it.” I snuggled against him, feeling the warmth of his body next to mine.
It had been so long.
“Cynthia was dating someone in college. He was older than she was and he was in graduate school.”
“Was it at MSU?” I asked.
“Yeah. Same school. She came to visit me several times while I was attending and decided that’s where she wanted to go.”
“Makes sense.” I nodded.
“He seemed like a great guy, at first. He was attentive to my sister and doted on her. He was great to my parents, and I’d hit it off with him too, which was unusual because I didn’t approve of anyone she dated.”
“Sounds about right for a brother,” I joked, thinking of my brother, Josh.
“Exactly.” He smiled and brought me in closer. “After a couple years of them dating, I noticed a change in him when I started seeing them together, but that was only the tip of the iceberg.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It wasn’t. He delayed turning in his thesis, which should have been the first red flag.”
“First red flag?”
“There were many. It was like Jekyll and Hyde. Everything about him started to change. He’d leave my sister stranded at school. He’d stand her up on dates. Stop by just for sex and then vanish for days. At first, I thought he was cheating on her. But then things got crazier. Her bank balances started to get lower and lower until finally all the money had been drained from her accounts.”
“Wow, and it was him?”
Shane nodded.
“Did they arrest him?”
“My sister was so naïve, she’d given him her pin so they didn’t treat it as fraud.”
“I don’t understand how all this could strain the relationship between you and her.”
“This was going on over about eighteen months. I was watching my sister become nothing but a shadow of herself. She’d lost all her self-confidence. Her grades were suffering. Her dreams and ambitions were getting trampled to pieces by this guy. She was letting herself be lied to. She knew there was something going on, but she refused to believe it. It didn’t matter that he’d leave her in dangerous situations or that he’d drained her bank accounts. He was her drug.”
“What did your parents say?”
“They didn’t know for over a year. She made me promise not to tell them.”
“Which automatically put a rift between you all once they found out what was going on,” I surmised.
Shane nodded. “My sister had finally convinced herself to go on a girl’s trip to Canada. She’d already closed her accounts and opened new ones, so she felt confident that she’d taken care of the problem. She didn’t give her boyfriend the information, so she thought she was being more guarded, but she still loved him. She still played his games.” He shook his head. “Anyway, she was up in Canada and went to use her debit card and it was declined. At first, she thought it was because she wasn’t in the U.S. any longer, but when she tried to use her other credit cards, they were all declined too. She was just lucky she was with a bunch of girlfriends.”
“Oh, no.”
“Her boyfriend somehow got into her online bank account and transferred all her money out of her account. He then maxed out all her cards. To this day, she doesn’t know how he got her information. Turned out, her boyfriend became hooked on oxycodone and that habit eventually turned to heroin. My sister was in love with a heroin addict.”
“Did your sister figure it out right away?” I asked, thinking back to my interactions with Cynthia. She always seemed so self-assured and confident. It was nearly impossible to think of her as the woman Shane was describing.
“At first, she didn’t know what was going on, but she caught him shooting up in her bathroom after they’d been intimate one night. He’d been gone for like six days and when he came to her apartment, she welcomed him in.” Shane’s jaw twitched. “He promised her he’d stop and that he’d get treatment. He, of course, disappeared again and when he finally showed up, he told her he’d been in a treatment facility. I don’t know if she believed him or just loved him too much to care. It was by the grace of God my sister didn’t catch a disease.”
A shiver ran through me.
“The truth of it was that he’d been on just another bender and showed up to sleep with my sister again. The diseases that creep exposed my sister to time and again… and the damage he did to her heart.” Shane shook his head. “She couldn’t trust men for years. Not that I blame her.” He stretched and reached for my hand.
“When I found out, I became unglued. I drove to Montana and hunted the guy down. He was nothing like the man I’d first met. He was a shriveled-up ghost of himse
lf.”
“What happened when you found him?” I asked, knowing what my own brother would have done.
“My sister begged me to leave him alone and to give him a chance to get help. She didn’t want me to tell my parents, but at this point, I had to. And all they cared about was why I didn’t tell them sooner. I mean, I understood their point fully.”
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded.
“Cynthia’s an amazing woman. She had so much going for her, and so many other guys dying for a chance to even get a look from her, and yet, she continued to stick by that guy.”
“I can’t even imagine it, to be honest.”
“She was brainwashed, and my parents wanted to believe anything she told them because it made their lives easier.”
“Wow. I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
He nodded. “It was just this same cycle over and over again, and I couldn’t handle it. She called me up one night crying because he’d stolen her money again, and I lost it. Only this time, I flew to Montana, found the guy, and beat him to a pulp. I’m not proud of myself. I wish I hadn’t done it, but I saw the guy not only destroying his own life but destroying my sister’s. I made him promise to never contact my sister again.”
“Whoa.” I had to admit that I was kind of impressed, and I wasn’t one who condoned violence, normally.
“The good news is that the encounter sent him to rehab. The bad news was that my sister swore that she’d never forgive me for ruining her relationship.”
“Relationship?” I asked shocked.
“Crazy. I know.” He nodded.
“And your parents?”
“For the longest time, they just believed what she said and since she was furious with me, she wasn’t giving them the entire truth about the matter.” He drew a breath. “But to be honest, I wouldn’t change what I did. She deserved better, and she got it with Charles and Sammi.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“And my sister, after several years, finally told my parents the truth. Our communication has picked up, but it still stings that my parents could so easily dismiss me as a son for the sake of ease. That being said, over the years I just made sure to channel all my energy to my business, and again, I think some things are meant to be for whatever reason. I certainly had no family distractions or obligations to slow me down while I was developing my company.” He smiled. “And now I’m here with you.”
Accidental Love on Meadow Cove Lane (Island County Series Book 10) Page 11