Bodywork

by Marie Harte

  “Oh yeah. You’re wet. You want this, don’t you? You want me to punish you.”

  “No, wait,” she said feebly, her protest a token and no more. They’d agreed during their last sexual encounter that if anything ever grew too intense, she should shout out a safe word. She’d chosen yellow, and she had no intention of saying it anytime soon.

  Shane nudged her legs wider before she felt the tip of him squeezed between her legs. He yanked her hips back, bending her over. She couldn’t widen her stance enough because of the jeans down around her knees. But he didn’t seem to care.

  “Keep those hands against the wall,” he ordered as he worked his way inside her.

  He felt huge because of her position, and when he began fucking her, it burned until he lubricated himself using her cream. His complete disregard for anything but his own hunger aroused her like crazy.

  Shane fucked her like he owned her, and she was afraid that might be closer to the truth than she liked. His absolute control, the concentration he dedicated to her when they were together, made her feel more than special.

  Even now as he pounded into her, she felt cherished. He gave her the fantasy she wanted, and he got off on it. His cock was thick and bruising as he hammered home. When his hands left her hips and palmed her breasts, she moaned.

  “Nice tits.” He squeezed her nipples and bit down on her neck, still thrusting in an out of her, his pace escalating. “I’m going to come inside you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He rubbed her breasts and grunted while he took her.

  Her moans and pleas for mercy turned into cries of desperation. She was so close to coming. She just needed a bit of stimulation to her clit…

  He must have known what she needed, because one hand left her breasts and trailed down her belly, seeking her pussy. He pinched the bud and then rubbed it as he slammed into her and stilled. “Fuck me. Oh yeah.” He came inside her and groaned again when she shrieked and came with him.

  “Squeeze me. Oh fuck. I love that cunt.” He gripped her hips and shoved deeper inside her, his pelvis crushed to her backside while he emptied into her.

  After a few moments, he withdrew. “No, don’t move. Let it drip down your leg, thief.”

  She shivered, bare from her ass to her knees, her breasts free but still draped in her tee-shirt and unfastened bra.

  “Man, if I had a camera on me. This is totally a scene out of one of my fantasies, and it’s even better because I know how much you love it.” He caressed her left buttock, where the sting from his slap had faded. “Too hard?”

  “No,” she said, breathless. “I liked it.”

  He groaned. “You make me hard all the time. I know that sex is more exciting when it’s new and fresh. But seriously, it’s never been like this for me with anyone. Ever.”

  “I know.” She did, and she didn’t know what to do about it. They met in secret. They had amazing, dirty, non-vanilla sex. And they’d had their first date just a few days ago. How could she be falling for him so quickly when it had taken Rick months to get this close to her? And look at how that had turned out.

  He pulled her from the wall and turned her in his arms. Then he kissed her, and the heat from their embrace aroused her again.

  “Let’s clean you up, hmm?” He smiled, his green eyes so rich, she couldn’t look away.

  They stared at each other in the shower, and as they fell into bed again, something was different.

  Shane rolled her onto her back and covered her with his body. “Let’s try something vanilla.”

  She smiled at up at him, but her grin faded when his expression changed from amused to intense.

  He kissed her slowly, with a tenderness he’d never before employed. His lips coaxed an answering sigh from her, and when his tongue met hers, it was with an inviting glide, no forceful entry.

  He kissed her like he had all the time in the world. With each press of his lips, she grew more aroused. Her breasts brushed his chest and his firm nipples. Her belly felt moist from the wetness at his cock—his very thick, very large cock. Knowing he wanted her so much made her frantic to have him.

  But Shane wouldn’t be budged. He patiently kissed her until she couldn’t do anything but follow his lead, fully under his spell. She ran her hands through his hair and tightened her grip when his lips trailed from her mouth to her neck and lower. He worshipped her breasts, plumping them with his hands before drawing each nipple into his mouth, where he’d suck and bite gently as she thrashed under him.

  “God, I want you,” she moaned when he left her breasts and kissed his way to her pussy.

  He licked her. He sucked her. He nipped her flesh and slid his thumbs through her folds. While he feasted, he eased his pinkie finger into her channel before withdrawing the slick digit. Then he eased it around the rim of her anus while he sucked her clit.

  She arched into him. “Shane. Please. Fuck me, baby.” She was barely aware of what she said, drawn to him in a way she’d never been to anyone else. This was more than sex. More than a playful need to be exciting and sexy and wanted.

  He penetrated her ass and sucked harder on her clit, and she came in a rush. Still climaxing, she didn’t want him to leave her. But he shimmied over her body in a flash and slid his thick shaft inside her while they made love.

  Leaning up on his elbows, he watched her as he thrust inside her, his rhythm fast and furious as he reached his end. It didn’t take him long, and then they both experienced the joy of true togetherness, coming with each other face to face. And heart to heart, the romantic inside of her added.

  Shane didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t stop kissing her once he finished coming. Oh fuck. He loved her. He knew it. He’d hoped not to feel this again, because Shelby was so much more than Lisa had been. That date last week had sealed it, as much as he’d hoped he’d idealized their time together.

  Taking her earlier had been incredible. He was able to play the domineering male to her submissive female, and fucking her had been amazing. But this…

  He kissed her lips again and sighed into her mouth when she kissed him back.

  This tenderness was new to them both. It added a definite emotional aspect to their weekly get-together’s he wasn’t sure she’d accept. And though he didn’t want to scare her away, he couldn’t stop himself from showing her how he felt.

  They parted and lay on their sides, still holding each other.

  “Wow.” She blinked at him, her lips parted, still glossy from his kiss.

  “Yeah, wow.” He smiled and traced her cheek. “We need to clean up.”

  “I know.” She didn’t move. “That was special. I liked it.” She seemed shy now, adding yet another layer to the complex, beautiful, emotionally guarded woman.

  He stared into her eyes, caught by the shadows the candlelight flickered over her face. “You know, I like you when you’re mean.”

  She frowned. “I wasn’t mean. Well, not today.”

  “But I especially like you like this. Soft, sexy. Naked,” he added and earned a chuckle.

  “Well, I love your kinky side. But this was great too.” She stared at his mouth and leaned forward for a kiss. “I don’t think we’ve done this before. Kissing like this.”

  “It’s nice. Is it too vanilla for you?” he teased, but a part of him needed to know.

  Shelby shook her head, and her hair trailed over her shoulder and over the slope of her breast, like a mink stole. “Not at all. I have to confess something.”

  “What?” he asked softly.

  “Vanilla is my favorite flavor.” She sighed. “I think I was born to be boring.”

  “Yeah, right. Honey, you are so damn sexy I about come in my pants whenever I’m near you. We’ve played doctor, house burglar, and you’ve seduced me in a red teddy you still need to wear for me again. You might like the flavor, but you’re anything but ordinary.”

  She smiled at him. “So what does that make us?”

  “Two sexed-up friends who like eac
h other?” Love each other?

  “Friends or fiends?”

  “Oh, I like fiends better.”

  They laughed together and spent the next hour talking about any and everything. The sex had become more. Shane just hoped Shelby could handle it, because he couldn’t go back now. Not after he’d seen the warm, loving part of her.

  Unfortunately, she left at midnight. And his bed had never felt lonelier.

  He spent the next two days at work and did his best to pretend she didn’t exist. They’d made plans to meet for breakfast Sunday morning. Just for food, not sex. They’d get to that Monday night.

  Scheduling sex had been fun at first. Exciting trysts, an adventurous affair. But now it seemed a little tawdry considering he wanted Shelby to be a more permanent part of his life. It amazed him that after Lisa he could feel this way again, but there it was. He’d never been one to stick his head in the sand overlong, and his mourning for Lisa—or rather, the relationship he’d thought he’d had with Lisa—had ended.

  Friday night rolled around, and he agreed to meet Mac at Botelli Mia’s, a new steak and seafood restaurant in Queen Anne. Mac apparently knew the owner, and Shane and his friend were seated at a trendy booth big enough to fit six comfortably.

  “See, it pays to have friends in high places,” Mac bragged as he looked at the line outside.

  “Whatever.” Shane indulged his friend’s humor. Mac had been in a good mood all night. “You get laid or what?”

  Mac’s eyes widened. “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re smiling at me.”

  “Fuck you.” Mac lowered his menu and narrowed his gaze. “Although, I should be asking you the same thing. You’re different lately.”

  I’m in love.

  The waiter arrived, and Shane ordered a beer. It seemed like a perfect night to drink his worries away. They made small talk until the waiter brought their drinks, then they ordered.

  After the waiter left, Mac raised his glass. “To Shelby.”

  Shane paused with his glass in the air. “What?”

  “You know, that chick you had a thing for?”

  “Oh, her.” Shane tapped Mac’s glass. “To Shelby.”

  “May you finally find her and get some peace.” Mac took a large swallow. “Come on, man. What’s up? You’re hot for this chick, then nothing? But you look content. More than you’ve been in a long time.”

  “So maybe I got lucky a few times.”

  “A few times?”

  “Dude, lower your voice.”

  Mac leaned over the table. “What the hell, man? You never said anything.”

  “I’m past the age of kiss and tell, Mac.”

  “I don’t need details, Mary. But a heads up would be nice. I’ve been trying to find a way to get you back with the Amazon, and here you’re already plowing pleasureville.”

  Shane drank more. “You kill me with your language.”

  “Hey, I’m the product of a college degree.” Mac was in fact a college graduate, but you’d never know it to talk to him. The guy acted like he’d been raised among wolves, or along the docks among sailors. God knew he swore like one. Typical Marine. “So no interest in Shelby anymore?”

  “I didn’t say that.” At all. “But you know I’m not looking for anything permanent. Some sex did the trick though. I’m much more relaxed.” Shane sighed happily. “I’ll live to be ninety now, at least.”

  “Must have been some sex.”

  “You have no idea.”

  Mac teased him some more before he suddenly turned mute. He glanced over Shane’s shoulder and swore. “Damn, that woman kills me.”

  Shane followed his glance and saw Maggie, Shelby’s friend. The blonde wore tight jeans and a teal blue tank top that showed off toned shoulders and tanned arms. She was sexy, if a guy leaned toward cornflower blue eyes, a petite frame and nice rack. But behind her came his idea of the ideal woman.

  Shelby Vanzant. Her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail. Gold hoops hung from her earlobes, and her eyes sparkled like the topaz jewelry he’d bought his mother for Christmas last year. She wore jeans and a casual tee-shirt and managed to outshine every woman in the place.

  Maggie spotted him and waved. She and Shelby joined them, Shelby looking as guarded as he suddenly felt.

  “Hey Shane. Mac.” She gave his friend a short nod.

  “Maggie. Shelby.” Mac’s voice warmed.

  Shane whipped back around. “You know Shelby?”

  “You know Mac?” Shelby asked him, standing in front of their table with her friend.

  “He’s a friend of mine.”

  “His best friend,” Mac added. To Shane he explained, “Shelby’s been working on my knee. She’s got great hands.”

  His suggestive leer didn’t seem to sit well with Maggie. Or with Shane.

  Maggie cut in, “There’s a line outside. Could we join you two for dinner?”

  Shane didn’t think that was a good idea. They’d agreed to keep their relationship private. But after seeing Mac with her, he didn’t mind if everyone knew about them. He would have said something then if he hadn’t thought he might lose Shelby because of it. He didn’t intend to do anything to screw up his chances with the woman if he could help it.

  “Sure.” Mac scooted toward the wall and Maggie sat next to him, leaving Shelby standing by herself.

  With a helpless shrug, she joined Shane. When her leg touched his, the lower half of his body roared to life.

  “You two been here before?” he asked, his concentration on Maggie, though he couldn’t help noticing Mac’s satisfied smile. The bastard was definitely up to something. Seeing Shelby without telling him? This unexpected invitation to a Friday night dinner that didn’t include pizza?

  “Nope. First time.” Maggie blinked, all innocence.

  Mac couldn’t seem to take his gaze from her.

  “You know Maggie works for Mac,” Shelby added.

  “Oh?” He turned to Mac. “Funny, you never mentioned you’d hired a new employee.”

  “Yeah? Well you haven’t mentioned a few things to me either. Guess we’ll call it even.”

  Hell. Mac had hired Shelby’s best friend, and he was now one of her clients. Either his best friend had a thing for Shelby, or he was out to try to help Shane. Which meant there was a good chance the oaf might sabotage his relationship before it got off the ground. Shit.

  “Oh no. I forgot to lock up at the gym.” Maggie turned to Mac, her eyes wide. “I left all that expensive equipment out.”

  Shane had no clue what she was talking about, but Mac swore. “Come on.” He prodded her out of the booth. “You two enjoy dinner, on me. Maggie and I have to fix a problem at the gym.”

  Maggie frowned at Shelby. “But she’s my ride.”

  “I’ll take you home. Shane, hitch a ride with Shelby. Later, guys.”

  Mac and Maggie left before Shane or Shelby could protest.

  They sat next to each other for a moment before Shelby moved across the table. “Good. I can see you now.”

  “What the hell was that all about?”

  She shook her head. “I have no idea, but Maggie dragged me here. I was planning on spending tonight curled up with a good book.”

  “A romance?”

  She smiled. “What else?”

  He knew what she liked to read, because they’d talked about her likes and dislikes. He remembered everything about her.

  “Technically it’s a romantic suspense. Romance with mystery.” She tapped the table. “Like the mystery of our friends working on something we should probably know about. I had no idea Mac was your friend.”

  “Don’t you remember me telling you about Jameson’s Gym?”

  She snapped. “That’s where I heard that name. Maggie had me convinced she’d mentioned it.” Shelby groaned. “They’re onto us.”

  “They have to be,” he agreed.

  The waiter brought out their food. Well, his and Mac’s.

  “Oh, steak
.” Shelby winked at him. “My favorite.”

  “Dig in. Mac’s paying.” They both had a laugh and started eating.

  “So what do we do about Mac and Maggie?” he asked. “He never told me your best friend was working for him. Or that he’d met you.” And that last bit bothered him.

  “Maggie dragged me to her aerobics class at his gym last Friday. She’s really good, if you’re into the step routine. I met Mac there. He’s a funny guy. A little too pushy for my taste, but nice enough.”

  “Nice?” Nice was the kiss of death. He suddenly felt much better.

  “Well, he’s handsome too, if you’re into brawny guys with too much muscle.” She paused. “I mean that in the nicest way.”

  Another nice. His grin widened. “You know, you can order anything you want tonight. It’s on Mac.” He motioned to the waiter for another beer.

  “He’s a good friend of yours, isn’t he?”

  “Yep. Best buddy for years. We met in the Corps and reconnected out here. He’s a hell of a guy. Rough on the outside, but a decent man. And he likes the ladies,” he warned.

  She raised a brow. “Jealous?”

  “Of him or you?”

  “Huh?”

  “I don’t want you to like him too much,” he admitted. “But I don’t care about his luck with women. Sexing it up with strangers isn’t my thing.” He winked at her. “I only like playing doctor with a sexy massage therapist I know.” He loved her blush. “Shelby, do you want to come clean with the others?” And let everyone know she was his. Finally.

  She toyed with her food. “I don’t know. This thing between us is special. I guess I’m afraid they’ll ruin it.”

  He’d wanted another answer, but he could respect her for the truth. “Your call. But how about another beer while we figure out how to handle our well-meaning but troublesome friends?” Because I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those nights.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shelby didn’t want everyone to know about them, because that would make her fantasy time with Shane all too real. She smiled and laughed, but inside she cringed. Maggie had been plotting, and Shelby hadn’t seen it. Nor had she recognized Mac’s pretense in coming in for massage work. Just like she hadn’t seen Rick’s perfidy until she’d caught him in the act. Would there be something about Shane as well? Something she’d learn too late to save her pitiful heart from breaking all over again?