by Chloe Lang
She sighed. “I have something I want to tell you, too.”
He didn’t like the sound of that one bit. “It can wait. Like you said. After the meal.”
She smiled weakly.
Watching the little, subtle changes on her pretty face told him all he needed to know. She meant to break up with him today. With him and Corey. Fuck.
He squeezed her thigh. He wasn’t about to lose her. They’d only begun dating, but he knew in his heart that she was the one for him. How she was with Juan and the other boys, hell, how she was with everyone floored him. She was kind and warm, loving and charming. He loved her sass and strength.
She leaned her head into his shoulder, and he could sense the turmoil underneath her surface.
Turning left onto The Narrows, he inhaled her scent of lilacs, or was it roses? Hell, he didn’t know, he just knew she smelled terrific.
Whatever it took to make sure she remained right here next to him he would do.
Chapter Six
Belle looked around the packed banquet room of the Dream Hotel. After eating the donuts, everyone had worked very hard on the finishing touches of the big meal. Now, the crowd was enjoying all the delicious offerings.
“This dressing is amazing.” Shane sat to her left, already on his second helping.
“You sure can pack it away.” She was only halfway through her first plate and was already quite full.
Alice sat across the table from Belle, between her two husbands. “Both my boys are like their dads, sweetheart. They have quite the appetites.”
“Yes, we do.” Curtis leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Or were you talking about the food?”
Eddie laughed and put his arm around Alice. “Honey, you outdid yourself this year. This stuffing is the best ever.”
“I had help. It wasn’t all me.”
“But you were the one in charge.” Belle had been amazed at the coordination and bonding that had gone on between all the women in town making the meal. She’d never felt closer to a group of ladies than she did in Destiny.
Shane grabbed her hand. “Would you like some dessert, sweetheart?”
“I couldn’t. Not for a while.”
“How about we go for a drive? There’s something I want to show you. When we come back, I bet you’ll be ready for some.” He squeezed her hand. “I can’t wait to try a slice of your apple pie.”
Looking into his gorgeous blue eyes, she felt her insides quake. A drive might be the perfect opportunity to do what she had to do, to tell him what she had to say, to end what should’ve been ended days ago.
“Maybe I should stay and help serve.” I’m not ready. Not yet. Just a few more hours are all I need. But she knew no matter how long she delayed, it wouldn’t make the moment any less difficult and sad.
“Honey, there’s plenty of us to handle that.” Alice’s face lit up.
Belle imagined how wonderful it would be to have her as a mother-in-law. But that can never be. I can never give her grandchildren. It wouldn’t be right.
“Belle, let our boy take you on a drive. If the ladies need help, Curtis and I can pitch in.” Eddie winked. “We know a thing or two about kitchens. We do run the diner, you know.”
“I surrender. I’ll go on a drive with your son.”
Shane stood and offered her his hand. “We won’t be gone too long.”
They walked to the pickup and he opened the door for her. He got in on the driver’s side and pulled her in close to him. His arm remained around her shoulders. The feeling of his warm body next to hers gave her tingles.
How am I ever going to tell him that this is over? My heart is telling me “no” but my mind is telling me it is the right thing to do.
Shane turned the radio on low and a love song filled the cab. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
Damn, he’s making this hard.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. Doing the right thing was proving to be more difficult than she’d imagined.
“I can’t wait to see what you think about what I’m going to show you, Belle.”
Glad for the distraction from her pending task, she turned to him. “Tell me what it is. Don’t keep me in the dark.”
He laughed. “Patience, baby. You’ll see it soon enough.”
Not wanting to remain quiet, knowing her mind would slip right back into mulling over having to break up with him and Corey, she decided to keep pushing for an answer. “Is it something everyone in Destiny has seen?”
As he drove up one of the mountains that surrounded Destiny, he grinned. “What is this? Twenty questions?”
“That’s a great idea. Yes. Let’s play twenty questions.”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “That’s one of your traits I love. Always moving forward, pushing for what you want. You’ve got such moxie and fire. You have me under your spell, that’s for sure.”
And you have me under yours, Mr. Shane Blue. “Good. You know how to play the game?”
“I do, but we’re almost there, baby.” He turned down a dirt road and came to a gate.
“Where are we?”
“This is my parents’ land. Dads were raised on a ranch and wanted to make sure that Corey, Phoebe, and I grew up the same way. It’s not a big piece of land but we are able to run a few head of cattle on it.”
“This is what you wanted to show me?”
“Almost there, sweetheart.” He jumped out of the truck. “You drive through when I open the gate.”
“Good. I wanted to get behind the steering wheel of this baby.”
Shane grinned. “I bet you did.”
She slid into the driver’s seat, adjusting it for her height so she could reach the pedals.
Shane walked over to the gate, putting the key in the lock that fastened the thick chains together. He swung it wide and motioned her to drive through.
When she was on the other side of the gate, she watched him in the rearview mirror, shutting and locking it. As he took a few steps to the truck, she hit the gas, moving about ten feet from him. He shook his head and started walking for the truck. She laughed and hit the gas again, keeping the distance. Then he ran, making it to the driver’s side door.
She gave him her sweetest smile. “I told you I wanted to see what it was made of.”
“Yes, you did.” He put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in close, pressing his lips to hers.
She melted into him. God, this isn’t what I need to be doing, but damn, this cowboy knows how to kiss.
“If you want to drive the truck, I’ll let you take the wheel when we head back.”
“You really would trust me after what I just did?”
“I probably shouldn’t, but yes.” He slid into the cab.
She scooted over just enough to give him room. “This is beautiful. How high up are we?”
“We’re over a thousand feet above Destiny.” He turned right and stopped the truck in a clearing, putting it in park. She saw the entire valley spread out below them. “This is what I wanted to show you, Belle.”
“It’s breathtaking.” She could see the whole town. “It looks so small from here.” She could make out O’Leary Global and TBK tower.
“This is my favorite spot in the world. Since I was a kid, I would come here and stare at the entire valley. It made me appreciate all that I had. My family. My friends. No matter how big my problems were, up here I knew they were small and that I could overcome them.”
Her heart began to break. “Not all problems are fixable, Shane.”
Belle felt too much for him. She wanted everything he was offering—a chance at moving things to the next level. If only she had a different body, one that wasn’t damaged, one that could bring life into the world. But she didn’t.
He pulled her in close. “I know you’ve been through so much, Belle. You and Amber were young when your parents died. That’s got to be hard on anyone no matter how old they are, but as teenagers it must�
�ve been devastating. You’ve never given up. Don’t start now.”
Belle realized that Shane must’ve sensed what she meant to do today. “There’s more about me than you know. It’s just—”
He placed his finger to her lips. “Look how big these mountains are. They’ve been here long before any of us and they will be here long after. They don’t worry. They just keep on. That’s what you do. I’ve seen how you are with those boys, especially Juan. You’re their angel, sweetheart, straight from heaven. The light that appears on those kids’ faces whenever you are near is something to behold. Can’t you see what you do to me? I’m a different man because of you, Belle. You know my story. Three years in the pen working undercover for the government. It changed me. I stopped believing in the goodness of most people. The only thing I clung to was my family, my town, my home. Everything else I pushed away. I didn’t want more. My work became my only purpose. But you came into my life and changed me. I want more. I want a future. I want you.”
“This is too fast, Shane.” I can’t do this. I just can’t.
“I care about you, Belle, and I can tell you feel something for me, too.” Shane pulled her in tight, locking his eyes on hers. “If you want to go slow, then I will go slow, but I just needed you to know how I feel.”
“I don’t want to go slow, Shane. I want to go fast. I want all of it, but—”
He silenced her with another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate. His tongue traced her lips and she sighed into him, loving the feel of his mouth on hers.
Shane tasted like the future, like hope, like the promise of something that could last. With every fiber of her being, she wanted that, wanted to remain by his and Corey’s sides, wanted to dream the impossible. She’d tried to lead with her head but her heart had taken over.
She molded her body into his and he continued kissing her into a state of warmth. She felt him cup her breasts, massaging them so gently through the fabric of her top.
Her lips throbbed and her heart began to race. Panting, she felt her need expand inside her.
“Oh, Belle, I won’t ever let you go.” He slipped his hands inside her sweater and unfastened her bra.
As his manly lips moved to her shoulder, she felt her temperature rise. The pressure inside her grew and grew.
“I want you, baby. I want all of you.”
God, help me, I’m leading with my heart.
She reached up, locking her hands around his neck. “I want you, too, Shane. More than anything, I want you.”
This was the first time she was going to be intimate with him. She’d been dreaming about it for some time, ever since their first date. But it also must be the last time. She couldn’t let herself fall even deeper than she already had.
One time. That’s all.
No matter what, it was going to hurt like hell. Shane had shared his feelings for her. She knew it was going to hurt him, too, but better now than later. He deserved a woman who could give him children. He was going to make a wonderful dad one day.
Continuing to ravage her mouth, Shane removed her sweater and bra. His hands moved over her breasts, raising her desires to a maddening level, quieting her mind. His flesh touching her exposed skin increased the pressure growing in her body.
“Baby, your breasts are so soft and beautiful.” He bent down and feathered his lips over her nipples, causing them to tingle and ache.
“Oh my God, I love your touches, Shane. You’re making me burn.” She unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. “You’ve got a beautiful chest, too, Mr. Blue.”
He laughed. “Want to touch it? Be my guest, baby.”
She grinned and ran her fingers over his muscled pecs, circling his nipples. Kissing, their hands roamed, discovering every inch of each other through touch. She felt a tingle spread from her belly throughout her body until her pussy began to dampen.
She panted, feeling lost to her thirst. “More.”
“You took the word right out of my mouth, angel.” Shane unfastened the button of her jeans. Slowly, he unzipped them. “God, your scent is so sweet.”
When he slid his thick fingers under her thong, she arched into him. The throbbing of her lips, nipples, and clit seemed to join into a giant ball of desire as the pressure took her breath away.
Lost to her passions for him, she unbuttoned his Levi’s and sent her hand inside, grabbing his thick cock. It was so massive. She couldn’t bring her fingers around the shaft.
His eyes, laden with lust, locked in on her. “Yes, baby. God, that feels so good.”
“I have the power, don’t I?” She smiled, running her fingers up and down his shaft.
He grinned. “Hardly.” He laid her back on the bench seat, slipping off her jeans and thong. When his fingers threaded through her wet folds, she gasped. “See. I’m in control here, baby. Always.”
Even through her rapid heartbeats, she found the will to tilt her head to the side. “Really?” She began pumping his dick as fast as she could.
“Ah.” His eyelids narrowed and his breathing deepened. “Angel and devil. I like.” With one hand, he reached up and pinched her nipple. With the other, he pressed his thumb on her clit.
The pressure reached another level of insanity. “You win. Please. God.” She released his cock.
“I always win, Belle.” He slipped off his jeans and she saw how monstrous his cock was. At least ten inches of pure masculinity. “That’s something you should know.”
“I’m beginning to believe you.”
He smiled wickedly and without a word shifted his tall frame in the cab until his mouth was hovering over her pussy. The hot gusts from his lips were driving her insane.
“Please, Shane. Stop teasing me. I can’t stand much more.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He grabbed her thighs and he leaned forward.
When his tongue landed on her pussy, she pressed on the back of his head. Every one of his lusty licks spurred her faster, hotter, and higher. She was aroused and on fire, burning from the inside out.
He captured her clit between his lips and applied a dizzying pressure.
“Oh my God, Shane. Yes.” The pressure inside exploded into a million shivering sensations.
“Yes, baby. Come for me.” Moisture pooled out of her and he drank every drop.
He’d given her a climax like none other she’d ever felt before.
Crazed from the orgasm, she clawed at him. “Shane, I need more of you. God, I must have more.”
“I want to be inside you, baby. I want to feel all of you.” He moved his muscled frame up her body, pinning her to the seat.
Feeling the tip of his cock touching her pussy, she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“I can’t stand it.” She was shivering with need from head to toe. “Take me, Shane. Please.”
Though she’d heard about multiple orgasms from other women, she’d never experienced them herself. Was it about to happen for her?
He kissed her again and sent his cock into her depths. The feel of him sent her over the edge once again. And then it happened. Her first multiple orgasm. She came again. Every nerve in her body sparked with heat.
“God, you are so tight, baby. Feels so good.” His thrusts came fast and furious.
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She raked her fingernails over his shoulders, her desires building once again.
Shane, the sexy beast, claimed every inch of her body. He grabbed her wrists, holding them in place. Oddly, the restraint added to her heat and frenzy.
He thrust his cock deeper into her pussy.
Dizzy and burning, she writhed under him as another wave of pressure continued to build. The pounding in her chest seemed to mirror his every thrust. Each plunge of his cock invaded her completely, totally—reaching places that had never been touched before.
His breathing was labored as his chest rose and fell like a rumbling volcano. “Come for me, baby.”
She came and came and came, trembling like mad. A flo
od of overwhelming sensations swamped her entire being. She screamed, something she’d never done before in sex, but she couldn’t hold back. Not now. Not with him.
“Fuck. Yes. Ahhh.” He came, shooting his seed inside her.
Her pussy clenched and unclenched and clenched again on his thick cock. Then a swarm of shivers overtook her. She writhed under him, unable to remain still.
He rained down soft kisses on her, holding her close.
“That was amazing, Shane.”
He gazed at her with such loving eyes, melting her into a puddle. His jaw dropped. “Oh my God. I was so lost to the moment that I forgot to use protection. I’m sorry.”
“I was lost to it, too. We acted like two teenagers, didn’t we?” She grinned. “Don’t worry, Shane. It’ll be okay.” Her heart began to rip in two. There’s no need for protection. I can’t have his child. She felt her eyes begin to well up with tears.
“We’ll make sure it’s okay. I know you said this was fast, but so what. If we made a baby today, it will be the happiest day of my life, Belle.”
She choked back her tears, looking straight into Shane’s eyes. If only miracles happened, but they don’t.
Chapter Seven
Corey walked into the banquet hall of the Dream Hotel with Jo Brown.
They’d been on guard duty for Cindy Trollinger for the past eight hours. Now, Black and Jason were manning the post at her door. Shane was next up in the rotation and would be taking over for Black.
Jo smiled, which was unusual for her. She’d let her walls down a little over the past eight hours. They’d both talked about their childhood, and it turned out, Jo had an unusual one indeed.
Only a few years older than he, she was quite an attractive woman, though of late, he only had eyes for Belle.
“Looks like things are winding down, Corey.”
“The main meal is done, but things are hardly over. You’ve never been to the Thanksgiving Bash in my hometown.” He looked at his watch. “It goes way past midnight.”
“The more time I spend in Destiny, the more I see why people love it here.”
The tables were being cleared even though a few late arrivals, like him, were just sitting down to eat. There was no sign of either Belle or Shane anywhere.