Cherished. Yeah, he made her feel cherished.
CK jumped onto the bed and padded lightly up to sit beside her head. She nudged Emma’s hand.
She stroked the ginger cat, smiling at the way CK preened and stretched her enjoyment under Emma’s touch.
“We’re so lucky, CK,” she whispered. “So very, very lucky.”
CK meowed.
“Shhh, Cute Kitty. You’ll wake Shane.”
There was a stirring behind her, and then a heavy arm flopped across her waist. “I’m ‘ready ‘wake,” he mumbled.
“Sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” Still sleepy, he shifted closer.
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
“About?”
“How lucky I am. We are,” she corrected. “Me and CK.”
“Mmm.” He moved once more, spooning her.
She felt every part of him - the strong legs tucked behind hers, flat belly against her hips, his chest against her back. His mouth nuzzling her neck eliciting little shivers down her spine.
“Not as lucky as me, CA,” he murmured.
“CA?”
“Never mind. I’ve got you right where I want you.”
She was too happy to probe more. “In the bed?”
“In my arms.” He tugged her back hard against him.
She couldn’t help smiling delightedly.
CK nudged Shane’s hand.
“Okay, okay.” Rising up onto his elbow, Shane leaned over Emma to pat CK. “Can’t leave you out, can I?”
“See?” Emma said. “We’re both lucky.”
His attention shifted to her. “We’re all lucky. And there’s no ‘maybe’ about it.”
Though his expression wasn’t clear in the shadows, the moonlight slipping through a crack in the curtains reflected off his eyes, making them almost gleam.
Reaching up, she cupped his cheek. “Pretty eyes for a man.”
“I prefer manly.”
“Your eyes smile. I like it.”
“It’s easy to smile around you, Em.”
“You’re sweet.”
“You’re making me sound girly.”
“Nothing girly about you.”
His hand shifted from CK to rest on her hip, squeezing firmly. “That right?”
“Mmm. You’re all man.”
He dipped his head, kissed her cheek, left his lips on her skin to trail across to her lips, stopping to hover just above her mouth so that their breaths mingled. “Then I better live up to expectation.”
“There are no expectations,” she whispered. “You’re everything I need and want.”
He was silent, just gazing down at her, and she wondered what he saw, if he could see the love in her eyes, hear the love in her voice.
Wondered if she should tell him. If the right time was now. If it was too soon. Ached to tell him, her heart swelling with the need.
“I love you.” The words slipped out before she could think further.
His features might not be clear, but she could see the slow blink he did. Then another blink. “Pardon?”
She froze. Her heart pounded as a sudden sick feeling roiled low in her belly. But it was too late to retract the words. She swallowed, her hands suddenly damp.
“Mind repeating that?” Shane asked quietly.
“I love you?”
“Yeah. That. Repeat it.”
Okay, he wasn’t leaping from the bed screaming in horror, so that was a good thing, right?
“I…um…I love you.”
He stared down at her for several more seconds, and then suddenly he moved fast, his hand on her hip flipping her around so quickly she didn’t have time to register what was happening before she found herself flat on her back with Shane atop her, those long legs entangling with hers, his hips resting between her thighs.
Vaguely she registered CK meowing her displeasure as she jumped off the bed, but her attention was focussed on Shane braced on his hands each side of her head, his biceps bulging as he lowered himself until his face was so close to hers she felt his breath on her skin.
“Repeat that one more time.” His voice was definitely husky.
“Um…”
“One more time. I need to hear it again.”
“I love you.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Surprised, she wasn’t sure what to think, but then he lowered himself to rest on his elbows, freeing his hands to cup her cheeks. “Oh yeah, my pretty little Em.” He said it with satisfaction. And warmth.
And something else that had her searching his eyes - or trying to, because the shadows didn’t make it easy.
Tentatively, hopefully, she whispered, “Shane?”
He kissed her with such tenderness, the lightest brush of his lips against hers, before deepening it.
It wasn’t a hard kiss. It wasn’t a hurried kiss.
It was long, deep, so tender she could only wrap her arms around his neck and pour everything she felt into it, into him, showing him without constraint just how much she loved him.
When the kiss broke, they gazed into each others eyes, their breathing kicking up a notch.
No, she couldn’t see his eyes clearly, but the heartfelt emotion in his voice was unmistakeable. “I love you, Emma.”
She should have been surprised. Should have been shocked, even. But none of those things happened. Instead, all she could do was accept what he said, take the words and tuck them deep inside her heart to relish later.
There was no doubting he meant it. She could feel it in the very depths of her soul. The way he held her, kept her gaze captive, surrounded her with his warmth. It was there in the way he accepted her, laughed with her, looked at her.
All those little things he’d said and done. All the things he didn’t say now but was nevertheless there in the air between them.
He moved suddenly, surprising her, the light of the bedside lamp snapping on cocooning them in a warm glow.
Now she could see his face, see the love in his eyes, the tenderness of his expression. His slow smile. “I love you, Emma.”
She couldn’t say anything. Her vision blurred as her heart swelled with so much warmth and love she was surprised she didn’t just burst into tears.
Shane didn’t say anything els, but his actions spoke louder than words.
Soft caresses, his thumbs running along her cheekbones, and then he was kissing her again with so much gentleness, so much love and caring in his actions that she felt as though she was wrapped in rosy, soft colours carrying her deeper into love.
So much deeper into his love.
Her love for him growing by the second.
The heat trickling through her now wasn’t fiercely burning, wasn’t urgent. This heat was a desire that linked them, spun from threads of golden love, binding them together, building her ardour in pace with his.
His shaft hardened against her belly.
His kisses got deeper, hotter, yet she knew he was as aware of her as she of him, simply by the way he touched her.
Gently, tenderly, cherishing her with every caress, every touch. His hand between her thighs, testing her, stroking the little bud to a begging peak.
Languidly she bent her knees, parted her thighs more, giving him access to her moist heat, kissing him in turn, her hands running down his back, feeling the muscles that moved beneath the heat of his skin.
So strong, so caring, the man tenderly but firmly stroking her to heady passion loving her with everything he had, he did.
She returned it, touching, caressing him in turn, welcoming him with her soul, her body, welcoming him as he slid deep inside her, welcoming the steady thrusts of his hips, his body moving above her, in her.
His eyes locked onto hers, capturing her gaze, holding them as close in soul as they were in body.
Every stoke of him deep inside her shattered her a little more.
Every kiss heated her.
Every touch fanned the fire low in her belly.
Her bo
dy creamed for him, eased the way for his shaft that so welcomingly invaded her secrets.
He sought the very heart of her.
She gave it to him unconditionally.
Their lovemaking quickened, ardour riding them both, but not once did he look away. Not once did he lose himself in the sensuality, the lust, the bodily desires. He was with her every stroke of the way.
He knew her with every thrust.
He knew her with every kiss.
He knew her with every touch.
Her heart was almost bursting when he looked at her with so much love, such intensity, making her know the depths of his love for her.
It was soul-shattering.
The tide grew higher, wilder, but when it finally came, finally threw them out into that erotic bliss of fulfilment, they went together.
Knowing each other.
Loving each other.
Chapter 12
“All right,” Doc admitted. “In hindsight, seeing as how you partnered with me, you had a right to know about Emma.”
Arms folded across his chest, Shane stared at him.
“But I knew she didn’t do anything wrong.” Doc thumped his gut. “I knew in here.”
“Shouldn’t that be in your heart?”
“No, I have gut feelings. I go by gut feelings.”
“Your instincts live in your guts?”
“It lives wherever I decide it lives.”
“You’ve got some grovelling to do, Dad.”
Doc’s reaction was to laugh in his face.
“This could have all been avoided,” Shane said sternly.
“What? She voluntarily told you the story, and that’s better.” Doc prodded him in the chest. “That means she trusted you. Get your head on right, boy.”
“You can’t get out of this, Dad.”
“Yeah? I’m already out of it. Look. Look at me getting out of it.” Doc walked to the back door and out onto the veranda.
Shane looked at his mother. “You knew, too, didn’t you?”
Mrs A replied abstractedly, “Uh huh.”
“Then you have grovelling to do as well.”
“Nu-uh.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Nu-uh.” Pulling the roast pork from the oven, she placed it on the kitchen bench.
“You’re not getting out of this, Mum.”
His mother straightened, thought for a few seconds, then walked across to Shane and prodded him in the chest in an eerily similar fashion to Doc. “Look at me, Shane.”
He looked down at her.
She met his gaze. Clear grey eyes, some lines on her face. Direct gaze. Really direct gaze.
Similar to when he was a naughty boy and she’d caught him out doing something wrong.
He actually started to get a little uneasy, which was bloody ridiculous because he was a grown man, bugger it. “Mum-”
“Just look at me, son.” Her smile was wide. And a little freakin’ scary. “Really look at me.”
He started to sweat a little.
“Really, really look at me.”
He didn’t say a word.
“You see, son,” she said conversationally, “your dad is my husband. My beloved. His problems are my problems. You judge him, you judge me. You give him a hard time and I,” her smile was now all teeth, “will give you a really, really hard time. Understood?”
“Sure,” he croaked. Cleared his throat. Tried to sound like the man he was. “Understood.”
“Good boy.” She patted his cheek, the mother he was more familiar with back in her sweet smile and bright eyes. “Very good boy.”
God, his mother could scare the shit out of him sometimes. Just used her eyes to steer him around. But then that was her. She stood by her family and if she thought one of them was under attack from someone then look out, because she didn’t take shit from anyone. She protected her family. Even if it was from each other.
Humming happily, Mrs A took the tray of roast vegies from the oven. “Now, dear, go and call your father and fiancée in for lunch.”
Deciding - wisely - to call it quits, Shane stepped out onto the back veranda, opening his mouth to call to Doc and Emma, only to stop and smile at the sight of them bending over one of Doc’s newest plants, a very expensive rose bush that he’d planted the previous day. He was gesturing, she was pointing, and they were both having a thoroughly happy time.
Becoming aware of someone beside him, he glanced down to see his mother.
Linking her arm through his, she rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. “You did good, boy.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I did.”
Doc looked around, waved, his grin wide and happy.
Ms A waved back at him. “I did good,” she said softly.
Emma glanced up, her eyes sparkling with life, her smile so warm and happy as she waved at him.
Shane waved back at her. “I did bloody good,” he said softly.
His mum squeezed his arm. “We both did good.”
“Bloody good.”
“Definitely bloody good.” Then she smacked his arm. “And stop swearing!”
“Shit, Mum! Ouch!”
“What did I just say, boy?”
Emma’s laughter was clear and bright in the morning air at the sight of him rubbing his arm and being told off by his mother.
“Don’t laugh, woman.” Shane pointed his finger at her. “One day you’ll feel the wrath of my mother, then we’ll see who laughs.”
Doc climbed the steps to plant a kiss on his wife’s cheek. “Let’s go eat, I’m starved.”
As they went in, Shane caught Emma’s hand, bent and kissed her cheek. “Me, too.”
She glanced from Doc’s back to Shane. “Everything all right?”
“Fine.”
“I mean between you and Doc and Mrs A.”
“Everything is fine.” He smiled slowly. “In fact, everything is just perfect.”
As she went through the door ahead of him, his gaze fell on the gentle sway of those lush hips. Mmm mmm. My sexy little CA.
Later that night as they sat on the swing chair on the front veranda of Emma’s house, Shane watched Emma cooing over CK, rubbing her ears and talking baby talk to her as CK sat purring in her lap.
“Happy?” Shane kissed her brow, his arm around her shoulders as he leaned against her.
“Very.”
He waited several seconds, then, “I saw you looking at a photo of you and some of the nurses at the city hospital you worked in. I saw the wistfulness in your face right before you slipped it back into the photo album.” He regarded her profile. “Do you miss it?”
Emma shook her head “No. It’s just…”
He raised his eyebrows questioningly when she looked up at him.
She smiled brightly. “It’s nothing at all.”
“Not the correct answer.”
“How would you know?”
“I feel it in here.” He lightly thumped his belly.
“In your gut?”
“Gut instinct.” Good God, his father was speaking out of his mouth! “I trust my instincts.” That didn’t sound any better. Could be worse, however. “So spill the beans, missy.”
“Oh, when you get all dominating and demanding, it makes me shiver.” She gave an exaggerated shiver.
“Nice try.” He tugged one of the wavy tresses draped across her shoulder. “Talk to me. Tell me what troubles you. If it’s not missing the city, the big hospitals, or wishing you were back there, then what is it?”
Her sigh was deep and long. “It’s just…I’m so happy here, Shane.”
He waited, knowing the prolonged silence would make her talk far quicker than pushing it right now. But she still needed some encouragement to continue, so he lightly rubbed his thumb up and down her arm where his hand rested in a reminder that he was waiting.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here.” She rested her head on his shoulder.
He dropped a kiss atop her head
, the familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo assailing his nostrils.
“I just can’t help but feel that one day, somewhere, sometime, that bloody brooch is going to come back to bite me.”
“Ah.” He stared thoughtfully into the gathering darkness, the daisies and bushes muted colours and shades in the gloom.
“What if Karen Barlow decides to pursue this after all? I keep waiting for the other boot to drop, for the ground to open up under my feet and take me from everything I’ve grown to love.” Her hand on his thigh tightened. “From you. From this lovely place. From our friends. From CK.”
“You think you could go to gaol for stealing.”
“Maybe.”
“You have this hanging over your head, don’t you?” Tugging her closer against his side, he rested his cheek atop her head.
“Most times I’m okay.” Absentmindedly, her hand rubbed up and down his thigh. “But knowing the brooch is still missing worries me.”
“The real owner withdrew the charges,” Shane pointed out. “The daughter doesn’t have a leg to stand on if she decides to cause trouble.”
Emma’s hand was now squeezing his thigh. Not quite digging in, but not exactly comfortable, either. The fact she was doing it without noticing just showed how much this bloody business bothered her.
Taking her hand, he laced their fingers together.
When CK bumped her head against their hands, Emma stroked her to settle the ginger cat down. The purring recommenced.
Shane wished it could be as easy to settle Emma.
“If she does cause trouble,” she said quietly, “even if the charges are null and void, mud sticks.”
“Em.”
“It does. This is a lovely town, nice people, but not everyone is so understanding.”
It was true. Their friends would stick by her, his family, and she couldn’t pry him away from her side with a crow bar, but there were others, and their words would hurt Emma’s gentle soul.
“And then it could spill over onto your family, onto you-”
Secrets (Hope Bay) Page 29