by Dez Burke
She could barely make out Shane’s form sleeping beneath the duvet on the couch. For some reason she felt comforted that he was there just a few feet away. Until she heard the screams.
Dear lord.
She stirred from sleep a second time and shot up from her pillows to find Shane thrashing on the couch. She quickly switched on the bedside lamp, her heart thumping. Sure enough, those harsh sounds of pain were coming from him.
She called out his name but he obviously didn’t hear her, his head tossing from side to side on his pillows. Without thinking it through first, Angela stumbled out of bed to his side, noticing he’d kicked off his covers in the process and now was dressed in just his navy blue silk boxers.
She barely took the time to register the long strip of scars marring the right side of his torso. Falling on her knees by the couch, her hand rested on his bare shoulder which she shook gently in a bid to calm him.
“Shane! Oh god...wake up, Shane! You’re having a bad dream!”
Why didn’t someone else rush in to help? Angela was frantic with worry until she realized their room was secluded from much of the house. Possibly no one could hear the noises Shane made that sounded like they could rip her soul out with the agony in them.
She clutched his shoulder again and shook Shane harder than ever.
He groaned and flailed his arms, almost smacking her in the jaw. She placed a calming hand on his cheek and stroked, her voice soothing. “It’s okay. It’s only a nightmare.”
His chest stopped heaving, and he tossed his head in her direction even though his eyes remained squeezed shut, his face a grimace. “Angela?”
Her name on his lips shocked her to the core. “Yes, I’m here. Right here, Shane. Go back to sleep.”
God, but those sounds he’d made! They’d cut straight through her heart. What could he be dreaming of that made him form those terrible cries?
Obviously the wreck and the fire. She combed the silky hair from his damp forehead as thankfully, he began to calm down. But just as she made to withdraw, he grabbed her retreating wrist with surprising strength. Angela gasped, instinctively drawing back.
“No,” he managed on a groan, his forehead crinkling as if in pain. “Don’t go. Please.”
Don’t go? Confused, Angela opened her mouth to object, to say she really needed to get back into bed. But lost the power to form words when he tugged on her arm to pull her on top of him.
“Stay. Please,” he whispered, head falling to the side just inches from hers as his flinching expression eased, though his eyes stayed closed.
Angela hadn’t the heart to protest further. She slowly, carefully rested her head on his bare shoulder, letting her body soften into the hardness of his. Angela didn’t know what else to do.
He had a death grip on her wrist and still seemed to be lost in between sleep and consciousness. At least he’d stopped screaming, thought Angela with a shuddery sigh. His body was warm, almost too warm, but she drew comfort in sensing that he became calm with her beside him.
Her body slowly lost its stiffness as she stretched her body next to his. His deep sigh had her finally allowing herself to totally relax, a strange emotion swelling her chest. In the soft light from the lamp by the bed, she could see his face at close range and every inch of scar tissue seemed softened in the night’s gleam.
God! She had it bad for this man. What the hell was she going to do now?
She hadn’t planned to fall asleep in his arms, but she did. The heat of his body, the reassuringly broad bulk of his frame, had lulled her to sleep once his breathing slowed. By the time she woke up, she found herself back in her own bed.
Everything was righted in the room; nothing to show that last night had been broken with the sound of terrifying screams. Angela shook her head as she tried not to think about it. She could only guess what tortured him and her heart melted thinking how no one could see this side of him that was vulnerable. All they saw was the disfigured playboy and racecar driver.
Angela picked out a demure sundress to wear after her shower. She didn’t know what to expect of today except that it was Shane’s mother’s birthday and there was of course going to be a large party. She hoped his parents weren’t still planning on going through with the intervention. It would be terribly embarrassing for Shane.
Angela was on the lookout for Shane once she reached the ground floor. She couldn’t help but notice the flurry of activity going on around her, with trays of food being carted into the house and people moving in and out so fast she couldn’t keep count. She was able to grab a sandwich from the kitchen and a cup of coffee when she decided to go hunting for Shane.
She made her way into the living room where Valerie was running around in a nervous panic. Valerie gave her a big smile. “Angela dear, are you hungry? You missed breakfast with us earlier.” Valerie’s expression held real concern and Angela drew in a calming breath.
“No thanks, Valerie, I grabbed a sandwich and some coffee earlier. I guess I must have overslept.”
Shane’s mother walked over and hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re here Angela. I can’t tell you how happy it’s made me to see Shane out and about again. You’re a good influence on him and I want you to know how grateful Lloyd and I are.” Her eyes teared up for a moment. “We’ve been worried sick about him for the longest time.”
Angela patted her arm in a comforting gesture. “I know.”
“Well here you two lovely ladies are,” Shane said, walking into the room. He reached out an arm to pull Angela closer to his side and she eased into his welcome frame. “I hope you aren’t talking about me.”
They all laughed. “No,” Angela replied. “I was wishing your mother a happy birthday. The party tonight sounds like fun.”
“It will be,” Valerie exclaimed. “But there’s tons of work left to be done. I’d better go and check up on the preparations. I hired a caterer from a barbeque place in town but I still need to keep my finger on things. Maybe you can both go for a walk around the farm away from all the noisy commotion. I’m sure Angela would love seeing the baby ducks down at the pond,” Valerie suggested with a sweet smile to both Shane and Angela.
Once she turned the corner Angela self-consciously tried to draw away from Shane’s hold.
He pulled her tighter. “I’m sorry for dinner being so awkward last night. They’ll be more comfortable around you once they get to know you better. Are you holding up okay?” Shane asked, his hand gripping her chin and tipping her gaze up to meet his.
Angela didn’t know what she was feeling. Emotionally, the whole arrangement was beginning to take a heavy toll on her. She sighed heavily. “I guess I’m fine. How do you think things are going so far?”
He smiled. “My dad adores you already. He made a point of telling me so. And Mom seems to like you too. So I guess it’s fair to say you’re a big hit; like I knew you would be.”
“Mission accomplished then?” she said, hating the thought of their arrangement soon coming to an end.
“Almost. We still have the birthday party to get through. I have a good feeling about things though.” He took her hand in his. “Let’s go see those baby ducks.”
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY went much better than expected. Everyone seemed more comfortable around Angela which meant she could finally relax and enjoy the festivities too. Valerie had hired a bluegrass band for the evening and after dinner several couples in the crowd tried their hand at square-dancing on the grass lawn. Angela shyly held back until Lloyd insisted on quickly teaching her a few clogging steps before pulling her onto the grass as his dance partner.
Occasionally, she’d catch Shane’s eyes watching her as they promenaded around the crowd. After a couple of dances, he stepped from the sidelines and tapped his dad on the shoulder.
“I’m cutting in, old timer,” he said, deftly tugging Angela away from his father and into his arms.
“Thought you didn’t dance,” Angela murmured, loving the feel of his warm body pressed
close to hers.
“I don’t. Not modern hip-hop kind of dancing. This is different. I grew up square-dancing.” He expertly took her hand and twirled her under his arm. “Besides, this gives me a good excuse to get my hands on you.”
She laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself and trying not to think about tomorrow. If only the night never had to end...
Chapter Ten
"Where did you say you're again?" Sasha asked with awe mixed with glee that her elder sister secretly couldn't reciprocate.
"We’re at Shane’s parent’s house up in the Smokies," Angela replied, smiling despite herself. "We’ll be back in Nashville this evening."
"Wow. You're really living it up," teased Sasha, "While I work my butt off at my new job."
"Hey, I'm working too you know. I told you, this is just a..."
"A project. Yeah, I remember that part," Sasha said with a shrewd tone. "What are you, his personal assistant or something? Because the gossip rags are making you sound like his new squeeze. Dad was up yesterday and somehow got a hold of one of those celebrity mags. Thankfully I took it off him before he got to the page with you on Shane Davis's arm at some swanky party."
Angela sighed deeply. Only yesterday she'd managed to speak to her father on the phone and it lifted her spirit though it made her feel sad, too. He assured her he loved the new health facility and that he was getting much better. Angela could tell that for herself; her father hadn't sounded so strong in weeks.
"Just keep him in the dark about my um...shenanigans until this project is over."
"So when will that be?"
"Soon. In a week, tops. That's when this assignment comes to a close."
“What are you going to do then?” Sasha asked. “Any plans?”
“I don’t know,” Angela replied, her heart heavy. “I have no idea what I’m going to do.”
SHANE TRIED TO READ Angela's expression but couldn't. She was getting incredibly good at concealing her feelings. There was a time he could tell what she was thinking simply by looking into the deep brown pools of her beautiful eyes.
Now even her smile was all but lost to him.
He couldn't let things end this way between them.
Now that the stipulated time had come to a close, he was duty-bound to let her go. He had no choice. Only last night, they'd driven back here to Nashville. She had seemed so genuinely happy the night of the party and now so sad.
Things needed to change in the way he'd mapped out his life for the future. And there was one more thing he had to do.
Angela still had the blank look on her face as she waited for him to speak. He’d asked her to meet him in the study to discuss their arrangement.
"I'm aware that tomorrow marks the end of our agreement," he told her lightly as he poured out drinks for them. He offered her a glass and she accepted with thanks, her eyes expectant.
"In the weeks to follow, my social calendar is proving to be somewhat full. Dinner parties, fund raisers, the usual. Some events are in other states. My suggestion is that we extend our original arrangement I'm thinking three more months and then we see how it goes from there."
He had to have imagined the flare of hope in her eyes before it drizzled to something akin to anger. "Three months? I'm sorry, but I can't possibly sign up another three months of my time. No matter the price," she added quickly before he could speak. Then she sighed heavily. "Look, it's been great and sort of an easy way to make a truck load of cash. And I appreciate everything you've done but no...I can't continue to go on playing your fake fiancee, Shane."
"Wouldn't you even consider it?"
She shook her head firmly. "You should know my agent called me a few days ago about a few auditions coming up. One is for a crime series and another for a sitcom. These are roles I've only ever dreamed of and I need to at least take a shot at them. I mean its all fine and dandy playing at being a millionaire's girlfriend but now I need to focus on building my career. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."
Shane was sorry too.
He should have known this wouldn’t work. He had to think of another way to keep her with him. He knew no matter how much he offered, she'd stand her ground. Damn, he was such an idiot to believe he could tie her down further. What on earth would make her want to spend even more time around him? She was probably sick to death of looking at his ugly face every day.
Despite his new-found confidence, Shane still felt conscious of what he looked like in the mirror. He couldn't expect Angela to want to keep on dealing with that. And for that reason he couldn't come right out and say what he longed to say. That he wanted her to stay for him, no other reason.
The fact was, she deserved better than him; a one-time playboy now scarred into looking like something most women would wince at. No matter how he wished she was different, he couldn't ask her for more than she had to give. It was over. Time to let her go.
"I'm happy for you," he said at last, on clearing his throat. "I wish you the best with the auditions. I have no doubt of your success. You deserve it."
Angela laughed nervously. His gut twisted. "Thank you," she said, "but I hear a couple of big time actresses are trying out for the crime series role too. I'm hoping the producers will be more interested in going for a lesser known actress which I happen to be."
"You should stay positive," he said with a smile, happy to see the bright lights in her eyes again.
"Yeah. You too," she said softly, and to his surprise she walked right up to him and lifted her gaze to his face. Angela was the one person he could bear to look at him so directly. He wished she knew what she did for him - to him. How the depth of her personality, her sass and yes her grace, warmed him in places he'd believed were buried in ice.
"For what it's worth...," she began, "I think you've come a long way in such short time. It's great that you've decided to live life to the fullest again. And hopefully maybe start working on a real relationship that doesn't come with a contract."
Shane should have felt angered by her softly spoken words but strangely, he wasn't. He knew it was coming from a good place. She meant him well.
"Maybe I will," he murmured, staring deep into her eyes.
ANGELA RELEASED THE breath she'd been holding. She was glad Shane didn't take offense from her words which she realized now were quite audacious. What right had she to tell him how to lead his life?
His next words surprised her even more.
"Thank you, Angela. In more ways than you know. And especially for that first night in my parent’s home."
He must have seen the look of shock on her face, and he added drily, "Funny how the one time I could get you in my arms, I was too deep in sleep to really take advantage."
"You remembered! I didn't realize..."
He smiled. "When I found you lying next to me the next morning, I got a vague recollection of what happened. I haven't had one of those spells in a long time. Usually something specific triggers nightmares of the wreck and the fire. Maybe it was being around my family again. I don’t know. Anyway, it was nice of you and I don't think I'll ever forget how it felt to wake up with you snuggled in my arms. I didn’t move for thirty minutes even though my arm was asleep because I didn’t want to wake you."
His teasing smile sobered to something indefinably tender yet smoldering. Angela's heart skipped a beat as she felt a familiar tingle up her spine.
The look he gave her right then scared and thrilled her all at once. She instinctively backed away but he took her wrist in an unexpected grip that was gentle yet compelling.
Angela’s heart skipped, and she asked hoarsely, “What do you want, Shane?”
Her expression was resistant but deep inside, her core melted. She knew what he wanted. It was clear as day in his light grey eyes.
Those eyes.
They slayed her with promise of dark and wondrous things.
“You. All I want is you. One taste...one night. I can’t let you go, knowing you slipped from my fingers without getting to
know what your touch, your heat could give me. One night is all I’m asking.”
Shane’s harsh, rasped words did crazy things to her insides. She couldn’t walk away not knowing either. Just the magic of experiencing the power of Shane’s passion was paramount. It had teased and taunted her senses for weeks, coloring the air around them every moment they’d danced around it.
But before she even had time to realize what he intended, he’d pulled her to him and swooped his mouth over hers.
ANGELA ACTED MERELY on instinct and opened her mouth for the sweet invasion that was Shane’s tongue.
Her arms slipped around his neck and he groaned, tugging her more strongly up against him with his hands gripping her hips.
That deep sound of pleasure from his throat made Angela’s toes curl, her knees weakening when he picked that moment to tangle his tongue with hers before sucking hard on her bottom lip.
Damn but this guy knew his way around a kiss, thought Angela even as her nipples hardened to pebbles beneath her blouse. They fairly jabbed Shane in the chest with each extended inch and in response, his shaft seemed to thicken and throb against her stomach with a force that made her whimper into his mouth.
Licking back at his tongue now laced with hers, Angela’s brain faintly registered the sensation of his hands busy stroking her bare waist beneath the hem of her top. His firm, hungry touch made her so hot; her panties virtually crackling with the sizzle of smoking, lust-filled lava.
Shane deepened the kiss with a growl and practically lifted her off her feet as his arms closed around her hips, robbing her of breath. Their kiss became wildly erotic; fevered and untamed. Shane let her down slowly, making sure her body slid down the length of him so that she could feel every hard, strong ridge he possessed.
Angela forced her groggy lids open and stared up at Shane, wonderingly. His eyes held the mirror of every emotion surging through her every nerve cell. She couldn’t deny it if she tried; everything she could have said or wished had to be spread over her face.