Page 22 of Forbidden

Shane finished his pizza and stared at me. Anytime I looked up, his gaze was still there. He wouldn’t stop and I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to until I felt myself blushing.

“Do I have Alfredo all over my face?” I asked.

I reached for a napkin and his hand closed over mine.

“I’m sorry about before,” he said, his voice husky.

“Just forget about it.”

“No, I should know better. When I was in jail, if someone entered my space, I would’ve kicked their ass.”

“I overreacted. I’m sensitive about my room, my space. I can’t help it.”

“Is that why you’re here?” he asked.

I nodded.

“You don’t have to say anything else. I understand.”

He squeezed my hand, and somehow I knew he really did understand.

“About what you said in my room...”

“Again, I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought maybe something was going on between us and I stupidly thought we could continue it.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking the same thing.”

“Well, we can’t. Not here, not in this house.”

“Then let’s go somewhere else.”

We decided to head into New Brunswick where there were several large hotels and enough people that no one would notice us. On the ride there, Shane pointed to a 7-Eleven convenience store and asked me to pull in. He came back out after a few minutes with a grocery bag full of stuff.

“What did you get?” I asked, trying to peek into the bag.

“Essentials.” He swatted my hand away. “Now keep driving.”

The Hyatt hotel was one of the tallest buildings in the city and overlooked the river. We had no problem getting a room and rode up the glass elevator in silence. My heart was pounding in my chest. I had never done anything like this before, but the thought of being alone in a room with Shane and nothing else but a bed was too good to pass up.

As the elevator doors opened, Shane took my hand and we followed the numbers to our room. He flicked on the lights and set the grocery bag down on the desk next to the television.

In the center of the room was a king-sized bed with brown and cream colored sheets. It faced a wall of windows that were covered with long drapes.

I was beginning to feel awkward, like some kind of slut. I sat on the edge of the bed and wrung my hands together. Shane sat beside me, pushed my hair over my shoulder, and whispered huskily in my ear.

“I know what you want.”

His voice gave me chills and my nerves slipped away. I turned to him, hoping he would kiss me again, but instead he stood up and started emptying the bag from the convenience store. I was beyond confused.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I know what you want,” he said, his voice different from just a minute ago. “Ice cream.”

He held up several pints of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and a box of plastic spoons, balanced them in his arms, grabbed the television remote, and set them down on one of the nightstands next to the bed.

“Let’s go,” he said as he patted the head of the bed. “Get your ass up here.”

He propped up some pillows and took off his boots before leaning back against the headboard. I kicked off my sneakers and sat cross-legged beside him.

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