Page 86 of Shane

“I love you, too,” she admitted quietly. “I know it’s early, and we don’t really know each other, but I really want that date you promised me.”

“Me too, babe. I want to see where this thing between us goes,” Shane said as he carefully lifted her up from the mattress, enfolded her in his arms, and pressed her head under his chin. “I thought I lost you. Finally found the woman of my dreams and you nearly got away. Shit, you scared the hell out of me.”

She wiggled one arm around him and splayed her fingers up his back as far as she could reach. “I’d like you to hold doors for me and help me get up into your truck. I like ice cream cones and dogs and kisses and… and I like this.” She could feel his body relax beneath her as she held on as tightly as she could.

He was breathing into her hair by then. “I’m so damned tired of living alone.”

“You’ve got Dolly and Molly.”

“You know what I mean. Alex is right. I’ve been hiding who I am for years. Never wanted to be a Marine, much less a sniper. But I owed him that much. Now I owe you.”

“For what?”

“For this.” The moment she looked up into those deep blue eyes, he took her mouth. Kissed her and licked her and held her while she fell apart and cried. Then he kissed her through her crying jag. By then she was deliciously spent, so damned tired it was hard to keep her eyes open.

So she didn’t. Just leaned into Shane, took a deep breath, and let his strength take her weight and her secrets. Finally. She was home. Didn’t matter that she’d found her happily-ever-after in Arkansas. She knew it now. Her home was with Shane. Wherever he went, she would follow.Yes. Follow.

Chapter Thirty-One

“Hurry. They’ll be here in ten minutes.”

Everlee was hurrying as fast as she could, but no matter how much Shane scolded, she could still only do so much. Her energy hadn’t fully rebounded since she’d been shot. Certainly not as quickly as her physical injuries. If anything, she felt like she was fifty-years-old today. Stiff and tired. But mostly, grouchy. Put upon. Not her usual peppy self. Yes, physical therapy was getting her strength back. The problem had more to do with what was going on with her heart, and what she’d seen the last day in the hospital, that intimate moment between Shane and Tuesday. That damned kiss he had no idea she’d witnessed. Sure, he’d packed a bag and moved right into her place to help her convalesce, without even asking. Which made things between them worse.

He’d been the perfect caregiver. Attentive. So damned thoughtful. Kind. He fixed all of her meals, even took the dogs for long walks, which made Blade a true believer. What dog wouldn’t be thrilled following an alpha like Shane? Didn’t hurt that along with Shane came two adorable, bouncing Springer Spaniels that were now Blade’s best girlfriends. The three of them slept together in one huge puppy pile on the fluffy bed that had once belonged solely to her pittie. Only now, he’d turned into a grinning, slobbering pup who adored Shane and his girls.

But Everlee couldn’t move beyond what she’d seen between Shane and Tuesday. Before that, Everlee thought she and Shane had been on solid relationship ground. Which would’ve been a first for her. Now? Not so much. Shane’s subterfuge had spoiled everything. She hadn’t kissed him once since she’d been home, didn’t ask him about what she’d seen. Wouldn’t dare. How could she ever prepare for that big of a letdown? If he told her they were through? She was already hurting enough.

She’d never be blonde or sexy or beautiful like Tuesday, and her legs would never be long. Men might fall like dominoes for Tuesday, but no one would ever for a short, stubborn, ill-tempered, pushy former Air Force lieutenant. And Butch didn’t count! He hadn’t fallen for her. All he’d ever wanted was a slave, some stupid idiot to mother him through his lazy-assed addictions.

So, yeah. Why ask for more pain? Even if Shane were polite and sweet while he told her they were through, that he was moving out and moving on, she knew she’d open her big mouth and say things she didn’t mean. Or worse, she’d fall apart and cry like a damned sissy.

So, no. Flat no. She got it. She was the ugly step-sister to Tuesday’s gorgeous Cinderella. So for one more day, Everlee pushed her confrontation with Shane into the future. Hopefully, when she could stand and fight back and do it with style. Like a boss!

But that day was probably closer than she wanted. Everlee could tell. Shane had grown even kinder lately, more thoughtful. Sweeter. More gentlemanly. As if he wasn’t already choirboy perfect. He still said grace over their meals, which he insisted they eat at her dining room table because he’d said he wanted to recreate the connective family atmosphere he’d known with his mother. Which was all well and good—ifshe and he were a family. But they weren’t. They were co-workers, two people who’d been temporarily welded together by a near fatal event that he obviously felt responsible for. They were ships that passed in the night. Nothing more.

He’d sure been surprised when he’d first stepped inside her apartment though, mostly because she’d furnished her place—not her Dad’s place and not Butch’s!—with expensive Stickley furniture that had cost an arm and a leg. At least it was classy. More’s the pity that she’d forever be white trash with her father incarcerated at Washington State’s Walla Walla Penitentiary. Every piece of her pricey furniture proved she could certainlylook good enough. That just took money. But she’d neverbe good enough, would she? She’d never be classy or beautiful. And today, Everlee was positive no one could ever love a big-mouthed loser like her.

Living with three rambunctious large-breed dogs didn’t help. Molly, Dolly, and Blade had bonded within minutes of meeting, then turned her apartment into one perpetual puppy playpen. At least they got along. But rubber balls, gelatin bones, and tattered chew toys were everywhere. Sometimes they were underfoot, more often than not, under the furniture. Not that she minded, because, hey, most of those toys belonged to Blade, and she’d meant for her home to be a sanctuary, not a showroom. Still, her prized pieces of Stickley were the only classy things she owned. Blade didn’t count. He was more like her, rough around the edges, a gnarly chunk of coal more than a diamond in the rough. As if she, Everlee Yeager, a murderer’s daughter, could ever be mistaken for something bright and shiny. Someone worth keeping. That’d be the day.

But this afternoon, Shane, darn him, had gone and invited Heston and the gorgeous Ms. Smart over to visit, like any minute now. Guess he needed reinforcements when he bailed on his promises. Guess he wasn’t a gentleman after all.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself. When it’s over, it’s over. No second chances. Good riddance,” Everlee grumbled as she knelt beside her prized rocking chair and tipped it far enough back to reach the rubber bone beside the rear runner. As expected, her position caught the dogs’ attention and the game was on. Suddenly there were three furry, drooling faces peering beneath the rocker, all of them panting dog breath into her face. Making her tear up. Reminding her how much she was going to miss these sweet Springer Spaniels when Shane left.

Suddenly, a big warm hand landed on her backside, cupped one cheek, and made her smack her head on the underside of the rocker’s hardwood seat. “Ouch! Damn it, Shane,” she complained when she jerked upright. “You startled me, you big ape!”

She’d meant for him to back off, to at least give her enough room to get on her feet. But next thing she knew, Everlee found herself flat on her back beside the rocker with Shane on his hands and knees over her. His chest was bare, and he was smiling. Despite what she thought she knew, he didn’t look like he was going anywhere. His pupils were too big and black, and his handsome face was bright with mischief. His bare chest was drool worthy. Man, she was going to miss this guy.

Her breath caught when his strong, capable fingers smoothed over her skin beneath her baggy t-shirt, under her bra, and gently cupped her breast. Everlee closed her eyes as the work-roughened pads of his thumb plucked at her nipple.Yes, yes, yes.That was what she’d wanted for weeks, this intimate connection. This beginning. Only it was the beginning of the end. Wasn’t it?

It was a first since her release from the hospital, though, and the sensory stimulation overwhelmed Everlee. Her heart pounded like it wanted out of her chest. He’d been so damned in control since her shooting. So careful handling her, and way too cautious. He hadn’t even slept in her bed with her. Not once. Sure, they’d cuddled on the couch in her living room and watched TV, but as soon as she’d drifted off to sleep, he’d picked her up and carried her to her room, tucked her complaining ass into bed, and then gone back to sleep on the couch. Every time. Every night! Until Everlee wasn’t sure about that so-called date he’d promised her. Because this wasn’t it, neither was him being her caretaker her idea of a relationship. This was platonic, and he was too damned nice, and she wasnotthat kind of a woman. She wanted rough and dirty and hot and heavy and sweaty. Right now! With the dogs watching!

With her body revved up and screaming like an LS engine caught in the four-second delay between the flash of amber and green on the Christmas tree before a drag race, she grabbed hold of his belt buckle and—

The doorbell rang. “Shit!”

Shane pulled back, his grin wider, his perfect, white teeth showing between his sexy lips, and… a dimple? Everlee hadn’t noticed that cute little thing before, but there it was, tucked into his cheek like an adorable secret surprise. Everlee wanted that perfect little dimple to be just her secret surprise.Not sharing, Tuesday!

The bell rang again and Shane looked over his shoulder at the door. She wrapped her fingers around his belt. “Make them go away. Tell them to beat it,” she ordered, her errant tongue licking up the side of his neck in anticipation of at least one good, wet kiss. That’s all. And okay, maybe a little skin-on-skin playtime before he left her. She deserved that much. She did!

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