Page 71 of Everlasting Love

Cass

Great!

I’m finishing work early today, so bring her over after school

Me

Okay, see you then

And, thanks …

I know exactly what you’re doing, and I appreciate it

Cass

You’re welcome ;)

Hmmm, I need a plan for the weekend. Perhaps we can start with a nice dinner, some sexy lingerie, candles, music … maybe dancing in the living room. I’ll have to wait for the laundry to finish but I have heaps to do.

Soft music fillsthe house when I hear the front door open and close. Goosebumps race across my body like wildfire, and my nipples pucker in readiness.

It’s time!

In all the time I’ve known Shane, this is the first time we’ve been truly alone and in a situation where we won’t be interrupted. His footsteps echo down the hallway but pause for a moment at what I assume is the doorway to the living room. Then he’s on the move again as he approaches the kitchen entry. A shiver works its way through my body knowing he’s so close, and I turn to look at him over my shoulder, finding him leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.He’s such a beautiful man. I scan his face, noting the five o’clock shadow on his strong jaw and the slight narrowing of his eyes.

“Oh, hey. You’re home.”I hope that sounded normal.

His dark eyebrows slash down over his gorgeous eyes. “Yeah. Are you going out or something?”

“Uh … no, why?”

He traces my body with his gaze and shifts on his feet. “You’re dressed up. Where’s Jas?”

I turn to face Shane fully. “She’s staying with Cass, Toby, and the girls until Sunday morning.”

His eyebrows shoot up while he drops his hands to tuck them in the front pockets of his jeans. He knows the girls often have sleepovers, so this isn’t unusual. “So it’s just you and me?”

“Yeah.”Shit, that came out a little breathy.

He takes a predatory step toward me, and my breath stalls in my lungs. There’s a certain look in his eye that I’ve not seen before. It’s dark and promises all sorts of things. Well, I hope it’s promising all sorts of things. He takes another step and another until he has me backed against the counter. His hands drop to the surface on either side of my hips and this close, I can see the copper striations in his warm irises.

“Alone?” He leans closer and his warm breath ghosts across my lips. My tongue darts out to taste the air, and his eyes drop to watch. “All weekend?”

I nod, my voice suddenly missing. His lips tip up in a sinful smirk as he traces every inch of my face with his eyes. The man hasn’t even touched me, and my heart’s thumping triple time against my ribs and I’m finding it hard to breathe. His chest brushes my breasts, and I’m certain he can feel my diamond-hard peaks.

The buzzer on the oven sounds, breaking the crackling tension between us, and it takes him a few seconds to step away so I can deal with our dinner. Inhaling a deep breath, I turn off the oven and grab the oven mitts with shaky hands. Once I have the dish of tetrazzini safely in my grasp, I carry it to the table as Shane lights the candles I placed in the center. He holds up the bottle I opened earlier. “Wine?”

“Please.” I hold my glass up, hoping he doesn’t notice the slight tremor, and he pours a healthy amount into it, then fills his own. I’m gonna need this to take the edge off.

“This looks great. Smells good, too.”

“Thanks. It’s one of my favorite dishes and easy to cook, too.”

He scoops a decent amount onto his fork, and I watch for his reaction. His eyes widen slightly and he nods his head a little, then goes straight back in for another scoop. I breathe a sigh of relief because it seems as though he likes it. “This is delicious. Thanks for making dinner.”

“You’re welcome and I’m glad you like it.” I take a bite of my pasta dish, ensuring I have a little of everything on my fork, chew and swallow. “What did you do today?”Way to make the conversation mundane, Vi.

He swallows the food in his mouth. “I spent the day atThe Bunker.” I narrow my eyes and try to think if I’ve heard him talk about the place before but I’m drawing a blank. “Where is it?”

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