Page 37 of Sharing Shane

“Here’s how this is going to go, Derek.” Shane’s voice sounded like a dog chewing gravel. Veronica couldn’t see his face, but since Derek’s eyes bugged out and the angry flush drained away, she assumed a smile was not present. “You’re going to get the fuck out of here. You’re going to leave Veronica alone. Failure to do these things will make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry.”

Wyatt snorted out a soft laugh. “Go, Hulk.”

“You can’t make me do anything,” Derek protested in a show of bravado that would’ve had more impact if his feet weren’t four inches off the ground. He looked like a worm on a hook, squirming and twisting despite being thoroughly skewered.

“You don’t think so?”

Whatever Derek saw on Shane’s face made him go even paler. “But I can’t go,” he whined. “My return flight isn’t for a week.”

“Change it.”

“That costs money.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Shane said and dropped him to his feet.

Derek lost his balance and crumpled to the ground, then yelped again when Shane reached down and hauled him back up. “Time for you to go, Derek.”

“Veronica,” Derek began, his eyes pleading with her as Shane dragged him toward the door. “You can’t just?—"

“No talking,” Shane ordered, and with Derek babbling behind him, dragged him out the door.

Veronica’s breath left her in a whoosh, and she sagged against Wyatt’s restraining hold.

“Hey, hey,” He turned her carefully around, ducking down to peer into her face. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She inhaled deeply, smelling the faintly citrus scent of the hotel soap on his skin. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just relieved.”

His blue eyes searched her face, concern stamped on his features. “That he’s gone?”

“And that he’s no longer my problem.”

“I’ll bet.” He pulled out a chair and eased her into it with gentle hands. “That was pretty slick, playing the two of us against him.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Her lips twitched. “I’ve never actually seen anyone’s face turn purple before.”

He grinned. “He’s going to be torturing himself with mental pictures of the three of us “doing that” for weeks.”

She snorted. “Oh God, he’s such a tool. I can’t believe I ever thought I was in love with him.”

“Were you?”

She sighed. “No. I think I had myself convinced I was, otherwise I wouldn’t have stayed with him. But I wasn’t hurt that he cheated, just pissed. I think my ego took more of a whack than my heart.”

He settled himself into the chair next to her, and she sent him a grateful smile. “You guys are sweet for playing along.”

He raised a brow, his mouth curled in amusement. “Is that what you thought we were doing?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Oh. You think we’re gay.” The amusement deepened. “A reasonable assumption to make, but inaccurate. Which you probably guessed, since I know you felt my dick trying to force its way out of these shorts a few minutes ago.”

The shocked little gasp caught in her throat. “I thought maybe you’d shoved a banana in your pocket.”

“I’m bi-sexual,” he said baldly, still amused but now watching her with a focused intensity that seemed at odds with his usual cheer. “Surprised you didn’t clue into that.”

Unsure what to do with this information—or the effect it had on her still present lust—she felt back on wit. “I wasn’t thinking very clearly. My brain kind of fogged over.”

He barked out a laugh, though the heat in his eyes remained. “I know the feeling. Shane is too, you know.”

---