Giving him a curious look, she agreed.
Shane settled one hand on her hips while the other rubbed lazy circles on her back, willing her to relax.
“Okay, baby, here it is. My full name is Shane Patrick Douglas. I grew up outside of Richland in a suburb and my mom still lives there. I’ve got a younger brother, Rick, in college. He’s thinkin’ about going to the police academy but mom’s hoping he decides to go into something safer. I’ve got one sister. Megan. She’s the middle one. Married to a good guy and they’ve got a couple of kids. They live near mom so I know they’re close if she needs anything.”
He paused, watching her carefully. Her brow crinkled as she pondered what he had just said.
“You didn’t mention your dad,” she said.
Shane inhaled deeply and let his breath out slowly. “Yeah. My dad. He was a policeman and was killed about seven years ago while on duty.” He heard the gasp from Annie’s lips as he continued. “Drug bust gone bad.”
The silence loomed between them, each lost to their own thoughts.
“Is that why you do it? Why you go after them so hard?” she asked softly.
He looked beyond her for a moment, then pulled his gaze back to hers. “Baby, I can’t tell you exactly why I went into police work. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Dad saw me graduate from the academy and hoped I would come work with him on the force.”
Annie looked at him sharply. “You don’t blame yourself, do you? For what happened to your dad?”
“Maybe if I had been there with him instead of here, things would have been different.”
“Shane, you can’t possibly believe that. Who knows what would have happened, but you can’t blame yourself,” she said adamantly.
He gave her hips a squeeze while shaking his head. “Don’t know, baby. But I know I can’t go back and change anything, so I just decided to do whatever it took to bring those fuckers down.”
“What does your family think?”
His hand continued to move up and down her back as he continued. “Rick? He gets it. Understands it. Hell, he may even be after it himself. Megan and mom? They wish I’d do something else. Mom knows I gotta do what I gotta do, but I know she’s afraid of the phone call in the night, just like with dad. But she gets it.”
They sat quietly for a few moments, each to their own thoughts. His hands drifted upward until they cupped her face, holding her gently. His pale blue eyes captured her green ones before he pulled her forward. His lips met hers in a kiss that held promise, then quickly became wild and untamed again. Just like before, sparks ignited. He pulled back, waiting to see what her reaction was going to be. He didn’t have to wait long.
Annie grabbed his face in her hands, pulled him forward and latched her lips onto his. Tired of waiting. Tired of analyzing. Tired of sitting on the sidelines. Tired of overthinking everything. In that moment, she decided that the sparks she felt every time she was with him were worth jumping into the unknown. He seemed unsafe, but when she was with him, she never felt safer. Slanting her head to give him better access to her mouth, she kissed him with all that she had.
Feeling her moan in his mouth he immediately stood, lifting her in his arms with his hands on her ass. Striding to the bedroom, his mouth never left hers. He slowly lowered her, holding her steady until she was standing. Feeling her breasts pressed into his chest, he slid his hands up under her shirt moving it upward until he peeled it off of her. His hand quickly divested her of her bra and it landed in the floor next to the shirt.
While she was being undressed, her hands were pulling his t-shirt off of him as well. She began to unbutton his jeans when his hands came to hers and covered them.
“Hold on, Sunshine. We keep goin’ this fast and it’ll be over before I’m ready.” Looking deeply into her eyes, he continued, “You asked me earlier about bein’ my woman. We do what we’re gettin’ ready to do and this time will be different. This time, make no mistake, I will be makin’ you my woman. Just want to check, Annie girl, you with me on this?”
She peered into his pale blue eyes…eyes that no longer seemed hidden, unexpressive. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw into the depths. He was looking at her with compassion. She could actually see the care in his eyes. Warm. Glowing. Just for her.
Nodding slowly, she replied, “Yeah, I’m with you.”
Closing his eyes he lowered his head, touching his forehead to hers. “My sunshine,” he whispered. “Only light in my darkness.”
Before she had a chance to speak he took her mouth again, this time possessively. His lips latched onto hers, kissing her with a force that threatened to overtake both of them. Plunging his tongue deeply, he explored every crevice. Sucking on her tongue, nipping her lips. She wasn’t aware he laid her back on the bed until he stopped kissing long enough to slide her pants and panties off of her legs, tossing them into the ever growing pile of clothes on the floor.