a reason to live(52)

He didn’t move away as I thought he would. His front was to my back, and I could feel the warmth emanating from his body. Images of the night before fought for attention as his chest rose and fell behind me. I could almost feel his hand at my throat, his breath on my skin, his hands holding me to him as he thrust inside me.

His body grew taut, and I wondered if he remembered as well. I wanted to lean back into his chest or turn and wrap my arms around his waist, but I couldn’t. He would balk if I made a move toward intimacy, so I stepped forward, plastered on my best smile, and turned.

“Thanks for the help.”

“I told you as long as you were in danger, I’d keep you safe.”

That you did, Shane Sherman. And while you’re keeping me safe, I’m gonna return the favor and heal your heart!

“Well, if you’re on bodyguard duty tonight, then you better bring your earplugs. Mia has somehow convinced me to sing with her and the Barbie Twins.”

Shane muttered, “Babe,” and I caught laughter in his expression.

“Oh, yeah. Ears should be bleeding and the bar cleared out by nine at the latest.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” he answered, but the laughter he held in check finally seeped out in the form of a smirk.

“Whoa. You do know how to smile,” I teased.

His lips twitched for a moment then he surprised me by murmuring, “Minx.”

Oh. My. God. Maxine is right.

By proving I’m strong, that I wasn’t crushed by last night, he, in turn, relaxed.

“Are we doing lunch or what?” Mia called out.

I turned and looked at her, grinning. “Absolutely, I’m starving.”

“Let’s go then. We’ll find Joanne and Suzy while we’re in town and we can stop by the courthouse and look into what it would take for you to consult here.”

“Here?” Shane questioned.

I looked back at him and smiled. “Yeah. Mia has convinced me that Trails End is a great place to live, so I’m looking into moving here permanently.” I winked, then turned and headed for Mia’s Jeep before he could reply.

As I climbed in, I waved good-bye to a stunned Shane and Max. When Mia climbed in, she was giggling.

“God, the look on his face was priceless,” she said as she started her Jeep.

“I wasn’t sure if it was fear, anger, or indigestion,” I answered, laughing as she drove off. I looked back as we headed for town and saw Max slap Shane on the shoulder then head to his truck.

“Indigestion. Definitely,” Mia replied. “He saw his future flash before his eyes. With you in town permanently and him not claiming you, that means he has to watch you date.”

***

Shane stood near the river’s edge and let the sun bake his skin. An eagle called out and he looked up. He watched it circle the blue sky until it was out of sight. He’d always done his best thinking alone on the mountain and he hoped it wouldn’t fail him now. Picking up a rock, he tossed it across the flowing water and watched it bounce and sink.

Just like that rock, he was sinking fast.

He closed his eyes and saw Jake laid out on the floor the night before. He’d fucked up with Jake and then went on to make another colossal error in judgment with Sage.

He shouldn’t have slept with her.

He couldn’t get her out of his head before he’d laid his hands on her. Now the images of her body and that sweet mouth of hers wouldn’t let him be. The memory of her soft whimpers as he tasted the contours of her body ran in a loop, keeping him in a constant state of arousal. And to make matters worse, the way she responded to being controlled by him made him want her even more. She was naturally submissive, unlike Mia, who would have butted heads with him. Sage fought it at times, probably didn’t understand she had a deep-seated need to hand over control to the right man. Just as he had a deep-seated need to control his environment.

Dropping to his knees, Shane sat then lay back on the damp earth until all he saw was the sky. Then he shut his eyes.

Sage is moving to Trails End permanently.

“Christ.” Shane sighed.

He’d told himself he only had to hold out until the stalker was caught and she left. That once she was back home, he’d be able to move past her and the guilt he held on to like a drowning man. Now, she would be in his face daily, reminding him of what he couldn’t have.

“And someone like Jake won’t wait for her boxes to be unpacked before they try and get in there.” His back molars slammed shut at the thought. He could feel his fist colliding with the jaw of any man who laid a callused hand on her.

The only thing stoppin’ you from g’tting' in your truck and claiming that woman is your own stubborn need to be right.