Everything is so blissfully normal. Wait, not normal. The way I would have laid things out. Almost everything was pretty much my style, to the point where I could easily see myself living here with him someday.
“So, what do you think?” he asks.
I turn to land in his arms, burying my face in his chest. “I love it. Everything is luxurious without being pretentious. It’s really comfortable here.”
His palm strokes a slow circle at the base of my spine. “I’m so glad. I hope that we’ll be spending a lot of time here.”
I catch a tiny whiff of his scent – a slight tang of leather, and possibly cedar. “Are you going to show me your room?” I whisper up at him.
His eyes burn darker as he stares at me for a moment before answering. “If you like.”
Off the dark polished wooden stairs, the first door opens into a good-sized room with a gigantic bed. Everything is simple and masculine – dark browns and blues and grays.
Now that we’re finally together in a room with a bed again, all I can visualize is Shane’s huge body over mine.
As he leads me over to sit on the edge of his bed, I can feel my skin prickle and flush in anticipation. It’s not my fault that he’s so sexy it doesn’t leave room in my mind for much else.
Shane’s lips tip up at the corners in a devilish smile. “Claire, now that you’ve seen my space, do you want to go downstairs so that I can make you lunch?”
I shake my head.
“Do you want me to order in pizza?”
I shake my head again, as my tongue darts out to wet my bottom lip.
With a strange tingle in my stomach, I slip my hand up his arm. “You know exactly what we need,” I whisper.
Mentally, I want us to be close and reconnect. To forgive our little glitches and be lost in the moment again. Lost in the fire we keep building together.
Emotionally, I just want him to sweep every stress away.
Physically…he’s making me so hot that I’m getting dizzy from the anticipation.
Shane’s swift, searing kiss breaks my trance, then I feel his hand unzipping the back of my dress.
Once again, I can feel his urgency, yet he’s so gentle with me. His restraint is confusingly arousing.
“I’m not going to break,” I moan against his lips. “I can feel you being so careful with me. I promise I’m not made of glass.”
My pulse quickens as he nods. “I never want to hurt you, sweetie.”
My lips find his ear, too embarrassed to meet his eyes as I whisper, “Trust me, if I ever had a tiny bruise because you were rough with me in bed, it would be the hottest thing ever.”
I can feel a deep shudder run through him, then suddenly I am on my feet as he pulls my dress off.
A strange rumble comes from his throat. Then a moan slips from my mouth as he unhooks my bra and pulls off my panties in seconds, lying me across his bed.
“I like being in your space.” My tongue darts across my lips, as I crook my finger at him, beckoning him towards me.
He pulls off his t-shirt and I gasp aloud. Those rippling sculpted muscles belong on a fitness model.
But no, that’s my boyfriend.
He strips completely, then he’s over me, raking his mouth down my throat as I quiver against the sheets.
As his lips meet mine, I get lost in his flavor as we both moan. His palms drag up my skin, across my breasts, positioning my body wherever he needs to.
As he pinches my nipple slightly, I cry out into his mouth, and another shudder runs through him.
Just as I start to spread my legs for him, Shane stops. “Wait.”
“Oh, right, sorry. The condoms are in my purse downstairs. I’ll go to the doctor soon about getting on the pill.”
He reaches into his bedside drawer to grab a packet. “I bought a box a few days ago. But that’s not it.”
“What is it?”
His thumb runs along my cheekbone, as pure passion radiates from those dark eyes.
It’s like a rush of euphoric electricity as his deep voice rumbles, “I love you, Claire. I need you to know that. I’ve never loved anyone before. I’m yours now. Completely.”
For a few seconds I can barely breathe, then realize he needs a response immediately. “I love you too,” I huff out in a rush. “I’m yours, Shane.”
“Good,” he smiles, as I feel his fingers lightly massage between my legs, warming up my skin. “Is this where you want me?” he mutters thickly.
“Please,” I gasp.
I don’t mean for it to sound like begging, but once I see the effect on his expression, I realize it is precisely what he wants.
In seconds I’m almost embarrassingly wet, his fingertips pushing through my folds to gently slide in just enough to tease.
“Yes,” I murmur as my hips begin to squirm restlessly. His fingers feel incredible but I need so much more. “Please, Shane. Please.”
My eager little whimpers have the desired effect immediately.
Shane kneels up, fisting his impressive erection for a moment before rolling on a condom. I watch as he gets into position, staring down at my bare pussy as he slowly begins to push inside.
Once again, feeling my body stretching open for his is obscenely erotic.
I can’t help squirming, so he places his hands on my hips, holding me still. That tiny bit of restraint makes everything feel more intense.
“More.”
Inch by inch he presses deeper, bending my knees up to spread me wider. His knuckle finds my clit, rubbing in tight little circles that cause my vision to blur and double in seconds.
“Claire,” he chokes, leaning down to kiss me as he slides an arm up my back. His knuckle moves faster as his shaft strikes deep, his slow deliberate strokes filling me completely.
“I’m yours. All of me. Can you feel it?” I hear myself say.
“Yes, baby. You feel perfect. Tell me that every inch of this hot little body belongs to me.”
How is that so impossibly hot?
“Yes.”
I’m lost in the sensation of my tight tunnel gripping him harder with every thrust. As Shane kisses me again, I can feel his control slip. His external calm has cracked, the stoic veneer stripped away.
My heels dig into the bed as I buck up at him, needing him deeper, needing more, yet losing my mind from how good it feels in this split second.
A frantic wail overtakes me, echoing through Shane’s mouth as I sink into the swirling vortex of pressure and heat. My climax tenses every single muscle, as he grinds deeper.
“Jesus, baby, that feels so good,” he groans, as his thick arms flex, holding himself over me.
As soon as I stop shaking and squealing, he flips me, pulling me onto all fours then driving into my wetness immediately.
My hands clutch his pillow as I quiver under him. I feel overpowered. Taken. Yet so carefully that there is no fear, only bliss.
His lips murmur at my ear. “Even deeper like this. So perfect against me. Baby, I need to feel you come again.”
He pulls me up so we’re both standing on our knees. His left hand reaches around the front of my body to grip my right breast, holding me tightly against him. His right hand slips straight down, flickering across my swollen button.
I have no idea whether my body is super responsive, or Shane’s touch simply drives me into the stratosphere, but it’s barely a minute before I climax again. My head rolls against his chest as I moan uncontrollably.
“Claire…yes…” He roars, thrusting hard and deep. I can feel his length jerking and throbbing in my channel as he releases, his hands clenching against me as he comes in an explosion.
Seconds later, his savage heat dissolves into tender attention. I’m lifted gently, stretched out on my back with the pillow under my head.
“So beautiful,” he murmurs, kissing me softly as he strokes my skin everywhere.
Gripping his face between my hands, I stare at him while trying to catch my breath.
&
nbsp; “Shane, I love you.”
“I love you, baby. Was that too–”
“No,” I shake my head. “Not even close.”
His handsome grin would melt something deep inside me, except every single part of me is already molten.
“Do you want to spend the night, sweetie?”
I glance over at his antique wooden clock on the dark mahogany dresser. “It’s only two in the afternoon, but sure.”
“Time for a cat nap.”
He leaves me for barely a minute, coming back from the washroom with a cup of water. After a few sips, we cuddle up, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces.
“My Dad always said there’s nothing like a little afternoon nap,” he says, as his hand strokes up my thigh, around the curve of my butt, and all the way up my spine, back and forth.
I love that he’s comfortable enough to mention his father without tensing up. I love that he’s finally totally relaxed around me.
“You always manage to make me melt,” I murmur, my eyelids heavy.
“Somewhere in there is a joke about my soldering gun and blow torch, but I’m too scatterbrained at the moment to find it,” Shane chuckles.
I can’t believe how perfect we feel together. I can’t believe I got the promotion. I can’t believe that I’m finally becoming the independent woman that I dreamed of.
“What are you smiling about?” he asks, trailing a finger along my jaw.
“You, and absolutely everything else,” I smile.
“Good. I think I like having a happy girlfriend.”
“I definitely like having you as a boyfriend,” I say softly.
Satisfying as that is to say out loud, it is the pride in Shane’s eyes that really warms me to the core.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
~ Shane ~
~ Two Weeks Later ~
Even though I’ve been up working half the night, and dealt with double the usual customers today, I’m energized instead of exhausted.
Thanks to Claire’s new website and her mother’s endless circle of friends and acquaintances spreading the word, business has been booming just the right amount.
It’s becoming trickier to work on important projects during the day, however, since that door bell keeps ringing. So last night after walking Claire home I came back to the shop to work on a very important project.
Which is sitting heavily in my pocket now as I pick Claire up from work.
I murmur against the shell of her ear as I hold her close. “Hey, sweetie. Ready for your book club?”
“Yes. Thank you for coming to walk with me.”
“Always.”
As we stroll hand in hand down the sidewalk, Claire points out another new store opening next month. This one is a second hand clothing shop.
“Perfect. You can shop for new-to-you sweaters on your lunch break.”
“I won’t be taking any lunch breaks next week,” she smiles up at me. “We’re working on the design revisions for the new line.”
“It’ll all be worth it,” I say as we turn down Sherborne Avenue.
Once we reach the giant tree in front of Henry’s Café, I stop.
“Claire, I know it’s too soon for all of this, But I’m the kind of person who likes to plan things in advance.”
Her pretty little face is an absolute ray of light. “I am too,” she says softly.
“Good. I want you to know that I’m thinking about our future, as well.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a bracelet and fasten it around Claire’s left wrist. “I would be honored if you’d consider this a token of our pre-engagement,” I say, my voice thick with nerves.
Her tiny gasp is almost inaudible. “Shane – it’s gorgeous!”
“No, you’re gorgeous, that’s a hunk of metal,” I chuckle. “Well, two metals, actually.”
“You made this?”
“Sort of. The silver base is an antique, and I added the bronze leaves to make it more interesting.”
“It’s so delicate and light,” she says, turning it in the amber sunset glow washing over us.
Her hands grip around my neck to pull me down for a deep, meaningful kiss. “Yes,” she whispers against my mouth. “To the pre-engagement. Yes.”
Her eyes sparkle, and I love the way we understand each other perfectly. Sure, there’s no such thing as a pre-engagement. But there could be. Who cares?
“Step one – checkmarked,” I laugh, holding her sexy, curvy body tightly against me. “Then a real engagement, marriage, and a bigger house so that we’re all set up for kids someday.”
“I like your house,” she says with a seductive grin.
My head shakes seriously. “Oh no. There’s only one spare bedroom. We’re going to need two kid’s bedrooms and a playroom, at least.”
“We can just upgrade when…” Her eyes and mouth open wide at the same time. “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.”
“What?”
She leans close to whisper in my ear, “About a week ago I found out that I get a pre-inheritance from my grandmother when I turn twenty-five. It’s a half-million dollars. So that should get us started with a really nice house.”
“Sweetie, I have more than that in savings. I just didn’t need a bigger house until now. We’ll figure out what to do with that money down the line.”
I don’t mention that there is no way she is spending her money on our home. I have that covered, now that I know what type of home our lives requires.
Something deep in her eyes shifts. “I really love that you only buy as much as you need. It’s sensible.”
“All of that is going to stop when I start spoiling you rotten,” I smile as I kiss her forehead.
“Come inside for a minute,” Claire says, gripping my hand. “Meet my friends, they’ve already heard a bit about you.”
I gulp as I follow her into Henry’s. She wants me to meet her circle of book club girlfriends. Somehow, this feels even more serious than meeting her family. Family is inevitable. Friends are a choice. And I’ve never really had any.
“Hey, look what he made me,” Claire says excitedly, showing off her bracelet to the other girls.
For the first time that I can remember, my smile feels completely natural while in a crowd of new people.
“Hi,” I said, extending my hand to the grinning girl with wavy brown hair. “I’m Shane, Claire’s pre-fiancé.”
EPILOGUE ONE
~ Claire ~
~ Six Months Later ~
Shane is absolutely right. His house is the perfect size for the two of us, no more.
After finding every single available nook and cranny over the past weekend as I moved in all of my things, everything fits just right.
We’ve begun to look around at neighborhoods with good schools, but moving to a bigger house is still a few years away.
I’m not sure why Shane completely refuses to consider the idea that I can contribute to a new house when I turn twenty-five.
No matter. I can put that money towards renovations, traveling, or setting our kids up with college funds so they can go anywhere they like stress free.
Walking out the sliding door to the backyard, I start toward the deck chairs, but instead turn to lean on the railing, looking up at the glowing quarter moon.
The late evening is warm, the air already becoming thick and sleepy. So am I, after an incredible anniversary dinner prepared by Shane.
Six months since our first kiss. It’s hard to believe how much has happened in that short time.
Between my promotion and his business booming and our mothers becoming unlikely friends, we’ve been more social than either of us have ever been in our lives.
The Henry’s Coffee book club discusses ‘happily ever afters’ quite often. Now that I have my own, I’m no longer reading for escapism, just entertainment. Maybe a mental vacation.
My lunchtime mental breaks to work on Shane's website turned into the two of us working o
n it together on the weekends. Now we update it every month with photos of his latest treasures, as he tells me stories of his dad.
HT Scrappily HEA A15 Page 15
