by Ward, Alice
“I think you really like this Shep guy,” Lauren teased with a tickle to my ribs.
I blushed and nodded. “I was wrong to think Aiden was the better man,” I admitted. “Shep is one of the most amazing men I’ve ever met.”
“Is he going to join us?” Lauren asked.
“No, he wanted me to have my night with my friends,” I explained.
Lauren was gushing as I told her about Shep’s promise to wait for me and how he turned me down when I made a move. The boys were busy harassing the hostess of the restaurant for her best table while I filled Lauren in on all the details of the week with Shep.
As much as I tried, I had a hard time hiding my anxiety at the table with my friends. Lauren could sense something was wrong and kept asking me if I was okay. I wasn’t, but I didn’t want her to know. I didn’t want any of them to know. Not yet.
This was embarrassing, but not nearly as embarrassing as it was about to be when Aiden released that video, if he actually had one. I couldn’t let myself believe he did, but I couldn’t let myself believe he didn’t. If I ignored his threats, and he wasn’t bluffing, what then?
I had a week until the finale aired and I felt certain he wouldn’t release the video until afterwards, as promised. He’d want the biggest media blitz he could get. That meant I had a day or two to absorb this new information and decide what to do.
“I’m really exhausted,” I said when Lauren asked me what was wrong for the fifth time that hour. “Maybe I just need to get some rest.”
“Of course, we’ll take you to the hotel.”
“You all stay here and have fun. I’ll get a car. I think I want to stay at Shep’s tonight anyway.”
I excused myself, hugging Asher and Jackson each goodbye before letting Lauren grip me tight into her arms. She walked us a few steps away from the guys and said, “Whatever’s going on, you need to talk to me.”
I knew she wasn’t fooled by my strong face. “I will, I promise. Just not right now.”
Shep was the one who knew Aiden the best. He would know if he was bluffing or not, and might even know what to do. I prayed he’d know what to do. I couldn’t imagine he’d want to continue dating the girl that had begged for Aiden Maxim’s cock on the Internet. It would be tough to take me anywhere since he’s such a public figure. His down home beliefs and solid reputation would certainly be blasted out of the water.
“What are you doing with the ‘give me your cock girl,’ Shep?” his pastor would ask, and how would he answer? Ugh, I hated this. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life and in one quick moment, Aiden found a way to ruin it. To ruin everything. To ruin me.
The valet ushered me into a private car, and the driver was given instructions to Shep’s apartment. I hoped he was home. He hadn’t called, but I assumed it was because he was giving me space. I hadn’t called because I knew as soon as I heard his voice, I would start balling.
I walked into the front entrance and was stopped by the man wearing a red vest and white pants in the lobby. “Good evening, Miss Walker,” he greeted me. “Mr. Thompson is expecting you.”
Everything inside me relaxed as I realized Shep was waiting for me.
On the top floor, I stepped out onto the gorgeous marble and knocked on the red metal door. Shep opened it immediately, and I fell into his arms sobbing. “What is it?” he asked tenderly as he guided me into the apartment.
I clung to him as I let out all the stress I’d held in for the last few hours. He smoothed my hair and pushed it from my face. “Sit down,” he said gently and ushered me to the couch.
I explained everything, from how Aiden threatened me to how he made the comment to my friends. “I haven’t told anyone yet,” I sobbed, “I just couldn’t.”
The events of that night in Aiden’s camper kept creeping up in my mind. It was a game. It was sexy. I thought it was private. That’s why he made me say all those things and play with myself while he positioned me just so. I was being aimed at a camera, set up for this.
“I’ll take care of Aiden, don’t you worry about that,” Shep said, his voice deadly serious. I looked into his eyes and felt safe, physically and emotionally. His voice was stern and strong, and I believed him when he said it would be okay.
“Now, let’s focus on you being a winner for tonight,” Shep continued, lifting my chin with his thumb. “Tonight is about you, and what you want. It’s a night to celebrate.”
I stood and extended my hand to him. He took it, and I pulled him to his feet. His lips grazed against mine as we stood so close. I knew exactly what I wanted. “I want to go to bed,” I whispered.
“Of course,” he agreed, showing only the slightest bit of disappointment. “You’ve had a long day.”
I stood on my tiptoes and pulled his head down until we were only centimeters apart. The electricity charged between us as I closed the gap and took his lips in a kiss so passionate I felt it in my toes.
His arms surrounded me, his fingers digging into my skin as he devoured my mouth. I clung to him, trying to meld my skin into his. He scooped me up into his arms, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
“Bed?” he asked, his voice warm and silky.
“Yes.” I took his bottom lip between my teeth and sucked. “Your bed.”
In a few long strides, we were up the stairs and in the bedroom I’d yet to see. His bed was incredible, covered in a thick white comforter with light teal pillows and brown sheets. It was large, looked soft, and when he gently laid me down, it felt like heaven.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
I looked up into his handsome face. “I’ve never been so sure in my life.”
Needing to touch him, I sat up as he pulled off his shirt, exposing his broad chest. A small patch of hairs grew between his pecks, and I explored their softness and the muscles underneath.
When he unbuttoned his pants, I was surprised that, like Aiden, he wore no briefs. Maybe he’s a bad boy too. His cock popped free of the denim as he lowered his jeans to the floor. He was long and thick, the tip glistening with his arousal, and he growled when I leaned forward and took him in my mouth.
His fingers sank into my hair, fisting just tight enough to make me moan as I sucked and licked his hard flesh, making love to him, showing him how much I wanted him. Wanted this. Wanted us.
He surprised me when he pushed me backwards on the bed, showing a rough side I’d yet to see. I liked it. The dark intensity in his eyes as he undressed me, his mouth over each slice of flesh as it was exposed.
It was sensual, romantic, and so very erotic.
My body reacted to his every touch, my ass lifting as he removed my shorts and panties, and my back arching as his mouth engulfed my breast, pulling and sucking my nipple deep into his mouth. His fingers clutched my skin, making me feel everything. His teeth nibbling and biting his way down my body.
Then he was there, at the heat of me, his tongue separating my folds. Hot and wet, he plunged into me, his teeth scraping across my clit. He didn’t eat me, he feasted, devoured until I was screaming his name as I came into his mouth.
“Do you know how perfect you are?” he asked as he climbed up my still heaving body and reached for a condom on the table beside the bed.
“No, but I know how perfect we are together,” I told him as he rolled the condom down his length.
He smiled down at me before taking my mouth again, the flavor of me still on his tongue. “I want you,” he murmured as he settled his weight between my thighs. “Hard and fast, then slow and forever.”
I arched into him, feeling him nudging my entrance. “I want you too. Any way. Every way.”
He captured my moan in his mouth when he plunged, entering me in one swift, hard movement. I stretched around him, welcoming him, wrapping my legs around his waist to keep him inside me forever.
He rocked into me, slow then fast, changing the rhythm with each stroke. Grinding down into my clit, he changed the angle, giving me new sensations, pushing m
e toward pleasure’s edge.
Our mouths slid together as our bodies connected over and over. The sounds of our breath, our skin meeting and parting, our moans and gasps mingled together into the most beautifully erotic sound I’d ever heard.
“This is where I belong,” he said, his words coming in breathless gasps as he plunged into me, rocking me up the mattress with his ferocity.
I loved it. I’d be sore tomorrow, and I’d welcome the ache. I’d want more. I’d crave more. I’d never get enough.
When I exploded beneath him, he cursed as my body bore down, gripping him with a ferocity of my own. But he didn’t stop, didn’t give me time to recover, just plunged and plunged, taking me higher with him to a place I’d never known.
He growled low in his chest as he began to swell inside of me. In a final plunge, he roared out his release, and I cursed the condom, the barrier keeping me from feeling his heat fill me. He rocked into me, my body milking him of his pleasure, our sweat slicked skin gliding across the others.
I held him tightly, my fingers in his hair, my face buried in his neck, my ankles locked around him, refusing to let him or this moment go. As he relaxed, I accepted his weight pressing me harder into the mattress.
“Wow,” I breathed, and his chuckle vibrated through me, and I lifted my face from his neck to look into his eyes.
He kissed my nose, my cheek, sliding his lips down my jaw to kiss my ear. “Wow is the perfect word,” he said, the warmth of his breath filling the space between us.
I pushed his hair back from his forehead, his sweat making it stick up so endearingly I began to weep. The tears were sudden and unexpected, but I didn’t hold them back nor did he ask me to. He didn’t ask why I was crying. He knew.
He kissed them away before taking my lips again, making love to me with his gentle touch.
When he swelled inside me again, he moved away only long enough to change condoms. As our bodies connected, I gazed up at him in wonder. This was what home felt like, I realized.
We made love for hours, rocking together, touching and being touched. And afterwards, we lay in each other’s arms, talking about our hopes and dreams. We laughed. We shared stories of our childhood. The disappointments we’d experienced along the way.
As the morning sun peeked into his windows, we finally fell asleep, still clinging to one another.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
e
I woke up to an empty bed. The warmth of Shep’s body and the soft beating of his heart that had soothed me to sleep were gone. I sat up and listened for any signs of him downstairs, but there was only silence.
I jumped as my feet touched the cold floor of his bedroom, a chill moving through me, bringing gooseflesh onto my skin. I wrapped a sheet around me before venturing any farther than the bedroom. I wasn’t sure if Shep had housekeepers, cooks or any other staff that were normally around. If he did, they were sent away during my week of hiding there.
Stepping out of the bedroom, I peeked down the hallway. As I walked towards the stairs, I could see that the lower level was empty and silent. Where had he gone?
My head was light and my eyes heavy, so I decided to make some coffee before I dressed and continued to look for Shep. In the kitchen, a pot of freshly brewed coffee was already made with a note taped to the coffee maker.
Claire,
Enjoy a cup. I’ll be back soon with food.
Love, Shep
I stared at the words, Love, Shep. Was that his way of opening the floodgates for the flow of I love yous to follow? I couldn’t help but enjoy thinking that maybe Shep loved me, or that he possibly could one day. I was falling for him fast and hard, and love was certainly on my mind after last night.
I heard the front doors open, and I peeked out to see Shep entering the apartment. “Hey you,” he said cheerfully. I smiled and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.
“I missed you this morning,” I said softly.
He kissed my nose. “I had to take care of something.” A box of bagels was in his hand along with a couple of bags, one from the gourmet café across from his apartment. “You slept so long, I wasn’t sure if you would want breakfast or lunch when you woke.”
I dug through the bag once he set everything on the table and found a croissant with ham and cheese to nibble on.
“Did you get coffee?” he asked.
“I was about to, thank you.”
“Sit, I’ll get you a cup,” he said as he walked into the kitchen. I followed his orders and took a seat. I continued nibbling on my sandwich while he clanked around in the kitchen. After a few moments, he emerged holding two mugs, both filled to the rim.
“Here you go, my love,” he said, placing one of the cups in front of me.
He used the word again — love. I wondered how hard he was fighting back saying those three little words.
“You take such good care of me,” I said, wrapping my hands around the warm cup and lifting it to my lips.
“That’s my job. That’s what I was doing this morning.”
I looked up into his eyes and could tell he was anxious to tell me something. “What do you mean?” I asked.
He pointed to a bag he’d earlier set on the table. I reached for it, wondering what could be inside. It contained a variety of smart cards from phones, cameras, and computer systems.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s your peace of mind.” He winked at me. “I figured you’d want to dispose of them yourself.”
I poured everything out onto the table. “How do you know this is it?” I asked.
“Trust me, everything is erased.” He looked so confident, I began to relax. “I sat there while we went through every file on his and Elle’s laptop, phone, and camera.”
“So, you saw the video?” I covered my face with my hands, unable to bear the thought of Shep seeing me that way.
“No. All I saw was the beginning, nothing bad, just to make sure it was the actual video before he started erasing,” he assured me.
I peeked at him from between my fingers. “He could have already put it somewhere else. How do you know he doesn’t still have a copy somewhere, or Elle?”
Shep reached for a bagel. “Claire, you’ll have to trust me. He won’t be doing anything but jerking off to the video alone if he still has it,” he said as he slathered cream cheese on top. “I’ve worked really hard to get where I am in this industry, and one of the perks of all that hard work is that I have a lot of influence, a ton of influence. Aiden knows if he ever wants to work again, he won’t go through with his threats.”
“So you threatened him?” I asked, feeling a little more confident that Shep had this under control.
“Yes, and I let him know my sister had no problem outing him as a rapist if I give her the okay,” he said, his voice cold, deadly. “I wouldn’t let her actually do it, but he doesn’t know that. The only reason she hasn’t is because I didn’t want her name dragged through the mud with Aiden’s rich family lawyers.”
I flung my arms around Shep’s neck and pressed my lips against his cheek. The sheet fell from my body, and I shivered as the cool air of the apartment brushed against my bare skin.
Shep’s hands instantly warmed me, caressing my back and my sides. “I’m suddenly not very hungry,” he said playfully.
I nuzzled his neck. “Neither am I.”
He scooped me into his arms and carried me back up the steps and to his room. I laughed when he tossed me on the bed.
“I love it when you’re rough,” I told him and grinned when he ripped his shirt open, causing buttons to fly everywhere. His pants were next, and my stomach twisted when his cock popped free.
“I also love it when you’re gentle,” I said as he crawled across the bed toward me, his eyes burning into mine.
He stopped when our noses were only an inch apart. “You seem to love a lot of things,” he said, and I cupped his cheek with my hand.
“Yes.” My heart picked up speed, the ro
ar of my blood pounding in my ears. “And I’m falling in love with you.”
His smile was beautiful. “I’m falling in love with you too.”
He leaned forward to kiss me, but I held him back, moving my fingers to cover his lips. “Thank you, Shep. For believing in me and supporting me, even when I didn’t deserve it. For not judging my actions or thinking me foolish as I explored a world that was so unknown and new.”
He kissed the pad of my thumb.
“Remember my story of how fucked up I was a few years ago?” he asked, and I nodded. “Do you hate me because of my past?”
Of course not. “No.”
“Did you lose respect for me because of it?”
“No.” Then I grinned. “Maybe a little.”
He grinned too. “And you forgave me because you know I learned from my mistakes and strove to do better. You’re falling in love with the man I am now because I lived through those lessons.”
“Are you saying everything happens for a reason?”
He sat back on his heels and pulled me up until I was straddling his thighs, his erection the only barrier between us.
“I’m saying that everything happens. Good or bad. Right or wrong. It happens, and it’s our job as humans to do the best we can in response.”
“How’d you get so smart?”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Because I learned a shit load of lessons.”
We both laughed. And we were still laughing as he rolled on a condom and when he lifted me onto him, connecting us. Laughter melted into passion as our lips met, our fingers gripping each other tightly, digging in, not letting go.
Hours later, we were eating the bagels in his bed, ravenous and sated at the same time.
“So, what are you going to do now that you’ve won?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” I admitted as I wiped a dot of cream cheese from his chin.
“How about you take a world food tour with me?”
