by Cindy Kirk
“Shane,” she said as the Ferris wheel took on more passengers and their gondola inched its way toward the sky. “You said we needed to care for each other before we made love again.”
“That’s right.”
“I care for you.”
“And I care for you.”
He didn’t need to say more. When they reached the top and his lips closed over hers, they both knew how the evening was going to end.
Chapter Fourteen
“Did you and Marnie ever go on the Ferris wheel?” Shane asked Asher later that evening by the fire pit in Wyatt’s backyard.
Instead of immediately answering, Asher handed him a bottle of Dos Equis then turned to Lia and held up a tumbler filled with bubbling clear liquid. “Club soda?”
“I’d love some.” Lia smiled her thanks.
Only after Asher handed her the drink did he turn back to Shane.
“Actually—” Asher gazed at his son, who stood nearby eating a burned marshmallow “—the three of us went together.”
“There were three on our ride, too,” Lia said with an impish smile. “Shane won me a huge teddy bear.”
Sawyer lifted a brow. “You always said those games are rigged.”
Shane ignored his brother’s comment. He glanced at Lia, a smile lifting the corners of his lips. “For an accountant, your math skills appear a bit rusty. There were four on our ride.”
Lia held up a hand and counted off on her fingers. “You, me, the bear...”
“The baby,” Shane prompted.
“Oh, that’s right.” Lia was surprised he’d brought up the baby in front of his siblings. Even though she was “blooming” more every day, she’d noticed Shane rarely mentioned her pregnancy when they were with other people.
“We’ve got s’mores over here,” Wyatt called out.
“Lots and lots of s’mores,” Sarah-Jane echoed. “Come and get them before the chocolate melts.”
“I’m interested.” Shane held out his hand to her. “You?”
Were his blue eyes darker, his gaze more intense this evening? And was his question about something other than s’mores?
Lia shivered, sensing change in the air. It felt as if her and Shane’s relationship had been chugging along a certain path only to shift into high gear this evening. She took his hand. “I’m definitely interested.”
For the rest of the evening, Shane never left her side. Lia munched on s’mores and eagerly ingested stories Shane and his brothers shared of their childhood.
She got a good view of the men they were now from those stories. It appeared Shane had always been the responsible, serious one. The child upon whose shoulders his father had placed the greatest expectations.
There was certainly tension whenever any of the boys mentioned their dad. Lia made a mental note to ask Shane about it later.
One by one, the couples excused themselves to return home. Shane took her hand as they strolled to the car. The night had been perfect and she was reluctant to see it end.
When they reached the truck, instead of opening the door, Shane turned her to face him, pressing her back against the door. “Ever since the Ferris wheel, I’ve wanted to do this again.”
As his lips closed over hers, Lia inhaled the intoxicating scent of him, reveling in the strength of his arms around her. Her fingers sank softly into his dark hair.
But one kiss wasn’t enough for either of them. Before long the sweet, gentle pressure morphed into something more carnal, something almost desperate.
“Get a room,” she heard someone call out.
Shane stiffened and Lia thought he might step back. Instead he planted little kisses along her jaw and laced his fingers through hers. When she looked up, his eyes were dark and filled with need.
“I want you,” he murmured, his lips moving along her cheek to her earlobe. “Stay with me tonight.”
She thought of all the reasons she shouldn’t, but those reasons didn’t matter. Tonight she wanted to love him with her body as she already loved him with her heart. “Yes.”
His head jerked back, startled surprise in his eyes. “What did you say?”
She kissed him lightly on the lips. “I said I want to spend the night with you.”
On the short drive to his place, Lia’s body hummed with excitement. Unlike New Year’s Eve, this time she was sure of her decision. There would be no indecision or second-guessing.
The only bad moment came when they were climbing the stairs to Shane’s suite of rooms and ran into Sawyer. Lia saw the disapproval in his eyes. Shane didn’t appear to notice. He greeted his brother and kept walking.
“Sawyer doesn’t approve,” Lia whispered as Shane opened a door at the end of a long hall and stepped back to let her enter.
“Forget him.” He pulled his bedroom door shut and twisted the lock. “All that matters is you and me.”
Shane gently released her hair from its clip so it hung loose around her shoulders. He took a step back, holding her at arm’s length. “You are so beautiful.”
Lia gave a little laugh. “What I am is hot and dusty.”
“If you’re inviting me to shower with you—” Shane’s eyes glittered “—I say yes.”
She let him take her hand and tug her into a large bathroom that rivaled the one in the hotel.
There were mirrors everywhere. Though washing off all the grime from the day sounded heavenly, she doubted Shane planned to turn off the light, which meant he would get a good view of her rapidly changing body.
By the time she’d unbuttoned her shirt, he was already naked. He looked just as magnificent as she remembered. She let her gaze linger on his taut abdomen, on the finely defined muscles of his thighs and on the mounting evidence of his desire for her.
“Ignore it,” he said with a smile. “For now, anyway. You’ve got some undressing to do.”
With great reluctance, Lia averted her gaze. “I—I need to tell you something.”
His fingers, which had moved to her shirt front, stilled. He exhaled a breath, watching her closely. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing is the matter.” Lia felt herself blush. “It’s just that m-my body doesn’t look the same. I don’t want to disappoint—”
“You won’t,” Shane said with such confidence, Lia believed him. “Now, let’s get you out of these dusty clothes.”
Shane slipped her shirt off her shoulders. It fell to the floor and pooled at her feet. The rest of her clothes quickly followed the same path.
She heard his sharply indrawn breath and when she looked up at him, his eyes were unfocused and glazed with desire.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
Lia lowered her hands, which had risen to cover her nakedness. Mesmerized, she gazed into his eyes and shook her head slowly.
“Yes,” he insisted, cupping the back of her head and bringing her mouth to his.
A smoldering heat flared through her, a sensation Lia didn’t bother to fight.
His tongue teased the fullness of her lower lip. When she opened her mouth, Shane changed the angle of the kiss, deepening it, kissing her with a slow thoroughness that left her weak and trembling.
“I’ll make this good for you.” His hands cradled her breasts in his large palms, the nails of his thumbs scraping across the hypersensitive tips.
Lia gasped. A jolt of pleasure sparked between her legs.
His hands remained on her breasts even as his gaze dropped to the soft, round mound of her belly. He planted kisses across her abdomen, murmuring words of endearment. For her? For the baby? Did it matter?
Raw need surged as he continued to kiss and caress her. She was too busy kissing him back to remember stepping into the shower. All she knew was he was soon soaping her down with a large mitt, his talented lips following the rinsing stream of water.
His mouth and hands were all over her body. And everywhere he touched, she sizzled. Caught up in the pleasure swelling like the tide inside her, Lia barely noticed hi
m putting her foot on a small stool before he entered her. His strong arms held her up as the rhythmic thrusts fueled the growing need building inside her. Her muscles tensed and collected. “Don’t stop,” she groaned, trying to catch her breath.
“Not a chance.” His own voice was hoarse with need.
Water rained down as the tension inside her exploded. She rode the rising waves of pleasure, clutching his broad shoulders until the last few twitches left her body, dissolving in a white-hot glow.
Only then did Shane let himself come, shuddering with the force, growling his pleasure against her throat.
This time had been perfect, Lia thought dreamily, resting her head against the hard plane of his chest. Perfect, because of the love.
His hands were gentle as he wrapped her in a warm Turkish towel and efficiently dried her off.
“I tried to go easy,” he said earnestly. “I didn’t want to hurt the baby.”
“You don’t have to worry.” Lia trailed a finger down his cheek, touched by his concern. “The doctor said as long as I don’t go swinging from chandeliers, the baby will be fine. She even said this would be a good time to try different positions.”
Without warning Shane scooped her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, depositing her on the bed with great gentleness.
Lia looked up at him, her pulse rioting. “What are you doing?”
“Just following doctor’s orders,” he said, a devilish twinkle in his eyes. “We’ve got a whole lot of positions to try. I figure the sooner we get started, the better.”
* * *
For the next week Lia and Shane were inseparable. Her days were filled with work, and her evenings and nights, with Shane. He hadn’t yet said he loved her, but she saw it in his eyes and felt it in his touch. She clutched tightly the hope that one day they would be a real family.
Though Lia had never been happier, as the baby continued to grow, she found herself increasingly fatigued by the time the workday ended. Making dinner became a chore and many nights she settled for a nap instead of food.
Observing this, Shane put his foot down and insisted she dine with him every evening. Though Lia initially protested, she rather liked being coddled and fussed over. And bit by bit, she began to feel accepted by everyone in his family. Everyone but Sawyer. Although Sawyer was always pleasant on the surface, she got the feeling he was holding back his approval.
“Does Sawyer not like me?” she asked Shane on the drive back to her apartment after an evening concert in the park.
Though he was still pressuring her to move into the ranch house, she’d made it clear that wasn’t happening. Of course, rainy nights like this caused her to question that decision.
Shane frowned. “Did he say something to you?”
“No, he’s very polite.” Lia chose her words carefully, knowing how close the two brothers were and not wanting to start any trouble between them. Besides, she genuinely liked Sawyer.
From the day she’d first started at New Fortunes Ranch, she’d thought he was a great guy. But the comfortable camaraderie they’d enjoyed had disappeared once she’d told Shane she was pregnant. “I feel as if I’m on trial and he’s a juror, gathering evidence, trying to make up his mind.”
“Sawyer is like that,” Shane admitted. “He’s cautious. Takes him a while to trust.”
Shane could have been describing himself. But since he’d been suspicious in the beginning then had come to accept she was telling the truth, Lia could only hope that his brother would eventually believe her, too. “I’ll win him over.”
Shane smiled. “I have no doubt of that.”
“I wondered if you’d be interested in going with me to San Antonio on Saturday?” Lia asked. “They’re having a big Folklife festival at HemisFair Park. I’ve attended in the past and it’s a lot of fun.”
“This weekend isn’t good.” A long silence passed. “I’ll be tied up both days.”
This was the first Lia had heard of him being out of town. “Where are you going?”
He pulled the truck to a stop in front of her apartment building. “What do mean where am I going?”
“You said you were going out of town.”
“You misunderstood.” Shane’s voice was well controlled. “We have a guest coming in. Making sure she’s entertained will keep me busy all weekend.”
There was a tension in his voice that Lia hadn’t heard before. “Her?”
“Jeanne Marie.” He clamped his lips shut as if he’d already said too much.
“Your old family friend.”
His gaze shot to hers.
“Her name came up before,” Lia reminded him. “You told me she was an old family friend. Will I get to meet her?”
His answer was immediate and absolute. “No.”
Tears stung the backs of Lia’s eyes. Darn pregnancy hormones. It wasn’t as if she had any interest in meeting some old friend of his parents; she just didn’t like feeling shoved to the side.
Okay, and maybe his attitude hurt, just a little.
“Well.” Lia forced a smile. “I hope you have a nice weekend with her.”
A startled look crossed his face. “You and I will still have tomorrow night.”
“I’m afraid not.” Lia knew she was being petty but at the moment she didn’t care. “My old friend from San Antonio may be coming to town. If not, I’ll probably spend the evening with Selina. Maybe Dori and Jax will join us.”
“Perhaps we could all get together for drinks,” he suggested.
“It’s a nice thought, but no.” She gave him a phony smile. “I’m sure you understand.”
Shane rubbed the back of his neck and scowled. His mood showed no signs of improvement on the trek up her apartment stairs. Even the kiss they exchanged at the door was more perfunctory than passionate.
Once inside, Lia called Steph. As expected, it went straight to voice mail but she left a message telling her friend she wanted to set a time to get together. She mentioned she was available tomorrow night, but realized it was short notice...so if that didn’t work, another day would be fine.
Then she called Selina and left the same message.
Lia ended the call and plopped back on the bed. The hot, angry tears she’d been holding back began to fall. Tomorrow she might feel better. Tomorrow she might even be more understanding. But right now she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever fully be a part of Shane’s life.
Chapter Fifteen
Shane had offered more than once to pick up Jeanne Marie at the airport. But she’d insisted on renting a car and meeting them at the ranch.
Wyatt glanced at the clock on the mantel. “She should have been here by now.”
Victoria stopped pacing. “She should have been here an hour ago.”
“It takes time to pick up a rental car,” Shane said.
“How would you know?” Asher gave a little laugh. “You always have a vehicle waiting for you.”
Shane resisted the urge to snap at his brother. They were all on edge, knowing this woman held the answers to all their questions, but unsure how those answers would affect their family.
He told himself it was a good thing he hadn’t seen Lia last night. The closer it had gotten to Jeanne Marie’s visit the more his stress level had risen. Still, not seeing Lia brought its own kind of stress.
He’d grown used to having her in his life. In fact, he couldn’t imagine her not being with him. But falling in love so quickly made him uneasy. After a lifetime of guarding his heart, he didn’t like feeling vulnerable.
Asher’s head jerked up. “Is that a car?”
Shane pushed back the curtains at the parlor window. A large dark sedan pulled to a stop. A tall woman with gray hair stepped out.
The other woman. Shane had to turn away. His chest felt as if someone had put it in a vise and was slowly squeezing.
“I’ll welcome her at the door,” Shane said to his siblings, forcing the words past the tightness in his chest. “Then I’l
l bring her back here to meet all of you.”
The doorbell chimed and Shane was at the door in seconds. Before reaching for the knob, he paused for a moment to take a deep breath and plaster a smile on his face.
He opened the door wide. “Welcome to New Fortunes Ranch, Jeanne Marie.”
It wasn’t a proper greeting, but Shane couldn’t bring himself to call her Mrs. Fortune.
He motioned her into the foyer. “I’m Shane. We’ve spoken so much on the phone, I feel as if I already know you.”
“Shane.” The older woman’s face broadened in a smile. Her arms slipped around him. But before he could react to the unanticipated hug, she released him. “You look so much like your daddy, I swear I’d know you anywhere.”
The words were a dagger to his heart.
Thankfully over the years Shane had had a lot of experience keeping his composure and true feelings hidden. Those experiences served him in good stead now.
“I’ve heard that before.” Shane forced a laugh, his smile never leaving his lips. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“I appreciate being invited.” Her smile was warm, friendly and oddly familiar.
Close-up, Jeanne Marie was a handsome, rather than a pretty, woman. Certainly not the type a man would choose for a mistress or a second wife. She looked to be about his father’s age with gray hair pulled back in a low bun and a face with more than a few lines.
Her white pants and blue top with a matching sweater were nice but not sexy in the least. His mother was ten times prettier than this woman, Shane thought.
“Everyone is in the living room,” he said smoothly. “They can’t wait to meet you.”
“I can’t believe James has five grown children.” Jeanne Marie shook her head, a smile lingering on her lips. “Where do the years go?”
Shane forced himself to keep walking and not respond. From her comments, it appeared as if Jeanne Marie had known his father for a long time. Which meant their affair had not been a recent thing.
“Everyone,” Shane said when he entered the living room. “She’s arrived.”
