Saving Shelby

by Nicole Taylor Eby

  “You’ve had quite the day. Maybe, I should take you home,” he whispered, his lips moving against her skin of her forehead.

  No, she panicked. She didn’t want to go home. She wanted to stay right there with his strong arms holding the world at bay. She knew if he took her home, it would be the end. He would drop her off, maybe walk her to the door because that was the kind of man he was. But then he would say goodbye, and she knew in her heart that she would never see him again. It would be over before it could begin. If she could just keep him close, she might have a chance.

  “What about the woman at the ball?” she blurted out, cringing; that wasn’t the way to keep him.

  His lips curved into a wry smile. “She’s part of my past. I’ll tell you about her one day.”

  She searched his eyes, looking for any sign that what she meant was something to worry about, but his eyes held nothing but heat. She wasn’t even sure she would have cared, if she had seen something. She had Ian, and she wasn’t about to let him go.

  “I don’t want to go home.”

  He pulled back from her, bending his head down until he was able to catch her eyes. “We can’t stay here, because I have plans for you and these nipples.” He ran a thumb across her breast, making her shiver.

  She moaned helplessly, unable to form simple thoughts, as her mind swirled in a haze of want. She wanted Ian. She didn’t care that she was in a hospital in full view. She didn’t care that giving into her feelings for him went against her plans.

  “Plans that are definitely against the rules of this hospital, so my house it is,” he continued in a low growl, coming back up to press his lips to the hollow of behind her ear.

  Somewhere in her mind, Shelby knew she needed to pull away, even though it felt so good and right. With all that had gone down, she couldn’t face tomorrow when the sun came up, and he went back to his life. It would cost her too much, and she had lost too much already. But she also desperately wanted to go with him and feel all the things he had promised with his kisses. She wanted to feel how the fantasy ended.

  He must have caught the look in her eyes, because he shifted away slightly. “I’m sorry, Shelby. I didn’t mean for this to happen this way. I know I’ve hurt you. My life wasn’t set up for this. For love.”

  A little gasp escaped from her. And suddenly, she had that same feeling she had had standing on the edge of the jagged cliff looking down at the aqua river meandering its way between the slate-grey rock—the feeling that she was free and that maybe her soul could find a way to heal.

  “I quit my job. I let my past trap me. I’m not going to anymore. I’m sorry I made you feel for even one second you weren’t the real deal for me,” he said softly.

  “I...”

  His lips met hers, stopping whatever it was she was going to say. “I’ve got a lot to make up for, and I’m hoping you’re going to give me a chance to try.”

  She felt dizzy and a bit faint. She let the breath she was holding out in a big rush. Something bloomed inside her that she hadn’t felt in a long time—contentment.

  “I think maybe you should take me home, so you can start working on that,” she whispered.

  His eyes darkened, and he lowered his lips once again to hers. His tongue ran along the edge of her bottom lip before plunging deep into her mouth.

  “It would be my pleasure,” he growled against her lips.

  And Shelby knew that it would be her pleasure too. She had this. She could let herself fall and still be an independent woman chasing her dreams.

  Her heart would survive.

  EPILOGUE

  Ian slide out of bed, smiling as Shelby moaned softly in her sleep and shifted towards the spot he had just vacated, like her body was searching for his warmth. He didn’t want to leave her there; he wanted to stay snuggled up with her or maybe recreate the fun they had had last night. He grinned just thinking about the soft warmth of her skin and the way she had come apart in his arms.

  He felt his groin tighten, and for a second, he considered crawling back into bed and waking her up. They didn’t have many mornings like this. It was only when the boys spent the night at their dad’s that she was able to stay the night.

  He resisted the urge to coax another orgasm out of her. Although, he knew Shelby would probably say that she needed the orgasms more than she needed the sleep. They had plenty of time. This was the forever kind of relationship. They hadn’t been together long—only a few months—but he knew that this was the woman he was going to marry. He wanted her here, every night. She was the one he wanted greeting him when he came home from teaching a course or leading an excursion somewhere.

  And he wanted to be the one to meet her when she came back from doing the same. Shelby was going to be an amazing wilderness guide, and he was going to support her every step of the way.

  Shelby made a sound and snuggled down further in the bed, bringing Ian back to the present. He needed to get out of here before he woke her up. He wanted to surprise her with breakfast in bed. It was his last chance to treat her to something special before he headed back out into the bush. His company was slowly growing. It was going to take him a while to get back on his feet, but every time he kissed Shelby’s lips, he was reminded why he had quit his gig with Jade.

  Maybe it was the love talking, but Ian knew it would all be okay.

  Slipping out of the bedroom, he found himself grinning again. Spencer would make fun of him, if he was here, but Ian didn’t care if he looked like a grinning fool all the time. He was happy, and that was a good thing.

  It didn’t take him long to get the bacon fried and some eggs done just the way Shelby liked them—over easy, so she could dip her toast in the yolk. He had even gone to the store special to get some sourdough bread, because that’s the kind she liked the best.

  He was a lovesick fool—that was for sure.

  He slipped everything onto a tray along with a steaming cup of tea and headed back to the room. His body was already tightening, responding to just the thought of being near her and nudging her awake—hopefully she would eat her breakfast quickly, because his body was ready for another round.

  Ian set the tray on the nightstand, and then he leaned in and brushed his lips softly against her temple. He still couldn’t believe that she had chosen him. After all the heartbreak of the last few years. After all the misunderstandings. After all the false starts; Shelby Reid had captured his heart, and he hadn’t been afraid to let her.

  She hadn’t been the only one who had needed saving.

  Pleasure blossomed through Shelby, as she was coaxed awake by lips that started at her temple and slowly worked their way towards her mouth. At first, she fought the pull of the morning. She didn’t want to lose the fantasy, but then she remembered that it wasn’t a dream anymore. It was her real life.

  Ian McLean wasn’t just the hot, survival instructor that she was secretly lusting after. She was his girl, and it was heaven.

  Her eyes popped open and instantly she was drowning in his decadent brown eyes. The crisp, piney scent of him wafted over her, making places in her tingle that she hadn’t even known she had until Ian had woken them up. She opened her mouth to say good morning, but she didn’t have a chance. His mouth claimed hers, and she was lost. She was drowning in desire that showed no sign of diminishing—this was how love was supposed to be.

  And she would be kidding herself if she tried to pretend that she wasn’t head over heals in love with him. He had taken her heart, and she never wanted it back.

  Shelby’s thoughts scattered, as he deepened the kiss, making her toes curl. She didn’t ever want to get out of Ian’s bed. Too soon he pulled away, smiling down at her with eyes that made her want to strip him naked and take what was hers.

  She lay panting, staring up at him, lost in his eyes.

  His lips curved into his half-smile, and her feminine centre flickered to life. How was it that he could make her feel like a hopeless wanton just with his eyes?

&n
bsp; “I brought you breakfast,” he said huskily.

  Shelby licked her lips. She was hungry, but it wasn’t for breakfast. She slid her hands up under his t-shirt, gliding them up across his taught abdominal muscles. She felt his muscles respond, tightening under her touch. A sensual smile slid across her lips. She had plans for Ian McLean and none of them involved food.

  He leaned in to kiss her again, as he gently pulled her hands out from under her shirt.

  “Easy. We need to eat.”

  “No,” she moaned against his lips. She darted her tongue into his mouth, tasting him—wanting so much more. “I’m only hungry for you.”

  Ian pulled away slightly, pinning her hands above her head. She moaned in frustration and struggled beneath him, but he held her fast. He placed his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.

  “Trust me, honey. I want the same thing. I’ve got plans for you that would take well into the afternoon. But your boys are waiting to be picked up, and I promised them a trip to the train trestle before I head out for Strathcona Park in the morning.”

  Shelby sighed. Even in the midst of an intense love affair, real life had a way of barging in. Ian was right. They needed to get up and get her boys. They were almost as in love with Ian as she was, and he had promised them an adventure. He was so good with him that it almost made her want to weep with joy to think about it. She was one lucky woman.

  She stopped struggling under him, and he released her arms, dragging a finger slowly across her lips, down her neck and until he found her nipple. She moaned and arched into him—even the slightest touch flooded her with want that only Ian could satiate.

  “I guess if I can’t have you, then I had better eat.”

  His smile deepened. “Oh, you can have me; you’re just going to have to wait for it.”

  His voice was low and touched places deep inside her, and for a brief moment, Shelby considered trying to see if Blake would take the boys for another day. But she couldn’t do that to them. They would be heart broken. The had been talking about going to the train trestle with Ian for weeks now; she couldn’t be selfish and wreck their plans—but hell, she wanted to. Besides, she was meeting up with Ginny, and they had some serious girl stuff they needed to discuss.

  Shelby pushed herself up on her elbows. “I’m not very good at waiting. You’re going to owe me.”

  Ian swiped a piece of bacon off the plate. “I happen to know that you would forgive just about anything for some bacon.”

  Shelby tipped her head to one side. “I don’t think that rumour is true, but I would do just about anything for you to do that thing you did last night...” she let her voice trail off suggestively, warming up to the flirting. Her sex life had never been this spicy, and she was enjoying every minute of it.

  Ian’s eyes darkened. “Oh, I will do that and more. I’ve got plans for you when I get back from Strathcona Park. You better get as much rest as you can this weekend and make sure the boys can stay with Blake.”

  Shelby giggled with anticipation. When she met up with Ginny, she would get some new lingerie that would make Ian’s mouth water; she would spend the week prepping for a marathon weekend—and she wouldn’t even feel guilty about leaving the boys with Blake.

  A wave of giddiness swept over her, and she snuggled into Ian. She couldn’t believe this was her life. Just a few months ago, she had been struggling and alone. Now, she was enrolled in school to become a wilderness guide, and she was with the most amazing man. He was the stuff of dreams and fantasies, but for her, he was real life.

  This was going to be a long week, but the time together was worth every second they had to spend apart.

  The End

  Thank-you for reading Saving Shelby, book 1 in the West Coast Romance series. If you enjoyed it, I would be so appreciative if you would consider leaving a review.

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  About Saving Shelby

  Saving Shelby is loosely set on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada. All the characters are my own and most of the locations as well. I have taken beautiful local spots and tweaked them to create the most romantic setting that I could imagine. I’m sorry to report that while the Sooke Potholes are real and stunning to visit, they are not hot springs. The water ranges in temperature from cold to freezing, as most west coast water does. It does promise to get your blood pumping, but in a different way than it did for Shelby.

  Readers, I hope you have enjoyed the beauty of Vancouver Island.

  Islanders, I hope you will forgive the liberties I have taken with your spectacular island. I am lucky to be a #islandgirl.

  Contact Nicole

  I would love to hear from you!

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  Acknowledgements

  A dream like this doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of support and belief. I have been lucky to have people who have believed in me right from the start and kept believing in me, even when I lost sight of the dream. The road to publishing was not short, and it had many detours; I will be eternally grateful for the unflagging belief that my family and friends have had in me.

  I have been blessed to have the support of my family. Every minute that I spend writing is one minute that I am not spending with them, and I truly appreciate that they are so selfless in giving me time to write. And not just creating the space for me to write, but also picking up the slack, so that everything still gets done, while I get those precious words down on paper.

  I also have a team of friends who are willing to provide whatever support I need—whether that’s someone to read an early draft and tell me how badly it sucks or if that’s someone to talk me off the wall of self-doubt.

  Without my friends and family, I would not be a published author.

  Thank-you to my amazing cover designer at Fresh Designs. She could see the vision that I couldn’t articulate.

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  About the Author

  NICOLE TAYLOR EBY lives with her family on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada. She has been in love with romance since she first discovered boys and has been devouring romance novels since grade school. Saving Shelby, the first book in the West Coast Romance series, is her debut novel.

  Read more at Nicole Taylor Eby’s site.