Shattered Heart: The Donnellys, Book 3

by Dorothy F. Shaw

  It was amazing the things a person found themselves tolerating simply because they’d gotten used to them, built a resistance. Sadly, Cyn had grown accustomed to not being treated well—in truth, she’d taught every single guy in the last five years how to treat her. It’d become the norm, being treated badly, and she was disgusted with herself for allowing that kind of trash in her life.

  She glanced at Mary to find her staring at her, concern evident in her eyes. “Truly, Mary, I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” Cyn forced a smile and stepped away from her. She didn’t need to be mothered by her older sister; that’s what Mom was for. Not that she was looking for mothering either. Cyn had made a decision the other night while talking with Maiya, and Shane Conlon be damned, she intended to stick to her guns.

  Moratorium was the name of the game. And she wasn’t going to deviate from the plan.

  Cyn stole another peek at Shane and immediately regretted it. He was mid-stretch, his large arms over the top of his head, biceps bulging as he flexed, arching his back. His gaze was locked on her the whole time, and as he dropped his arms back to his sides, the corner of his mouth tilted into a delectable grin. A bolt of lust shot through Cyn and her skin burst into a tingling blaze. She groaned and wiped the bead of sweat trickling down the side of her neck.

  Damn. Timing was a bitch with a capitol B.

  Chapter Seven

  Later that night, Shane stood at the bar, bottle of Bud in hand, as Ryan got the full-on stripper treatment on stage. Poor guy was tied to a chair in the center as four strippers danced around him, rubbing their various body parts over his face, chest and lap. Shane chuckled and tilted the bottle to his lips. Ryan looked like he was ready to die of embarrassment or bolt for the nearest exit. Maybe both.

  The rest of the guys—Donnelly brothers, brothers-in-law and friends—circled the stage, hooting and hollering and throwing dollar bills onto the stage. In addition, Celia, eighth in the Donnelly birth order, was with them. Shane remembered when she’d been born, for fuck’s sake.

  Apparently she was gay—something Shane hadn’t been aware of until she’d gotten into the limo with them. At the moment, Celia was over in the corner of the bar receiving a very personal lap dance from a bleached-blonde stripper with enormous breasts. The stripper was Playboy hot, so he sure couldn’t blame Celia for handing over cash for the boob-treatment. To each their own, he guessed, but he couldn’t see wasting his money.

  Shane just wasn’t a strip club kind of guy. He had no problem hanging with everyone there, but he’d keep his dollar bills in his pocket. In less than an hour they’d be meeting up with the girls at another dance club. Cyn would be there, and Shane was biding his time until then.

  Damn if he couldn’t peel his eyes away from her that evening in the church. He’d even caught her staring back at him a few times, but she’d never come over to say hi. He wasn’t sure why, but he planned on asking her as soon as he got the chance. Maybe he’d get lucky and they’d play a few country songs and he’d be able to persuade her to dance with him.

  Ryan was finally freed from the confines of glittery stripper boobs and G-strings and let off the stage. Man, the guy looked relieved and Shane felt relieved for him. Shane jerked his chin in Ryan’s direction, signaling him to come over. He wanted to buy him a shot or three. Joey walked with Ryan, arm slung over his little brother’s shoulder. When they arrived, Shane signaled the bartender. “Ryan, you need a shot.”

  “Jameson. Make it a double, please.” Ryan scrubbed his hands over his face. “Goddamn, I’m covered in glitter. Maiya’s going to have a field day with this.”

  “She the jealous type?” Shane ordered a round of shots and another beer for himself.

  “Hell no. I mean, not like that. She’ll just tease the hell out of me the rest of the night. She knows full well she owns my ass and has nothing to worry about.”

  Jimmy stepped up to them. “Right? Maiya’s more like the kind of chick that’ll say, ‘Go ahead and let them chickadee’s get you all worked up and I’ll take you home and reap the benefits of it.’ Am I right, Ry?”

  “Pretty much.” Ryan chuckled.

  Joey grabbed one of the shots the bartender delivered. “Stephanie doesn’t really care either. She pretty much goes with the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ method. But you know the girls went to a male strip show tonight. And you also know that unlike us, they get to touch and grope and do pretty much whatever the hell they want to those poor guys.”

  Celia stepped up to them with a huge smile on her face. “I get to grope all I want too.”

  “Yeah well. The benefits of being a gay chick in a titty bar. If Andy were here she’d be boob-deep too.” Jimmy laughed and looked to Joey. “Poor guys? My ass. Those fuckers are probably making bank shaking their asses in those banana hammocks.”

  “Okay, brain bleach anyone?” Shane laughed and raised his glass.

  “I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.” Celia raised her glass too.

  “Try and contain it, Celia.” Joey smiled and faced Shane. “Shane, so fucking psyched you’re here. Truth, man.”

  Ryan raised his shot. “Definitely. So, who’s calling the toast?”

  “I got this.” Jimmy grinned, holding his glass high. “Health to the men, and may the women live forever!”

  “Sláinte,” Shane said with a nod. They all tapped the bottom of their shot glasses on the bar top and then tossed them back. Shane placed his glass upside down on the bar and then clapped his hands together. “So, about the ladies. What time are we meeting up with them again?”

  Joey grinned. “Shane, you got a look in your eye I’ve seen a few too many times. Who’s got your attention?”

  “What? Nahh. No one. All good. Just curious.” He leaned against the bar doing his best to douse whatever Joey saw in his eyes. Shit. Damn. Fuck.

  Celia rested her arm on Jimmy’s shoulder. “This should be interesting.”

  “Sonja and me had a sweet little chat after dinner.” Jimmy rubbed his hands together, grin firmly in place.

  “Did you now? What about? Or should I say who?” Joey nodded with his eyebrows raised and his lips quirked in a similar grin.

  Shane shifted and tilted his bottle to his lips. Fuck him, Sonja had caught him staring at Cyn and she’d spilled it all to Jimmy. He should’ve figured. “Come on now.”

  “Seems our boy here might have his eye snagged on Cyn.”

  “Not cool, Jimmy.” Shane ran his hand over his hair. “Cyn’s like a sister to me.” Fuuuuckkk!

  “Back up. Let’s not get crazy.” Joey set his beer on the bar. “She’s my sister, not yours. But yeah, when we were kids we were all like siblings to you, so I get it, but we’re not kids anymore.” Joey gripped Shane’s shoulder. “Cyn’s a grown woman. And you’re a grown man. And it’s a free damn country. You’ve done your part to ensure that, I’ll add. What happens between you two is none of my business.”

  Shane blew out a breath. “Joey, it’s not like that. Really.”

  “Doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t. I’m taking the Stephanie approach: Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Joey leaned close. “Just… Cyn’s nursing a broken heart right now, so don’t fuck with her head. Cool?”

  Damn, Shane needed to get this convo reined in quick. Yeah, Cyn did it for him—in a big way, but that’s where it ended. He wouldn’t disrespect the Donnelly family, especially Joey, by going there with her. It was a code he honored and cherished. No way on earth he’d fuck that up. “Joey, you’re my brother, blood or not, and I respect you more than I could ever put into words. I got no intention of fucking with anyone’s head. Get me?”

  “I got you, man. But seriously, if your eye’s on Cyn? I trust you. You’re my best friend and I love you, man.”

  A lump rose in Shane’s throat and he swallowed it down into the pool of guilt taking up space in his stomach. Considering how hard
his dick had been while in church, Joey was lending Shane more credit than he should. It didn’t matter that he was all but giving him his blessing to go for Cyn either. Shane wasn’t going there.

  “Ladies, please. Hug now, and let’s move to the other bar.” Jimmy propped his hands on his hips. “The smell of champagne in this place is getting to me. And I’m ready to see my sunshine.”

  “I was going to ask if anyone needed a tissue. Christ sake, that was deep.” Celia rolled her eyes, laughing, and nudged Shane with her hip.

  The banter from the younger brothers, as well as Celia, was enough to break the emotional moment and they all laughed, but Joey still held Shane’s eyes a moment longer before nodding at him. Fucking hell, Joey was being serious, encouraging even.

  Didn’t matter.

  Shane was not going there.

  No matter that they were adults and Cyn was ringing all his bells. No matter that he hadn’t stopped thinking about her since he laid eyes on her that morning.

  No matter. Not gonna happen.

  * * * * *

  Cyn had just gotten done stuffing another dollar bill in the all-too-good-looking and built-like-a-freight-train stripper’s tight boxer briefs when Maiya brought her another shot of Patrón. How many had she had now? Three? Four? Who the hell knew—better yet, who the hell cared? She was having a fantastic time; thoroughly enjoying the rippling mass of muscles in her face. She grinned up at the dancer and he shot her a wink. The dancer prior to him had picked her up, raising her so high her freaking crotch was level with his face as he urged her legs over his shoulders—like she weighed no more than a feather. She definitely weighed more than a freaking feather, but he hadn’t seemed to notice.

  Was Shane that strong? Cyn licked her lips. A dangerous line of thinking, but in Cyn’s half-drunken state her imagination went into overdrive and all she could think about was Shane doing the same to her, except she’d be naked. A groan slipped out and Cyn fanned herself.

  “Yep, that’s exactly what I’m saying. These guys are fucking hot!” Angie tossed back her shot and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and then perched a dollar bill between her cleavage and come-hithered one of the dancers with a crook of her finger.

  Cyn laughed. “They sure are.” If Angie only knew what she was really thinking… She glanced over at Sonja. “You doing okay, Sonja? You want another drink?”

  Sonja smiled and held up her empty shot glass. “If I do another shot of Jäger, James will tan my backside for sure.” She giggled. “Did I just say that out loud? I did, didn’t I?” Her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth.

  “You sure as hell did. I gotta say, I never want to hear about the depraved sides of my brother, but wow, that was kinda hot—as long as I put the fact that it’s my brother you’re talking about out of my mind!” Cyn busted up laughing.

  “I’m so sorry. Really. Oh my lord.” Sonja brushed her hair over her shoulder.

  “Oh, hell, chica. Don’t be.” Maiya smiled. “Jimmy has a wild side, but so does Ryan. Sorry, Cyn, you’re gonna need to cover your ears.” She laughed.

  Cyn cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “I wonder what kind of side Shane has.”

  “I knew it! Girl, I knew you were checking him out today,” Jodi, Miaya’s best friend, said. “Tell me all about that hunk of gorgeous man.”

  “Not much to tell, really.” Cyn looked over at Angie, who was sandwiched between two strippers.

  “Like hell there’s not much to tell.” Mary sipped her drink.

  “Shut it, Mary.”

  “Nope. Deal with it, brat.” Mary stuck out her tongue at Cyn, then turned to Jodi. “Shane is Joey’s best friend. They’ve known each other since grade school. Really, he’s family to us. But, Cyn here, she’s had a crush on Shane from kindergarten to damn near senior year of high school.”

  Jodi set down her drink. “Ooh! Sounds juicy. Tell me more. Did you ever hook up with him, Cyn?”

  Ugh, damn her sister for digging up old bones for the second time today. Cyn was doing everything she could think of to put him out of her mind—rather unsuccessfully—but she was still trying. “No. He barely knew I existed back then. And I’m sure nothing’s changed.”

  “I beg to differ.” Sonja hiccupped and then laughed. “He couldn’t keep his eyes off you at the church today. I swear he had to be burning a hole in your back he was staring so intently. That man may not have known you existed when you were kids, but he sure knows you exist now.”

  Cyn wanted to crawl under the table and die. Just die right there. This was crazy, and Sonja was wrong. There was no way in hell Shane Conlon was interested in her. Just no way. Yeah, he’d been staring and she’d felt his gaze on her like a physical touch the whole time they were in church, but that didn’t mean it meant anything. Did it? Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit! “He couldn’t—” She groaned. “There’s just no way.”

  Maiya laughed. “Well. I guess there goes your nice little vow.”

  “What vow?” Jodie asked.

  Maiya cringed. “Damn. Sorry, Cyn. The booze is talking.”

  “It’s okay. But I think I’m going to need another shot.” Cyn wiped her sweaty hands down her thighs. This wasn’t exactly something she wanted to share with everyone, but per usual nothing in her family stayed a secret for long.

  Damn, she was so screwed. Which was exactly what she was trying to avoid being. Cyn blew out a resigned breath. Celibacy sucked, even more so when it came to missing out on the chance of going to bed with the guy she’d fantasized about for her entire teenage life.

  Chapter Eight

  Shane stepped inside the dim but huge country dance club. He glanced around the vast space—Christ, it was the size of a small football field—and followed the rest of the crew in search of their ladies. Theirs, not his. Shane didn’t have a lady. He was single and had been for years with every intention of staying that way—but he’d be a fool to deny that he was definitely searching out Cyn. In spite of the convo with the boys at the strip club, he’d been desperate to get another glimpse of her all night, hopefully a little closer this time.

  Cyn was nowhere to be found when everyone had joined up. Concern that she might’ve headed home instead of joining up settled like a brick in his stomach, but he wasn’t about to ask where she was. She’d looked so fucking hot earlier in the church, he practically considered going to confession for all the dirty thoughts he’d entertained as she flitted around in her tight jeans and tank top—both accentuating her fine ass and equally fine breasts to perfection. She had to be there somewhere.

  The rest of the group headed off to the mechanical bull set up on the other end of the bar. Shane turned in the other direction and rounded a set of tables, scanning the dance floor in hopes of finding Cyn, when he ran smack into her.

  “Oooph!” She gripped the front of his button-down shirt.

  He grabbed her arms, steadying her. “Shit. Sorry, girl. You okay?”

  She gazed up at him, her body against his, her grip still tight on the fabric of his shirt…and then she licked her lips. Holy fucking shit. Lust hit Shane in his gut like a sledgehammer and his dick went rod hard in his jeans. She did it again, and as he watched the tip of her pink tongue run along her bottom lip, it was all he could do to not bend down and follow its path with his own tongue. And just that fast, all his protestations from earlier evaporated. He was so screwed.

  She smiled, a hazy, dreamy expression in her eyes. “It’s really good to see you, Shane.”

  She’d definitely been drinking. Shane ran his hands down her arms and onto her tiny waist. “I gotta say, it’s real good to see you too, Cyn.”

  Cyn smoothed her warm palms down his chest to his sides, glancing to where her hands had traveled and then back to his eyes. “It’s been a long time.”

  “I’m starting to wonder why I stayed away so long.” He pulled h
er a little closer, knowing full well his hard-on was pressing against her stomach. Her eyes went wide and she licked her lips again. Fuuuuckkk!

  She smiled, just a slight curl to her perfect lips, as if she knew the effect she was having on him. “Why did you stay away so long?”

  “Lots of reasons, but that was before I knew what I was missing out on in doing so.” He focused on her lips then returned his gaze to her eyes. Yep, totally screwed. What a shit he was.

  “Oh yeah? And what were you missing out on?” She slipped her hands under the edge of his shirt and pressed her fingers into the flesh of his sides.

  “Girl…” He blew out a breath. “Dayyumm.” Shane resisted the urge to grab her ass and pull her tighter against him. But only barely. “I was missing out on you, Cyn.” Fuck it. Booze and desire were driving and the train just jumped the track. He slid his hands lower and cupped her full ass in his palms. “And this. I was missing out on this too.”

  Cyn raised a brow and pursed her lips, as she shook her head. “I think… Did you… I mean…” She giggled, and cut herself off by clearing her throat.

  Jesus she was cute. He grinned and moved his palms up to her lower back. “What’s that?”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Shane Conlon, did you just make a pass at me?”

  He glanced away but quickly focused his gaze back on her. “Yes, ma’am.” He nodded. “I believe I did.”

  “Wow! Shock the shit outta me!” She slapped his upper arm. “Really?”

  He frowned. “Why should that shock you? You’re damn sexy. And I’m not blind, Cyn.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “But nothing—actually, but everything. Your ass is sexy too.”

  Her eyes went wide. “I guess I just never thought…you know—” she shrugged, “—that you ever noticed me before.”