“I want to invite you to come for dinner Wednesday evening. We’re still settling in or tonight would be fine but…”
Shock held Shane’s tongue.
“That is, if you don’t already have plans,” she said haltingly.
“Dinner,” he said carefully. What the hell was she up to? “Did you run this by James?”
For a few moments she didn’t anything. “He wants to reconnect with you, Shane.”
“I don’t know what fantasy world you’re living in, so why don’t we cut the bull and you can tell me what it is that you really want?”
Her bottom lip trembled and damn it, if Shane didn’t feel like an asshole. When her eyes filled up with shiny tears, the asshole meter went into overdrive and he took a step forward.
“Look, Celia. I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t think—”
But the words were halted as she slowly dragged her fur hat from her head. The wisps of blond he’d seen poking from the edge of her hat were few and far between. The woman was almost bald, with only patches of fuzz here and there. With her gaunt cheeks and sickly pallor she looked just like…
Jesus Christ, but she looked like his mother.
Celia’s wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stared up at him, her frail body shivering as she held her hat between her fingers. “I need this, Shane. I need this for James and for,” her voice broke and he took a step forward but halted when she shook her head and exhaled. “I need this for Eden.”
Fuck, the world was all screwed up because in that moment he knew. “You’re sick.”
She nodded, a tremulous smile on her lips. “The big C as they say, but I call it the big, O. Ovarian.”
“I’m sorry.” What else was there to say? He’d watched his mother die of the same fucking disease. A slow, painful death and it wasn’t something he would wish on anyone.
Celia shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m trying to stay positive and though my prognosis isn’t great I believe in my heart that I can beat this. It’s partly why we moved back to New Waterford. I love the city. I love the frenetic pace, the shopping, the museums and theatres. But right now, I need a slower kind of life and James agreed it was the right thing for us.”
“And you think dinner will be good because…”
Pia chose that moment to rush down the stairs, her small body shaking in her effort to get to Shane. Once she reached her master’s side, she gave him a lick on his boot and then ran back to Celia. The little animal sniffed and snorted and then moaned when Celia sank her French tipped nails into the soft fur under her bright pink collar.
She smiled, the first genuine, natural smile he’d seen and glanced up at him. “She’s a girl, I’m presuming?”
“I hope so, ‘cause if not, that dog has got to be the most confused animal in New Waterford.”
With one more pat on the head, Celia straightened and settled her fur hat back onto her head. “I know you hated the fact that your father and I got married so soon after your mother passed.”
Any lightness they’d shared was gone. The woman had balls bringing that shit up.
“Five months isn’t soon, Celia. Five months is fucking wrong.”
A shadow passed over her features, one that didn’t quite leave her eyes. “You think that I’m the enemy who swooped in and took him from you. But the truth of it is, I saved him after your mother died. I saved your father back then, Shane, but now he’s barely holding on.”
He thought of how old his father had looked, of the pallor on his skin and then there were the rumors of an illness back in the fall.
“Is he…is he sick?” The question fell from his mouth before he could stop it. Did he care? If he didn’t, did that make him the biggest bastard in the state?
“Other than a mild heart attack in the November, physically he’s fine. It was mostly stress related but his soul is tired and sick, Shane. Nothing is heavier on the heart than regret. He’s made some mistakes.” Her eyes narrowed. “We’ve all made a lot of mistakes.”
Celia turned and walked over to the door but paused before leaving. “I saved him once, but this time I need your help, Shane. He needs you. He won’t survive the next year unless he has his son back and I need him on his game. I need him to be there for Eden because she’s not as strong as you.”
She turned back once more and nailed him with a direct look that told him Celia wasn’t going to give up. “I need you to be there for Eden.”
And then she left.
Chapter Sixteen
It was nearly six o’clock Sunday evening when the doorbell rang. Slinging a tea towel over her shoulder, Bobbi unplugged the crock pot and pushed it back into its spot between the toaster and the fridge. With Billie at Logan’s and Betty not yet returned from her Saturday night out with Matt Hawkins, there had only been the three of them—Bobbi, Herschel, and her father. So, leftover chili and garlic toast was more than enough.
With a sigh, Bobbi tossed the towel over the drying rack next to the sink and headed for the foyer just as the doorbell went again.
“Twins! One of you going to get that?” Herschel said loudly, as the volume of the television increased tenfold. Her father and Gramps were already in the family room, no doubt each in their favorite seats, eyes glued to the flat screen.
God forbid they miss 60 Minutes.
“I got it,” she mumbled, reaching for the doorknob. “And in case the two of you didn’t notice I was the only one at the dinner table.”
Twins my ass, she thought, though a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. From the earliest memories she had, Gramps had always referred to the three of them as twins. No matter if one or three were around. It confused more than a few folk, but it was just Gramps.
She opened the door and a fresh gust of wind tickled her nostrils. For a moment she wasn’t sure who was standing on the porch. The lights weren’t on yet and it was already dark outside.
“Hey.”
Bobbi hoped the weird little squeak she heard in her head hadn’t made its way into the outside world, but judging from the small smile Shane sported, that wasn’t the case.
“I would have called but I wasn’t sure you’d answer.”
Shane’s rakish grin was offset by the thick waves that curled from beneath his plain black toque. A cream colored turtleneck kept him warm beneath a North Face coat, though he wore jeans and his regular boots.
“Bobbi?” he prodded.
She had thought of nothing but this man since the night before. She’d tossed his idea around, his crazy idea that the two of them could have a no-strings-attached, sex only non-relationship and she, god help her, was considering it.
She gazed up into his eyes and felt that something spark inside her, the something that only Shane Gallagher could get going. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but it sure as hell felt good.
She cleared her throat and stood back, conscious of the fact she was in a pair of old track pants and a simple white T-shirt.
“Would you like to come in?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
Surprised, her head shot up sharply. “Then why are you here?”
He leaned against the door jam and though the wind was gusting somewhat, spreading cold air and snowflakes into the house, she was hot as hell. Hot and irritable and twitchy.
That was a good word for it. She was twitchy.
She could smell him now. That crisp, masculine scent. The one that was only Shane.
Was there anything else? Sweat beaded along her brow and she inhaled sharply.
“I was ah,” that damn grin stole his mouth once more. “I was wondering if you had given any more thought to what we discussed last night.”
Only every freaking second.
She banished the thought. Kept her game face.
“I don’t remember having much of a discussion. In fact, I remember you groping me on the dance floor and then whispering some stupid cock and bull idea into my ear.” Good. This was good. She
sounded as if she was in control even though she was still twitchy as hell.
Bobbi tugged on the edge of her T-shirt, which only drew Shane’s attention to her chest. And that was a bad thing because contrary to what she’d worn the night before, she wasn’t sporting a thick padded bra. The fact that her nipples were hard and pebbled wasn’t going to be hidden from his eyes.
Thank god he couldn’t see the state of what was going on between her legs. She was already wet. Hell, she’d been walking around the house in a perpetual sexual haze all day. She would have used her damn vibrator to ease her discomfort if the batteries hadn’t died just as she was getting started.
And now…now Shane stood inches from her, looking so damn good that her twitchiness was ramped up into the red zone.
“Who’s there, Bobbi?”
She turned just as Gramps shuffled in from the family room. Herschel had always had a soft spot for Shane and his bushy white eyebrows rose dramatically as he crossed the foyer and shook Shane’s outstretched hand.
“Good to see you boy,” Herschel said.
“Thanks Mr. Barker. Nice to see you too.”
“Bah,” her gramps snorted. “It’s Herschel.” He paused. “I hear your father has moved back to town.”
Bobbi turned to Shane in surprise, but his expression was shuttered and she couldn’t get a read on him.
“Yes, they moved back a few weeks ago.”
“How’s he doing? I heard he went through a bad spell there.”
Shane nodded. “He seems pretty much the same to me.”
“Still a bastard then?” Herschel grinned.
“Same as always.”
Herschel nodded and then clapped his hands. “Well, I don’t mean to keep the two of you. Where you headed?”
“Oh, Gramps, we’re not…” she licked dry lips and avoided Shane’s probing gaze. “I mean, we’re not you know…”
“Uh huh,” Herschel said with a grin. “Whatever it is you are or aren’t doing isn’t any of this old man’s business.” He winked and smiled up at Shane. “But I’m glad she’s doing it with you. Gerry wasn’t the right fit.”
With that Herschel left them alone.
“So, about our discussion.” Shane took a step inside and closed the door behind him. “I was wondering if you’d given it any more thought.”
“I might have pondered the idea,” she admitted, loving the thrill that shot through her body when his grin widened. For that one moment, Shane Gallagher looked a whole hell of a lot like the young man she’d fallen in love with.
“But I…” her words drifted off as a haze of confusion washed over her. What the hell was she doing? Shane was the devil in disguise. Did she really think she could tango with him and not get hurt? Was she that fucking stupid?
“Here’s the thing, Bobbi.”
Her name on his lips was like whiskey over ice, smooth with a kick.
“Why don’t we forget about all of that for tonight.”
Her mouth was dry but she managed to speak. “Forget about it? Then why are you here?”
He shoved his hands into his front pockets and hunched his shoulders forward. Again his scent filled her and an image of his large hands cupped around her….
Bobbi gave herself a mental shake. Do not think of Shane and sex.
Or naked bodies.
Or his damn tattoos.
She swallowed again.
Or the way his eyes glittered like chocolate diamonds just before he…
“A bunch of us are taking sleds out and heading to the Lainey estate. Rick’s been up there all day tapping the maple trees and invited us up.”
“Maple trees,” she murmured.
Lainey’s estate. Wow. A lot of memories there. Sugar shacks, snowmobiling, and that massive hot tub.
“Billie and Logan are already up there.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to go but then I thought maybe if you wanted to…” His voice trailed off for a moment, his eyes intense as he gazed down at her. “We can put our deal off the table for tonight and just hang out.”
A thrill shot through her at the look in his eyes.
“Just hang out,” she repeated dryly.
“Well we can try can’t we? I mean,” his grin slid into something seductive. “I have no problems with a hands off policy, if you’re game,” his eyes drifted to her lips and she had to eat the groan inside her mouth as the ache between her legs intensified.
Bobbi bit her lip and glanced toward the family room. Could she do this? Spend an evening with Shane as just friends? Were they even friends?
The television blared and she smelled the popcorn that Gramps and her dad always had. It was Sunday night and she could cuddle up in an afghan on the sofa with them, or she could go snowmobiling.
“The deal is off?” she asked softly.
He nodded, his dark eyes glittery. “Just for tonight.”
Don’t do it. You’ll cave. You always do when Shane’s involved.
But she wanted to cave didn’t she? Maybe she needed to feel as alive as she did when she was with him. And this wasn’t just about sex. No way. It was about the way he anticipated her every thought and need. It was about how he got her jokes even before she spoke them. How he knew that she hated peas and loved sweet potato.
It was in the way he knew she needed to be held and cuddled after sex, with his body still inside her, his arms wrapped around her, his heart beating in tandem with hers.
“Give me five minutes.”
She whirled around and ran upstairs, pushing the voice of reason out of her head as she tumbled into her bedroom and ripped off her sweats. She caught sight of herself in the mirror over her dresser and paused.
Holy hell. Was that really her?
Bobbi crossed the room and bent over for a closer look, her gaze running over the flushed cheeks, excited eyes and messy hair. Her stomach rolled with nervous tension and every cell in her body felt as if it was on fire.
She touched her mouth and for one brief moment, such sadness washed over her that tears pricked the edges of her eyes. It had been so long since she’d felt this way. This alive.
This out of control.
At twenty-five, there was something bittersweet about that.
“Oh Bobbi, don’t be so dramatic,” she murmured and then set about freshening up.
It was closer to ten minutes later that she made her way back down the stairs. Shane was where she’d left him, leaning against the door, his dark eyes settled on her. There was no light grin on his face—there was nothing light or easy about him. There was only an intensity that she felt like a physical touch.
“Ready?” His voice was low, hitting that timbre that always screwed with her body. It rolled over her skin, hot and teasing, and she knew as she gazed up at him, that their ‘deal’ was in full effect. There was no way she was not getting some of what he had tonight.
For a moment her fingers halted as she laced up her boots. She just had to be a grownup about it and not let the white noise get in the way. The noise that begged for more. The noise that had never seemed to go away. She would take what Shane offered and nothing more.
A slight smile touched her lips as she finished tying up her snow boots.
“I am,” she said airily. “Are you?”
She pushed past Shane, yelled goodbye to her father and Gramps and prayed that the cool air would do something to ease the heat inside of her.
Because if not…if she didn’t find a way to control the need she felt for Shane—if she didn’t abide by the sex with no strings idea—this night just might prove to be the beginning of her fall. And considering how fast and hard she’d fallen years ago, Bobbi Jo knew it was a long, long way down.
Chapter Seventeen
The moon hung low in the sky and its soft glow on the surrounding snow made it look like a bed of twinkling diamonds. The temperature hovered near the freezing mark, and with the wind long dead and the smell of hickory wood burning, it was a gorgeous night to sit around a blazi
ng bon fire.
Shane and Bobbi had joined the others a few hours earlier, hitting the trails that they’d all traversed many times in the past—Michigan boys and snow went hand in hand. And while he hadn’t been on his Ski-doo in years he had been pleasantly surprised to find it in mint condition out at White Hall. But then, his Grandfather had been the kind of man to make sure these kinds of things were looked after.
Shane pushed aside thoughts of his complicated past and a relationship that hadn’t been finished. He thought of the unread letter from Niall and as much as he wanted to read his grandfather’s last words to him, he couldn’t bear to actually go through with it.
Not yet.
So he’d whisked Bobbi back to the carriage house where he’d brought his sled and the two of them had headed out into the woods surrounding New Waterford. There in the shadow of the Porcupine Mountains, they’d cut through the late winter snow. It had been exhilarating and with Bobbi pressed tight to his back, Logan, Pete, and Rick along for the ride, it felt like he’d stepped back in time.
Something he needed to be wary of. Visiting White Hall had ripped open a lot of pain and Shane knew the ghosts of his past weren’t always kind, and most of the time they loved nothing more than to kick him in the ass.
His eyes lingered on Logan and Billie as they melted into each other across the way. Near the edge of the circle, the two of them were deep in conversation as if they were the only two people there and when Logan cupped Billie’s face and pulled her in close for a kiss, something twisted inside Shane. Something dark, and hard, and bittersweet.
He’d been that much of a fool in love before and it had hurt like hell when he’d crashed and burned. He thought about the hurt and anger and the stupid things he and Bobbi had done to each other. It was a testament to the breadth and depth of their feelings that they’d fucked up so royally and though he knew he wanted that second chance with her, he had to ask the question…
Were they strong enough to survive another go at it? Did she even want it? They’d danced around each other for months after he’d come back to New Waterford. Not always polite or nice or civil. But he’d known there was something there, some loose thread from their past that dangled free, looking for an anchor.
Collide Page 13
