But all good things must eventually come to an end, she thought sadly as she took the last sip of her third beer of the evening. Slightly buzzed since she never drank so much at once, she took a deep breath to steady herself as she looked around the now mostly empty tavern. Bailey and Wyatt had left half an hour earlier, the pregnant momma-to-be yawning her way out of the bar as her husband trailed behind her with one hand wrapped protectively around her waist. Unbeknownst to them, she had watched them closely, quietly envying the other woman’s luck at finding a man that appeared to be wholly dedicated to making her happy. It must be nice to be the recipient of that kind of affection, she thought silently as she sighed to herself, jumping slightly when she felt Shaw’s fingers tracing delectable patterns against her thigh. Shifting slightly, she put on her best smile as she turned in the booth to face him. “Thank you so much for the drinks and the burger, Shaw. You have no idea how much I really enjoyed tonight.”
“Oh, I bet I do, pretty girl, because I enjoyed being with you every bit as much,” Shaw replied softly as he reached up to finger a tendril of her hair between his fingers before tenderly tucking it behind her ear. “Did you have fun tonight with Bailey and Wyatt?”
Nodding enthusiastically, Waverlee’s face split into a beaming smile. “Yes! They’re so completely down to earth. It’s rare to find a truly nice person to hang out with, let alone a couple. Between going to school, my job working here and as a receptionist at my dentist’s office, I don’t have too many friends, and usually the girls around my age are so absorbed with fashion and foolishness I usually have nothing in common with them. Bailey seemed different. She and Wyatt were just more…I don’t know…real, y’know? It makes me glad I decided to move here after I graduated high school.”
“They’re both great people. I’ve known Wyatt for years, but only met his wife fairly recently. She’d had a hard time of it before she met Wyatt. Her mom got sick with cancer and on her deathbed, Bailey learned she had a father and brother who knew nothing about her. After her mom died, she came to Red Springs to meet them. That’s how she met Wyatt. He was her brother Jack’s best friend.”
“I gotta say Bailey and Wyatt seem like they were made for each other,” Waverlee mused aloud with a dreamy smile.
“It was a whirlwind courtship. Love at first sight. I never really believed in that until I watched it happen to them.”
“And now you’re a big believer in instantaneous love, huh?” Waverlee questioned curiously, cocking her head to the side as she watched Shaw’s face. “I’m not so sure about all that,” she scoffed with a doubtful shake of her head. “Seems like a pretty scary risk to take so quickly on somebody. At least it worked out for them, though.”
“Oh, I’m now a believer all right,” he drawled, stroking the apple of Waverlee’s cheek with the back of his fingers. “But not just because of what happened between Wyatt and Bailey,” he whispered as he leaned toward her, his warm breath ghosting her lips.
Swallowing quickly as she watched Shaw’s head descend, his smooth lips brushing against hers, Waverlee held her breath as a flood of feminine excitement overwhelmed her. She’d been kissed before so she wasn’t that naïve. But she knew this man could make her feel things she’d never experienced before. Crenshaw had the power to sweep her off her feet, and she was dangerously close to throwing caution to the wind and letting it happen. “Shaw, what are you doing?” she breathed against his mouth when his nose bumped hers. God, he was close… so close she could see little flecks of green in his blue eyes. And the view she had of him was freaking phenomenal.
“Since it’s clear you’re not exactly a believer in the power of love at first sight, I’m gonna do my best to make you believe in love at first kiss,” he informed her before covering her mouth with his.
To say she was surprised would be an understatement. She was stunned into stone, her shock paralyzing her. Feeling his mouth against hers, his tongue swiping her full lower lip in a caress so erotic it gave her chills, her body vibrated with unspoken need – a need that was fed by every touch of his lips. And by the low groan that escaped Shaw, she wasn’t the only one feeling the acute strain of that need. He was every bit as affected as she was.
“Kiss me back, baby. I promise I won’t bite,” he murmured, the vibration of his words against her lips adding fuel to the fire that already threatened to burn out of control. “That is, unless you want me to,” he added, nipping her upper lip with a gentle bite.
Shivering against him as she parted her lips to speak, Waverlee moaned as his tongue swept forward, stealing the opportunity to deepen their kiss. And holy moly, the man could kiss. And not just any old kiss either. It was the-steal-your-breath-I-can’t-live-without-his-touch-because-nothing-else-in-the-world-matters kind of kiss a girl spends her life dreaming about. Their tongues danced together for long minutes as everything else faded away. The people. The noise. Everything took a backseat to the fierce passion Shaw created with a simple touch of his mouth to hers.
Forcing herself to find her voice when Shaw lifted his mouth from hers to take a deep breath, Waverlee flashed a furtive glance up at his darkened eyes. “Wow,” she breathed shakily, clutching handfuls of his light blue dress shirt in her fists as the world seemed to spin at warp speed, “I..I...don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that before,” she whispered, the words catching in her throat as his finger swept against her lower lip.
“Then you best hold on real tight to me, baby, ‘cause I’m just getting started,” he replied, dropping his head to steal another deep, wet kiss from her lips as he curved one big hand around her neck, wrapping her silky hair around his fist and tugging gently.
Moaning softly into his mouth as she felt him pull her hair, tugging her neck back to possess her lips more fully, she couldn’t help pressing her body against his, her aching nipples dragging against his chest as her tongue met his. His kiss was addictive, his flavor a rich, complex mix of barley, hops and man. Gasping when she felt his hand slide between her thighs underneath the table to press gently at the damp seam of her jeans, she heard his low growl of pleasure.
“It feels like your little pussy is soaking your panties, darlin’. You’re sweet body is just as excited as mine is, isn’t it, Waverlee?” he murmured against the curve of her neck as he held her tightly against him. “Your body can’t lie, and right now it’s telling me it’s as hungry for mine as mine is for yours.”
Breathing hard as she felt the hard ridge of his aroused cock flexing behind the fly of his jeans where she had her leg draped over his, Waverlee lifted her dilated eyes to his, unable to believe she’d acted on her desires. “Yes, but I’m not this person, Shaw. I don’t do this kind of thing. Not ever,” she whispered as a wave of embarrassment threatened to drown her. Her eyes darted around them to make sure no one had seen her acting like some kind of wanton slut. God, she worked at this bar! She couldn’t imagine what Brad and Wendy would think of her if they’d seen her tongue-fucking Shaw’s mouth. A quick look toward the bar, however, assured her both bartenders were pretty busy dealing with customers. Hopefully nobody had noticed her grinding against Shaw’s body.
Rubbing the inside of her thighs together as her empty pussy throbbed, she shifted in Shaw’s embrace. Even as ashamed as she was by her body’s reactions to him, she still ached for more.
More of his kisses.
More of his touches.
More of him, period.
“Hey,” Shaw chided, cupping her cheek and forcing her to look in his eyes, “There’s nothing wrong with anything we’re doing together, Waverlee. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“We’re making out in public like a couple of teenagers, Shaw. Red Springs is a small town. Word is gonna get around and rumors that neither of us are gonna want to deal with are going to start if we don’t put a stop to this,” she warned, lifting a hand to lightly trace his kiss swollen lower lip.
“First of all, I couldn’t give two shits if word does get arou
nd I was seen kissin’ you. If anything, I hope word gets around. Maybe it’ll be enough to make another man think twice before he fucks up and approaches my girl.”
“Your girl?” she echoed. Was she dreaming or had this man just claimed her like some kind of conquering hero? If he had, she knew just where she wanted him to plant his flag.
“You heard me just fine, angel,” he continued brusquely.
“Shaw, I can’t be your girl. I don’t even know what you like in your women,” she worried out loud, her expressive eyes clouding with worry.
“Currently, my woman – in the singular – is a sweet, inexperienced angel that has the ability to light up my nights with her smile,” he confided, lifting a hand to run his finger across her lower lip.
Dropping her eyes, Waverlee flushed with embarrassment. “I’m not completely inexperienced. I’ve actually had an on and off semi-serious relationship with my friend B.O.B. for years,” she informed him with as much dignity as she could muster.
Shaw chuckled as he tapped her nose with his index finger. “Well, you can take your battery operated boyfriend, put him in a drawer and forget about him. You won’t be needing him again,” he assured her, leaning forward to steal another deep kiss from her lips.
Squeaking against his lips when she felt his hand slide underneath her blouse to cup her breast, Waverlee drew back quickly. “Shaw! You can’t do this here! The rumors…”
“I’ve never cared one whit about rumors, baby. And any rumor that puts you and me together in any context is fine by me. Third, if you’re uncomfortable kissing me in public, then come home with me tonight so that I can kiss you the way I want in private, Waverlee.”
“What?” She blinked, unable to believe she’d heard him right. She’d hated sharing so much as a pencil with the other students at school. Wrapping her mind around sharing her body with another person was more than her mind could manage on most days of the week.
At least until she met him.
Now, it seemed like every one of her fantasies revolved around what sinful delights Crenshaw could teach her.
“I said, I want you to come home with me and let me spend the night showing you how special you truly are.”
It was in that moment as Waverlee sat there, staring up into his bottomless blue eyes that she knew beyond a shadow of doubt that her life was about to change.
Because to her brain’s dismay and her body’s delight, Waverlee Armstrong made a decision.
She wasn’t sure if it was the three beers she’d indulged in that made her brave or the fact that it felt like Shaw’s arms had been made to hold her, but either way she was taking Brad’s advice and taking a chance on Crenshaw Jacobson.
Chapter Four
Shaw
Fifteen minutes later, Shaw’s satisfied grin widened as he jogged around to the passenger side of his truck. Damn, he was one fucking lucky man, he thought as he jerked at the silver handle, yanking open the vehicle’s door and reaching inside quickly to tug a nervous, but beautiful Waverlee into his arms, catching her against him when she would have tumbled out of the truck.
The short drive to his house had been a true test of his self-control if ever there had been one thanks to Waverlee’s curious, wandering hands moving over his body, and he’d accomplished the ride in record time. Which was a good thing since he had been hard-pressed to keep his hands off the woman his heart had already claimed as his own. Driving one-handed all the way to his place had nearly put them in a ditch more than once, but it had been totally worth the risk. Especially since his gray-eyed little minx seemed to be just as eager as he was to get them to the nearest flat surface and fuck like the end of the world was coming. Yeah, for the last three miles of their journey, her little roving fingers had tempted him more than once to pull his truck over and take her right there on the side of the road for the world to see.
But he wanted their first time to be on a much more comfortable surface than the hard leather seats of his 4x4 extended cab pickup. She deserved better. She deserved every single luxury he could provide her, and he was determined to make sure she got them all.
Even if it killed him.
Which it just might, he thought as she pushed his body back against the side of his truck and her hand dropped between them to cup his dick through his jeans.
“I want you, Shaw,” Waverlee whispered as she ran her tongue up the side of his neck. “I want you so much it scares me,” she confessed huskily as his body stiffened and his arms closed around her. “I’ve never felt like this before, and I’m not sure what’s happening here.”
“Fuck, baby, you can’t say things like that to me right now. I’m barely hanging on to my control as it is,” he groaned as he heard the nervous excitement in her voice. Burying his face in the sweet smelling curve of her neck as her hand tightened around his thick length, he fought the urge to pin her against the vehicle and fuck her raw right then and there. Didn’t his sweet girl know that he was just as eager for her as she was to get to him? “You’re killing me here, Waverlee. Give me two minutes to get us inside the house and I promise I’ll shred every one those fears for you. Because I swear to you that right here in my arms is the safest place you’ll ever be.”
Tilting her head back, Waverlee’s gaze collided with Shaw’s. Resting her hands on his chest, she bit her lip uncertainly as she looked in his eyes. “You mean that, don’t you? I mean, like, you really mean it.”
Cupping her neck, Shaw tilted her head back until he could see into her smoky gray eyes. “Baby, it guts me that those words surprise you, but yeah, I mean what I say to you. I mean most everything I say regardless of who I’m speaking to, but know that when I’m telling you something, I will never be anything less than honest. You deserve that. Not just from me, but from everybody, Waverlee. But I can guarantee you will always have the truth from me, honey. And yes, my arms will forever be your safe harbor. I won’t ever allow anyone to harm you. Not if it’s in my power to prevent.”
“You’re too good to be true,” Waverlee whispered, more to herself than to him as she continued to stare up into his face with wide eyes.
“When a man finds a treasure worth having, he’ll go to any length to keep it safe, sweet girl. And to me, you’re beyond precious.”
“You barely know me,” she whispered in a way that made it almost sound like an accusation.
Shaw didn’t know how to answer that because based on the length of time she’d actually known him, he could understand why she’d say that. She was wary, and the vulnerability he saw shining in her eyes was enough to humble him... People had come and gone from her young life with all-too-frequent regularity for her to just give herself over into his well-keeping easily. All he could share with her was the truth as he knew it. “My soul knows yours, sweet girl, because yours is the missing piece to mine.”
Shaw watched her tongue dart out to lick her dry lips nervously. “Those are pretty words, Shaw. And if I was a different kind of girl, maybe I could let myself hang on to them…”
Slipping his arms around her waist as he leaned back against his truck, he tugged her against his chest, holding her close. “And what kind of girl would that be, Waverlee?”
“I dunno…adventurous. Assertive. Poised and confident. But, I’m not like that, Shaw. I’m just… me. Plain, boring Waverlee Armstrong.”
Shaw threw back his head and laughed at her description of herself, tightening his arms when she would have jerked from his embrace. Was this girl mad? Did she truly not see what he did when she looked in the mirror?
“It’s not funny!” she cried, slamming her hand against his chest as she strained against him. “Stop laughing at me, you jerk! I knew a guy as hot as you would end up just making a fool out of me!”
Finally getting control of himself, he lowered his chin to find her looking at him with wounded eyes. “Hey!” he chided, hissing in a sharp breath when she twisted her fingers in his shirt and yanked on his chest hair. “Waverlee, I wasn’t making
fun of you!” he denied as he held her struggling body with one arm while he captured the hand that seemed intent on ripping out every hair on his chest by the root. “Baby, I was laughing at what you said because it’s fucking funny! You call yourself plain? Boring? That’s hilarious, woman! Because you aren’t either of those things. You’re so goddamn gorgeous it makes my heart pound and my cock throb. You’re witty as hell, sassy as any woman has a right to be, and full of a fire that only I ever wanna watch burn. There isn’t anything plain or boring about that. You deserve to be happy and loved, damn it. And it’s your own self-doubt that you’re letting influence you, and if it’s the last thing I do on this Earth, I’ll convince you of it, too. Stop standing in the way of your own happiness, pretty girl, and let me get close enough to love you the way you deserve. I’m not your mom or dad, Waverlee. I’m not gonna walk away from this.”
Waverlee stilled in his arms at the mention of her parents. “H-how do you know about my parents, Shaw?” she asked, her eyes guarded as they met his.
“I know everything there is to know about you, Waverlee Lynn Armstrong,” he returned with unflinching honesty. “When it comes to the people I care about, I make sure to always be informed.”
“I guess when you live in a small town like Red Springs, nothing stays private forever,” Waverlee mumbled, shivering slightly as a cool breeze blew through the tall trees dotted throughout Shaw’s sprawling yard.
Shaw didn’t bother to correct her assumption that he’d heard about her parents through town gossip. Honestly, he didn’t want to spook her by sharing that he’d hired a private investigator to get him quick answers to his questions. “There’s nothing I’ve learned about you that should ever make you feel inadequate, Waverlee. Your dad was a fuck-up from the start and you’re better off without a man like that in your life. And your mom…”
“Mom tried,” Waverlee said, cutting him off. “She just wasn’t….maternal.”
Sex, Vows & Babies: One More Night (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 3
