Just as Shane caved into a pestering yawn, Blake sauntered into the kitchen and started sampling the dessert.
Betty smacked his hand away with the back of the spatula. “So help me if you stick that finger in there again I’m going to cut it off,” she warned.
Blake laughed. “You wouldn’t do that to your favorite son.”
Shane leaned to look beyond the two, caught Cassie’s gaze once more, and smiled.
Gavin snuck up behind Blake and flicked the back of his head. “You’re right. She’d never do that to me.”
“I’d do it to the both of you,” Betty said, eyeing Shane from across the room. “Shane’s the only one I’d spare since he’s my favorite.”
“Ouch, Ma. That hurt.” Gavin put his hand to his heart with a groan.
“Gotcha!” Jaxson spat, lifting a corner of the tablecloth.
Luke grumbled under his breath as he climbed out of his hiding spot beneath the table; Shane hadn’t even noticed him there.
“You took long enough,” he grumbled. “Hey, isn’t dessert…” Luke’s sentence ended as he spun around. “Ewe, gross, your dad’s kissing your mom.” He pointed at the two of them. Blake had Reese cornered by the fridge, his face nestled into her neck.
“So what,” Jaxson said. “Look at your parents.”
Shane shook his head as he spotted them. While Jade dished out the dessert, Gavin’s arms were wrapped tightly around her. He was running the scruff of his jaw along Jade’s shoulder while she giggled under his touch. “Stop it,” she said. “You’re going to make me cut myself.”
Cassie let out that laugh of hers again – the sound of heaven and angels wrapped into one. She’d laughed a lot since coming to Emerson Ranch, and Shane found himself looking for ways to hear it more often.
“Uncle Shane. Hello-ooo, Uncle Shane!” Luke’s face was red with effort. The room went quiet. “I said,” he puffed out an irritated breath, “why don’t you ever kiss Aunt Cassie?”
“What?” He looked back at Cassie, expecting to see humiliation set on her face.
It wasn’t. One corner of her lips turned up as she taunted him with those eyes again. “Yeah, Shane,” she said, a challenge present in her tone. “Why don’t you?”
The ranch hands made sounds of oohs and ahs. The couples whispered to one another. Shane kept his gaze set on his supposed bride, thoughts of their kiss in the hotel room rushing through his mind. “That’s a good question,” he said, rising from the chair to his feet. His eyes didn’t leave Cassie’s as he strode around the counter to where she stood, back against the pantry door. He’d had enough of waiting and wondering. Of sleepless nights that kept him thinking of those tempting lips. In that moment, her kiss would be his.
There was no pause. No hesitation. Cassie had asked for it, and he would oblige, his country boy manners be damned.
Her smile faded as he neared, yet her lips remained parted. Ready.
Shane’s hands found her hips as he rushed in, thoughts of their chocolate kiss urging him forward. In the next breath, he pressed his mouth against hers, pleased when she so easily accepted his kiss. Cassie may have felt safe there in front of everyone, yet she was anything but. He kissed her again, stronger, more demanding, mildly aware of the hoots and hollers echoing in the room.
Shane twisted the pantry doorknob, pulled Cassie against him as he pried it open, and broke away from her kiss for a breath. “Excuse us,” he murmured, and directed her into the small pantry, closing the door behind them. More cheering ensued. His family probably thought it was all for show. Something to satisfy the curious boys while championing his presumed wife. But he was no such hero. He had something to satisfy alright, but it was his own need to taste this woman’s mouth again – an act he’d been thinking of every day since their first kiss.
In the dark quarters of the pantry, Cassie’s hands cradled his face. Heaven help him she wanted more. The knowledge planted an urgency in him as he kissed her again, and again – another drawn-out kiss. She kissed him back, letting her lips part as her fingers ran through his hair. It felt as if she’d rehearsed this moment time and time again – knew just how to drive him mad. He groaned as he tilted his head, discovering the sweetness lingering in her mouth. He’d never be satisfied with kissing another woman again. The one in his arms – with her sensual taste and addictive allure – this is the one he would crave.
“All right, you two,” Gavin said on the other side of the door. “That’s enough. Your seven minutes of heaven are over. We got kids out here, you know?”
Cassie broke away from their kiss, her breath rapid and tempting against his mouth. He leaned in for another. And though she kissed him back, Cassie pressed her hands against his chest to stay him. “We’ve got to get back out there,” she whispered.
“No,” Shane said, taking her lips to his once more. He wanted to pick her up, carry her out of that house, and finish what he’d started. Yet as the door creaked slowly open, light blaring into the small space, he forced himself to stop.
“Don’t make me use this spatula on you, boy,” Betty said with a chuckle. “Let the poor girl alone. You know that’s not proper. Carrying on in front of everyone.”
Shane smiled wickedly as he escorted Cassie out of the pantry, his hand at the small of her back. “I know it ain’t, Ma. That’s why I took her into the closet.”
The guys chuckled, mumbling their approval as they lined up to grab a plate. Shane hadn’t missed the questioning looks Jade and Reese gave Cassie as she cleared her throat and went back to the sink. And though he tried to avoid his brothers’ gazes, he caught sight of them all the same. Blake seemed to study him with a thoughtful furrow pressing at his brow.
Gavin only flashed him a deviant grin. “Looks like Ol’ Stallion Shane is back in the saddle, boys.”
~+~
The remainder of the evening sped by in a blur – like headlights rushing down Seattle’s Highway 99. Every time Cassie caught even the slightest glimpse of Shane, he’d been there – eyes on her – his predatory gaze burrowing heat beneath her skin. There was a promise in that stare. One she hoped he would keep. She was free to explore this, she reminded herself, and she planned to do just that.
“I’d say you did a great job for your first go around with dinner,” Betty said. The long evening of serving supper for a crowd and the woman looked like she’d just stepped out of a salon. She removed her apron, straightened her denim shirt, and reached her arms out toward Cassie.
Cassie returned the embrace. “Thanks for all your help,” she said. “And for having it here. It was perfect.”
“Anytime dear. Gramp’s place – that’s what we call the home you’re in – isn’t fit for holding as many folks all at once.” Betty eyed Shane before poking his arm with a scolding look. “You best be behaving yourself now. I mean it. Don’t go acting like a heathen with this here girl.”
Shane pulled one side of his mouth into a devilish grin. “I’ve been a heathen all my life. Can’t likely abandon who I am all in one day now, can I?”
“Oh, stop.” Betty swatted his arm before pulling him close for a hug. She brought her voice down to a whisper, but Cassie heard it all the same. “I love you, my boy.”
“Love you too, Ma,” Shane mumbled in a low voice. “Night.”
From a recliner chair positioned in front of the television, Grant hollered, “Hey, thanks for working over my letter.”
“Anytime,” Cassie said.
“You made it real nice,” Grant added. “I’m gong to send it first thing in the morning.”
Shane leaned in. “Did you just say, anytime to my father? Because he’ll take you up on that.”
Cassie only smiled. “I hope he does.”
As they reached the door, Grant hollered out once more. “You sure you kids don’t want to stick around – watch Gun Smoke?”
“We’re sure,” Shane answered.
Grant reached for the remote. “Well then, goodnight.”
�
�Goodnight,” Cassie said.
An onset of nerves seemed to tighten her skin as she followed Shane into the quiet night. The sky looked unreal. In Seattle, due to the combination of clouds, smog, and city lights, the stars were often hidden from view. Here, the endless sight of navy blue sparkled with more stars than she’d ever seen at one time.
“Wow,” she whispered, looping her hand around the muscular arm he offered. “Do the nights always look like this?” The air was crisp and cool on her skin – another reason to get closer to him.
Shane inhaled a deep breath as he gazed up, kicking rocks while he walked. “Sure do.” He smiled at her, raising that brow again. The flirtatious expression caused her arms to break out in goose bumps.
Crickets chirped noisily about in the distance, and Cassie mused they could just as easily be bouncing around inside her stomach, so hectic was the chaos there. But along with that fluttering feeling of anticipation, lingered something much deeper. The desire to move on. Say goodbye to Griffin once and for all.
Her heart began a new, heightened thump as she climbed the creaky steps. A warm light glowed from within the house, and as Cassie caught sight of Shane’s handsome face once more, she looked down, feeling shy suddenly. What was she – some hormonal teenager? She couldn’t remember anticipating something so fully in her life. She wanted his kiss more than anything.
As Shane opened the door for her, his gaze set on her face, he let his hand slide down the length of her back, strong and encouraging. She stepped inside, glancing about the dimly-lit room, unwilling to step too far from him, afraid it might upset the living current between them.
Shane must have felt the same; just as he reached to close the door with one hand, he seized her with the other, taking hold of her wrist. With a slow and steady pull, he encouraged her to step toward him. He spun her in place, pressing her against the closed door while the smoldering gaze of his eyes unveiled the desires of her heart.
At Betty and Grant’s, Shane had kissed her without a moment’s delay. Just gripped hold of her waist and pressed his mouth to hers. She thought he’d do the same then, but instead, Shane moved slowly, stepping impossibly closer, the handsome smell of him working a magic all its own.
His strong hands, slightly calloused and warm, cradled either side of her neck with such delicacy, she closed her eyes to tune into the tenderness.
“Cassie,” he whispered, moments before his mouth found hers. The gentle glide of his lips along hers made Cassie sigh, a nearly pleading sound as he toyed with her. A soft kiss to her lower lip. His warm breath meeting her own. He kissed her again, stronger this time as she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, relishing his masculine form.
His hands moved to her face as he prolonged the kiss – not in an urgent sort of way – but with a patient and steady pace – like ocean waves meeting the shore. The tranquil motion allowed her to sink into the bliss of it. Slowly, his lips left hers and traveled toward her ear where he planted a gentle kiss beneath her lobe. The feel of his rough stubble along her sensitive skin raised goose bumps on her arms as he kissed there again. And then again. Shane’s mouth traveled down the side of her neck, achingly slow, and just as Cassie wondered what he might do next, he stopped.
Moments passed before she heard him exhale – a loud and rather shaky breath. He shook his head before speaking. “What am I doin’?” Heat grazed her neck as he spoke.
Shane’s question pulled Cassie from the heavenly trance in a blink. She hadn’t told him of her decision about Griffin. Her mind whirled with words – ways she could explain that what they were doing wasn’t wrong. It felt more right than anything she’d known.
He pulled away from her, his hands loosening their grip, and gazed into her eyes with an ache she could hardly fathom. “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. He took a step back, and already Cassie felt colder.
Shane scratched at his roughly shaven jaw. “Neither of us are in a position to be doing this. I’m just so weak where you’re concerned…”
Only she didn’t let him finish. Couldn’t. “Neither of us?” she squeaked. “You have a girlfriend?” Her heart felt as if it might beat itself from its place there, in her chest.
He looked down at the floor, nudging the rug with his boot. “No. I did though. And it ended so badly I’m probably broke for good. In no shape to go trying to steal another man’s woman, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t want to be with Griffin,” she blurted. “I’ve made that decision.”
Shane glanced back up at her. “When?”
“Today. But, it’s been a long time coming.” She searched for a way to explain it, knowing it might not make sense. “Griffin had sent me a letter. I hadn’t opened it until now, but he feels the same way.” Cassie’s hands had nearly slipped off his shoulders entirely, but she brought them back to rest around his neck, coaxing him back into her embrace. Her words weren’t coming out right, so she opted for a different approach.
With a timid gulp, she moved in closer, daring to bring her mouth to his. Softly, uncertainly, she pressed a tender kiss to his lips, afraid he might turn her away. She kissed him again, encouraged when his hands smoothed gently down her arms. It wasn’t until he firmly cupped her elbows that she realized he was only letting her down easily.
With the slightest of pressure, he moved her away from him. “Cassie,” he said in a husky whisper. “It’s just not right. I’ve been so set on convincing people we were married, I started to believe it myself. It’s only been one week. And if I’m any kind of man at all, I won’t take advantage of you this way.” His hand slid back up her arm where he traced a thumb lovingly over her cheek. “I’m all you have right now. I need to let you decide on your own what you want. Make a decision for myself as well, and then we can think about courting the way we ought to. Not just stepping into life as husband and wife. As easy as that may be, I’m pretty sure it’s destined to fail.”
He took hold of her hand, brought it to his lips, and planted a kiss on the back of it. Cassie was certain he was trying to be heroic in some way, but it only humiliated her. Perhaps he didn’t feel the way she thought he did. Maybe he’d simply been trying to make her feel wanted, and she’d called his bluff, only to find he didn’t really want her at all.
Cassie’s shoulders curled over her chest as she pulled her hand free. Without another word, she strode past him and walked down the hall to their joined bathroom. While her mind played back their moments at the door, she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. Oscar and Ollie purred noisily as she pulled back the covers. She wouldn’t wake with Shane in the morning. Maybe she’d been smothering him this whole time and hadn’t even known it. The thought caused a sick dose of embarrassed heat to burn within her. Cassie had no doubt monopolized every ounce of free time Shane had for the last week. Thinking they were connecting somehow – on the same page of their own, personal love story, like the novel she’d enjoyed so much.
She wiped at the tears sliding down her face as she realized one crucial truth: She may have been wrong about Shane’s feelings for her, but she was still glad things were over between her and Griffin. Whether she left that place tomorrow, next week, or two months from now, she’d do it as a single woman – no longer tied to a man living in India she hardly even knew. There were better men out there for her – and that lesson alone was worth the trip she’d taken to Emerson ranch.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The pat of butter melted against the heat as Shane tilted the pan. He couldn’t remember a night he’d been so restless. Six full hours of hating himself is all he’d had. Only to climb back out of bed to face a long day of birthing cows in the pasture.
As he cracked eggs onto the pan, Shane mused on what had kept him up all night – Cassie. He sighed almost painfully. What was he doing? One minute he’d worried because Cassie had a boyfriend and the next he’d been concerned about the way she’d abandoned the guy so quickly. Thinking it was his fault for being so forward since d
ay one. Heck, Cassie had been attached to Vegan Boy for three years. Her feelings for him couldn’t likely be gone in one day. They were bound to creep back up and spoil things just as the going got good.
And why was he so worried about her end of things, anyway? It was hard enough keeping his own thoughts straight. Talking with Blake and Gavin about the whole situation was nearly impossible, what with the ranch hands around and all. On one end he was supposed to be convincing the help, along with his nephews, that he and Cassie were crazy about one another. Yet he’d been equally determined to let his family know that no matter how much they wished the two would fall in love, it would never come to pass.
So what had he done that for? Gone making out with her right there in front of everyone. While shaking his head in frustration, Shane checked the other frying pan. A golden heap of hash browns steamed from within. He hoped Cassie liked her eggs over easy, and that she’d take his gesture of making her breakfast as a peace offering. He’d probably confused the crud out of the poor gal. Heck, he confused the crud out of himself most the time. In the end, Shane didn’t know what to do with his feelings for her. He’d mentioned something about courting Cassie, and he’d meant it. If they were actually going to entertain being together, they’d need to date. Like a man dated a woman. He wouldn’t throw her under the sheets with him a week after they’d met – take advantage of the woman’s weakened state. Either way, Shane feared he’d lose her.
With a quick hand, he slipped the spatula beneath both fried eggs and moved them to the other pan, resting them atop the hash browns. Who knew if she’d want to date him now? After he’d pushed her away last night. He’d find out soon enough.
As the sun snuck up over the horizon, Shane set Cassie’s breakfast in the warmed oven, scribbled a note so she’d know it was there, and set out for a long day at pasture.
~+~
Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) Page 11
