When Shae turns toward Dante, I duck back into my office to wait for her. The soft tap of her shoes against the hardwood floor alerts me that she’s close, and I reach out, snagging her wrist. She stumbles into my office, her soft body resting against mine, and I walk her backward until she’s pressed against the wall, my hands on either side of her head. A familiar jolt of electricity races through me. It’s there every time I touch her, and this time when I feel it, the anxiety I felt watching her with Dante disappears.
“I’m jealous of my own fucking brother right now.” I nudge her legs apart with my knee, inserting my thigh between hers. “I’m not a jealous person, Shae, and I sure as shit don’t get jealous of my brother.”
She draws in a shaky breath, and I know she feels it too—this connection, the energy between us. She’s said it before, but for some reason, with her I need reassurance, and I fucking hate that.
I’ve never needed reassurance.
“You have nothing to be jealous of.”
I dip my head until my lips connect with the warm, soft skin of her neck. She smells like sunshine and flowers, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I spend several seconds just breathing her in.
“You sure about that?”
She nods, unable to form words when my hand drops to her thigh. Slowly, I bunch the material of her skirt until one of her legs is entirely exposed.
“I love it when you wear skirts,” I murmur, trailing my lips along her jaw.
“It was warm out today.”
I smile. “Try again.”
My fingers graze the edge of her panties, and when one slips beneath the hem, her body shudders against mine. Her knees buckle, and if I didn’t have a good grip on her, she would’ve melted to the floor.
“Rex,” she whispers, grabbing my shoulders. I know what she wants, what she needs, because it mirrors my own desire. But I want to hear her say it.
I pull my hand out of her panties, and she drops her head back against the wall. Her beautiful blue eyes peek up at me.
“I said, try again,” I command softly.
“For you, okay?” she says. “I wore it for you.”
Thank fuck.
My lips are on her neck, making slow, methodical sweeps against her skin as I dip my hand back into her panties, finding my very own little slice of heaven. She’s tight, wet, and her body easily accepts my fingers, molding to them as I pump in and out of her.
Somehow, through the lusty fog, I vaguely register the sound of someone—most likely Dante—moving around in the bar, and I notice the door to my office is still standing open. Knowing my brother could walk in and catch us doesn’t bother me at all. Maybe subconsciously that’s why I left the door open. Maybe I wanted him to see us so he’ll have no doubt that Shae is mine.
It’s not that I don’t trust him. I do, with my life, but for some strange reason, I feel an intense possession over Shae. The need to protect her and claim her is all-consuming, and that’s been amplified by watching the two of them together. The easy smile she gave him—the same one she gives me—and the way he responded to her was all I could take. I couldn’t watch for another second, which is why I went all caveman and drew her into my office.
Alas, her needs come before mine. I want her to be comfortable, which is why I pull back just enough to look at her.
“Let me shut the door.”
Tunneling her fingers in my hair, Shae guides my face to her neck. “I don’t care about the fucking door. I just want your mouth back on my body.”
“Are you sure, baby? Because if we keep going, I’m not going to stop.”
I’m not sure I could stop even if I wanted to. The way she touches me, the way she looks at me, the way her body responds to mine—she makes me feel alive. It’s powerful and consuming and addicting. No one has ever made me feel the way she does, and it nearly killed me to hear her opening up to Dante, giving him pieces of herself, pieces that I want.
“You’re so beautiful, Shae,” I say, stroking her. “Your smile, your laugh, your body. Everything about you turns me on. It drove me insane to watch you with my brother.”
Shae’s body tightens beneath mine. “Is that what this is about? Your brother? Is this you marking your territory?”
Well, when she puts it like that, it doesn’t sound very good. “Fuck yes, that’s what this is about. You’re mine, Shae, and the whole goddamn world needs to know.”
She wiggles beneath me. With her palms flat against my chest, she pushes, and I take a step back, watching as she lowers her skirt. Frustrated at myself for ruining the moment, I run a hand through my hair. No one would blame her for marching out of my office, and I’m surprised when she laces her fingers with mine. But I’m grateful for the connection, because right now I’m feeling sort of lost.
“What’s going on, Rex?”
“Nothing.” Shaking my head, I try to turn away, but Shae’s having none of it.
“No,” she admonishes. “You can’t just walk away from me. If we’re in this, if we’re doing this, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on.”
“I didn’t know you were adopted,” I blurt.
She frowns.
“You told me you were raised by your dad.”
Understanding washes over her face, and she looks down at her feet.
With a finger under her chin, I lift her gaze back to mine. “Those are the things I want to know about you, and it made me crazy that you told Dante first.”
I sound like a goddamn pussy.
I half expect Dante to march in my office and take away my man card. I wouldn’t blame him.
This isn’t me.
I don’t care this much about women, and I sure as hell don’t want to get to know them on a personal level.
A part of me wants to push Shae against the wall, yank off her skirt, fuck her senseless, and walk away—just to prove to myself that I can. Except that would hurt me more than it would hurt her, and that’s how I know I’m screwed.
Damn it to hell.
My mother always told me when the right girl came along, she would cause a hurricane of emotions I wouldn’t be able to deny. Shae is Hurricane Katrina.
“I’m sorry.” She takes a step toward me. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking, but you have nothing to worry about. I’m yours. I don’t want anyone else.”
Not wanting to have this conversation here, while Dante’s within earshot, and really needing a drink to get my head on straight, I pull my keys out of my pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”
Shae doesn’t resist when I grab her hand and lead her out of the club.
The drive to my place is quiet; Shae spends most of it staring out her window, seemingly lost in thought. But her hand never leaves mine, and for that I’m grateful.
We pull up in front of my building. I toss my keys to the doorman and usher her up to my place.
“Would you like a drink? A bottle of water, or a beer?”
It’s probably too early for alcohol, but right now I don’t really care.
“No, but I would like to talk about what happened.”
“We’re going to,” I say, leaving her standing in the living room while I pour each of us three fingers of scotch. She’ll thank me for the drink in a few seconds.
I hand her a glass and head straight for the couch in the living room. Sitting down, I take a sip of my drink, rest my elbows on my parted knees, and look at Shae.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?”
“That I’m yours and you have nothing to worry about?”
I nod, and so does she. “Yes. I meant every word.”
Good. “Show me.”
She gives me a look. “Excuse me?”
“I want you to show me how much you want me.”
Lifting a brow, she watches me, clearly seeking guidance, and I’m reminded that she’s likely never done this before.
“Strip.”
She takes a long, slow sip of her scotch, sets the glass down, and peels off her shirt, tossing it on the floor. My cock grows hard at the sight of her black lace bra, and I wonder if she’s wearing matching panties.
I don’t have to wonder for long because she toes off her sandals and her skirt is the next to go, falling in a pile on the floor.
I knew it. Matching panties. Hooking a finger in the sides of her underwear, she slips them over her hips, kicks them to the side, and then reaches for the front clasp of her bra.
With her eyes on mine, she flicks the clasp. The material falls away, leaving me with the most mouthwatering view. Shae’s tits look lush and full, her dusky nipples already puckered tight. Tilting my head back, I down the rest of the amber liquid and place the empty glass on the table. Reclining against the couch, I adjust my erection as my gaze travels over her naked body.
She squirms, rubbing her thighs together. “Now what?”
My heart hammers inside my chest, need pulsing through my veins as my cock grows larger, ready to be inside of her. I can’t believe I’m about to fucking do this. Before I can change my mind, I rest my arms against the back of the couch and say, “Now you take what you want. Show me, Shae. I need the actions more than I need the words.”
Her lips part, her heavy eyes blink twice, and then my angel is floating across the floor. She stops in front of me, drops to her knees, and with extreme gentleness, she pulls off my shoes and socks, setting them aside. Calm fingers reach for my pants, flicking the button. The sound of my zipper coming down echoes through the quiet room.
“Lift your hips.”
Oh, fuck me. “So demanding.” Not one to disobey a beautiful, naked woman, I lift my hips, allowing her to pull off my pants. My cock springs free, and her eyes dart to mine, but she doesn’t ask why I was commando. She simply wraps her delicate fingers around the base of my cock and gives a long, gentle stroke.
“Too fuckin’ slow,” I groan, putting my hand over hers to show her the speed I prefer, but Shae pulls back. I’m seconds away from issuing a warning when she runs her hands under my shirt.
“You told me to take what I want, to show you how much I want you, so let me,” she says, pushing my shirt up and over my head. “Let me do this.” Her warm lips land on my stomach, trailing to my hip, and I watch as her tongue darts out, licking a drop of precum from the tip of my cock.
“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
She blinks up at me, a grin tilting that delicious mouth, and my heart skips a beat. This girl does things to me. Things I can’t describe, much less comprehend. All I know is I’m powerless against her, and fuck me, I want to give her the reins, let her take control this time, but that’s something I’ve never done.
“Let me,” she says, sinking her mouth over my cock.
I immediately lose whatever power I held, and I have no other choice than to sit back and enjoy the fucking ride.
Shae must sense the shift between us, because she reaches for my cock, pumping it hard and fast, sucking and licking. I tangle my fingers in her hair, refraining from taking control and watching as she fucks my cock with her mouth.
The head hits the back of her throat and she swallows, sucking it farther down.
“Oh, fuck,” I hiss, my hips bucking, searching for more. Then she pulls back, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to slam her head back down and demand she finish the fucking job.
“I don’t want you to come in my mouth.” With her hands on my knees she pushes herself off the floor and climbs into my lap. With a knee on either side of my hips, she straddles me. My cock is seated between us, throbbing and glistening from her mouth. “I want you inside of me when you let you go,” she says, softly, running her hands up my chest.
How the fuck is a man supposed to say no to that?
“There’s a condom in my wallet.”
Shae shakes her head. Reaching for my cock, she lifts up on her knees and I grab her hips, stopping her.
“Shae, baby, I want that. More than you know. But you’re not on birth control.”
“I saw Erin’s doctor the other day. He started me on the Depo shot.”
“How soon is it effective?”
“He said four days. But just to be safe, you can pull out. Tell me when you’re close, but I need to feel you inside of me. All of you.”
My grip tightens and my eyes drop as I guide her over the tip of my cock.
“Look at me, Rex.”
Fuck me, I’m not sure if I can. This is too fucking much. But dragging my eyes up her body, I do.
Slowly she lowers herself, her body stealing my cock while her words steal my heart.
“Every time you push inside of me, I feel full—my body, my heart, my soul, my universe. It’s all-consuming, overwhelming, and singlehandedly the most potent feeling I’ve ever experienced. But it’s not the scariest.”
I take a deep breath, lifting my hips until she’s seated on my cock, her bare ass resting on my thighs.
“The scariest is wondering if I’ll be lucky enough to keep feeling it, wondering if I’ll wake up one of these days and you’ll be gone.”
Her words cut through me, slice me open, and leave me feeling as vulnerable as she looks.
“Not gonna happen.”
“You don’t know that. Aside from my friends, everyone in my life as left me,” she says, continuing the slow rise and fall of her body against mine. “It’s not me you have to worry about, Rex. I’m not the one who needs to show you how much I want you, but I will. I’ll show you how badly I want to be yours.”
“Now.” I snake an arm around her waist. She braces her knees on the couch and begins to ride me. Her tight pussy squeezes my cock as she finds a rhythm, and I can’t help but thrust my hips, slamming into her each time she drops down. “That’s it, sweetheart. Fuck me hard.”
Palming her breasts, I give each nipple a strong pinch before leaning forward and capturing one with my mouth.
“Oh, God, yes. Rex.” Shae moans, holding my face against her chest.
Not that I’d fucking go anywhere. Hell no. She’s too damn sweet, and when her nipple grows inside my mouth, I move to the next, giving it the same lavish treatment, sucking and biting until her pussy grows impossibly wet.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Shae writhes against me, her pussy quivering around my cock. My self-control is frayed, unraveling faster than I expected. Heat races up my spine, my balls tighten, and the first waves of convulsion threaten my body.
“I’m not gonna last, Shae.”
“Not yet,” she pants, her eyes dropping to where we’re connected. “So close,” she moans. Slipping a hand between us, I press my thumb to her clit, and Shae breaks apart in my arms. Lifting her up, I slide her off of me, and she reaches for my cock, stroking it. Rubbing her pussy against the base, she rides out her orgasm as mine spills from my body, coating my abdomen.
Our labored breaths fill the air as we float back down to Earth, and once we’re both breathing normally, she slides off my lap and scurries into the other room. A moment later she returns with a wet cloth and wipes off my stomach.
Once I’m clean, she steps away, but I snag her wrist. Scooping her up in my arms, I carry her through the condo and into my bedroom. Taking the cloth from her hand, I toss it in the laundry basket before laying Shae down on my bed and crawling in beside her.
She wraps an arm around my middle and nuzzles against me, resting her head in the crook of my arm.
“You hungry?” I ask. “I could make you something to eat.”
“Not yet. I just want to lay here for a while.”
Kissing the top of her head, I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of her in my arms.
“I told you my mother was killed when I was a girl, and that my father raised me. That wasn’t a lie. He did raise me, but only for a few years.”
My eyes snap open when she starts to talk. I look down at her, but she’s focused on her finger, which is drawing circles over my chest. I wait patiently for her to continue. After several long moments of silence, I scoot up in bed, resting my back against the headboard, and lift her onto my lap.
“Please, keep going.”
She gives the slightest nod. “He was taken from me when I was nine. At the time, I didn’t have any living relatives who could care for me, so I was placed with a family, and they ended up adopting me.”
Shae closes her eyes, a look of sorrow passing over her face, and when a tear trickles down her cheek, I wipe it away.
“I was so lost and scared. I don’t think I’d ever been that scared. I had a good life,” she says, opening her eyes. They’re glassy and pain radiates from them in waves. “In the blink of an eye, the life I knew was gone, and I was thrust into a new family and a new school and a new routine. My adoptive parents tried to love me, they really did, but I didn’t make it easy for them, and eventually they gave up.”
My body stiffens. “What do you mean they gave up?”
“Right after my father’s death, I asked a lot of questions. I wanted to know where certain things were, things from home. Toys, pictures, albums—but they kept telling me they didn’t know, and I got angry. How could they not know? Where did all of that stuff go? It should’ve been mine, right? But it didn’t matter. Every question I asked was left unanswered, including questions about my father’s death, and I began to act out. At first it was in-school detention, then after-school detention, and eventually suspension. For the first several months, Janet and Mike—my adoptive parents—would ground me, but that only made things worse. I would scream and yell, throw things, punch the walls, and I even started picking on their daughter. I’m not proud of that, by the way.” She sighs. “By the end of my first year in their home, Mike was spanking me, and something in Janet just snapped. She started calling me vile names and telling me how much she hated me and how I’d ruined their life, their daughter’s life. But that didn’t make sense, because they adopted me. I didn’t pick them.”
With each word out of Shae’s mouth, I grow more and more angry—angry at the system for putting an innocent, scared child into that situation. Angry at her adoptive parents for not understanding her pain and doing something about it, rather than making it worse.
Feeling restless and more than helpless, I run my hands up her bare back, over her shoulders and then back down, trying to show her she isn’t alone anymore and that I’ll carry her pain with her. I want her to know I’m here and, so help me God, if anyone ever lays another finger on her, I’ll fucking kill them.
“Tell me the rest,” I grind out.