“No. Nonono,” Shae mumbles. “Please.”
Her soft cries wake me up. She’s sweating, thrashing around next to me, and I fling the covers off, prepared to wake her, when she turns my life upside down with one word…one name.
“Cami.” Her head digs into the pillow, her eyes clenched shut. “Please. Please don’t hurt her.”
A sharp pain slices through my chest as she repeats the same words that haunt my dreams, and I know without a shadow of a doubt what secret Shae has been keeping.
A heavy feeling settles in my stomach and, fuck me, I can’t breathe. Sliding from the bed, I move across the room, watching her, searching her face to be sure she’s the girl I remember, the girl who saved my life all those years ago. When she flies up in bed and her wide, fearful eyes find mine across the room, it’s all the confirmation I need, because I’ll never forget that look. It’s the same as it was fourteen years ago.
I knew it.
I fucking knew it.
That first day I met her on the street in Chicago, looking for a strip club, I knew I saw something familiar in her eyes—something that drew me in, but I couldn’t place it. I suspected something was different when we connected the way we did. I’ve never been drawn to a woman the way I am to Shae.
And then there was the last nightmare she had. I swore I heard her mumble something, but I couldn’t quite make it out. Now I know she was calling for her sister.
For Cami.
For the girl whose life I couldn’t save.
Running a hand over her head, Shae struggles to catch her breath. She’s clearly anxious after her recent dream, but I can’t help the smile that tickles my lips. I couldn’t be happier. I’m not the least bit mad that she kept her identity from me, because I get it. She’s probably scared, unsure, and after what happened to her father and Cami, she’s slow to trust. I don’t blame her. But what she doesn’t understand is that all those years ago, I chose her. And today, my loyalty still lies with her.
Always.
My mind races over what to do next, and at the top of the list is ensuring Shae’s safety, which is why I have to tell Dante what I’ve learned. He’ll help me figure out a way to keep her safe. The last thing I want her to do is run in fear for her life. With me by her side, she has nothing to worry about. I won’t let anyone—especially my father—get within a ten-foot radius, and I sure as hell won’t let them touch a hair on her perfect head.
I will make his life a living hell.
Though if there’s one person Bianca—or Shae—needs to fear, it’s my father.
“You watching me sleep again?” she says, rubbing at her sleepy eyes.
“I can’t help it. Sometimes I have to stare at you just to convince myself you’re real and you’re here.”
A smile spreads across her face, and my heart hammers inside my chest. She holds a hand out to me, and when I get close, she scoots over, pulling the covers back. Slipping my hand in hers, I tug her to the edge of the bed and drop to my knees.
“Shae Black,” I pull her legs until they’re dangling over the mattress. Nudging them open, I make room to kneel between her thighs. “I’ve spent my entire life looking for you.”
Cupping my cheek in her hand, she smiles. “I feel the same way. I feel like I’ve been walking through life in a fog. Sometimes wanting to give up, other times wanting to fight.” She kisses me softly. “You make me want to fight.”
“I’m not letting you go. I know this is new and we’re still getting to know each other, but I feel like I’ve known you for years. I feel like you’re already a part of me—you’re already here.” I bring her hand to my chest, pressing her palm to my heart. She blinks, slowly, and I chuckle.
“I don’t deserve your sweet words, Rex. There are still things about me you don’t know, things that could push you away—things that could change everything.” As the words fall from her lips, I shake my head because I already know her secrets, and there’s no way I would ever walk away from her.
She brings light to my dark world.
She’s my angel.
“There’s nothing you could say that would make me go.”
Licking her lips, she watches me, and for a split-second I think she’s going to tell me everything, share her secrets, but then she blinks and the moment is gone.
“You mean so much to me, Shae, and I’ll prove to you every day that I’m worthy of your trust and love. Someday, when you’re ready to reveal your secrets, I’ll be right here.”
She presses her smiling lips to mine, drags me to the bed, and pushes me against the pillows. Lifting a leg, she swings it over my hips, straddling me.
She pushes my boxers down, and with one hand on my chest and the other wrapped around my cock, she guides me to her entrance and lowers herself. With her palms flat against my chest, and my hands gripping her hips, we make love. The rest of the world fades away as we fill the room with our soft moans and whispered words.
“I’ll never get enough of this, enough of you,” I say, guiding her in a slow, steady rhythm over my cock.
Shae braces her hands on the headboard, and I surge into her, pumping several times as her tits bounce in front of my face. “Do that again,” she moans.
Latching onto a dusky nipple, I bite down as I throw my hips forward, and Shae cries out.
“More, Rex. I need more.”
Flipping her over, I hoist her onto all fours. With a hand between her shoulder blades, I press her to the mattress, leaving her delectable ass in the air.
“Now, Rex. I need you.”
Not one to disappoint, surge forward with a deep, hard thrust, burying myself in her pussy. Her soft moans fuel the frantic need growing inside me, and I continue to thrust in and out. Our labored breaths fill the room as she rocks against me, her lush ass taunting me, and when I press a finger to the tight ring, her body shudders. I massage the puckered skin as her pussy quivers around my cock, and when I push the tip of my finger into her ass, she falls apart with guttural cry.
“Oh, God, Rex.” Her body convulses beneath mine, her fingers curling into the pillow above her head. “I can’t…I don’t think…oh, fuck.”
With one final thrust, my body explodes, my hips jerking against hers as I continue to push in and out of her body in slow, languid movements. Collapsing on the bed, Shae lets out a relaxed sigh, and I press my lips to the center of her back, breathing in her sweet scent.
Mine.