Chapter 27

Dallas

I parked my bike around the back of Rowland’s Hardware, just like Shane told me to, and killed the engine. I looked for him along the side of the building but couldn’t see him, so I took off my helmet and waited, letting the sun warm my back through my leather jacket.

All his text said beyond when and where I should meet him was that he had a surprise for me, and I was dying to see what it was. I’d had plenty of surprises over the years, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a pleasant one. Surprise! You belong to a psychopath and his egomaniac son now! or Surprise! You’re coming to dinner with a bunch of old assholes who are going to ogle you while they talk about you like you’re not there.

I couldn’t think what kind of fun we could accomplish at a hardware store, but I trusted Shane. I’d always trusted him, I realized, it just took me a little longer to get back to it this time around.

Skepticism and cynicism had been my natural bodyguards for so long that I forgot what it was like to give someone the benefit of the doubt. I forgot what it felt like to be optimistic.

A metallic screech drew my attention to a door off to the right. It opened, and Shane stepped outside, scanning the parking lot until he turned and found me. He grinned.

“I thought you were too scared to ride one of those death traps?” he teased.

I smacked my ride, a nineties-era Suzuki sport bike that my dad fixed up and gave to me just after my eighteenth birthday. “She’s never let me down. Besides, I’ve come to enjoy the taste of danger on my tongue.” I flashed him a devious smile, hoping he remembered the moment I was referencing.

His responding grin told me he did.

Shane had two helmets in his hand but tossed one back inside before stepping out. He was deadly handsome in his black leather jacket, unzipped to reveal a tight black t-shirt underneath. The bright sunlight picked out the definition of his abs through the cotton, and I had to drag my gaze back up to his face before I became too obvious. Shane was clean shaven, accentuating the definition of his muscular jaw. He approached me with a sly tilt of his lips as if he could read my mind. I thought a few extra dirty things just for him.

“Ready for your surprise?” he asked in a smooth, deep voice.

I hopped off my bike. “More than you know.”

He chuckled darkly. “Good to hear. Turn around.”

I cocked a brow, but all he did was twirl his finger in a circle. Sighing, I turned around and crossed my arms, waiting to see what came next.

Shane stepped up behind me. His jacket zipper scraped along my back, and a second later his arms encircled me. I leaned back into him, smiling. It took a second for me to notice what was in his hands.

“Is that a blindfold?” I asked.

Shane nuzzled his lips against my ear. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He kissed the side of my face and stretched the blindfold between his hands, wrapping the black material around my eyes and tying it behind my head.

I could still see a little light peaking out on either side of my nose, so I closed my eyes to get the full effect. Birds chittered in the trees at the back of the lot, but for me, it was the dead of night.

Shane moved away from me but I held my spot. I didn’t trust myself not to trip over a rock and ruin the fantasy. He returned a moment later and slid my helmet on, then grabbed my hand and led me to the side of his bike. I managed not to kick it over as I got on, and in no time we were riding off into the unknown, my arms securely wrapped around his waist and my heart vibrating with happiness.

It was exhilarating, not being able to see where we were going. I remembered the first time I’d ridden with him, how it felt like I was flying. I hadn’t been able to capture that exact feeling again until now. The world whipped past me, and each turn made my belly quiver. I never wanted to stop.

Of course, we had to stop eventually, particularly since I doubted the blindfolded ride was the main event. Shane pulled over on gravel a while later, and I breathed in the scent of pine and moss with a dreamy smile on my face.

He helped me off the bike and removed the helmet, careful not to disturb the blindfold.

“Are you ready?” Shane asked.

“For what?” I asked with a light laugh.

He stroked his thumb down my cheek, and my hand instantly went to the front of his shirt, desperate to connect with him in any way I could. The memory of our kiss had consumed my every waking thought since I left Preston’s office the night before, and the fact that he hadn’t kissed me yet was killing me.

“I’m going to take you back in time, before any of this mess ever happened,” he said.

“I’m ready.”

He pulled me close, and I buried my face in his chest as he untied my blindfold. It fell past my ears, and I stepped back, opening my eyes to a flood of light.

I knew exactly where we were. It could have been any stretch of wooded road around Sitka Valley, of which there was no shortage, but this place was one I’d never forget. We’d stopped here one unforgettable night years ago. It was Shane’s special spot.

“Come on.” Shane grabbed my hand and led me down the bank to the start of the path.

I trailed along beside him, turning my head to take it all in. The trees stretched high above us, vibrant and green where the light pierced their branches and dark and somber in the shadows. The sun was almost directly above us, scattered beams illuminating dust motes as they floated through the air. Nothing had changed here and, as the years of caked on misery began to flake off my heart, I started to feel like the same girl who’d first come to this place with a feeling of excitement and without fear. Maybe time travel was possible.

We talked as we clambered along the overgrown path. Not about Preston or Wes. Not about anything to do with those lost years. We debated the age-old question of Coke versus Pepsi, ruminated on which Guy Richie film we liked the best, and came to a consensus that Lionel Richie was under appreciated in modern society. It was like we were finding ourselves again, as individuals and as a pair.

I hadn’t felt like myself for so long that I forgot how much I loved to ponder, to dream, and to speculate. I could tell Shane was going through the same kind of self-rediscovery based on the way his face changed when we talked, lines and hard edges slowly easing away until he seemed perfectly content.

The meadow clearing was just as spectacular as I remembered, with one minor alteration. Namely, a red and white checked picnic blanket lay over some of the shorter grass, reflecting sunlight so that it almost glowed. Directly in the center of it was a wicker basket with the neck of a wine bottle sticking out.

“What is this?” I stared up at Shane, unable to hide the smile on my face. “We’re having a picnic?”

“You don’t miss anything, do you Sherlock?” He winked and I smacked his arm.

“Don’t be a jerk. I’ll go home.”

“We wouldn’t want that, would we?”

Next thing I knew Shane was lifting me into the air. I shrieked and threw my arms around his shoulders as he carried me bridal style to the blanket, where he lay me down with remarkable gentleness.

“Was that strictly necessary?” I jokingly complained.

“You bet.” He grinned and pulled the bottle of wine from the basket, then stuck his hand back in and emerged with two glasses. “A drink?”

“Yes, please.”

I watched Shane’s brow furrow in concentration as he balanced the two glasses on the blanket and began to pour. It reminded me of all the times I’d glimpsed him at work in my dad’s shop, completely involved in whatever piece of machinery he was fiddling with at the time. Shane put his heart into everything, and I realized then that I’d never really seen him do anything halfway.

A moment later, Shane handed me a glass of wine. I took it from him and smiled, holding it aloft.

“To time travel,” I declared.

He chuckled. “To time travel.”

We clinked glasses and drank, though we never broke eye contact. The wine tasted like heaven. Fruity notes danced playfully over my tongue, and it was almost like I was drinking in the sunshine that bathed my face.

Shane reached back into the basket and pulled out a cloth bundle, which he unfolded on the blanket between us to reveal a selection of wrapped meats and cheeses. He produced a knife and some napkins from the basket, then a box of crackers.

“You went all out, huh?” I asked.

Shane’s eyes glittered. “I wanted everything to be perfect.”

“Everything would still be perfect without the charcuterie.” I gestured around us. “I mean, look at this place. The closest I get to this kind of nature is looking out my window at Preston’s toward the woods in the back, and usually that view is tarnished by filthy hobos hanging out on the deck below.”

Shane shrugged. “Didn’t want to take any chances.”

He cut off a piece of cheddar and layered it on a cracker with some salami and passed it over to me. Our fingers brushed, and the hairs on my arms jolted upright.

“And what, exactly, did you need everything to be perfect for?” I asked with a sly grin, popping the cracker into my mouth.

This was a grand romantic gesture if I’d ever seen one, and considering our last rendezvous ended in a serious case of blue balls for both of us, I had hopeful suspicions about Shane’s intent. If we didn’t end up naked on this blanket, I was going to be grievously disappointed.

Shane’s lips tilted devilishly, and he took a long drink of his wine. Scattered sunlight bathed his lips in gold, and I quickly pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. It was all so beautiful. So wonderful. Before Shane’s return, I never would have conceived that such a dreamy day could be possible.

Shane placed his glass back down on the blanket and cut himself a piece of cheese, leaning back on his hand as he bit into it.

“First of all,” he said, “you deserve perfect on a daily basis. It shouldn’t have to be an event. But, since that isn’t the case right now, this is me doing what I can to make some positive memories. Hopefully, they’ll shine bright enough to chase away some of the darker ones.”

“I see.”

“Also...”

He placed the rest of the cheese in his mouth and chewed, watching me. My heart began to palpitate just from the anticipation and the look in his eyes.

Shane swallowed and continued. “I meant it when I told you your first time should be perfect. And after you finish that wine, I’m going to strip you naked, lay you down on this blanket, and worship your body with my mouth and cock until you’re gasping for breath.”

Heat shot through me, head to toe to deep in the pit of my belly. My core throbbed, desperate for him to fulfill that promise.

“After I finish this wine?” I asked.

Shane gave a short nod.

I tipped my head back and downed the whole glass in one go. Then I levelled my gaze with him and twirled the stem between my fingers.

“Hey, look at that,” I commented breezily. “Looks like I’m all done.”

Shane swept the food out of the way and crawled across the blanket, pressing me onto my back and capturing my mouth in a passionate kiss. He tasted of wine and lust. It was a tantalizing combination.

The fire within me burned hotter with every second his hard body pinned me to the blanket. I wrestled his shirt off and ran my hands down his back. His muscles flexed under my fingers, taut and powerful. I moved my exploration to his chest as he deepened the kiss, forcing my mouth open so he could explore my depths with his tongue.

God, he was ripped. His abs bunched as I dragged my fingers over them. It was at least a twelve pack, if not more. Yet more proof that none of this could be real, even though the sensations pooling inside of me felt more real than anything I’d ever experienced in my life.

Shane sat back and guided off my shirt. I wore my prettiest bra, black lace with white lining on the cups, and his reactionary sigh made me glad I did. He leaned down and kissed the tops of my breasts. I arched in bliss as he sucked the sensitive skin, moving down to my stomach, then to the waistband of my jeans.

It was mild out, but the air brushed over the wet trail of his kisses, and it was like his lips carved an icy map on my skin. I shivered.

He looked when he reached my jeans, grinning.

“Cold, baby? We can stop.”

I shook my head. “Don’t you dare.”

His breath tickled my lower belly as he chuckled, undoing my jeans. A moment later he was shimmying them down my legs, kissing my exposed thighs one inch at a time.

Dropping the garment off to the side, he kissed back up my legs, throwing one over his shoulder and sucking and biting the inside of my thigh.

My head spun from all the pleasure. My body was on high alert and felt everything with a new intensity, the slightly scratchy texture of the blanket beneath me, the breeze rippling over my exposed skin, and Shane’s hot mouth tracing kisses up to my neck with featherlike softness.

I was alive.

How long I’d been the walking dead I didn’t know, but now I burned with energy, so much that if I didn’t get a release soon, I might shatter and explode into a million pieces.

Shane snaked a hand under my back and released the clasp of my bra, pulling it off and tossing it toward the rest of my clothes. My nipples peaked at the sudden cold. Shane sucked one into his mouth and nibbled, and fireworks went off in my head. His hand slid down my body toward my sex, and as he continued to lavish attention on my sensitive bud, he ran his rough fingers over my wet seam.

I moaned at the sudden rush of sensation. I’d touched myself there plenty of times, but nobody else ever had. I didn’t realize it would be so amazing. Shane’s fingers dove into my heat, stroking my inner walls and my clit like I was an instrument and he was a master musician. He moved to my other nipple, circling his tongue at the same time as his thumb circled my clit. I almost couldn’t take it anymore. I threw my head back and dragged my nails across his back.

“That feels so good,” I whimpered.

He moaned, and the vibration showered me with sparks of pleasure.

One of Shane’s fingers speared inside of me, shallow at first, then deeper as I began to thrust toward him. I wanted more.

I wanted it all.

I knew sex was supposed to be great, but I didn’t think it could be this sensational—and this was just what he could do with his hands.

“You’re so wet, baby,” Shane purred. He looked up at me, his eyes merely dark pools. “So perfect.”

He slipped another finger inside and watched my reaction. I squirmed and tried to force him deeper. He twisted his fingers and grabbed my breast with his other hand, squeezing as he brought me to new heights of ecstasy. I threw my head back and moaned.

It was completely silent in this little patch of heaven, with only the occasional twittering of birds and rustling of branches in the wind to accompany my sounds of pleasure. It was the garden of Eden, and I wanted me some forbidden fruit.

“Shane, please fuck me now,” I gasped.

He pushed his fingers deeper than before. They stretched me, filled me.

“You want my cock?” he asked in a sultry voice that made my spine tingle.

I nodded vigorously.

“I want to hear you say it, princess. I’ve been waiting three years to hear you say it.”

The words came to me out of nowhere, and it was like somebody else was speaking in my voice.

“I want your cock deep inside of me, filling me the way no man has before. And I want it now.”

He grinned and removed his fingers, pulling my panties down my legs as he rose to his feet. I rested on my elbows and watched with bated breath as he stood above me and undid his jeans. He kicked them off. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the massive bulge in his boxers, and I swallowed heavily.

Shane removed his boxers, and his erection sprang free. It was long and thick and curved up a little like a bow. The head was swollen and red, and a vein jutted from the side. I swallowed again, a mixture of fear and lust. The thing looked angry. Was I going to be able to take it?

Shane bent back over me, cock pressed against my belly as he kissed me long and deep. His arm stretched out beside us, and I glanced over to see what he was doing. He reached into the basket and pulled out a condom.

“What else have you got stashed in there?” I asked, chuckling.

Shane laughed boyishly, and all traces of fear vanished from my mind. This was Shane, not some asshole looking for a quick screw. He was going to take care of me, and I trusted him. I would always trust him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He smiled down at me, then pecked the tip of my nose. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

I was. Completely.

He ripped open the packet and sat back to sheathe himself, then rested above me again.

“You’ve never looked more beautiful, Dallas.” His lips fluttered over mine as he spoke, and I felt the tip of his cock probe my folds. “I always want to remember you like this—pink-cheeked, bright-eyed, and full of want.”

I held his face in my hands and kissed him soft and slow. “We’ll have to keep the memory fresh.”

He found my entrance and began to push in. My body stretched to accommodate his girth, and the sensation was overwhelming. I squirmed, and I wasn’t sure if it was pain or pleasure or both, but I didn’t want him to stop. Shane’s lips massaged mine, and he continued to inch inside.

His fingers didn’t even hold a candle to his dick. He filled me completely, past the point I thought I could be filled. It didn’t hurt though, not the way I always thought it would. It would’ve hurt with Wes, but Shane took his time, warming me up and making me comfortable. He was gentle but firm, and before I knew it, our bodies were fully joined.

“How does that feel?” he asked.

“It’s hard to describe.”

Shane brushed his thumb down my cheek. “Is that a good thing?”

I grabbed a handful of his ass and squeezed. “Oh, it’s a very good thing. Your cock feels amazing.”

Shane screwed his eyes shut, and I felt a shiver go all the way through his shaft. “Fuck,” he moaned.

I was delighted that everything I said or did seemed to please him. It made me feel powerful and sexy, which only added to the searing pleasure pulsating under my skin.

Shane began to thrust in and out, slow and steady at first. All traces of pain soon disappeared and left behind a soul-bending pleasure. I kissed him hard and urged him deeper, harder. He picked up my unspoken cues and began to slam down on me with powerful strokes, sending me reeling.

How could anything feel this good?

I’d had orgasms before, but I already knew the one building in the pit of my stomach was going to be different than any I’d ever experienced. I wrapped my legs around Shane and cried out as I careened toward my bliss, unable to stop it even if I tried. Shane was in complete control of my climax, and he was going to give me everything.

Shane captured my mouth in a bruising kiss as he doubled the intensity of his thrusts.

Being this naked and wild in nature felt right. We were completely exposed, and not just to the sky but to each other as well. I wrapped my legs around his waist and hung on for the ride as he drove me closer and closer to climax.

And then...and then it happened. Knowing my orgasm was going to be different and feeling it were two different things. My body quivered and shook as it washed over me, all of me. Tendrils of pleasure shot out to my hands and feet, to the tip of my head. I let loose, and my cry of rapture was probably loud enough to be heard from the road.

It was the happiest I’d been in my entire life. Nothing else even came close.

This one nugget of pure bliss was worth everything to me. I dug my nails in and held it as long as I could, because I knew that eventually I’d have to go home, and eventually Shane would leave, and eventually I’d have to face the realization that I might never be this happy again.