Part 9 (2/2)

”I don't want to talk about it, Harp.” Her jaw was tense, her body vibrating with emotions, but her eyes were glazed with tears.

Dallas wasn't a crier. I don't think I had ever seen her cry.

”Is it about Drake and Lana?” Dallas and Linc had been at the same party as Drake when he had gotten drunk. She had told me that she didn't think he'd slept with Gabriella because she had seen things at the party that suggested that Gabriella had already hooked up with someone before the other girl had taken Drake home.

”No. I swear.” She sighed and pulled her legs under her. ”Drake wasn't a big fan of Gabriella's, even as drunk as he was.”

”Then what's wrong?” I waved my hand at her. ”This isn't you, Dallas.”

”I think Axton hooked up with Gabriella at the party,” she burst out. ”One minute he was beside me, the next he was gone. I didn't put it together until I got to the hospital, but when I went looking for Ax he was coming out of one of the bedrooms. A few minutes later, while I was talking to Drake and Linc, I saw her come down the hall looking like she had just gotten the f.u.c.king of her life.” A tear escaped the corner of her eye. ”When I asked Ax about it, he didn't deny it. Just brushed it off...”

The tear broke my heart for her. I fell down on the edge of the couch beside her and hugged her tight. ”I'm sorry, sweetie.”

Dallas was stiff in my arms, but I wasn't expecting anything different. She really hated to be touched. ”He loves her. Her f.u.c.king name is on his wrist, for f.u.c.k's sake! Of course he wants her. I'm just a distraction...”

I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there holding her while she vented. When she was done she went to her room and slammed the door shut. Sighing, I stood, feeling more drained than I had an hour ago.

Linc stuck his head out of the kitchen door. ”Want something to eat?”

I grimaced. ”Nah, but thanks. I'm beat. See you in the morning.”

”Night. If you need anything just call out.”

I offered him a smile before heading toward my room. I was pretty sure it was just my room now. Lana was most likely moving in with Drake. I could hear the shower still going when I shut the door behind me. Shane had left a trail of clothes leading to the bathroom, and I shook my head as I picked up his T-s.h.i.+rt and then his jeans.

Socks were next, and just as I had expected, no underwear. My man didn't seem to like underwear all that much.

I stopped mid-step and a goofy smile lifted my lips. My man?

Yeah, he had proved that he was my man over the last few days. Constantly touching me, including me in his unusual family. Even with the crisis going on, it had felt like I belonged with the strange friends that had united as a family. Shane had made sure of it.

”Baby?”

I raised my eyes to find my man sticking his head out of my small shower. His head was soapy and he needed a shave badly. Water glistened off his muscular shoulders and what I could see of his chest. My s.e.x flooded with need.

”Do you need something?” I asked, trying to think about anything but the deliciously s.e.xy, dripping wet man just a few feet away.

”Do you have a razor I can use, beautiful? I don't want to scratch you with this beard.”

The thought of that scruff scratching the delicate skin between my thighs while he licked and tongued my s.e.x had me close to whimpering. I clenched my thighs together to ease some of the ache. ”Um...No, sorry. I wax.” I dropped his clothes on the sink, and reached for my s.h.i.+rt. ”Let's keep the beard.”

I could actually feel his gaze on me as I continued to strip with my back turned toward him. The air around me felt tense with his arousal, and I felt a sense of power as I took my time showing him my body inch by inch. Just moments before I had felt so tired, but with the promise of more of the pleasure I had experienced Sat.u.r.day night, my body came alive.

Wet arms wrapped around my waist from behind as a damp, male body pressed against me. He was warm from the hot shower, hard with suppressed arousal. ”You are so f.u.c.king beautiful, Harper.”

For the first time I didn't question if it was true or not. When I was with Shane, I was beautiful. I turned in his strong arms, pressing my bare chest to his. With my arms around his neck, I stood tiptoe and softly brushed my lips against his. ”Will you make love to me, Shane?”

His eyes darkened and I felt his c.o.c.k twitch against my stomach. ”Let's get you clean first, beautiful.” His raspy voice sent delightful s.h.i.+vers down my spine.

Shane's arms tightened around me as he lifted me and placed me in the shower with him. The water felt divine on my slightly sore body. Thanks to my hospital bedside vigil, I'd slept in awkward positions over the last few days. Shane filled his hands with body wash and ma.s.saged my body from head to toe with the lavender scented soap.

Callused hands from years of playing guitar caressed over sensitive skin, making my b.r.e.a.s.t.s swell and my nipples harden. I held onto the side of the shower as slippery fingers parted the lips of my s.e.x, teasing the bundle of nerves hidden between the folds. My thighs trembled and I couldn't hold back a cry of pleasure as his thumb pressed down just firm enough to give me what I needed.

”I've needed you so bad, baby.” His lips trailed down my throat while his fingers slipped inside to play with a wetness that had nothing to do with the shower.

”Me too,” I moaned as his middle finger thrust deep, but not deep enough to touch my virginity. ”I had a few fantasies of finding an empty hospital room and begging you to use your tongue on me again.”

”You should have told me,” Shane growled, going back to my lips and kissing what little breath I had from me. ”I would have made it a reality.”

”There's always next time,” I teased.

”f.u.c.k, I don't want to go through that again.” He leaned his forehead against mine, breathing hard. ”It was scary, and all I could think was it could have just as easily been you...” I felt him shudder and watched in fascination as he swallowed hard. Blue-gray eyes were gla.s.sy as they met mine. ”I don't know what I would do if I lost you.”

My heart turned over, hard. I gasped-half in pain, half in surprise. Shane was so open about his emotions. I could see everything he was feeling s.h.i.+ning back at me through those eyes of his, and it both thrilled and terrified me. I pushed the fear down, though, and concentrated on the thrill for now.

”I'm not going anywhere,” I promised him, hoping that the feelings I had for him were s.h.i.+ning through my own eyes. I didn't have the courage to tell him aloud what I felt for him.

He pulled his fingers from between my thighs, and I whimpered in protest. My rocker only smiled and washed my hair. Firm fingers rubbing my scalp was a new pleasure in and of itself. I groaned as he rinsed my hair and then added conditioner.

When I was clean he turned the water off and stepped out. Before I could follow, he was there with a towel, wrapping it around me and lifting me from the shower. A second towel appeared and he dried my hair carefully before lifting me once more and carrying me into the bedroom.

Most of my body was still damp from the shower, but so was his. As he laid my body across the twin mattress and followed, I found that our damp skin made for an erotic slip and slide. Shane's hands were not idle. They found my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, pus.h.i.+ng them together and squeezing. I watched in a trance as he licked the first one then the other with the flat of his tongue before sucking my nipple deep into his hot mouth. His tongue pressed the hardened nipple to the roof of his mouth, and the pulling motions from his strong suction made muscles deep inside clench.

He only lingered long enough to make me whimper before he was kissing me again. My lips and then my neck, his teeth nipped at my ear before licking down to the pulse rapidly beating at the base. I wanted him to kiss my b.r.e.a.s.t.s again, but he only smiled when I arched my back in a silent plea and rubbed his rough jaw across them as he trailed kisses over my stomach.

His hands parted my thighs as his kisses trailed lower. For a moment his nose hovered over my throbbing c.l.i.t, but he only breathed deep. ”I love the way you smell, baby. So warm and aroused for me. I could live off the taste of you...”

Despite his words, he didn't kiss me there. His lips moved to the inside of my right thigh, and he sucked on the tender flesh while his fingers combed through the damp curls that surrounded my s.e.x. I could feel the blood rus.h.i.+ng to the surface where he was sucking and knew that he was leaving his mark. I loved it and wanted him to mark me again and again. It didn't matter that no one else would ever see the love bites he was leaving. I knew they were there and that was enough.

I raised my head, watching while he left the burning little marks. It was exciting to watch his dark head moving between my legs like that. He moved from one thigh to the other, leaving one purple spot after another. I loved the way the rough scruff felt against the inside of my thighs.

”I could do this all night!”

”Please don't.” I pushed his hair back from his face so I could meet his gaze. ”I need you, Shane.”

His head lifted. ”I need you too, babe.” His lips brushed across my stomach again, following the trail back up to my mouth.

Needing to touch him, I reached between us and grasped his thick c.o.c.k. His groan of approval made my already erratic heart beat even faster. I wanted to give him pleasure, wanted to make him just as insane with desire as I was. I pushed on his chest at the same time as I rolled from beneath him.

”What are you doing?” he murmured as I pushed him against my pillows.

”Whatever I want.” I grinned when he chuckled. ”I want to taste you again, Shane.”

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