January’s Bad Boy: Shane (Bad Boys of Mustang Mountain #1)

BONUS SCENE

CAITLIN

A few years later

IT’S BEEN YEARS, and I still get lost in my husband with just a simple kiss. He still makes me feel giddy and makes my heart race when his lips touch mine. I pull him closer to me and even though we have the center console of his truck in the way, he comes to me and doesn’t let that stop him.

His hand tangles in my hair like he needs me just as much as I need him, and then suddenly, he breaks the kiss. We are both trying to catch our breath.

“Your brother knows we are here, and Thunder won’t distract him much longer. We need to go in,” Shane says.

I know he’s right. My brother has a driveway alarm and knew we were here the moment we turned into his long driveway.

“Okay.” I nod, trying to calm my heart.

“But once we get home…” his voice trails off, and I smile because I know we won’t get much sleep tonight.

Shane gets out of his truck and walks around to open my door. He helps me down, then tucks my hand into his elbow and we walk up to my brother’s front door.

My brother opens the door just as we reach the porch steps. His face holds a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Well, if it isn't the lovebirds finally gracing us with their presence," he teases, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

I roll my eyes at him but can't help the smile tugging at my lips. "Nice to see you too, big brother."

He chuckles and pulls me into a bear hug, squeezing me tightly before releasing me and turning to Shane. They exchange a manly handshake-turned-half-hug, slapping each other on the back.

"Come on in, you two," my brother says, ushering us inside. The aroma of roasted chicken and herbs wafts through the air, making my stomach growl.

As we step into the cozy living room, my sister-in-law emerges from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Well, look who decided to show up!" she exclaims with a grin, enveloping me in a warm embrace. "We were starting to wonder if you got lost on the way here."

I laugh, hugging her back. "Sorry, we got a little... distracted." I feel my cheeks heat up as Shane squeezes my hand.

My brother clears his throat, raising his eyebrow. "I don't even want to know," he says, shaking his head.

We join him in the living room with Thunder and Ashley. Shane sits down in a recliner and pulls me into his lap. Atlas has gotten used to us over the years. Shane hates having me too far from him, and while Atlas used to harp on it, I think he’s finally started to accept how much his best friend truly loves me and vice versa.

“I should go see if Bex needs help,” I say and start to stand.

“Don’t bother. I tried, and she kicked me out of the kitchen,” Ashley says leaning further into Thunder.

“I did not, besides dinner is ready!” Bex calls from the kitchen.

We all file into the dining room, the table already set with steaming dishes of delicious-smelling food. Bex has outdone herself as usual. I take my seat next to Shane, our fingers interlacing under the table as if drawn together by an invisible force.

Conversation flows easily as we dig into the meal, catching up on the latest news and happenings. Atlas ribs Shane and me good-naturedly about our inability to keep our hands off each other, even after all these years. I blush but can't help smiling, knowing he's not wrong.

"What can I say, man. When you've got a woman like Caitlin, you don't waste a single moment," Shane says with a wink, squeezing my thigh. Heat pools low in my belly at his touch and the promise in his eyes for later.

“So, where are you going for your anniversary trip?” I ask Atlas to try to change the subject.

Turns out Bex has a love for traveling, and when Atlas found her bucket list of places to visit, they started crossing them off each year by taking an anniversary trip.

“Well,” Bex says, then looks a bit shy. “We are going to New York City. I want to see the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and all the things you see on TV. We were hoping you could give us some tips since neither of us has been before.”

Bex’s whole face beams as she talks about her trip and I’m so happy for her.

“I thought you two went a few years back on some brother bonding trip,” Thunder says, pointing to Shane and Atlas.

Shane tenses beside me, and Atlas won’t look up from his plate. I immediately know they’rere hiding something.

I feel Shane's hand tighten on my thigh as he clears his throat. "Uh, yeah, we did go to New York a few years ago, but it was just a quick trip. Nothing too exciting."

I lean closer to Shane, my voice low. "What's going on? When was this? The weekend you two said you were going ice fishing?"

Shane shifts uncomfortably in his seat, his hand still gripping my thigh. "It was a last-minute thing, babe. Atlas needed some help with a situation, and I didn't want to worry about you."

I narrow my eyes, my curiosity piqued. "What kind of situation?"

Atlas clears his throat, finally looking up from his plate. "It's not a big deal. Just some business I needed to take care of, and I asked Shane to come along for backup."

I look at Bex, who stares at her plate, her cheeks flushed. Ashley won’t meet my gaze, and I can tell they know something they’re not telling me.

Then a thought sinks in. A few weeks after their trip, my boss’s boss back in New York called begging for me to come back to work. I thought it was just a coincidence.

“You didn’t…” I say as the pieces start coming together.

“Tell me you didn’t,” I say more firmly and glance between my brother and my husband.

Atlas sighs, his shoulders sagging. "Caitlin, let's not do this here. Can we talk about it later, in private?"

I shake my head, anger and disbelief warring inside me. "No, I want to know what happened. Did you two go to New York to threaten my old boss?"

Shane and Atlas share a look, and I know the truth.

“You did, didn’t you? Tell me what happened,” I say, staring into Shane’s eyes and yanking his hand off my thigh.

Shane sighs, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and determination. "We were just trying to protect you. After everything that happened with your client, we couldn't let that bastard get away with it."

I feel my anger rising, but I try to keep my voice steady. "What exactly did you do?"

“I made it clear to your boss that what he did wasn’t okay. Apparently, no one else in the company knew what was going on. His boss fired him as soon as they found out,” Shane says.

“Is that it?” I ask.

Judging by Atlas' face I know it’s not, so I kick him under the table.

“We visited the client, too,” Atlas says.

“Seriously?” I ask.I stare at my brother and husband in disbelief, my mind reeling from this revelation. "I can't believe you two went behind my back like that! I'm not some damsel in distress that needs saving. I can handle my own problems."

Shane reaches for my hand, the small touch alone instantly calming the anger. His eyes pleads with me. "Please understand. We love you and just wanted to make sure those assholes paid for what they did. We couldn't stand by and do nothing."

These two would go to the ends of the earth for me, and just knowing that is enough. The thought of something happening to them because of me is just too much.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the swirl of emotions inside me. I know Shane and Atlas only had my best interests at heart, but the thought of them putting themselves at risk for me sets my anxiety on edge

"I understand why you did it," I say softly, meeting Shane's gaze. "But please, promise me you won't do anything like that again without telling me. I can't stand the thought of something happening to either of you because of me."

Shane nods, his expression solemn. "I promise, babe. No more secrets."

Atlas clears his throat, looking contrite. "I'm sorry, sis. We should have been upfront with you from the start."

“I can’t stand the thought of losing you or you being taken from me,” I say, leaning into Shane.

If something went wrong, it would be so easy to pin it all on him since he has a record even if he was innocent. It’s not fair,but it’s something we face together.

I lean into Shane's embrace, his strong arms wrapping around me protectively. The thought of losing him or having him taken away from me is too much to bear. We've been through so much together, and I know that his past, even though he's innocent, could make him an easy target.

"You're not going to lose me, Caitlin,” Shane murmurs, his lips pressing a gentle kiss to my temple. "I'm not going anywhere except home so I can make this up to you.” Shane stands, taking me with him.

“Okay way too much info and we aren’t done with dinner,” Atlas says.

Shane doesn’t take his eyes off me.

Before I know it, we are back in his truck and on our way home. Maybe someday we can last through a whole dinner and not rush home, but today won’t be that day. Honestly, I hope we never see that day. I kind of like my husband obsessed with me.