Chapter 14 #2
In front of me, Shane was dancing with a guy who represented a carbon copy of himself. Same height, same physique. Same broad, relaxed smile. Same unruly hair. Only brown.
Both stumbled slightly. Shane’s dance partner took a big gulp from the glass he was balancing in one hand. Immediately, he pressed himself back against Shane, who held him loosely in his arms.
The dance partner ran his free hand through Shane’s hair.
My hand clenched into a fist. That hair was so soft. Why was I still aware of it? I wanted to touch it. Why was there still that need inside me?
I exhaled slowly and deeply. I wanted to run away screaming. But I forced myself to watch. Over the last few days, I had somehow forgotten the situation we were in.
Shane was the king of the dating market. And I was a sturdy farmer who would never make it to the king’s court. No matter how generous the king was and how nobly he treated his farmers, the king would marry a prince.
I snorted. Mason cocked an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
I quickly waved him off. “Just thinking.”
Mason nodded and turned back to the dance floor.
With a heavy heart, I inhaled the hot, sweat-soaked air of the party. It was okay. I could and would endure this. It was reality. I had just forgotten that for a moment.
When I lifted my head, I saw straight into Shane’s eyes.
The grin on his face turned into a warm smile and his eyes sparkled. I couldn’t look away.
Shane whispered something in his dance partner’s ear without taking his eyes off me, and the dance partner pouted.
But he immediately turned away and danced with someone else, while Shane walked toward us.
His white T-shirt stood out from the crowd.
The closer he got, the clearer it became that he had come straight here from the slopes.
Over his sports leggings, he wore those strange short sports pants that I still didn’t know what they were for.
Where he got the sneakers was beyond me.
Without stopping, he navigated around body parts that swung into his path until he was standing right in front of me.
“Hi,” I blurted.
“You’re here.” He stared at me. And swayed slightly again.
Oh my God, he was drunk.
“You’re really here!”
I shook my head, laughing, and eyed him.
He stretched out his arm, put it around my waist, and pulled me toward him. I automatically shook my head.
“Dance with me.”
“No way,” I said, still shaking my head.
But Shane didn’t let that deter him. He held me by the hips with both hands and pulled me along with him.
“Come on,” he replied, and we staggered onto the dance floor.
Once again, I shook my head—at myself. Being close to Shane made my brain melt. “You’re drunk, Shane.”
“Absolutely. And I want to dance with you.”
And I was more than willing to grant that wish.
We had reached the edge of the dance floor when Shane pulled me close and held me tightly. He stroked my back, and I closed my eyes. Shane’s hand on the back of my neck pressed me even closer to him. My skin tingled, and I buried my fingers in his shirt.
Shane did what he did best. He enveloped me completely with his shoulders, arms, his entire upper body. His scent, his whole being covered me, and the memory of the hours in Shane’s trailer overwhelmed me.
That—
That’s what I had missed like hell.
“I missed you terribly,” Shane murmured against my ear. Could he read my mind?
“I missed you too,” I replied.
Shane slid one hand under my T-shirt. “This feels good. It’s pure torture to have you near me and never be able to touch you.”
I decided not to respond and ran my fingers through his hair, which was as soft as it had been in the summer. Between the lump in my throat, the nervous fluttering in my stomach, and the excitement between my legs, I couldn’t get a word out.
The desire for Shane overwhelmed me, while the worry about what would happen next fought with the crazy joy of finally being in his arms again. I could hardly think, let alone talk.
“You feel incredibly good. Ever since I saw you again on my first day here, I’ve wanted to do this.” He ran his hand under my shirt, over my stomach, through my chest hair, almost to my collarbones.
I gasped for air and pressed my face against his neck. Me too, I wanted to scream, but it was drowned out by the croaking in my throat. My shirt kept rising, and at that moment, I almost didn’t care if Shane had stripped me completely.
Almost. In the end, I was glad when he lowered his hand and ran it over my lower back again.
He kissed my shoulder. The spot where my shoulder met my neck. Which was barely covered by fabric. Not a millimeter of his lips touched the skin on my throat. Like a torturer, he only kissed along the seam of my clothes instead of giving in to my whimpering.
He pushed one leg between my knees and rubbed his erection against my thigh through his pants.
Someone whistled next to us. That brought me back. Damn.
“Shane, this isn’t the right place for . . . ” Whatever we were doing here.
He lifted his head and looked at me with glassy eyes. I clung to him desperately and searched his face. Was this derailed expression due to the alcohol? His lust? My mere presence? Okay, that thought proved I was freaking out a teeny tiny bit.
We were jostled, which snapped Shane out of his trance. “You’re right.” He cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around my hips again.
He held me much more modestly, but no less intensely.
“How long have you been here?” I definitely should find out how drunk he was.
Even in my infatuation, I couldn’t convince myself that his actions were purely voluntary.
Not infatuation. Crush, maybe? No. snorted inwardly.
We had long since left the stage of a harmless crush.
The anchor had been raised, the sails hoisted, and Crush Harbor was in our rearview mirror.
Did ships have rearview mirrors? Something was wrong with my analogy.
“All afternoon.”
To understand him better, I pressed myself against Shane. There was no other reason.
“I met Thierry at noon. He works here. With a few others.”
Damn. Shane was much more drunk than I thought.
“Anyway, we helped set up the bar. Stock it, that is.” He burst out laughing.
They obviously had done more than set up the bar.
When he caught his breath, he continued, “Well, I had planned to go back to change before returning, but people were already arriving. And the music was awesome. And we were already drinking. And Thierry had poppers with him. And then we kept drinking.”
Hmm. I was obviously too late for the party.
“And now I’m glad I didn’t leave. Because now you’re here. And I’m not letting you go.”
My laugh resembled a groan. What could I say to that? “You’re drunk.”
“Right. But I still know I want to hold on to you.”
“Shane,” I tried to argue, but he was already talking again.
“Don’t even try to convince me that I’m imagining this. I know what I want. Alcohol and poppers or not.”
He pressed himself against me again and the cocktail of emotions inside me threatened to overflow.
His lips found the edge of my neck again. Finally, they brushed my skin. I pressed myself against him. It was irresponsible to throw myself at him in his condition. No matter what he claimed, he wasn’t in control of his faculties.
“I want you too. Desperately.” Apparently, I was more unscrupulous than I wanted to believe. Damn.
“If this weren’t such a stuffy event, I’d take off your T-shirt first to see that sexy hair.
I’d bury my hands in it, pull your hair the way you like it.
I’d wait for you to whimper, then let you go.
After that, I’d go for your nipples. I’d lick them until they were rock-hard.
” Shane rubbed himself against me. “As hard as you are now. I’d taste every inch of your body.
Smell your skin to make sure that your scent is still hidden under all the shower gel and deodorant. Always a little sweet.”
I dug my nails into Shane’s buttocks and whimpered. He probably couldn’t hear it because the music was too loud. But his chest vibrated with a satisfied rumble.
“You can have it all,” I stammered.
Finally, Shane continued kissing my neck again. Goosebumps spread like wildfire all over my entire body. Crawled into every cell. Made me wide awake and completely submissive. All I wanted was Shane inside me.
“Yes?” he asked, as if he didn’t believe me.
“Let’s go to the restrooms,” I almost begged.
“No,” Shane whispered, the smell of alcohol accompanying the sound of his heavenly voice. “I need space and time for you.”
“Then . . . ” My thoughts raced. “Then let’s go home.” By the time we got there, he would surely be sober enough, I justified my pleasure-clouded stammering.
Shane swayed slightly and held on to my hips.
He took a step back and studied me. He smiled warmly, forming dimples on his cheeks and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
Slowly, he came toward me. I leaned toward his mouth.
He had to kiss me. I had to kiss him. If we didn’t kiss within the next five seconds, I would explode.
As if in slow motion, he moved past my cheek to my ear. “No. We’re not going to do that. We’ve been there before. And then you disappeared. That sucked.”
My heart was beating loudly that I could hear Shane through cotton wool, alongside the bass and my pulse.
“But . . . ” I wanted to protest, defend myself, distract Shane, beg him to continue, to do what he had announced he was going to do.
But he danced back, crouched slightly to look me straight in the eyes, and then nodded.
Hesitantly, he stroked my lower lip, ran his fingers over my jawbone, my Adam’s apple.
I swallowed hard. He placed his hand gently around my throat.
“No. This time we’re doing it differently.
Because the next time I take you, I don’t want to worry about you running away again.
I want to drive my cock into you and enjoy every second of it.
And the next day, I want to wake up with you in my arms, without wondering where you are and why you haven’t been in touch.
And because I’ll be happy then, because I won’t have to worry about all those annoying things, I’ll give you a blow job out of sheer gratitude. That’s how I am.”
He stroked my jawline again. This time up to my ear. He took my earlobe between his fingers and massaged it gently. I gasped.
His words overwhelmed me. They made me hot all over that my cock throbbed with pain and disappointment. I didn’t understand what he wanted from me. Did he want to punish me?
Shane cupped my face with his hands. He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs.
“Instead of sex, I’ll keep gazing at you from my bed for now.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Is that creepy? A smidge. Right?”
I imagined Shane watching me in our cabin. The thought was almost unreal. And not creepy at all. It would be nice to know that he was watching out for me. That he saw me.
Smiling, I shook my head. “Not creepy.”
“Good.” Shane smiled and held me tight. “You can stare at me too. I don’t mind. But we have to change something. Sex didn’t help us last time. Ruben, I want to do something different this time.”
The lump was back in my throat. What the hell was going on here? “Okay,” I croaked.
Shane ran his fingers through my hair, and I let the shiver that ran through my body wash over me.
He pulled me back toward him and continued dancing as if he hadn’t just turned my world upside down.
And I surrendered to the movements, letting myself drift.
Tomorrow he wouldn’t remember anything, anyway.