Chapter 17
Shane
Once again, I didn’t sleep. Though this time, it was less from adrenaline and more just a giddy feeling of astonishment that wouldn’t let my eyes close.
I still couldn’t believe it was real. I was home, more or less whole, with my sister and brother and daughter and friends. It was a fucking miracle.
And so was Red. Curled up in my arms, fast asleep. Those gorgeous freckles everywhere, that wild mane of fuzzy, curly dark hair exploding out of the covers.
She was miraculous. I memorized every detail of her face as dawn revealed them to me. Finally, her eyes opened, and blinked, startled.
“Oh,” she whispered. “Wow. You.”
“None other. I’m the one you went to bed with last night. In case you forgot.”
She snorted. “Hah. One does not just forget the golden dick of the great Shane Masters. It leaves a legend in its wake.”
Now it was my turn to snort. “Give me a break.”
“Never,” she said. “I can’t do that. I just don’t know how. It’s my worst personality trait. Maybe you’ve noticed.”
“Sounds like a warning. Should I be scared?”
“I just don’t know how much nerve you have, that’s all,” she said.
“A fuck-ton,” I told her. “Enough to handle you.”
That was a risk, but it seemed to pay off. Her shapely dark eyebrows climbed. “Brave words,” she murmured. “I suppose it’s promising, that you’re still here, at dawn. You didn’t chicken out on me.”
“Nope. I just watched you sleep. All night. Peak moment for me.”
We smiled at each other. Ridiculously, unreasonably happy.
“I could just lie here with you all day,” I told her. “I would, if you let me. But I don’t know how you feel about Reggie running in and finding me here.”
“I doubt she’d be surprised, sharp as she is,” Red said. “But even so. She has enough stuff to process right now. And I definitely want your clothes to be on, whenever the door is unlocked. That’ll be the rule, going forward. Okay?”
“Fine,” I said. I liked the implications.
‘Going forward’ implied there was a future unfolding for us.
Possible rules, expectations, habits to establish.
It had been so long since I made a plan or entertained a hope, I’d forgotten how it felt.
It made me want to grab her and make love to her again. But that would be greedy.
I detached myself with difficulty, pulling away from her low murmur of protest. I slid out of bed and pulled my pants on.
Red sat up, smiling from beneath that wild mop of tousled, fiery hair. She stretched seductively, letting the cover fall to her waist and leave her slim torso bare. Those high, gorgeous little pink-tipped tits made my mouth water.
“Don’t tease me like that,” I pleaded. “I’m trying to be good.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, her voice a seductive drawl. “But it’s a point of pride. I don’t want it to be easy for you to walk out my door. I want it to be hard.”
“No problem there.” I glanced down at the hard-on tenting out the loose pants. “It’s very hard.”
“Terrible pun,” she said, giggling. “Off with your head.”
She flung a pillow, which hit me in the ass as I went out the door. I picked it up and hurled it back, smiling. I closed the door, careful to make no sound. I pulled my shirt over my face as I turned, and stopped short as my head emerged, startled.
Ethan was watching me from the end of the hall. His eyes were somber.
I felt brought up short. Like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t. “Hi,” I said carefully. “You’re up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Ethan said. “Too much to think about.”
“Same,” I said.
He gestured toward the kitchen. “I made coffee. Come have some.”
I followed him into the kitchen, poured out some hot coffee, which was wickedly strong, since Ethan had made it. Angela had a lighter hand with the beans.
I saw the cake stand, lifted the lid, and sliced a piece of last night’s gingerbread. Damned if I hadn’t worked up an appetite.
“Ahhh,” Ethan said quietly. “Finally.”
I couldn’t say much with all that cake in my mouth. I washed it down with a gulp of the coffee. “Finally what?”
“You’re starting to act like this place is your home,” Ethan said. “You’ve been acting like a nervous guest. Unsure of your welcome.”
I swallowed the cake with difficulty. “It takes time to let it all in.”
“Yeah? How about with the hot redhead? Seems like you let her in, from the looks of it. Or she let you in. Looks very playful. I actually saw you smile when you walked out of the room. It vanished the minute you saw me, but still. Baby steps.”
I chose not to acknowledge that small dig. “Yeah, she took me by surprise,” I said. “The girl is incredible. Brave, smart, gorgeous. And she saved my ass.”
“Weird time to initiate a hot love affair,” Ethan said.
“I know that,” I said sharply.
“Not criticizing. Just observing.”
“We know that it’s risky,” I said. “But it was inevitable. It started back when I was in the dungeon. She sneaked down to visit me. Reminded me that I was alive.”
“You don’t have to be defensive. I don’t blame you. I actually had my own smoking hot babe rescue me from a horrible fate just a few months ago. That kind of maneuver really gets your attention. Believe me. I get it.”
“Did you think that Kat was too good to be true, back then?’
“God, yes. I couldn’t believe my luck for the longest damn time, I thought she had to be the hottest honeypot anyone ever saw on this earth.
But I kept her close to me until we had time to calm down, get the facts straight.
And I also managed to resolve some of her long-standing problems. That’s key, for making a hot mysterious babe relax joyfully into your arms. I highly recommend it as a tactic. ”
“Uh… about that,” I said slowly. “Her long-standing problem is the little sister’s health issues. She’s hoping we’ll use SmokeScreen to penetrate Halliwell’s security. That’s one solution.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Fuck me,” he muttered.
I nodded. “I know. I know.”
“You know what happened last time. The only reason I haven’t erased it is because I was using it to look for you. I should have set it to self-destruct the minute I had you in that helicopter. I knew that thing would bite my ass. One last time.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I said. “I was stupid.”
“Me, too. We both paid for it. But you paid more. I’m sorry, Shane. But I can’t.”
“I understand,” I said grimly. “So we try everything else. We see what Rose comes up with. I already told Red that SmokeScreen wasn’t mine to give.”
“Fuck, Shane,” Ethan said, his voice tormented. “She gave you back to us. She deserves the best we have. But I don’t think anything on earth is worth that risk.”
I nodded. “Don’t get all wound up yet. So far, the kid seems fine. Maybe she’ll stay fine.”
Ethan just looked at me. “You really think Halliwell will let Cass off that easily?”
I shook my head. “Nope,” I said, staring down into opaque black depths of my coffee. I looked up at Ethan. “Fuel up,” I suggested. “The gingerbread is great with coffee.” I cut him a slice and held it out.
Ethan stared at the cake in his hand, and took a bite, savoring it. “Damn,” he said.
“Yeah,” I agreed, lifting my cup. “Here’s to small pleasures.”
And large ones, I added in my mind as our mugs clinked together. That night with Red was no small pleasure. It was vast, all-encompassing.
Worth fighting for.