Game (20 page)

36.

(Shayna)

I didn
’
t go inside.

And the truck didn
’
t crash into the cabin.

It came flying toward the cabin and
at the last second it turned and kept going, right along the side of it. I
heard the sound of sticks snapping and popping, the roaring of the engine, and
I felt the anticipation of an accident.

“
Oh,
fuck,
”
Finn said.
“
That was goddamn Cormac!
”

Finn ran to the side of the porch
and jumped over it. I should have gone back inside, but I ran off the porch and
tried to chase after Finn. I made it around the house and watched him barrel
deep into the woods. I heard the sound of Cormac
’
s
truck engine still yelling. Then came a wild
thud
sound, following by
even more crunching and grinding.

Then silence. The kind of silence
Finn and I had gotten to know all too well.

Cormac had crashed his truck.

I couldn
’
t keep up with Finn so I just ran where I hoped he
was going. Then again, it wasn
’
t
all that hard to look for the smoking heap of metal that was Cormac
’
s truck. The front of the truck
was crunched up. The back looked beat up. The windows were all shattered.

Finn tore open the driver
’
s door and Cormac toppled out
and down to the ground. He was on his hands and knees, coughing and gagging. I
thought for a second he was dying. But then Cormac popped up and leaned against
the truck. The moment his head swayed, I knew he was drunk.

I got closer and within a few feet
of Cormac, I smelled the booze pouring off him.

Before any of us could say a word,
Cormac popped Finn in the mouth with a punch.

I gasped and jumped back.

Cormac pushed forward and stumbled
at Finn. He tried to swing again but missed.  Finn grabbed Cormac by the shirt
and threw him back against the pickup truck. Finn brought a fist back and I
jumped forward, right into the fight. I used both hands to grab at Finn
’
s arm. My two hands couldn
’
t wrap around his flexed bicep.
If he threw his fist forward I would have hit Cormac along with the fist.

But Finn eased up.

He lowered his fist.

“
He
’
s drunk!
”
I cried out.

“
I
know,
”
Finn said.

“
You
…
fuck
…
,
”
Cormac slumped down to his ass. He lowered his head and started to bawl.

Finn just stood there.

I was the one who then dropped down
and I wrapped my arms around him. He threw his arms around me and hugged back.

“
Cormac,
tell me,
”
I whispered.
“
Tell me anything.
”

“
She
’
s gone,
”
Cormac said.
“
And
now you
’
re here. You
’
re stealing her.
”

“
Fuck
no,
”
Finn growled.

Finn grabbed me by the shoulders
and peeled me away from Cormac. He then grabbed Cormac and put him to his feet
again. He slammed Cormac against the truck over and over.

“
Say
that again!
”
Finn yelled.
“
Don
’
t you fucking dare come here and blame Shayna for
anything.
”

“
She
’
s dead,
”
Cormac cried.

“
And
you
’
re driving like this?
”
Finn asked.
“
You fucking moron. You want to
end up like her?
”

Cormac
’
s head then stopped swaying. His eyes went wide and
he showed his teeth. Suddenly, Cormac was sober and ready to fight again. He
pushed at Finn and the two started to get tangled up together.

They wanted to fight, but not each
other.

I watched them spin in circles,
yelling, cursing, taking cheap punches that barely landed.

I didn
’
t know what to do.

So I grabbed the bottom of my shirt
and lifted it.

Yeah, that
’
s right
…
I flashed them to get the fight to stop.

~ ~ ~

And it worked.

The fight stopped dead and they
both looked at me.

“
Wow,
”
Cormac said.

“
What
the hell?
”
Finn growled.
“
Put your shirt down.
”

“
No.
Don
’
t,
”
Cormac said.

Finn threw an elbow into Cormac
’
s gut and Cormac toppled to the
ground. He rushed at me.
“
What
are you doing?
”

“
You
can
’
t hurt him,
”
I said.
“
He
’
s
drunk. Get him inside, Finn.
”

“
He
could have killed someone driving like this,
”
Finn said.
“
After
everything
…”

“
Just
get him inside,
”
I said.
“
He
’
s
your best friend.
”

Finn turned and offered his hand.
He pulled Cormac up and then threw him over his shoulder.
“
Come on. We
’
re going for a ride, Cormac. You
need some coffee and a cold shower, brother.
”

We walked.

Finn carrying the hulk of a man
that Cormac was looked silly. It was like Finn was carrying a tree trunk.

Cormac
’
s head bobbed.
“
Hey
…
Shayna
…
you have nice tits, darling
…”

Finn shook his head.

I patted Cormac
’
s back.
“
Thanks, Cormac. Thanks a lot.
”

Cormac turned his head to look at
me and he smiled. Then his face turned white as a ghost and he let out a gurgle
sound.

“
Put
him down,
”
I said to Finn.

Finn literally tossed Cormac off
his shoulder. He started to get sick before he hit the ground.

“
Goddammit,
”
Finn said.
“
I
’
ve
only seen him throw up one other time from drinking too much.
”

“
When
was that?
”
I asked.

“
Carrie
’
s funeral.
”

Cormac heaved and sounded like a
bear roaring. I had to turn away.

Finn grabbed my arm and pulled at
me.
“
Hey. Don
’
t ever do that again.
”

“
What?
”

“
I
’
m the only one who sees you.
Ever. Got that?
”

“
Oh
yeah? Is that right?
”

“
I
’
m not fucking around,
”
Finn said.
“
I feel like gouging Cormac
’
s eyes out, but chances are he
won
’
t remember it. Don
’
t ever do that again. You
’
re mine, sweetie. All mine.
”

Finn pulled me closer and kissed
me. It was actually romantic. Like, really romantic.

Then Cormac started to heave again.

My life was a mess
…
and it was only going to
get worse.

37.

(Finn)

I couldn
’
t stop myself as I tore Shayna
’
s bra off her body. I then
gently touched her chest, cupping her breasts, staring into her eyes.

“
Are
you okay?
”
I whispered,
realizing what had happened.

“
Yes,
”
she said.
“
I promise.
”

I slipped my hands up and grabbed
her face. I kissed her like I
’
d
never get to kiss her again. I slowly put her head back and hovered over her.

“
Remember
what I said. Nobody ever sees your tits but me. Ever.
”

“
Okay,
”
she whispered.

I inched down and kissed her
throat. Then down to her chest. I sat her on the bed and put her on her back.
From there, my mouth quickly devoured her left breast. I sucked at her,
bringing her to a cry. Her hands grabbed at my head, nails digging tight,
scratching at me. I eased up and let my teeth graze against her hard nipple,
made her body crunch up at me.

When I pulled away, she was propped
up on her elbows now.
“
Fuck,
Finn. That
…
hurt
…”

“
Good,
”
I growled.

I kissed her stomach and was on the
move. My eyes never left her eyes as I started to peel her jeans and panties
down. I had no time to waste. As much as I wanted to stop time and take weeks
to pleasure Shayna, we didn
’
t
have that right now. Yet I needed her. I demanded her.

Fuck, I wanted her. I really wanted
her. She soothed me. She was everything to me.

My hands eased up her legs and to
her inner thigh. I raced up and my thumbs found the warm, wet comfort of her
pussy. Her soft folds ready for my touch already.

I came forward, my eyes still
locked to hers. Her scent filled my nose and set my body on fire. I tasted her
and seeing her mouth fall open, her eyes go wide, that was all I needed to see.
My hands moved up her body, sliding over her breasts, and I pushed her back
down to the bed.

My tongue quickly curled, dancing
up and down against her beautiful pearly clit. Her hips started to jolt like
her body was unsure what to do with the sudden rush of pleasure. Christ, even
that turned me on like crazy. I felt a growl deep in my throat as I tasted her.
She was my personal addiction, the spark to my fire, the purpose for my life
right now. She pulled me through the darkness even though we were still running
through it together.

I cupped her breasts tighter.
Shayna groaned and put her hands to mine.

My tongue ran rampant up and down.
There wasn
’
t enough for me
to have. I flirted with her entrance, feeling her throb to my touch. I slowly
lifted my tongue and flicked against her clit a few more times.

And that
’
s the exact moment I stopped.

When I backed away, Shayna looked
at me. Her eyes were a mix between lust and anger. I loved being in control of
her pleasure like that. 

I stood up and lifted my shirt. By
the time I threw it to the floor Shayna had her legs already wrapped around me,
pulling at me.

“
Easy,
sweetie,
”
I said and
grabbed her knees.
“
Let me take
my jeans off first.
”

I got my jeans down to my knees
before I couldn
’
t hold off
anymore. My hands grabbed at her  sides and pulled her to the edge of the bed.
With her legs spreading, giving me herself, I took it all for my own. I thrust
at her, breaking her open again, and sank deep. She wrapped around me
impossibly tight, obvious that I had given too much all at once to her. Shayna
’
s mouth was wide open as she
tried to scream, but a hoarse cry came out.

I slowly pulled back and watched as
Shayna grabbed the sheets, her fingers curled tight. She flexed her ass and
lifted herself to me. I stared down and watched my cock slide out of her,
glistening with the sweetest desire I ever knew.

When I felt - and saw - the tip of
my dick ready to ease out, I thrust right back in.

I lowered my body down to hers, one
hand cradling behind her head. My other hand pressed firmly on the bed, my feet
on the floor, and I fucked her. Each thrust brought a new sound from Shayna.
Cries, groans, moans, whimpering, it was a symphony of pleasure that I
orchestrated on my own. She locked her ankles behind me, wanting me to stay
nice and deep -
something I had no fucking problem with.

The deeper I sank the more I felt.
The warmth of depths, maybe parts that were never explored before.

I kissed her chest, her neck,
flirted with her lips, nibbled her ears. I was everywhere I could be all at
once, never wanting to fuck someone like I wanted to fuck Shayna. And the
craziest part of it all? We weren
’
t
actually fucking. We were loving each other. The way our tongues touched when
we kissed felt good. The way our bodies collided with intention that went
further than pleasure and climax.

I fucking loved her. I knew how to
say it and now I was showing it to her.

My hands traced every curve she had
to offer, leaving my callused fingers like mush, never to forget what Shayna
really felt like.

I rested my forehead to hers,
losing my own damn breath as I kept going faster and faster. The room suddenly felt
like the dead of a record hot summer. Our sweat mixed as our bodies did.

When I started to come, I thrust
and held deep. Shayna let out a cry with the first spurt of orgasm. She then
dug her heels to the back of my legs, just under my ass, and made sure I didn
’
t leave her. Her hips rocked
left to right, her sex clung to me, releasing me over and over.

All I could think about was the
pregnancy test. How badly I now wanted it to be positive. To share something so
intense and beautiful with Shayna. As though escaping this situation with our lives
wasn
’
t enough.

We eased down together, but we didn
’
t move. We slowly and softly
kissed. I never took the time to appreciate a woman
’
s lips before. Or the taste of a woman
’
s tongue. Or how she kissed. Or
the feeling of two hearts racing as our chests touched.

I blinked and realized I was
getting emotional. At the same time I saw a stray tear escape from Shayna
’
s eye and run down her cheek,
collecting with a diamond bead of sweat.

I brought my hand to her face and
wiped it all away.

“
I
love you,
”
I said.

“
I
love you too, Finn.
”

Nothing felt so good.

I kissed her again and then there
was a loud
THUD
at the bedroom door.

“
Are
you done yet?
”
Cormac
’
s half drunk voice yelled.

“
Ah,
fuck,
”
I whispered,
smiling.
“
He heard us.
”

“
Good,
”
Shayna said.
“
Go talk to him. Just don
’
t get into a fight again.
”

I pushed myself off Shayna.
“
That I can
’
t promise, sweetie.
”

I lifted my jeans and stared at the
naked woman on my bed. I could go blind and I
’
d
still be able to see her beauty.

An idea came to me.

The riskiest thing I could possibly
do, considering who I was and where I came from. But to save Shayna, to save
the life that was potentially inside her
…

I was going to go above Fiore
…
and put my life on the
line.

~ ~ ~

“
What
happened? She
…
Shayna
showed me her tits?
”

I gritted my teeth and gave a nod.
“
Yeah. You don
’
t remember?
”

“
Goddammit,
”
Cormac said. He put the coffee
mug to his lips and drank. It was black coffee, almost thick as mud. Each sip
seemed to bring him more to life.
“
I
don
’
t believe it.
”

“
Put
it this way,
”
I said,
“
if you did remember, there was a
good chance I would rip your eyes out of your head.
”

Cormac raised an eyebrow.
“
Hm
…
I bet they
’
re nice. Can I
see them again?
”

“
You
fucking
…”

“
I
’
m joking, brother,
”
Cormac said.

I let a few seconds pass. There was
a bottle of aspirin on the table, tipped over, pills scattered. I wasn
’
t sure how many he
’
d taken by now. Hell, he could
probably take the entire bottle and eat the damn container and it wouldn
’
t help the headache he had. I
could almost literally see the veins in his head throbbing.

“
Hey,
”
I said.
“
I
’
ve
only seen you like this once before.
”

Cormac looked me dead in the eyes.
And his eyes went red.

Ah, fuck, he was going to cry
again.

“
Today
was the day,
”
Cormac said.

“
What
day?
”

“
The
last day I saw her alive.
”

My stomach sank. I felt like
someone punched me. If today was the last day Cormac saw Carrie
…
that meant we were
…

“
Christ,
it
’
s that time again,
”
I whispered.

We were five days away from the
anniversary of her death. It hadn't even dawned on me.

“
Aye,
”
Cormac said.
“
Remember, Finn? I saw you two
and I had that fight in Reno. On the way back
…”

“
I
remember,
”
I said.

“
Do
you? Huh?
”

“
I
fucking remember.
”

Cormac pushed the coffee mug out of
the way and pointed at me.
“
I
don
’
t
t
’
ink
you do
…”
The Irish anger was
building.
“
You don
’
t
…
you always spend the day with me,
brudder
.
”

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
I said.
“
Fiore
had Shayna attacked. Someone tried to
…
tried to force himself in her.
”

“
Jesus
Christ,
”
Cormac said.

“
That
’
s what I
’
m dealing with, bro. I would never forget. Not
Carrie. Not what she did for me. What she gave us, Cormac. Okay?
”

“
I
’
m not angry with you. I
’
m angry
…”

With Shayna?

Cormac pointed a finger to his own
chest.
“
I
’
m angry with me.
”

“
Why
yourself?
”
I asked.

“
You
moved on.
”

“
Moved
on?
”

“
You
love that woman in there. Christ, Finn, from the second I saw you two together.
That was goddamn trouble. She put her life on the line without knowing you,
brother.
”

“
You
took me to that fight,
”
I
said.
“
I should be mad at
you for all this.
”

Cormac grinned.
“
Fuck that. I believe in fate.
You know that.
”

“
I
know. Too much.
”

“
Hey.
I got nothing but fate. Fate took Carrie from us. Why? I don
’
t know. Maybe she was there with
me when I got bashed in the fucking head behind the arena that one time by that
crazy guy, huh? Maybe she lessened the blow and I survived. How many times do
you have a close call on the road? Some asshole runs a light or speeds by or
something. It
’
s all fate.
Maybe Carrie was meant to bring us together for this and then watch.
”

“
How
do you think that makes me fucking feel?
”
I asked.
“
I
’
m in love with someone else. And
it
’
s different, Cormac. The
way I feel about Shayna. It
’
s
goddamn different.
”

“
Because
it
’
s true.
”

“
What
I had with Carrie was true.
”

Cormac grabbed my hand.
“
I know, brother. I would never
doubt that. I
’
m telling you
that I
’
m okay with it all.
You go and love her. You make her everything you want. I
’
m mad at myself for not seeing that sooner. For not
pushing you. For not finding it out for myself.
”