Shattered Heart: The Donnellys, Book 3 (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sh
ane finished getting ready in the hall bathroom while Cyn got ready in the master. They were going on a date—a real one. Not to say that the ones they’d gone on weren’t real, they were. It was just that Cyn had called them everything
but
dates. “Dinner with friends.” Or, “karaoke with her sister and friends.” Then, “happy hour.” And, “the movies.”

It was rather cute, and Shane started referring to the time they spent together outside of the house as their “un-dates”. Every time he did, Cyn would roll her eyes and shoot him a grin that made him want to kiss her lips until she panted for breath. So, he usually did.

He stepped out into the hall and stuck his head into her bedroom. “You ’bout ready?”

“I’ll be out in a minute. Go wait in the living room, like a good date should,” she said from behind her bathroom door.

“All right then. Don’t make me wait too long, now.” He chuckled and made his way to the living room. Settling on the sofa, Shane stretched out his long legs, crossing his cowboy-booted feet at the ankle. His skin tingled with excitement; he couldn’t help it. He was taking her country dancing and was beyond eager to get her out on the floor again. Shane recalled the first dance he’d ever had with her—the night of Ryan and Maiya’s bachelor and bachelorette party. They’d ended up in the corner making out. A smile spread across Shane’s lips. He wouldn’t trade that night for the world.

“Okay, ready.”

Shane scrambled to his feet, his eyes glued to her the whole time. She wore a fitted mini-dress a gorgeous shade of coral. The color of the fabric enhanced her already sun-kissed skin. It had short sleeves and a rounded neckline that scooped low enough to taunt him with a fair amount of visible cleavage. The edge of the dress, which landed mid-thigh, had a delicate ruffle. To top off her outfit, at the end of her fit legs was a pair of worn brown leather cowgirl boots.

“Oh God. Why do you look like that? Is this okay?” She twisted from side to side, the ruffle fanning out from her tempting thighs. “Say something, Shane.”

“Girl…” He blew out a breath. “Dayyumm.”

She dipped her chin and raised her brows. “Is that a good dayyumm or a bad one?”

Shane shook his head and chuckled. “Come on now. You look unfuckingbelievable!”

“Yeah?”

He stepped to her and pulled her against him. “Oh yeah.”

“You sure?” She licked her lips, gazing up at him.

Shane growled and bent close, keeping his lips a bare breath away from hers. “I’m so sure that if we don’t go right this instant, I may end up bending you over the arm of the couch.”

“Well…” She cleared her throat. “I guess I better call us an Uber car then.”

“Guess you better.” Closing the distance, he took her mouth in a hard kiss. Shane drew in a breath through his nose as he tangled his tongue with hers in a frantic dance. Cyn moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lust sparked hot between them in the same way it had the first time he’d ever kissed her. Shane lifted her off her feet, holding her tighter against him. Lord have mercy, this woman was everything he ever wanted.

Cyn broke from his lips and gasped. “Fuck, you kill me.”

“Why’s that?” He ran his lips down her throat.

“Because now my freaking panties are soaked and I
need
you to bend me over the couch.”

He chuckled and set her back on her feet. “Well, we’re even. My dick is hard as steel and I want inside you more than I want to breathe, but I’m gonna make us both wait.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

She frowned. “And why are you making us wait?”

“Because I wanna take my girl dancing.” He smiled.

Her eyes went wide before she narrowed them and shook her head with another tempting smirk on her lips. “Fine.”

Shane swatted her ass and stepped past her. “Call that car.”

Shane resumed his spot on the couch as Cyn requested the car via the app on her cell phone. He called her his girl. He’d meant the words—she
was
his girl. In every way, but he hadn’t intended to just let it slide out so casually. No taking it back now, and he couldn’t say he was unhappy about that.

Once again, Shane had no idea how he would manage leaving her in less than a week. He chewed his thumbnail, and stared down at the area rug. Cyn had filled all the cracks inside him that Shane hadn’t even realized were there. He had to be insane to give her up.

“Car’ll be here in four minutes.” She opened her small purse. “I need to fix my lipstick.”

“Did you smudge it?” He looked up at her and grinned.

“You smudged it!” She laughed and moved to the mirror near the front door. “You gotta let it dry before you go kissing it off me, you know.”

“Not my fault your lips are always begging for me to kiss them.” Shane got to his feet again. “Just doing my duty, ma’am.” He stepped behind her and kissed her neck.

“Ohhhh, I get it. Like a public service, right?”

“Zzzaactly.” He ran his palms over her hips to her stomach, then up to her breasts.

“Are those begging for attention too?”

“Always. They’re just so needy!”

She chuckled. “You’re right. They are. I think I need you to come all over them later. You know, after you fuck between them.”

“Like I keep telling you, whatever you need, you get.” Shane bent his knees and rolled his hips, grinding his erection against her full ass. He watched her in the mirror as a gasp escaped her lips. Cyn arched, rubbing against him, and Shane gritted his teeth. Jesus, he couldn’t get enough of her.

An alert sounded on her phone and Cyn looked down at the screen. “Damn. The car is here. Fucking hell, Shane. I’m all worked up now.”

“Good. I like knowing your pussy’s all wet for me.” Satisfaction flowed through him as he stepped back from her. Damn right she was wet for him. She was always wet for him, just like he was always hard for her. Their chemistry was off the charts and kept growing.

“And I like knowing your dick is throbbing hard right now.” She laughed and grabbed her purse.

He was tempted to make the car wait—it’d be worth it for the chance to sink into her heaven before they went. Determined to hold off, he blew out a breath and tamped down his arousal as best he could. This was their first official date and he wanted this night with her more than anything. Waiting a few hours for the heaven he always found in her would be worth it. He took her hand. “Let’s get gone.”

* * * * *

Cy
n stepped inside the country bar, hand in hand with Shane. The rhythmic sound of Christina Aguilera belting out “The Real Thing” echoed around them.

Shane bent to her ear. “Let’s grab a beer.”

She nodded and he led her to the main bar. This was the same place they’d met up after Maiya’s bachelorette party. Cyn glanced over to the far corner of the club where she’d first kissed Shane. It’d been almost three weeks since that night.

Which meant, after avoiding him for a week after the wedding, she’d had two weeks of non-stop cataclysmic sex. Two weeks of consistent orgasms. Two weeks of a man paying attention to her without her having to wait, ask, beg or yell for that attention.

So far, Shane had given her everything she’d ever imagined wanting or needing in a relationship—with one very big exception. She couldn’t allow herself to think of them as a couple. Cyn still didn’t trust him, or herself. It wasn’t fair to him, she knew, but it couldn’t be helped. And he was leaving.

Shane turned from the bar and handed her a shot glass. She looked down at the amber liquid. “Jameson?”

“Of course.” He held his glass up. “Toast?”

“You make it.”

“Hmm.” He smiled, his bright blue eyes calling her name. “New beginnings.”

Shit.
Cyn drew in a breath and nodded.
Or another ending.
They tapped the edge of their glasses on the bar top and then tossed them back. The whiskey burned on its way down her throat but warmed her insides. Shane handed her the bottle of beer, then bent and kissed her. The warmth from the shot spread through her to her limbs, ignited further by his kiss.

“Come on, girl.” Shane pulled her toward the edge of the dance floor.

The Dixie Chicks “Baby Hold On” played and several couples danced, some two-stepping, others doing a waltz. Cyn took a sip of her beer and watched. She couldn’t do half the dances she’d seen at this bar, but regardless, Shane would be dragging her around the floor soon enough. Good thing she was a fast learner and Shane was a strong lead. He’d support her until she caught on.

She took another swig of her beer, her eyes glued to the many couples circling the floor. Shane had chosen this activity as their official first-date night, and Cyn realized whether she wanted to admit they were a couple or not, tonight, the dancing would force them to be exactly that. Of course it was definitely possible to dance with someone and not be a couple, but when a woman danced with a man they were intimately involved with, there was no way around it.

Cyn glanced up at him. He’d called her his girl earlier. She’d let it slide, choosing not to comment or set him straight. She didn’t have the heart to. But in truth, even if she’d never admit it to him, when he’d made the statement, her heart swelled in her chest and she knew, deep inside, she wanted exactly that—to be his and only his.

The song changed and Shane nudged her with his hip. “Love this song. Come on. Dancing to this one.”

“You’re leading, right?” She laughed as he escorted her onto the floor.

Shane pulled her to the edge of the floor and cradled her waist in one arm. “We’ll do a two-step again.”

“Okay.” She smiled. And then they were moving.

He rounded the first corner of the floor, steady and smooth in his footwork. “This song’s a good one for you.”

Cyn glanced over her shoulder and back to him. “Why’s that?”

“It’s called ‘Smoke’, by A Thousand Horses.” He grinned, looking over her head. “You’re like smoke, Cyn.”

Damn that dimple of his! And when he smiled like that, he looked so beautiful, Cyn went weak in the knees. She didn’t know what to say about the song. Instead she stayed quiet, listening to the lyrics—in awe of his moves, admiring his beautiful face—while he led her around the floor.

It was going to hurt like hell when he left, but she’d deal. She’d find a way to get over it because there was no choice in the matter. But for now, Cyn was in his arms. And for now, she’d let herself pretend she was his and he was the man who’d never make her feel lonely while he shared her bed.

For now…

Shane set the darts down on the side rail. “How about a game of pool?”

“You’re on.” Cyn grinned and took a swig of her beer.

Shane took her hand and walked her to one of the empty bar tables. “Care to set a wager down?”

“Hell yes!” She looked over from the rack of pool sticks.

He bent over the table, racking the balls in the wooden triangle. “Name it.”

“Winner gets to tie the other up tonight in bed.” She rolled one of the cue sticks on the green felt pool table top. “This one’s not too bad.”

He chuckled. “Only one game then? Or you want to go two out of three?”

“Definitely two out of three. You could be some kind of pool shark. I might need to get my feet under me first.” She moved to the end of the table where he’d rolled the cue ball. “I need at least one game to assess my opponent.”

Shane propped his hands on his hips. “I suggest we play four games then. First one’s practice.”

She bent over, lining up her shot on the twelve balls on the other end. “Going soft on me, Sergeant?”

“I wouldn’t drea—” Shane watched as the cue ball sped down the table, crashing into the clustered solids and stripes, and then as the two ball sank into the corner pocket. “Well, God damn. Guess maybe I’m the one that should be sizing up my opponent.” He laughed.

“You might be right.” She grinned, aimed and sank the five ball.

Shane rested his ass on one of the bar stools along the wall as Cyn sank all of her balls one by one. She was amazing—just incredible. But not because she was kicking his ass at pool but because there was just no end to the things she could do. Everything about her was appealing. Her body, yes, but more than that…her heart and soul. Her vivacity was downright contagious.

Finally missing a ball, she grinned at him. “Your turn.”

“Ha.” He took the stick from her. “You do realize you just made room for me to do my work.” Shane aimed and sank a ball. “Thanks for that.”

As he lined up his next shot, Cyn moved to the end of the table and tugged the neckline of her dress down…just enough to get an unbelievably distracting view of her breasts. Shane missed
and
scratched. “Wow!”

Cyn jumped up and down, giggling as she pointed at him with both arms extended out in front of her. “Oldest trick in the book! And you totally fell for it!”

Shane laughed and brought her the stick. “Bad girl. Gonna have to punish you for that when we’re home.”

“How so? You’ll be the one tied up.” With the stick in hand and a grin plastered across her kissable lips, she sank her last ball. “I’m about to take this first round.” She lined up on the eight ball.

“Yes, ma’am, I believe you are. Good news for me is, it doesn’t count.” Shane took a gulp of his beer and watched as she won the game. “Nice. Let the wagered games begin!”

“Think you can handle it?” Cyn chalked the tip of the stick, and glanced at him with a raised brow as she blew off the excess blue powder. “Lotta pressure, Sergeant.”

Shane chuckled and racked the balls. “You’d be surprised how well I work under pressure.”

“We’ll see.” She bent over the table and nailed the cue ball. “You ever ride bulls down in Texas?”

“A bull?” He took the stick from her. “No. Harley, yes.” Taking aim, he sank a solid-colored ball. “You’re stripes this time.”

“You have a Harley? What color is it?” She tilted her beer back.

He bent, sizing up his next shot. “She’s silver with royal-blue flames.”

She moved to the side of the table, watching as he sank another ball. “Ooh! Nice bank shot. I bet the blue compliments your eyes.”

“Seriously?” He trailed his palm along her lower back as he passed behind her. “I’ll let you be the judge of that.” Shane missed the next shot and handed her the stick. “Tell you what. You come visit and I’ll take you for a ride, and you can tell me if she matches my eyes.”