Shattered Heart: The Donnellys, Book 3 (17 page)

Steph took a seat at the table. “How long are you staying?”

Shane ran his hand over his short hair. “For as long as I need to.”

“Does Cyn know you’re staying?” Mary moved to the coffee pot.

“For Christ sake, Mary. Really?” Joey glared at her. “I’m sure Cyn knows.”

“What? It was just a question. God.”

“Joey, watch your mouth. Mary, find something to put in
your
mouth because you’re beginning to agitate
me
now. Joe…give me that spoon!”

Joe Sr. laughed, and kissed his wife on the forehead. “Mary, come with me. I have an errand to run.”

“Why does everyone always get mad at me? Sheesh! No, Daddy, I need to go pick Julia up from dance class anyway, plus Cam is at home with both boys.” Mary moved to her mother and kissed her cheek. “Tell Cyn I was here?”

“Mmhmm.” Roseanne patted Mary’s arm. “Kiss the kids for me.”

“Regardless, I’m glad you’re staying, Shane.” Mary came over and kissed his cheek and called out her goodbyes as she walked out.

“She doesn’t know I’m staying yet.” Shane looked among all of them.

Steph leaned forward, resting on her elbows. “I’m sure she’ll be grateful. I know I’m grateful.”

Jimmy wandered back in. “What’d I miss besides Mother Mary laying down her opinion on everyone?”

Joey blurted a laugh and Steph started giggling. Roseanne rolled her eyes. “James, don’t you start too. Your sister means well. It’s not her fault she was born second in the birth order, and as a result she and Katie mothered all of you, plus babysat all of you until they nearly ripped their hair out.”

“Okay, Mom, but can I just say, I’m real glad Katie isn’t here. She’d be rearranging the furniture and reorganizing Cyn’s cabinets.” Jimmy laughed and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

“Afraid he’s right, Roseanne.” Joe Sr. was back at the pot on the stove, spoon in hand.

Roseanne threw her hands up in the air. “I give up. I swear, sometimes I think you’re all harder to handle as adults than you were as kids.” She shook her head with a laugh and left the room.

Joey cleared his throat. “I’m glad you’re staying too. And I’m just going to thank you again for being here last night.”

“A-fucking-men.” Jimmy raised the bottle in salute. “Otherwise Sonja might be representing me and Joey in a murder trial because we may’ve killed that bastard had he done the unthinkable to Cyn.”

“If I didn’t agree with everything you just said—” Joe Sr. clapped Jimmy on the back, “—I’d be correcting your language.”

“Yeah, well. Let’s just say I’m glad I was here too, so no thanks are needed. How I didn’t manage to commit murder last night is beyond me.” Shane shook his head, trying to clear the vision of Carlos on top of Cyn.

The images had stayed up close and personal since last night and were showing no signs of letting up. He planned on letting her know sometime later that day that he was staying. But there hadn’t been an opportunity yet. Shane assumed she’d be good with it, but he had to admit, the tone in which Mary asked him if Cyn knew made him wonder if maybe she wouldn’t.

How could she not be though? They’d had an amazing couple of weeks, and then the shit last night slammed into both of them. He just couldn’t imagine going back to Texas and leaving her now. Especially after her little display in the living room.

He was glad no one, least of all Mary, had witnessed her anxiety-ridden need to ensure the room had been cleaned up. Plus her reaction to him cleaning the blood had convinced Shane that she
needed
him to be there.

Whether she knew or not, she’d just have to be okay with him staying because he wasn’t giving her much of a choice.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Cy
n woke curled over Shane’s chest. The steady beat of his heart combined with the warmth of his arms around her was soothing, and she cuddled a little closer. If she wasn’t mistaken, Shane was flying home to Texas today. Cyn had no idea what time it was, but figured he’d probably set an alarm to ensure he’d get up on time.

She turned her head, and pressed her nose into his chest, breathing him in. His familiar scent mixed with the fresh scent of outdoors wove its way into her. She was going to miss him. She wasn’t necessarilty shoving him out the door, but she was ready for him to go. It was time.

Smoothing a hand up his side, a thrill skipped down Cyn’s spine. She would definitely miss this… His skin felt warm and silky smooth under her palm. Amazing because he was for sure a typical guy, rough and rugged, yet not his skin. Blame the beauty queen genes inherited from his mother.

Cyn moved her palm in the opposite direction, to his hip. Curving around, she grazed his cock through his boxers and felt him stir beneath her. She smiled and pressed her lips to his chest and felt his arms tighten around her. Cyn kissed along his pecs to one areola, licking over the flat disk, as the nipple rose to a peak in response.

Shane moaned, trailing his fingertips down her back to her backside and sliding them through the seam of her ass cheeks. Cyn let out a whimper, grazed his nipple with her teeth as she slipped her hand down his boxer briefs and grabbed his cock. “Oh God, yes.”

He was rock hard—
rock fucking hard
—in a matter of seconds. All for her. Cyn’s channel clenched, her clit pulsed, and she knew she was already soaking wet for him.

“Need inside you.” Shane thrust his hips forward, his shaft sliding hot and smooth through her palm.

Cyn rolled, pushed her panties off and without preamble straddled Shane’s hips. He’d already slid his boxers down and she gripped his shaft in her palm again, positioning the head at her entrance.

“Cyn!” He sat up.

She shifted, allowing just the head inside the mouth of her pussy. “Oh fuck, yes. Yes!”

“Cynthia, wait!
Fuuuuckkk!
” Shane grabbed her hips stopping her from sliding any lower. “Let me get a condom. Jesus, you feel…”

“I don’t want anything between us, Shane.” Gazing into his eyes, she ran her nails down his shoulders. “Let me fuck you this way. Please, babe? I need to feel you.” She sucked in a breath and pressed her lips to his neck.

Shane groaned. “Oh goddamn.” He spread her ass cheeks apart, giving her that nice sting she’d become accustomed to feeling with him, as he eased her the rest of the way down his prick.

The heat of his cock rippled through her core. She was on the pill, so pregnancy wasn’t a concern, and she was sure he was clean. Thing was, he was leaving and she needed this last time with him to have no barriers, nothing separating them. Shane going home was for the best, but she’d have this to hold on to. She’d commit every moment to memory.

And selfishly she wanted to send him off with something he’d have a hard time forgetting. God knew she wasn’t going to forget anytime soon.

“Anything you want. Take what you need—what’s yours.” Shane ran his palms up her back and Cyn arched, riding his thick shaft. With her head tilted back, she felt his lips touch her sternum and then a hand cup one full breast, raising it to his mouth. His warm lips closed around her nipple and she let out a whimper, grinding her clit against his pelvis.

“Shane…” Cyn undulated above him, her hips rolling forward, taking him deep inside her core before easing him out again. Each breath she took was followed by a moan.

Shane slid a hand up her spine, tangling his fingers in her hair. “Need your tongue.” He urged her head up and covered her mouth with his. With their gazes locked, he tangled his tongue with hers. A low rumble from deep in his chest vibrated between them, sizzling over Cyn’s skin.

Slow and easy, she rode him, kissed him and got lost in everything that was Shane. He smoothed a hand over her ass cheek, sliding his fingers to where they were joined, stroking the lips of her pussy spread tight around his shaft. The orgasm that’d been building rushed forward when he moved his fingers back and spread her arousal over her tight asshole. She broke the kiss with a gasp and pressed her forehead to his. “Shane…want you there. Want you to take me there.”

“Gonna be the death of me,” he whispered and pressed a fingertip inside her hole. “Your cunt is so tight, I can’t even imagine how good it’d be in your ass. You feel like a dream wrapped around my dick.”

With a whimper, Cyn increased her pace, his words taking her even higher. “Need to co—”

Shane moved his other hand down her ass, curled it between them, gathered more of her wetness and lubed her asshole with it. Then he pressed two fingers inside. “Ride it, girl. Give it to me.”

With his cock filling her pussy, along with his fingers stretching her ass, Cyn’s climax surfaced, hovering just at the edge. Angling her hips back, she gripped his shoulders for leverage as Shane rocketed into her and she ground down against his pelvis.

Cyn’s climax whipped through her like a tornado—her pussy clenching around his thickness while her clit pulsed with each powerful wave. Shane grabbed her ass, pumping into her harder and a guttural moan tore from her throat.

Cyn’s body went limp, her climax still rolling through her as Shane tightened the grip on her ass cheeks so hard her cunt spasmed again. “
Ohhmyyygahhhd!
”

In the next moment, Cyn found herself flipped over and her back hit the bed. Still buried inside her core, he pressed her knees to her chest and rocketed into her, his hips slapping against her backside as he drilled her channel with hard, deep thrusts. “Already loved fucking you. Love it even more now.”

Cyn gazed at him in the dim morning light of the room. His muscles were hard and tight, the veins in his neck and arms standing out in sharp relief against his smooth skin as sweat dripped down his chest to his abs.

Fucking hell, he was amazing. She wanted to lick that trickle of wetness. She wanted to taste every inch of him. And she had, she just wanted to do it again.

“Grab those tits for me.” He thrust into her. “Need to come…for you. Fuck, Cyn. Tell me where.” He gritted his teeth.

“Inside me, Shane. Wanna feel you fill me.” Cyn cupped her breasts and pressed them together. Craning her neck forward, she pulled one breast up and licked over the nipple.

“Fuck yes. Take it, girl, ’cause, yeah, that just did it…” Shane inched back onto his haunches and gripped his balls and shaft at the base. The head of his cock was still buried inside her channel. With a loud groan, his climax hit. “
Fuuuuckkk!”

Cyn lost her breath when she felt his heated release, spurting inside her. With a harsh moan, her head fell back on the pillows and she closed her eyes, savoring each throbbing pulse of his cock inside her—filling her in more ways than one.

Branding her was more like it.

After a few moments, Shane’s sweat-slick body blanketed hers. Wrapping her shaky limbs around him, Cyn held him close. “Wow… That was…” She stroked his back as they both tried to catch their breath. “Guess this’ll be one hell of a memory to go back to Texas with, huh?”

Shane chuckled as he pressed soft kisses to her neck. “Definitely. But I’m not going back just yet.”

What?
Did he just—her head snapped up. “What?”

Shane froze, his nose pressed against the soft skin of her neck. The tone behind her “what” didn’t sound like a welcome one. He raised his head and stared down at her. “I said I’m not going just yet.”

She frowned. “But, your flight is today.”

He shifted, rolling them to their sides, then brushed her hair away from her eyes. “My flight
was
today.”

“I don’t understand.”

He pressed a kiss to her nose. “Hold that thought.” Reluctant to do so, Shane slipped from her channel and rolled off the bed. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom, wiped up and before walking out, grabbed another for her and brought it to the bed. After handing it to her, he slid under the sheets. “I canceled my flight.”

Finished with the towel, she sat up and chucked it, overhanded, across the room. “Why on earth would you do that?”

Yeah, there was definitely nothing positive about her tone
or
the words she was using. Shane wasn’t sure how he expected her to react, but it definitely wasn’t in this way. “Considering what happened, I don’t think I should go yet. Why do you sound pissed instead of happy?”

“I’m not pissed.” She flopped back onto her back in huff. “I’m just…shocked. I mean, I guess it’s fine but…you know, no. You should’ve talked to me about it before you made this decision, Shane!”

Pissed might’ve been an understatement. He frowned. “Sorry. I guess I thought you’d be okay with it.”

She blew out a breath and rubbed her hands over her face. “Ugh. Okay. Fine. It’s fine. I’m just freaking for no reason. So you’re staying a little longer. When do you fly out?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” Shane watched her, waiting for a response. Instead, Cyn looked over at him—an expression in her eyes he was a little afraid to decipher—and said nothing.

Talk about a cold bucket of water and a punch in the gut. Fuck’s sake, this was definitely not how he envisioned this conversation going. “Wow. Okay then.” Shane rolled away from her and stood. “I’m going to grab a shower.”

“Fine… Great.”

After getting the water going, Shane moved under the spray. Cyn’s rejection burned like a hot poker in his heart. Apparently she wasn’t feeling any of the feelings he was. Obviously things between them meant more to him than they did to her.

Great time to find out the joke was on him.
Fuuuuckkk!
Shane’s head fell forward and the hot water beat on the back of his neck.

He had no idea what to do now.

Maybe he should just go home, get back to his life. He cringed and smoothed his palms over his skull. The thought of leaving her so quickly after the attack made his stomach fold in on itself.

He couldn’t
just
get back to his life now. Not without being completely distracted the whole time. He wouldn’t be worth shit on the job all consumed with thoughts of how she was doing every minute of the day.

For fuck’s sake, Carlos could’ve killed her and Shane would’ve lost her—everyone would have. Cyn was not a woman to be lost.

Thanks to God and good timing, she was alive and well, but considering her behavior in the living room the night before, and her harsh reaction just now, he had to wonder how bad the fallout was going to be from the attack. Even a bit of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was possible and would definitely explain both emotional reactions.

Shane turned off the water, grabbed the towel hanging over the shower door and stepped out. No, he couldn’t
just
leave now. If he was right and she was experiencing PTSD, the ride was about to get real rough. He’d just have to deal with whatever roller coaster of emotions she was going to experience and direct his way.

When he finished in the bathroom, Shane made his way to the kitchen and found her sitting on the window seat. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, coffee mug in hand as she stared out the window. After pouring himself a mugful, he turned and faced her, resting his hips against the counter. Silence stretched between them as Shane sipped the warm coffee. The urge to say something rode him hard, but he tamped it down.

“I’m okay. And I know you think I’m not, but I am.”

“It’s not that I don’t think you’re okay. It’s just…” Shane needed to choose his words wisely to avoid pissing her off further. He imagined he’d be doing a lot of that—choosing his words wisely
and
pissing her off—in the coming days or weeks. “I think you’re still in a bit of shock. I also think…well, actually, based on my own experiences with trauma, what happened to you is gonna require a lot of talking and some time in order to truly be okay. Am I making sense?”

“You’re making plenty of sense but I don’t really want to talk about it.” With a shrug, Cyn blew out a harsh breath and then sipped her coffee.

“What about talking to a professional?”

She cut him a side-eye glance and then returned her focus to the window. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t need that.”

Shit, yeah, treading lightly was going to be the tune for the next who knew how long. Shane moved to her and took a seat on the bench. “All right, but hear me out?”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need professional help, Shane. But whatever, say what you need to.”

Coffee mug held tight in his hands, Shane braced his elbows on his knees and drew in a deep breath. “When I got out of the Marines and even while still in, I had to talk to someone. A few times. It’s normal, Cyn. After a trauma—”

“Shane, you can hardly compare your being in Iraq and Afghanistan—basically a flipping war zone with death all around you, and God, I can only imagine how horrible that was—to my little incident with Carlos. That’s just absurd.”

He sighed through his nose and took in her profile. “Cyn, trauma is still trauma. And everyone copes differently.”

“Right, and I’m telling you, I’ll cope just fine. Jesus, it’s only been what? Barely forty-eight hours? Cut me a little slack.”

She had a point. He straightened in the seat and took a sip of his coffee. Regardless, Shane couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t going to be so easy. “All right, Cyn.”

“Thank you.” She stood. “I’m going to go shower. After that, I don’t know. I guess we figure it out from there.”

With concern pumping hot and fast through his veins, Shane watched her as she left the room. Nope, he would not be leaving. Anytime soon.