SHELBY (Second Chance Novels Book 4) (17 page)

"Hold on and don't let go," I breathe strongly over her ear as I uncurl her fingers from mine, only to shift their grip to the edge of the mattress. As I knew she would, she complies instantly.
 

I stand beside the bed now and strip myself bare. Her vision takes in the strength of my form and the length of my cock. Heat smolders in her eyes in waves of desire as I lean into her again.
 

Those tiny pink nipples of hers demand my attention again as I work to unbutton her sexy jeans. By the time I have them down her legs along with her panties, I kiss my way up her leg, along her hip, and up to her breast yet again where I work her piercing strongly with my tongue. She moans in response.
 

I know she's on birth control, and I can only hope she's protected herself. I trust her to be honest.

"Do I need a condom?"
 

She shakes her head. I can see in her eyes she's proud of her single set of good decisions amongst all her destructive behavior. Without another word, I take her hands again and pin them down beside her head.
 

With a strong, steady glide, I push my cock into her very-wet pussy, and I groan.
Pleasure
is a word not strong enough to describe the sensation of finally being with the woman I've fallen in love with.
 

"Dade," she breathes out as I move strongly inside of her.

I grip her hands again, then draw them both into only one of my hands. I use my other to pull her hip closer to mine, guiding her. I revel in her surrender.

"Beautiful," I breathe. "You are so goddamn beautiful."

She arches into my words and begs me, "please."

"Shhh," I murmur to her. She needs to know her abandon can be completely free. She doesn't need to beg; I already know.

A moan of pleasure escapes her lips again at my unspoken promise of leadership and protection. I understand her so damn well. I'll take what she gives me in my bed, and give her everything she needs in return. Her surrender is complete.

With more self-control than I knew I had, I plunder her slowly with total dedication and leadership. I guide her body with my hands and with my words.

"Wrap your legs tight," I whisper across her ear. Instantly, I feel the grip of her thighs on my hips.

"Tilt your chin up," I instruct before I suck at her neck and trace her pulse with my tongue, all while building my pace in tiny increments.

"Run your lips on my shoulder," I nearly groan out as my pleasure overwhelms me. "Use your teeth, beautiful."

The graze of her touch nearly makes me explode, but I want her to come first. I drop my hips heavily over hers and push into her in tiny, strong drives over her sex.
 

"I want to hear you come," I command heatedly into her neck.
 

Shelby lets go of the last bit of her self-control, and lets herself moan loudly as her pleasure builds to ultimate release. Her entire body tightens as she climaxes with a loud, near-shout at the heated explosion of every nerve.
 

With no more need for restraint, I ride her heavily until my own climax sounds loudly from deep in my chest. The force is stronger than anything I've ever experienced.
 

As we lay near-panting on the bed, I kiss her neck lightly and in total sweetness, because that's what her body begs for. I'm determined to offer command, but only as her body asks.
 

I cross her wrists over her head and she leaves them there without me having to tell her. Once again I'm astounded by this woman's intelligence. I offer her every tenderness as I kiss and caress her entire body, refusing to break our moment.
 

"Mmm," she purrs often.
 

"So beautiful," I return.
 

The longer I explore her, the more I understand her physical needs. Every time I look in her eyes, I see her soul soften below me.
 

Kissing her wrists as I lock her fingers tight within mine brings a look of such peace to her features. Every time I let go, working my fingers into her tight pussy evokes an erotic display of writhing. Every response is so damn sexy.
 

I make love to her again, slow and sweet, as her body asks. Paying complete attention to her needs boosts my own need to protect her, and to keep her mine long after I need to. I look her in the eye as I take her. A single tear falls from the corner. I smile softly.

When our pleasure reaches its peak yet again, she arches below me with a gently-tortured expression. Her beauty transcends every moment.
 

"Shelby," I whisper as we come down from our simultaneous climax.

"Dade," she murmurs in return with her eyes closed.
 

Knowing she needs both stability and reassurances, I promise her again, "
You
are my focus. I'll do my job, but I do it for you, not the service. I'll keep you safe."

She meets my eyes and emotion swims heavily within.
 

"I love you, Shelby," I say honestly.

She dares believe me enough to speak.
 

"I don't understand why," she whispers honestly. "I put you through hell."

"Because all that hell came from your hurt, not from who you are.
You
are beautiful."

She waits only a moment longer before she speaks with equal honesty.

"I love you, too," she returns quietly. "You really are my hawk."

I pull her into a deep kiss, in shock she returned my words. I honestly wasn't sure if she'd be ready to take that leap. Sincerity surrounds her answer, and my heart beats stronger in my chest.

We rest quietly together until sleep claims us both, and only a few hours later, the brightness of late morning wakes me. The sun glows brightly on Shelby's naked, perfect form resting beside me with her head on my chest. She is more beautiful sex-tousled than I've seen her yet, but the bandage on her arm reminds me of the ugly reality surrounding our private paradise.
 

I wait for her to stir as I think strategically through our situation. When I feel her begin to stretch and yawn, I can't help but trace lines along her back and allow myself more focus on the woman beside me, rather than the witness under my protection.

"Good morning," I murmur to her.

Her response is to pull herself closer. She reaches her arm around me and winces. The Novocain has worn off along with the shock. There is no acute physical pleasure to draw her focus, either.
 

"I'll get you some pain killers. I have some strong ones."

"No," she shakes her head. "I want to be able to think."

I nod in total understanding. "Let me at least look and re-bandage it. I'll be right back."

Within moments I'm in a pair of faded flannel pajama pants and redressing her wound. The only painkiller I offer is Tylenol.
 

"Your cut looks good. I'm going to give you one more shot of antibiotics this evening to make sure no infection sets in, but your arm will be fine."

"Thank you," she says. She sits up and allows the sheet to fall from her torso. Her beauty stuns me again. I pull her close and kiss her sweetly while I allow my hand to fondle her tenderly. She sighs and kisses me again, falling demurely against me in a display of total reliance.
 

A few more sweet moments pass before I offer her a shirt and a tour of the cabin.
 

"The crawl space can be accessed over there," I point to the corner where a trap-door sits. "The master bath is through there."

Shelby stops us and kisses me again.
 

"I never said thank you," she says quietly. "So thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome," I smile in total love. "Now how about I get breakfast going?"

She nods with a soft smile. "I'll take a shower."

I start coffee in an old-fashioned percolator on the gas stove and begin to make oatmeal. My thoughts are interrupted by Shelby coming out of the bedroom, her hair in damp waves down her shoulders, wearing my GW t-shirt and nothing else.

"So you went to George Washington University?"

"You come out half naked and want to talk about my college career?"

Shelby grins in a display of playfulness and a demonstration of our nearly stress-free morning. "Yes."

"Yes, I went to GW," I nod. "I studied Criminal Justice, and was recruited by the FBI and the Marshal's service."

"Wow," she says, obviously impressed. "What made you choose to be a Marshal?"

"Easy," I tell her, not wanting to giveaway too much of my past. "The idea of protecting someone resonated with me. I'd rather keep people out of harm than investigate after it's too late."

I try to keep my voice casual, but my emotions catch up with my words. Her face softens as she takes in what's unspoken.
 

"Noble," she smiles.

I try to keep my face impassive, but she connects my subtle reaction with my words from only moments ago. Her insightful brown eyes break through her own hurt.

"Who was it?" she asks gently. "The one it was too late for. Who was it?"

I smile sadly and look down at my coffee, unable to avoid my feelings. Even broken and in danger, Shelby's beautiful soul overwhelms me. "My sister. She was killed when I was just a kid, but I always felt as though I should have been able to protect her."

Silence hangs between us for a moment before Shelby can speak.
 

"I'm so sorry. That's awful. How old were you?"

"Seven. She was a eleven and was taken by a sex offender and left by the side of the road. The guy lived down the street from us."

"And you thought you should have known?"

I nod and shrug.

"Dade, there's no way you could have known. No one is a hawk when they're seven."

"Yeah, I know that now," I tell her quietly. "Still explains my career. My psyche-evals to get the job were tenuous, but I was rock solid everywhere else."

"That's why you're the best," Shelby says with a soft smile, almost with pride in her voice. "You've kept me alive, after all. That can't have been easy."

"Still working on it," I say with seriousness now. "I believe we're safe here until the trial, but getting into the courthouse unharmed will take serious focus. I don't want to scare you, but you need to have enough fear to respect the danger of the situation."

She nods, and I believe she understands. Her face betrays no fear in the moment, causing me to smile. I look her over again, appreciating how simply pretty she is along with all the beautiful.

"So what do you do for fun around here?" she looks around, noting the lack of modern amenities. "No electricity?"

"No. I use natural gas for heat and for cooking. I use candles or lanterns for light. I thought about running electricity here, but I like the rustic break. I never knew how harsh lightbulbs were until I lived by firelight for a few weeks."

"I'm not sure if that sounds relaxing or dreadful," she shakes her head. "I've never gone this long without my computer. I suppose I can appreciate the break, but most of me is in withdrawal."

I chuckle and offer her a choice of oatmeal or oatmeal for breakfast.

"I guess I'll have the oatmeal," she smiles. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Nah, I got it."

Within minutes I'm sprinkling bowls of oatmeal with crumbles of brown sugar. I manage to find some raisins in the pantry. They are almost pebble-hard but will add enough to the oatmeal to make me feel I'm offering as close to gourmet as I can.

"Thank you," she says sincerely.
 

Like a domestic couple, Shelby and I clean up after our meal, as well as pull supplies from the freezer for lunch and dinner. After that, there's little else to do. I see Shelby looking out at the lake and gazing at the small fishing boat next to a little dock I constructed.
 

"We can't," I apologize. "I'm not taking any risks. I'm sure your face is all over the news, and even a random hiker poses a threat of discovery. I need to keep you inside."