Shane's Fall (The Escort Series Book 2) (11 page)

“Do you remember my brother?” he asked quietly.

“Um, yeah, sure,” she mumbled as she started scanning her shoe collection. “The fag, right?”

He fisted his hands at her slur. When she glanced at him and saw his reaction she tried to backpedal. “Well, that’s what everyone was saying about him at school.”

Shane stood and went to the closet door, his icy expression causing her to take a step back. He’d never struck a woman and he wasn’t going to now, but he’d never been more tempted.

“You know how he died?”

She nodded, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

“You know how he died, yet you keep leaving me your little gifts. Why?”

“Come on Shane,” she laughed. “I just thought you might want to loosen up a bit. Your brother was…” she stuttered to a halt at his dark look. “Look,” she began again. “You’re under a lot of pressure and I thought you might need a little help to unwind – be yourself again.”

“Be myself?” he repeated coldly.

She huffed in frustration and then grabbed a pair of shoes. “Can we do this later? I promised Jerry I’d be there for his speech.”

“There’s no later Paige.”

When she looked at him, he motioned with his head to his side of the massive closet. There were a few suits hanging there – the ridiculously expensive, designer ones that she had bought him – and several empty clothes hangers but nothing else. She studied the nearly bare rack for a moment and then laughed shrilly. “God, you’re such a loser Shane.” She began stripping off her clothes and he found it amusing that she did so while watching herself in the mirror. Her perfectly tanned and toned body did nothing for him.

“You think your folks will be okay with this?” she muttered as she worked the dress over her body. “Face it Shane, for whatever reason, we make sense together. You know any other woman who’s going to let you stick your dick into strangers for money because I sure don’t.”

“And what if I do it when there’s no money involved? Would that even bother you?”

She shrugged. “As long as you show up where and when I need you, I don’t care if you fuck every woman in the city.” She smoothed her hands over the dress and checked herself at different angles. “Hell, I actually like watching some of those hags you service turn all red when we walk into a place together – Cecilia Harrington actually asked me to co-chair a couple of her stuffy fundraising committees after she saw me with you – bitch has been snubbing me for years.”

Cecilia Harrington was a quiet, older woman whose wealthy husband had recently been diagnosed with dementia and often forgot who his wife even was. She’d caved under the stress of caring for a man in declining health and trying to run his many philanthropic organizations and had hired Shane for companionship more than a year ago. They’d been together only a few times, but he’d always thought she was nice. But it had never even occurred to him that Paige would stoop to blackmailing his customers. If he ever ran into any of them while with Paige, he made sure to treat them like he’d never met them before but some, like Cecilia, weren’t good at hiding their surprise at seeing him within their own social circles.

“You’re a piece of work Paige.”

“Spare me, Shane. You’ve got a good thing going here – you want to try walking away from it, go ahead. But we both know you’ll be back. You haven’t come this far just to throw it all away.”

He heard her nasally voice drag on as he turned and left the closet and by the time he had grabbed his bag and left the bedroom, he knew she hadn’t even noticed his departure because she was still railing at him about how he was going to be sorry.

***

“Savannah?”

Savannah froze at the sound of Robert’s voice behind her. In the melee of the kids being dismissed for the day, she hadn’t heard him come into the room. Most of the kids had already torn out of the room to meet their parents but, Robert’s son, Nicholas, was busily packing up his belongings from the bin each child in the class had been assigned to keep their stuff in.

“Robert,” she managed to say pleasantly but her stomach churned. This man had seen her at her worst. It hadn’t appeared that he’d shared her bout of craziness with anyone at the school because she still had her job, but he had stopped bringing his son to class himself, instead tasking the child’s nanny with that chore.

“How are you?” he asked carefully.

She nodded almost violently and then tried to smile brightly. “I’m good, really good.”

“Good,” he said awkwardly and then paused. “I…I didn’t know after what happened,” he slowed and then stopped mid thought. “I’m sorry if I did something to frighten you,” he blurted out.

She was sure she her mouth was opening and closing like some demented fish struggling for air, but she couldn’t believe
he
was apologizing to
her
. “No, Robert, you did nothing wrong.”

He seemed visibly relieved and she realized what a truly nice man he was.

“Daddy, daddy!” Nicholas shouted as he ran up to his father and thrust a big, colorful piece paper into the man’s hands. “I painted today!”

Robert and Savannah both laughed when the still wet finger-paint smeared all over Robert’s hands and sleeve. “Wow, good job buddy. I love it!” he declared as he admired his son’s effort. “Why don’t you go find your jacket while I talk to Miss Bradshaw some more, okay?”

The little boy nodded heartily and then took off to do his father’s bidding.

“He’s an amazing boy, Robert. Your wife would be so proud of how you’re raising him.”

Robert’s eyes darkened with pain for a moment at the mention of his dead wife, but then he looked at his son and smiled. “Thank you. He can’t stop talking about you – you’re his favorite teacher.”

Savannah smiled and then went around to her desk to grab some hand wipes that she kept stashed there. “He’s really sweet – and such a talker,” she commented as she absently wiped at one of Robert’s paint covered hands.

“Savannah, I was wondering if you might want to try things again. We could go someplace quieter,” he offered.

She stilled at his words. The last thing she expected was him to ask her out on another date. He was so sweet and thoughtful and a few weeks ago she would have said yes – had in fact said yes. What she had with Shane wasn’t really a relationship, so saying yes to this man was what she should do – it would be the healthy thing to do.

“Robert,” she began as she wiped his other hand and then handed him a fresh wipe so he could get the rest.

“It’s okay,” he said, cutting her off. “You have someone else in your life…someone important,” he mused. When she just looked at him in surprise, he said, “Just a guess. You seem lighter than last time,” he finished and then carefully adjusted his son’s artwork so that he wouldn’t get any more paint on himself. “Nicholas, come on, time to go. Bye Savannah.”

“Bye Robert.” She watched him leave through the door on the far end of the room.

***

“You should have said yes.” Shane watched Savannah jump back in surprise at the sight of him in the doorway. He should have felt guilty for scaring her, but he was seething with too much jealousy to do much else besides stare at her. He’d heard her entire conversation with the sharply dressed young father from his spot at the second of two doorways that led into the classroom. He had figured out pretty quickly who the man was and it had taken everything in him not to stride into the room and stake his claim on Savannah. Robert was exactly what Savannah needed - handsome, responsible, clearly successful from the cut of his expensive suit and smart enough not to want to let a woman like Savannah get away, even after their disastrous first date. He hated the guy.

Savannah watched him silently, but her stony gaze was sending a clear message that she was pissed, not scared. He knew why. It had been nearly a week since their rendezvous in the hotel room and he hadn’t called or texted her. She didn’t need to know that he picked up the phone a dozen times, but always chickened out before completing the call. He’d written her some racy texts too and had imagined what she’d look like as she blushed while reading them. But he’d wimped out there too and canceled them all instead of sending them. But his body hadn’t stopped craving her and he’d finally given up the battle today during class when he’d actually found himself writing her name in his notebook like a teenage girl. And now he was here, watching her get asked out by another man and being both overjoyed and troubled when she declined.

“Why didn’t you say yes?” he finally asked as he stepped into the classroom. It was a large room, but surprisingly clean. He saw more than a dozen openings in the cubby shelf on the opposite side of the room and marveled that someone as young and quiet as Savannah could control and nurture that many kids at once. He’d seen her as the kids had run out of the room and nearly all had stopped to hug her. She had given each one a squeeze and some personal, endearing comment that left them hurrying out of the room with big, goofy grins on their little faces. He’d never really been around children, but even he knew she was a natural. And then she’d gone and touched Robert and any warm, fuzzy feelings left behind by watching her with the kids had dissolved into a jealous, simmering rage.

“You know why,” she responded. She crossed her arms over her chest and he knew she wasn’t going to make it easy for him to get back in her good graces. The twisted side of him was excited to have to convince her though.

“He’s perfect for you.”

“He’s not you.” The response nearly knocked him to his knees. He actually stopped and stared at her. Warning bells blared in his head. He’d held onto a shred of hope that she wasn’t becoming too emotionally attached to him, but her response made it clear that she was already in deeper than she should be.

“Savannah-” he began, but she put up a hand to cut him off.

“Don’t Shane. I don’t want to hear it.” She started moving around the room and snatching up discarded toys and art supplies. “You’ve made yourself clear about what our relationship is and isn’t. But I’m not going to lie about how I feel…I’m already lying too much as it is.”

He felt a pang of guilt at her reference. Since Logan hadn’t shown up to kick his ass, he had already figured she was still keeping her brother in the dark, but he could see now how hard that was for her.

“You could tell him,” he said quietly as he leaned down to pick up some kind of building block toy at his feet.

“I have to be able to tell him everything and I’m just not there yet.”

“He’ll understand why you kept it from him Savannah,” he offered.

She didn’t respond, just kept cleaning up.

“Do you remember what you asked me in the hotel room last weekend?” She looked up at him, clearly not sure what he was referring to. He took a few steps closer to her. “You asked me if I needed you to ease the knot in my stomach – the one that never goes away. Do you remember?”

She nodded, but remained silent.

“Did you hear my answer?”

“I’ve been trying to convince myself that you didn’t say yes,” she whispered as he reached her.

“I did say it. And that pain does ease when we’re together, but it comes back worse every time because I know that no matter what I say or do, you are going to get hurt. Nothing you say will convince me that you can walk away from this unscathed.” He palmed her cheek, rubbing the rough pad of his thumb against her silky skin. “But I’m such a bastard that I’m going to take what you’re giving and try to figure out how to live with the regret and guilt after you’re gone.”

When he brushed his lips over hers, he heard her sigh and then she was wrapping around him, instantly welcoming him against her body. Her mouth opened beneath his and he kissed her every way he could think of, soft and hard, fast and slow, shallow and deep.

“How about we get some coffee?” he said against her lips as he forced himself to pull back. “Otherwise I’m going to try out my newest fantasy of spreading you out on your desk and-” he began, but she laughed and slapped her hand over his mouth.

“There could still be parents around.” As she pulled her hand back, she brushed her thumb tantalizingly over his lips and then pulled back. “I’ll get my stuff.”

Chapter 12

“Why did your parents move to Chicago?” Savannah asked as she watched him take a sip of his coffee. She’d followed him in her car to a small deli near his apartment that also served espresso. They’d been lucky enough to grab one of the back tables away from the counter so it was relatively quiet.

“I’d like to say it was because they needed a fresh start after Michael, but they’re motives were more financial and social than anything else.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father got an offer from a former colleague to start a practice together. The firm does mostly criminal defense law, but throws in some Pro Bono stuff on the side. In exchange, my mom gets to sit on several boards of the different charities my father’s company ‘gives back to’ so it’s a win-win for both of them.” She didn’t miss the condemnation in his tone.

“So you’re going to be a defense lawyer too?”

“Yep, you’re looking at the reason future pedophiles, mobsters and murders are going to walk away scot free so they can hurt more people.”

She reared back in shock at both his words and the venom behind them. He seemed to have realized he had revealed too much and began drumming his fingers on the table. She could tell he didn’t want her to ask, but she had to know. “Why?” was all she said.

“It’s expected,” was his curt answer.

“Do you even want to be a lawyer?” she asked softly.

“Why’d you choose to be a teacher?” he asked suddenly.

“Because my mother was a teacher,” she began, but at his “there you go” look she finished with, “And because I love it.”

Her answer seemed to irritate him, but she guessed it had more to do with him not getting off so easy on explaining away his career choices. He looked around the deli and then said, “Let’s just say I inherited my future.”

“From Michael?” she ventured.

He was quiet for a moment and then suddenly let out a sigh of resignation. “It was supposed to be him. He was the oldest, the prodigal son. I was sloppy seconds.” He started drumming his fingers louder and she stifled the urge to cover his hand with hers. “I think he was open to the whole idea of being a lawyer – he was always good at arguing. Our parents had drilled the idea into his head from the time he was old enough to understand what our dad did for a living and the idea of having his name next to Dad’s on the letterhead gave him a connection to our father that he couldn’t have gotten any other way.”

“What about you?”

“As long as I got good grades and stayed out of trouble, they didn’t seem to really care what direction I was headed in. I was only sixteen when Michael died and hadn’t really made any plans at that point. After he was gone, everything just shifted onto me. I was so overwhelmed by the attention that I didn’t even think to argue.”

“And now?”

“And now it doesn’t matter anymore. My parents lost a son. They may not have agreed with Michael’s decision to be who he was, but they loved him. I know they love me too. I won’t fail them like I did him.”

“You didn’t fail your brother,” she said automatically and this time she did close her hand over his. He stopped drumming his fingers, but didn’t pull away from her.

“I didn’t like seeing you touch him,” he said quietly, his dark eyes on hers.

“Who?” she asked, confused by the abrupt change in topic. Instead of answering, he studied her. “Robert?” she finally asked.

“When I saw you touch his hand, I wanted to beat the shit out of him.”

“I was just cleaning-” she began.

“I didn’t say it was reasonable, Savannah. I said I didn’t like it.” He shifted his hand beneath her so that his palm faced up and he could stroke the inside of her wrist with his fingers. Satisfaction went through him when she shuddered at the contact. “It made me realize how you must feel when you think of me with all those women.”

He saw her bite her lip and pain flickered across her features. He was surprised when she suddenly reached out to snap a band that was wrapped around the wrist he’d been stroking. Shock ran through him as it registered that the rubber band he thought was just a hair tie was something else entirely. He tightened his hand on hers and then he was standing, pulling her up behind him. She barely had time to grab her purse before he was pulling her towards the back of the deli. He pushed open the bathroom door, flipped on the light and dragged her into the small space. He slammed the door closed and locked it, then leaned back against the door and pulled her tight against his body.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it that way,” he muttered against her hair as she wrapped her arms around him. “I was trying to tell you that I haven’t been with anyone since that first night in the hotel.”

She lifted her head, her eyes wide. “But your girlfriend-”

“Not my girlfriend anymore. I wasn’t with her either. There’s been no one else.”

“Why?” she asked, clearly surprised.

“I can’t answer that. I’m trying really hard not to try and figure it out myself because it won’t change anything. It can’t.”

“I don’t want Robert or anyone else,” she whispered firmly.

He nodded and then dropped a kiss on the top of her head before saying, “Let’s get out of here.”

***

Savannah moaned as Shane slammed his apartment door closed and kissed her. He’d been on her before they even made it to the door and she’d welcomed it. They’d been making out against the locked front door so fervently that it had taken a polite cough from a passing neighbor to drag them apart. Shane had wrestled with the lock and had his lips back on hers before the door even latched closed. Their conversation at the deli and his subsequent confession about the other women had done nothing to cement what their relationship actually was, but she didn’t care. The jealousy and pain she’d been feeling about the other women in his life had needled her since their first time together. Being the other woman was something she never wanted to be and knowing the relationship between him and his girlfriend had already been on the rocks made her feel a little less like a home wrecker.

Shane pulled away from her long enough to free her of the silk blouse she’d been wearing and then he went to work on her pants. As he fumbled with the zipper, she put her hand over the bulge in his pants and rubbed him lightly.

“Shit,” he growled as he stripped the pants from her. She was glad she had picked slip on shoes today instead of the ones with the laces because Shane seemed to have lost all patience for foreplay. She loved how rough he was, but still gentle at the same time. As he began working the buttons of his own shirt free, she released his cock from his pants. He’d managed to get the buttons undone on his shirt but then gave up and maneuvered her so she was bent over the side of the couch, her arms braced on the plush arm beneath her. Within seconds her panties were gone and his thick fingers were probing her. She knew what he’d find, since her desire was ripping through every nerve in her body.

“Now Shane, please,” she cried brokenly and before she could even finish the desperate plea he was pushing his length inside of her. It burned as he stretched her, but also felt so incredible that she had to fight back tears. He kept working himself in and out of her until he could go no further and then he hung there, his front pressed against her back, his lips on the back of her neck as he sucked in deep breaths. Her inner muscles clung to him and she could tell he was bare inside her again.

As he began long, slow thrusts, he played with her breasts through her bra. She locked her elbows to brace herself against the force of him plunging in and out of her. “It’s so good Savannah,” he groaned as stilled inside her once more. She cried out in frustration, but he remained still and then turned her head so their mouths could meet. As he played with her tongue, she felt him withdraw from her.

“No,” she whispered at his departure but he stilled her with a hand on her hips. He pulled his lips from hers and she hung her head down as the need in her body crawled through her like a living thing. Within seconds he was back inside her and this time she could feel the latex separating them. Disappointment flared through her, but it was short-lived as he began hammering into her, his own body forcing hers further down over the arm of the couch. He’d never taken her this hard or this fast and she loved every second of it. His fingers bit hard into her hips and she knew she’d have bruises tomorrow.

She could feel her orgasm building and she automatically tightened her inner muscles around him every time he pulled out. He was groaning harshly and one of his hands moved up to close around her lower neck. His hold was gentle, but firm and she knew he needed to control her body’s movement. In the past, the move would have brought back all her old fears, but now she reveled in how he mastered her body, owned it. She couldn’t wait to return the favor.

Her orgasm hit her harder and faster than she expected. One minute it was building and building, the next minute it had rocketed through her – there was no in between this time. She screamed and dug her fingers into the soft fabric beneath her. As the pleasure rolled through her in waves, she actually felt Shane slow his pace so that he was gently rocking in and out of her. Sweat rolled down her brow and her muscles gave out as she relaxed her weight all the way down on the arm of the couch. Shane returned his hand to her hip and pulled her back hard on his cock. When he began stroking her overly sensitive clit, she cried out and put her hand over his, but he kept rubbing her slowly, his hips matching the pace.

“No more Shane,” she muttered, but he leaned down so that his lips were by her ear.

“One more Savannah.” And then he was stroking her with more urgency and lunging into her again. Her body began to respond, but her muscles were still too lax to do anything but lay there and take the pounding. He gave her one last final hard pinch on her clit and then another orgasm tore through her. He shouted against her neck as his body jerked inside of hers. He kept stroking in and out of her as his body emptied itself and then he fell against her back, her body still clutched tightly around him. She would have been content to lay there underneath him all night, but he eventually pulled out of her, disposed of the condom and then dragged her sated body up the stairs and into the shower.

***

“Does this help?” Shane asked as he fingered the band on Savannah’s wrist. She was sprawled over him, her naked, relaxed body warming him wherever their skin touched. The room was dark and quiet except for a ceiling fan that he’d turned on to cool them down after another round of scorching sex. He’d taken her again in the shower, this time remembering to grab a condom from the drawer in the bathroom, and then again after the water had finally turned cold on them and they’d managed to crawl into his bed. This last time had been less frenzied and he’d taken the time to explore every part of her body and then she’d done the same to him. He knew he needed to feed her since it was well past dinner time, but he just couldn’t find the energy or desire to move yet.

She nodded against him. “Dr. Henderson suggested it.”

Since he’d gotten the doctor’s name from Gabe, he knew who the man was, but he hadn’t been sure if Savannah would follow through and make the appointment.

“Did you like him?” He felt her smile against his chest.

“I was determined not to, but he was actually really nice.”

“Are you going to go see him again?” he prodded.

“I have an appointment on Monday.” He felt her soft lips graze his chest and his relaxed body immediately tightened. “I thought he’d be this stuffy old guy who would tell me to stop the cutting or he’d have to send me somewhere. But he didn’t – he said he wouldn’t try to take it away from me. This,” she said, lifting her wrist to look at the band, “brings me back from the place I start to go.”

“I’m proud of you, Savannah. I know it’s not easy to have to open up about that part of your life.”

She snuggled further into him. “I don’t know how I can love and hate it at the same time. It gives me so much, but it takes so much too. I’m worried that it will take everything someday.”

He tightened his arm around her. “Logan will understand – so will your friends. They won’t judge you for it and they won’t turn their backs on you. It doesn’t make you weak – it shows how badly you want to live despite the pain inside.”

“You know what it’s like, don’t you?” she whispered. “When the pain goes so deep inside that you need to try and find a way to let some of it out?”

She braced her arms on his chest so she could look at him and even despite the darkness in the room, he could feel her eyes on him. “But you don’t actually let it out, do you? You become someone else – someone who doesn’t hurt, someone who doesn’t have to hide.”

Her perceptiveness chilled his blood and any desire he was feeling was quickly replaced with fear. She was way too close to the truth. She must have felt his withdrawal because she sighed and dropped her head back on his chest. “I think you need to feed me,” she said casually and then suddenly ran her tongue over one of his nipples. He let out a hiss at the pleasure that coursed through him.

“Otherwise I might need to find something else to taste,” she said wickedly as her hand traveled down his abdomen. Had his own stomach not been growling, he gladly would have let her follow through on her threat, but instead he grabbed her straying hand and dragged her out of the bed after him.