A Hero for Tonight (18 page)

“Dad’s gone to the gas station to get us each a cup, but we have to drink it outside so Mom can’t smell it.” Shane walked into the kitchen, moved to her side and pulled her into his arms. “How crazy is this?” he whispered.

She knew he wasn’t talking about them this time. “I’m still stunned. But so relieved.” Snuggled into his chest, she closed her eyes, so grateful they weren’t discussing treatments and hospitals. Instead, they were going to be picking out baby names and nursery colors.

Lifting her head, she studied him. “Are you okay with this? Not that it matters, but you seem a bit stunned.”

Shane glanced toward the doorway. “It’s kind of embarrassing, don’t you think?” he whispered.

She smirked. “I actually think it’s really, really sweet. What a great gift for them after all this time. Your mom hated the empty nest, you know that.”

“Yeah well, a new puppy would have cured that.”

Krista reached up on tiptoe and kissed his mouth. “Be happy for them, Shane. Think of them as a couple instead of your parents. They’re on cloud nine right now.”

He pressed his mouth to hers, and when she would have pulled back, he slipped his tongue between her lips and kissed her passionately. Shivers of desire, stronger than she’d ever experienced with anyone else, tore through her. She’d only read about wanting another person this much, had never known it truly existed, but all thoughts of reason went out of her head when Shane took her in his arms.

Nuzzling her neck, he kissed a trail of heat down to her collarbone. “Dad asked me why you seem to like this sweater enough to wear it two days in a row.”

She giggled. “Your mother commented as well. Guess we didn’t think that through, did we?”

He lifted his head. “I wasn’t thinking at all, except to get here and get it over with.” His hand crept to her breast. “Now I’m thinking completely different.”

“Stop that.” She pushed at him as the toast popped in the toaster. “Your father is bringing us coffee, and I’m supposed to be making your mother some breakfast.”

Shane held her tight. “But I got cheated again out of waking you up properly.”

Her heart flip-flopped at the hot desire in his eyes. “Your mother needs her rest, so after we have our coffee with your dad and get her settled, we could head to my place for a shower and a nap. How’s that sound?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.”

An hour later, the short drive to her house seemed to take forever. Ever since the brief kiss in the kitchen, all she could think about was making love with Shane. Desire rolled around and around in her belly until she thought she’d lose her mind before they got inside.

All thoughts of being cool and collected and taking a hot shower first went out the window as she pushed open the front door and stepped inside. The naked lust in Shane’s eyes made her knees weak.

He pressed her against her front door and kissed her hard. Just like last night, the physical attraction between them was too much to put off, and she moaned at the unleashed passion in his kiss. His hurried hands skimmed her body, touching everywhere, but not lingering. He jerked her sweater up, and she helped him get it over her head. Her bra was only a quick twist of a clasp away and soon joined the sweater on the floor.

Shane shed his jeans while Krista dragged his long-sleeve shirt from his body. He scooped her up into his arms and tumbled into the oversized chair in her small living room. Krista straddled his lap as greedy fingers moved across her nipples, escalating her need for him.

She leaned forward and kissed him. “I thought we were going to take a shower and then a nap.”

“We can, after.”

He grabbed her face in both hands. His tongue tangled with hers, teasing her to dance with him. Thrilled with the hard, naked muscles under her fingertips, she stroked his hardened nipples. She slid her palms along his shoulders and wiggled her hips, rubbing herself against his already hard erection. Shane bucked up under her. A sound, much like a laugh and a moan, escaped her as she trembled.

“Let’s go to my room,” she whispered against his mouth. Her body ached to have him inside her. Another few minutes of him stroking her skin and she was going to drop to the carpet and beg him to jump on her.

He laughed. “Don’t want to do it in a chair?”

“I don’t care where I do it, as long as it’s with you.”
Wow. Where did that come from?
She lifted her gaze to find the shock echoed in his expression.

“You mean that?”

She swallowed hard, trying to make her voice sound nonchalant. “Sure. You’ve got some pretty addicting stuff, Donovan. I’m done resisting. We can do it in the chair...on the floor...in your truck...”

“Hmm, pretty enticing.” His hand lifted one breast, and he stared down as he rubbed his thumb across her nipple. “How about outside?”

She frowned and wet her lips, trying not to lose control as his fingers drove her crazy. “In the winter?”

He wiggled his eyebrows “No, next summer. On my deck. I’ve always wanted to do it on that chaise lounge on my deck.”

“That would be weird; Dave’s too close. He’d watch. We’d have to do it in my backyard—more secluded.”

He nodded. “True. Okay, it’s a deal. Your backyard, next July, and I’ll bring my chaise lounge over.”

Her stomach clenched, and her heart squeezed. For a flash, she could easily see them doing exactly as he described, but then reality hit her full force. There was no way they’d still be together in six months. She flipped her hair, hoping once more to sound casual about it all. “That’s a long time away. Are you sure you won’t be tired of doing this with me by then?”

“Not if I have a promise that we’ll do it outside.” He squeezed her buttocks and ground his hips into hers once again.

Her hands trailed down his belly. “I’ll have to make sure to keep you interested then.”

His erection tented his boxers, and she slipped her hand into the front slit to touch him.

Shane’s palms framed her face and pulled her in for a slow, sinful kiss. Krista molded him in her palm, and he groaned deep in his throat when she began to pump up and down. “Climb on me,” he whispered against her lips.

“I have another idea.” She pulled his boxers down, and he lifted his hips as she tugged them off.

Spreading his legs, she slid to her knees in front of the chair. She wrapped her hand around his swollen erection and lowered her head to taste him.

Shane’s fingers threaded through her hair. “I should complain and tell you not to, but I don’t have that kind of willpower.”

He moaned as Krista rolled her tongue underneath his velvet hardness. She slid her gaze to his, loving how she could make him lose his mind with a few strategically placed kisses.

Who would have ever guessed this would happen between them? That she’d be on her knees doing what she was doing to Shane Donovan, and he’d be loving every second of it.

Damn, this is a weird Fall
.

Krista closed her eyes and focused on her task at hand, drawing him into her mouth and sucking as his fingers slid into her hair.

Shane grew agitated under her, bucking his hips upward. “Krista, I can’t hold out, you better stop or I’m going to lose it,” he gasped.

Around him, she muttered, “Mmmm, I think that’s the whole idea behind this exercise.”

A few brisk pumps and Shane’s harsh, guttural cries satisfied some strange feminine need inside her. She’d completely driven him out of his mind and taken control of his pleasure. All the other times when they’d had sex, he’d been in control and leading the way. This time, it was all her, and she liked that he’d been unable to stop himself from letting go.

A few moments later, she set back on her haunches and gazed at him as he reached on the table for a tissue.

“Now you’re in real trouble,” he muttered.

“You think that scares me?”

“As soon as my legs don’t feel like rubber, I’m going to carry you into the shower, and drive you crazy.”

“Is that a threat...or a promise?” She pushed to her feet and headed down the hall.

Several hours later, Krista drained the spaghetti as Shane dished up the sauce off the stove. Scooping some on each plate, she was again struck by how weird it was to be here with Shane Donovan, not only making love, but now having a cordial dinner together in her kitchen.

It was scary; this turn of events. She loved every second of them, but she was extremely aware of the thin ice they were maneuvering upon. One false move, and without any doubt, it would crack and break, and she’d get hurt.

Seated across from him at the kitchen table, she watched him cover his plate with grated cheese. “So, I didn’t ask you earlier, which do you want? A baby brother or a sister?”

“Thanks, for a few minutes there I’d forgotten all about the pregnancy.” Shane glanced at her. “What difference does it make?”

She tipped her head, looking off to a spot beyond him. “I can easily picture you with a baby brother. You could relate more to a boy, I think, no matter what age.”

Shane tucked into his dinner. “Again, other than making sure my mother gets through this ordeal safe, the rest has nothing to do with me.”

“How can you say that? You don’t think you’ll be involved in his or her life?”

“I guess, but in some distant way.” He took a bite of the bread she’d warmed up. “And I would think you’d be more upset about this than you are.”

She frowned. “Upset? Why would I be upset? I’m thrilled for her, for both of them. It broke your mother’s heart that she never had another baby.”

“Yeah, but that whole idea you had for keeping the shop open is gone now.”

Krista froze. “Why? What does this baby have to do with the shop?”

“My mother is not going to be able to deal with a newborn, and then chase a toddler at her age
and
work with you at the shop.”

“I know that. That’s why I’m going to do it alone.”

Shane shook his head. “If you keep that shop open, she’ll feel obligated to help you. Then she’ll exhaust herself trying to do it all. Personally, I don’t even think you should plan on having the shop open next fall.”

Her stomach flipped at his casual statement. Was he really thinking her plans were that casual? That she would just toss them aside? Even as she knew he probably did, she’d half hoped he’d changed somehow and believed in what she wanted to do. “Do you really think I’m going to just give up my plan for the future just like that?”

Shane set his fork down. “You don’t have a choice. You know my mother as well as I do. If you try to do this, she will act like it’s exactly what she wants too, and then she’ll half kill herself in the process. And if you turn around and tell her she can’t be a part of it, she’ll be hurt and think you don’t want her around. There’s no way around it; the shop has to close.”

Krista seethed. “You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do with my business.”

“I can when it’s my mother’s health involved. It’s not just
your
business, it’s hers, too. You’re a partnership. And she will never tell you no...so I am.”

Krista’s stomach churned as her anger piqued. “I’ve put a lot of time into my idea of this shop being a full-time business. You are
not
going to stand in my way.”

Who the hell did he think he was telling her what to do? Did he think that because she had sex with him, she would do what he said?

“Grow up! Think of someone besides yourself. You’re so happy that my mother is having this baby, but you aren’t thinking about what that really means.”

“A lot of women have babies and keep on working, Shane.”

“Not at her age!”

“Yes, Shane, at her age. I love your mother. You need to trust me that I’ll make this work, and find a way to make sure she doesn’t feel she has to be involved
or
left out.” Right now, she had no clue how she was going to do that, but somehow she’d work it out. It sure would have been easier if he’d help, but it was quite apparent he wasn’t going to.

He slammed his fork down. “No. Absolutely not. I won’t allow it.”

Krista thrust to her feet. “
You
won’t allow it? This company that your mother
and I
own has nothing to do with
you
.”

She almost stumbled in her haste to get out of the kitchen. If she’d stayed in that room any longer, she might have hit him.

“Stop being so selfish. Think about it from someone else’s point of view instead of just yours.”

His face was set in an angry glare as he stomped into the living room behind her. She backed up farther into the room to keep distance between them. Her eyes burned with the tears that threatened, but she wouldn’t cry in front of him. Anger mixed with hurt and shame warred inside her. Less than an hour ago, she’d been lying naked with this man while he sent her so high with pleasure that she thought she would never come back to earth.

How could she have forgotten what an absolute ass Shane was? He’d always been stubborn; had to have everything his way. How could a few passionate encounters make her think anything about him had changed? He didn’t care that this was
her
dream,
her
entire future. Of course she was concerned about Mary and her feelings, but she was also confident she could find a way to make it work so her friend could get out of the business yet still feel needed.