Chaos (2 page)

“Yo! Shane! Where are you?” Brett yelled as he opened the
door to Shane’s apartment. Driving there, he wondered why his oldest friend’s
brother had called for help at five in the morning. Why, since he was already
inside his apartment, did he need Brett to bring the key?

“I’m in here,” Shane called from the bedroom.

As Brett crossed the living room, he spied a woman’s high
heel along with most of the tuxedo that Shane had worn for Jordan and Kiley’s
wedding. Maybe this was actually worth getting up so early for.

“Morning,” Brett said, leaning on the doorjamb. “What’s up?”

“I’m a little stuck.” Shane lifted his hand so Brett could
see the handcuff on his wrist.

“I see.” Brett fought to keep a straight face. “And you need
me to?”

“Hand me the key from over there on the dresser so I can get
up.”

“Not so fast.” Brett lost his battle. “Who’s on the other
end?”

“Brett, I do appreciate your coming over here at the crack
of dawn but I’d rather not discuss that.”

“Doesn’t look like you’re in any position to make that
decision,” Brett chuckled at the scowl on Shane’s face. “Maybe I’ll just go get
some breakfast and let you rethink it.”

The covers rustled and Shane grimaced when his concealed
companion obviously kicked him. “Ow! Come on, Brett, cut me some slack here.”

Brett took a step into the room and scooped up Alyssa’s
dress. “I wondered where the two of you got to last night. Can I make a
suggestion? If you want your liaisons to remain private, it would be wise to
keep the key to your handcuffs within reach. And, if you don’t want the
identity of your companion to be easily guessed, you may not want to leave her
very recognizable dress in the middle of the floor. Then again, I’d be as
shocked as hell to find someone other than Alyssa here with the way you two
were all over each other last night when you were dancing.” Brett paused for
effect. “You may as well come out of there before you suffocate, Alyssa. This
may take a little while.”

“See, McKade?” She threw the covers off her head. “I told
you he’d be like this.”

“Calm down, Campini. Brett’s just trying to torture me. He’s
getting even for all the times I acted like an overbearing asshole when we were
younger.”

“Fine. Brett, be a dear and set me free. I’ll even help you
reattach him to the bed if you like. After all, I never did anything to you.”

Brett couldn’t control his laughter as he lounged on the
windowsill. “You were right, Shane. This is worth getting up for. It’s better
than I could ever have imagined. I can’t wait to tell Jordan…”

“No!” the pair said simultaneously.

“You can’t! Kiley will start making plans for us and that’s
not what this is about.” Alyssa was frantic.

“What is this about?” Brett wondered.

“Sex,” Alyssa answered before Shane could. “Incredibly hot,
out of control, without a thought to the ramifications, sex.”

“Please, Brett. You know they’ll make more out of this than
it is. Campini and I are having some fun. Call it insanity inspired by the
setting or the way she looked in that dress you’re holding or whatever else you
want. We were getting along since she was being soft and agreeable instead her
normally bristly self.” Shane grunted as Alyssa’s fist landed in his stomach.
“See? The moment’s already passed. There’s no need to get them stirred up over
something that clearly isn’t going to happen.”

“Shut up, McKade,” Alyssa snarled at him.

“Sounds like you both woke up on the wrong side of the bed
this morning,” Brett said, earning scowls from both. “You know you’ll both owe
me if I keep this to myself. I guess, at this point, I can just about name my
price.”

“Come on, Brett,” Shane pleaded. “You’re going to set off
Campini’s perpetual bad mood and I was kind of hoping to convince her to stay a
little while longer.” He grinned at Alyssa and winked.

“Oh for Pete’s sake, knock it off.” She rested her hand on his
chest without realizing it.

Brett noticed and gave Shane a meaningful look. “Fine.” He
stood to hand Shane the key.

“Grab me some sweats from the bottom drawer too please.”
Shane returned his look with a slight shrug. “Thanks.” He had them free and in one
motion, stood, pulling on his pants. “Can we impose on you for one more thing?
If it’s not asking too much, will you drop Campini’s dress off at the cleaner’s
near your house? That was one of her excuses for why she had to leave as soon
as you got us out of this.”

“McKade,” Alyssa warned.

“Sure, no problem,” Brett replied, wondering what he was up
to. “By the way, would either one of you care to explain the handcuffs?”

“I, uh, was distracted and screwed up. I thought I had the
key in the nightstand.” Shane pushed him out of the room in front of him.
“Thanks for coming.” At the door, he added, “Seriously, will you keep quiet
about this? I’m not sure how we ended up here but I don’t want her hurt because
we did. You can tease me as much as you want just not in front of the
newlyweds.”

“I guarantee I’ll never let you live this one down but give
me some credit. I have enough sense not to run my mouth, no matter how
priceless it is.” Brett shook his head and chuckled again. “You really will
have to tell me about it sometime, after you figure it out.” He raised his
voice, “Have fun, Alyssa. I’ll hang on to the key in case you need to call me
again.”

Shane could hear her grumbling as Brett’s laughter followed
him down the hall. He was torn. Did he make coffee and talk to Alyssa as he
knew he should or did he take the easy way out and rejoin her in bed,
postponing the inevitable? Or should he be a complete coward and take her home,
avoiding the whole issue for now? Then again, maybe he’d have a stroke of luck
and Alyssa didn’t see their ending up in bed together as an issue. Shane
immediately dismissed his last thought. Knowing her, Campini would find
innumerable ways to complicate whatever was happening between them.

“Uh-oh, you’re scowling and I wasn’t even in the room,”
Alyssa startled him out of his thoughts. “Does that mean Brett’s calling Kiley
and Jordan as we speak?”

“No, despite what you think, Brett’s cool. He’ll keep his
mouth shut unless he catches us alone,” Shane sighed. “I was just thinking.”

“Judging by your expression, I assume it had something to do
with me. You don’t have to worry, McKade. I’m not going to go all
Fatal
Attraction
on you.”

Shane opted for the easy answer. “Phew, am I glad to hear
that.” He grinned, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat. “Want some
coffee?”

“Now? I was kind of hoping you would demonstrate some of
those combined sensations you were blustering about. Or did you only mention
that to distract me because you thought I’d lose it being chained to you with
no way out?”

He finally noticed she was wearing one of his shirts,
unbuttoned. Raking her from head to toe, he leered. “Campini, if I didn’t know
better, I’d think I was starting to grow on you.”

She stared at his groin. “Well, part of you definitely is.
Follow me, McKade.” She turned, sliding out of his shirt and strolled back to
the bedroom.

“I can’t believe that a big, tough badass like you uses
bubble bath.” Alyssa giggled as Shane poured something into the tub.

“It’s not bubble bath. It’s an essential oil used to promote
peace and tranquility. It’s also good for your skin.” His swirled the water to
test the temperature.

“Well, excuse me.” She giggled harder. “Essential oil,
that’s a hoot. As if you would know about that sort of thing.”

Shane plainly heard the sarcasm. “Actually, I know quite a
lot about aromatherapy. Herbal teas and holistic spices too.”

“Sure you do.” Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Next you’ll tell me
you used feng shui to arrange your furniture and pick the colors of the walls
and rugs.”

“Not entirely. Want me to take a look at your apartment?
With the constant hostility you radiate, I can tell it’s not the right
environment for you.”

“Wait a second, you’re serious here.”

“Don’t sound so amazed, Campini. Not all things are as they
appear at first glance.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were gay.”

“Why, you think only a gay man would admit to knowing these
things? That’s incredibly shallow of you. Surprising too, with the way you
delve into the lives of the people you photograph.”

“So how do you know this stuff?”

“I learned from a woman I dated a few years ago. Before you
ask, yes, we did spend more than a few hours together.”

Alyssa stared, open-mouthed, unable to think of a quick
comeback. “You don’t have to get so touchy. I just had no idea you aren’t
really the narrow-minded brute you came across as when I met you.” When he
didn’t respond, she continued, feeling oddly nervous that she’d offended him,
“I’m sorry, okay? You’re right. I shouldn’t make snap judgments about your
personality even though you always go out of your way to bully me.”

“When have I ever bullied you?” Shane turned off the water
and stepped into the tub, indicating she should sit in front of him.

Alyssa joined him, relaxing between his thighs with her back
against his chest. “Only every time you talked to me before my birthday.”

“You’re kidding, right? You think I was bullying you?”

“It sure as hell seemed like it to me. And if you weren’t,
then what were you doing, coming on like a Neanderthal the way you did?”

“I was trying to make you to see how dangerous what you were
doing was. It was irresponsible…”

“Hey hang on here! What the hell do you mean irresponsible?
I didn’t ask you to get involved. If you remember, I’m the one who told you to
stop interfering.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what? I was fine before you started showing up all over
the place. Thank goodness I was wrapping up or I would have lost everything.”

“Campini, are you naïve or just plain stupid? You could have
been raped. Beaten. Both repeatedly before they got bored and killed you. You
don’t just walk up to the nearest gang member and insist on speaking with the
guy in charge.”

“Well I did it and it worked out great. I explained what I
intended and they accepted that I wasn’t there to betray anyone. They
understood that I was looking to show the human side of kids like themselves
who ended up in their situation. They trusted me.”

“I doubt that. It’s much more likely they were waiting for
you to finish so they could take your pictures before they did whatever they’d
decided to do with you.” Shane took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t want to argue
about this. I’ll never believe that you weren’t in serious danger and you’ll
never understand that you were so let’s just drop it. All we’re doing is
creating tension and the whole purpose of this bath is to relax us before we go
to lunch with our parents.”

Alyssa shot up to face him. “What the hell do you mean,
lunch with our parents!”

“Weren’t you paying attention? Last night my parents invited
yours to join them so they could get better acquainted. I mentioned I had
planned on spending some time with mine and I assumed that you’d want to see
yours too since Jordan told me you don’t visit them very often. Didn’t they
suggest you come along too?”

“No. Just what, exactly, do you expect me to wear to this
little get-together, McKade?”

“My tuxedo jacket, of course. Wasn’t that the bargain?”

“Not in this lifetime! You said twenty-four in twenty-four
and I had to wear your jacket for a drink. You did not include anything about
lunch or our parents! And you haven’t fulfilled your part of this yet.”

“Not yet but you know I will. I have until ten, remember.”

“Yeah and lunch is way before ten so don’t go counting any
chickens.”

“Don’t look so fierce, Campini. Can’t you take a joke? I
thought you could wear my sweats back to your place to change before we go to
lunch. You don’t have to wear my coat until we have that drink.”

“McKade,” she growled.

“Sh, come back here.” He pulled her against his chest.
“We’re supposed to be relaxing, not arguing. If you don’t want to go to lunch,
I’ll drop you off and pick you up later. I just thought it was a good idea
since we both promised to make an attempt at being nice to each other. I
figured it would make Jordan and Kiley happy if they heard how civilized we
were in public without them refereeing.” While he was speaking, Shane started a
lazy massage.

“I guess we could manage that.” When his hands finally found
her breasts, she moaned. “Mm, that’s good. Maybe I need to rethink this whole
essential oil bit.”

“The oil helps, Campini but the sensation is all me.”

“Don’t get cocky on me, McKade. I’m enjoying this too much
and I’d hate for you to ruin it.”

“I’m already cocky, Pixie Queen,” he whispered huskily,
letting one hand roam lower as he nuzzled his erection against her back.

“Shut up, asshole,” she whimpered when his hand found her
nub. “God, you have me so sensitive.”

“Want me to stop?” he asked, sliding two fingers into her
pussy while he kissed her neck.

“Are you insane? Why the hell would I want you to stop now?”

“I don’t want to make you sore.” He made sure his thumb
grazed her clit as he probed deeper. When he rolled her nipple between his
fingers and caressed her ear with his tongue, he felt her telltale tremble
begin.

“You’re not… I’m… Oh…” She gasped as yet another climax
swept through her. Before she knew it, Shane lifted her enough to impale her
with his shaft.

“God,” he groaned as she engulfed him. “I can’t believe how
hard you still make me after all the times I already came.”

“And I can’t believe how wet you make me,” she moaned as he
started to move within her. “Too bad we don’t like each other. We certainly
have incredible chemistry between us.”

“Yeah too bad,” Shane echoed.

Alyssa thought she heard something different in his tone but
quickly dismissed it as rising passion. God, he was amazing! Never had anyone
turned her on the way he did. And it wasn’t just that she was feeling bare skin
inside her for the first time in her life. Or that he was too, although knowing
that was a bigger turn on than she ever imagined. No it was him, not that. She
hadn’t expected to have this reaction to him when he made the ridiculous claim
that he could guarantee her twenty-four orgasms in twenty-four hours. Well, he
still had eleven hours to go and she was about to have number fourteen.

What was even more unexpected was the way she was enjoying
being with him. Even arguing had become fun. Unfortunately, Shane had made it
clear from the start that he was only doing it to fulfill the challenge she
threw back at him with while they were dancing. He’d been so sure of himself he
hadn’t even let her determine the consequences if he failed. The way he
insisted that she not bother unless the unthinkable happened and he didn’t
deliver what he boasted had made her furious. The nerve of him to claim that
there was no need for her to waste time thinking about a suitable penance for
him! And now that it was obvious that he would succeed, she was annoyed and
strangely off balance. She’d assumed he was just an overbearing, egotistical
cop. Instead, she’d discovered he was a good conversationalist, knowledgeable
and interesting. He was attentive and considered her responses thoroughly
before he commented. He was a more generous lover than she’d ever experienced,
even in her dreams.

Yes, Shane McKade was proving himself to be fantasy
material. Good thing she was leaving for her next assignment soon. That way he
wouldn’t have time to wreck her new impressions and go back to being just
another asshole, out to see if he could get what he wanted before she got sick
of him.

“Hey, Campini, where are you?” Shane interrupted her
musings.

“Just recuperating, stud. A girl needs time to collect
herself after something like that.”

Shane tipped her head to kiss her. “So that means my pixie
queen is pleased?”

“Why are you calling me that?”

“Because you’re, what’s the politically correct term these
days, petite? But, in spite of your physical size, you have the commanding
presence of royalty.”

“You are so full of it. I’m already willing, McKade. False
flattery won’t get you anything more.”

“You mean this isn’t going to earn me the continued pleasure
of your company after lunch?” He teased her with another kiss.

“I figured that was already a given, seeing as how you haven’t
lived up to your challenge yet.”

“You know, I wasn’t really serious about keeping a running
total for you but, if you’re up for it, so am I.”

“No way am I letting you back out of this now that I’ve
discovered all your hidden and unexpected talents. I’m curious to see what else
you have in your sexual repertoire.”

“It pleases me that you noticed, Pixie Queen. I am, after
all, merely your humble servant, at your disposal. I’m honored that you have
such faith in my abilities, especially after the way you scoffed at me last
night.”

“Humble servant, my ass!” She laughed with him. “Besides,
that was before I had a sample of your expertise.” She grew serious. “I really
don’t make a habit of casual sex, McKade.”

“I never really thought you did and so you know, neither do
I.” They stared at each other for an extended moment. “We’d better shower. I
want to wash your hair and we don’t have all that much time before lunch.”

“We have an hour and a half. It’ll only take me five minutes
to change. What’s the rush?”

“I didn’t say anything about rushing. I said I wanted to
wash your hair. I think you’ll find it an enjoyable experience.” His gaze
echoed the heat he implied.

“Oh, I see. So this is going to be like those shampoo
commercials?”

He stood, tugging her up with him and pulled the drain plug.
Positioning her so she was out of the spray until he had the water temperature
adjusted, he said, “No, this is going to be much better.”