Permanent (Indelibly Marked) (Volume 1) (30 page)

Carson was always the peacemaker.

“Ivan helped me rearrange the table. Please.” His mom tugged her out of his arms. “Let’s go fix you up.”

“I’ll touch up your makeup.” Emily held up her bag and flanked Lindsay’s other side.

His mother led her out. “Let’s go to my room and I’ll show you some of Shane’s baby pictures. I have a whole stack of embarrassing ones you can blackmail him with.”

When the girls laughed and Lindsay allowed them to take her away, the four men remained in the bathroom, crowded and silent. Carson checked his hair and Ivan washed his hands.

“She’ll be okay.” His dad patted Shane’s shoulder.

“I know.” He kept putting her in tough positions, yet she seemed to take it all in stride. How much more could she take? What about the letter?

“Dillon has troubles.”

Shane shrugged. “We’re done.”

“He said you kicked him out.”

“He almost made me lose her once, and it was the last straw.” He spun to his father. “This is our first family event together. Why should she have to deal with the mess he created?”

“Shane.”

“What if it was mom?” He clenched his fists. “Do you even know what he said to her?”

Both men turned to Carson.

Carson shook his head. “It’s exactly what you think he said.”

“Dad.” Shane willed his father to do something. The fact that Lindsay didn’t break up with him shocked him. How many times would it have to be thrown up to her how different they were before she bolted? He took a breath and caught sight of the four of them in the mirror. When he met her parents, what would they think of him? “I’m committed to her.”

 “All right. I understand.” His father nodded. “Any girl that would slap someone twice her size for her guy is a keeper. You better watch it around her.” He let out a laugh.

Shane couldn’t smile. Even if his father didn’t know it, he spoke the truth. He couldn’t show her the letters after all that. He needed to give them time. She couldn’t keep defending him. He was the man.

“Come on, let’s find Linds and I’ll show you where I put Dillon.” Ivan grinned.

“Where?” Shane needed to see this.

Ivan always played the bouncer for his family. “The kiddie table.”

For the first time in his life he didn’t find joy in Dillon’s humiliation because it came at Lindsay’s expense. He couldn’t fight it anymore. Big changes were on his horizon. Her family would accept him no matter what. He scratched his nails down the side of his Mohawk as they walked out of the crammed bathroom.

*~*~*

Shane entered the bedroom shirtless with a towel over his neck. Lindsay stopped brushing her hair and bit her lip, certain there wasn’t a more sexy man alive. She was also certain he had a lot ticking away in his mind, especially after she slapped his brother. They hadn’t been alone since the incident.

“Hey, baby.” He tossed the towel aside and pulled off his sweat pants leaving only his navy boxer briefs. “What are you thinking about?”

At that precise second, the bulge in his blue boxer briefs had her attention. Even when not aroused, it was impressive. She frowned. They were in his parents’ home and she’d already done enough damage.

“Nothing.” She resumed her brushing.

“May I?” He held his hand out and joined her on the small double bed.

She gave him the brush. Shudders traveled down her back when he carefully sectioned her hair to brush it out. With his fingertips grazing her shoulders and his breath tickling her back, tingles coursed through her.

He brushed out one section. Before he continued, he put the brush down and pressed his forehead to her back.

Last time he brushed her hair, it quickly progressed from brushing, to kissing, and creating a craving in her that only he had the ingredients to satisfy.

Rather than using one of his patented lines about running to Vegas or having sex, he shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” Her chest constricted.

He moaned and she clutched the sheet. His lack of words was completely out of character.

After an extended silence, he spoke. “Lindsay, can I talk to you?”

Her body went numb. Nothing good could come from that question. Maybe the incident spotlighted the insurmountable differences between them . She didn’t move or blink, but she managed to get out one word. “Yes.”

Shane moved in front of her, leaving a cold spot where his forehead had been, and she pressed her lips together.

If she looked at him, the numbness would fade and she needed to be strong. Over his shoulder, she studied the stickers and drawings on the wall of Shane’s old bedroom.

He spoke but rather than hearing him, she filled in what he wanted to say. This might be her first relationship, but his demeanor told her everything. She opened up the ledger she had tried to lock close. They were too different, she slapped his brother and ruined the party, the relationship was too much work, too serious, too fast, and they needed time apart. She hoped the numbness stayed.

“I’m so sorry about what happened today.” He took her hand. “I hope that didn’t wreck anything with us.”

She stared at one of the stickers, black and white and advertising surfboard wax. Shane didn’t surf, it would involve the sun and wrecked his tattoos. Wreck…he used that word about them. She blinked, what did he say? “Us?”

“Are you crying?” He slid into her field of vision.

“What?” A tear slid down her face.

“Tell me what’s going on.” He grasped her shoulders harder.

“Are you breaking up with me?” She might as well let it out.

“Hell no!”

The wonderful words jolted her back. Her body was wracked with pinprick prickles and she trembled.

“I’m not breaking up with you.” He pulled her into his arms. “I wanted to make sure we were cool after all this.”

She touched his smooth chest and breathed in the scent of his soap. “We’re cool.” With her nail she traced the outline of some of the gears and other cords on his biomechanical tattoo.

“Yeah, I can tell.” He moved her hair aside, pressed his palm to her face and kissed her.

Shane had several different types of kisses. There was his quick kiss. A fast peck wherever his lips happened to land and served as an acknowledgement. He also had what she dubbed their couples kiss. More than his quick kiss, this was the kiss to alert the world they were a couple, but not too intense to rile them up. Of course, there was her favorite kiss, his passionate kiss. His private kiss, the one telling her what he wanted, and what he wanted was her.

Now she added another kiss to her list. This kiss was different and she didn’t know exactly how to classify it. The kiss started soft, his lips molding against hers. He took his time as if he was studying her mouth. He sucked her lower lip and then only opened his mouth a little, like he needed a taste. Gentle and calm, the new kiss warmed her.

“Baby.” He turned out the light and reclined on the bed taking her with him, treating her to another indescribable kiss.

Since the night they first made love, they hadn’t spent much time holding each other. For her, everything was still new. However, there in his childhood bedroom on that tiny bed with the well-worn sheets, they lay together side by side, and she’d never felt closer.

He grabbed the bottom of her nightgown, lifting it up over her head. “I need to feel you against me.” He caressed her breasts.

They continued and he moved to his back, pulling her over him. He cupped her bottom in both his hands.

“I need you, too.” His fingertips teased her nipples to attention and she kissed him harder.

She loved the feeling of being surrounded by him, but when he hooked his fingers on the sides of her panties she sat up. “Shane.”

“Don’t worry, I have condoms. I stashed some when you were in the shower.” He reached into a mug pulling out several condoms strung together and leaned up for another kiss.

She put her hands on his chest, stopping him. “We’re at your parents’ house.”

“They made four kids here.” He tried to pull her down.

“I don’t want to ruin anything else for them.” She straddled his waist and bit her nail.

“We’ll keep it quiet. No one will know.” He placed her hand on the front of his briefs.

As she stroked him, she completely forgot where they were and reached inside. With him hard and thick yet silky smooth, her body reacted and she had to have him.

He moaned and bucked his hips, telling her to squeeze him tighter. When she obeyed he rewarded her by pressing his thumb directly on the right spot outside her underwear rubbing in a tight circular motion. This man always knew exactly how to drive her crazy and she moved her hips in time with his ministrations, trying not to make a sound.

“You are so gorgeous when you’re turned on and soaking wet for me.” He dipped his fingers under her panties. “I only want to be with you, baby. I don’t care where we are. I just need all of you.”

He expressed her needs perfectly, and her stomach coiled. She rose up on her knees and somehow they both managed to rid themselves of the last of their clothing. At the tell-tale crinkle of the opening of a cellophane wrapper telling her Shane would soon be inside her, her body gushed in want and she moved to turn on her back.

“Hurry, Shane.” She was going to go over the edge before they even made love.

He put the condom on and stopped her from rolling over. “Stay right here. Make love to me.”

She opened her eyes. Sure, they had been experimenting, but she never had the guts to be on top.

“Please, I want to see you.” He leaned up on his elbows and kissed her. “I want to watch you come on me. I want you to make me come.”

The image in her mind was both naughty and sexy. All she wanted was to have him inside her and relieve the aching need he created.

Shane positioned her and she licked her lips as she slipped down, her body taking over his. “Oh.” By the time she lowered completely, she needed to grind against him.

“That’s right, baby.” He gripped her hips. “You have the control, do what feels good.”

With his permission, she alternated between moving her hips in a circle allowing her to take him deep, and gliding up and down his length, deliciously impaling herself repeatedly.

“Perfect, don’t stop,” Shane panted and hit the wall. “That’s perfect.”

“Shane.” A powerful climax bore down and she tensed as it overcame her.

“Lindsay, faster!”

Her breath hitched. “Now.” She hung her head. Almost there. “Please.”

“Yes.” He grabbed her behind, held her in place and thrust deep.

The faster he plunged, the more intense her need became. The release, the waves, the pulsing pleasure overtook everything, including her good sense.

“Oh Jeez.” He lifted his hips and the bed hit the wall with his climax.

She collapsed on him as he contracted within her.

“Oh man.” He choked out through labored breathing.

With her mouth open, she looked at him and then turned away, not believing what they’d done.

“We’re incredible together.” He tangled his hand in her hair. “I love how you just let loose like that.”

“Really?” A weird ill feeling settled in her chest. Would she ever be able to be so free and comfortable with someone else? The Lindsay she wanted to be would never worry about that, if one lover left she would find another, but that wasn’t her. She did these things because of Shane.

He tilted her face up to him. “We can do anything together.”

“I hope so.” She smiled. His words warmed her heart and before her mind clouded with self-doubt she took a breath, blowing the clouds away.

“We can.” It sounded like a pledge. He moved away to take care of the condom and took her into his arms. “We can. Just watch.”

With her whole heart she wanted to believe him. In an attempt to distract her thoughts, she raked her nails down his arm. “How come your tattoos don’t go up your neck or down your hands.”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I promised my mother that when she died I would be able to go to her funeral in a suit and no one would see the tattoos. She made me sign a paper and everything.”

Knowing Kathleen, she could totally picture the scene and laughed.

“Whatever,” he grunted.

She scratched down to his forearm. “Right about here is your painter’s palate.”

He arched his back. “Oh my God.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t think I could be horny again, but it turns me on that you know that.” In the darkness he found her lips and kissed. “We have plenty of condoms.”

“We can’t do it again.”

“Why?” Shane rolled her onto her back. “I can’t sleep here. We may as well experiment more.”

“You slept here for years.” Now she did get out her ledger and chose to read it to Shane. “We are still at your parents’ house, we lucked out no one heard us, and it’s your dad’s birthday.”

“So? I’m sure he does it on his birthday.” He moved on top of her.

“But …” Her protest didn’t convince even her.

“We’ll be quiet.” He kissed her ear. “Look how well we did before.”

She almost acquiesced when someone pounded on the door. “Shane.” She pulled him down.

“Good work you two.” Carson hit the door once more. “You woke everyone up.”

Without another word, Shane moved off her, adjusted their pillows and lay down.

“Shane,” she whispered.

“It’s natural to make love.”

“You didn’t have to hit the wall.” She would never be able to look his family in the eye.

“You did some screaming of your own.” He chuckled. “Hey, it really felt good. You should be very pleased you made your man so happy.”

“Fine. We’ll have to crawl out the window tomorrow when it’s time to leave.”

“As long as we’re crawling out together, I’m good.” He hugged her. “You can get me back when I meet your parents.”

She groaned. Just the day before, her parents gave her the dates for their California trip.

“I will be the model boyfriend.”

The clouds rolled in. Her parents were not his parents.

Chapter Twenty-Four