And she was involved. In the span of a heartbeat, Shane Callaghan had not only captured her interest, he’d also managed to snag her heart in the process. It was a little scary, especially for someone like Lacie, who allowed very few people to get close. She loved her kids and those select few within her inner circle, but outside of her immediate family, Lacie guarded her heart fiercely. It was not something she would give easily or freely, but when she did, she would do so completely. Looking at Shane now, she was afraid it had slipped away on its own, and she found she had no desire to call it back.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, the sudden realization and intensity of her feelings making her a bit shy. “For... everything.” For coming. For staying. For watching over her. Making waffles. Kissing her until she was sure her insides had melted together. The color rose in her cheeks as she recalled the way it felt to have his lips and hands on her, the way his heart pounded against her chest...
Desire flared in his eyes, letting her know that he was very much aware of the particular direction her thoughts were headed. With Corinne watching them intently, there was nothing much either of them could do about it. That smile, though, suggested he would very much like to.
Soon, his eyes said with a flash of that luminous, dark blue that made her think of sapphires lit from within. It was a unique shade that she now associated solely with Shane’s desire.
I can’t wait, she answered, lowering her lids in just the slightest hint of submission.
Their silent, secret conversation thrilled her.
*
His grin grew, inwardly glad he’d had the foresight to keep his shirt untucked. The woman could make him harder than iron with just a look from those bedroom eyes. “My pleasure,” he answered, his voice a sexual purr that betrayed his illusion of total self-control. It was just as well she arrived when she did; he would be far less inclined to see to some of those items on his new to-do list otherwise.
“I have some things I need to see to today. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?”
She flushed and averted her eyes. The little vixen was clearly thinking naughty things, and that knowledge only increased the aching throb in his cock. Across the room, Corinne sighed.
After ensuring that Corinne would be spending the afternoon with Lacie – he did not want Lacie here alone with Davidson until he had a chance to cool off - Shane forced himself to leave.
There were several other scenarios he would have preferred. One was sending Corinne on her way and spending the rest of the day pleasuring Lacie. Another was to take Lacie with him back to his room at the Pub where he would get Ian started on vamping up security, then spend the rest of the day making love to her. His favorite had him doing both – loving her here, then gathering her and taking her back to his place, safe among his family - and doing it all over again.
In the end, though, he leashed his raging arousal, caging it for a more opportune time, preferably when Lacie wasn’t feeling quite so vulnerable. But he could not keep himself from claiming her mouth in one final, soul-searing kiss that screamed possession, taking satisfaction in the open-mouthed shock on Corinne’s face and the dazed, entranced look on Lacie’s.
*
Later that evening when her cell phone chimed, Lacie was prepared. She had it resting beside her as she re-read the official, bureaucratic responses to her latest inquiries into what was being done to locate her brother. It bothered her that Craig had been sifting through it. She knew he didn’t believe that Brian was still alive, but for her sake, he refrained from saying so very often.
“I’m breaking protocol again by calling so soon, but I wanted your voice to be the last thing I heard before I go to sleep tonight.” Shane’s deep male voice flowed through the small device and directly into her heart. Damn if the man didn’t just make her insides squirm in the most wonderful way.
“I’ll allow it,” she said. “But only because your voice is pretty fine, too.”
He answered with a soft hum that made her tingle in the most feminine places. It was exactly the same sound he’d made right before he’d kissed her earlier. She understood it for what it was - a warning of considerable restraint. “Is Corinne still there?”
“No, she went back to our parents’ house.”
“She couldn’t stay?” Lacie heard the frown in his voice.
“I’m a big girl, Shane.”
“I know you are. I’d be a pervert otherwise, wouldn’t I?”
She laughed. “Yes, I suppose you would.”
A moment of quiet. “Has he been by again?”
“No.”
There was a hesitation, as if Shane wanted to say something but was looking for the right words. “He seemed very upset earlier, Lacie.”