Keep Me (Shelter Me #3)

Keep Me

By

Kathy Coopmans

© 2015

Keep Me © 2015 Kathy Coopmans

Cover Design © 2015 Sommer Stein

Photography © 2015 Eric David Battershell

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission by the author. All rights are reserved.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to eStore and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is dedicated to my husband, Tony. The minute our eyes connected, I knew right there I would spend the rest of my life with you!

Chapter One

Shelby

A quick look at my alarm clock tells me I have about two hours before I have to leave for the airport to head to Michigan and help my sister with final touches on her wedding. A ping of excitement courses through my body as I think about her and my niece Sierra and how happy Adam has made them.

Adam is a rare man. A man I know truly loves my sister and her daughter. Knowing she will never be in harm’s way again gives me enough courage to swing my legs over the bed, stretch, and get my ass in gear.

“I’m still going to kick Markus right square in the crack of his ass,” I say out loud, speaking to the four walls in my bedroom. Markus, my best friend since we were little kids, booked my flight for me.

“You’re so busy at work, Swanky,” he’d said. “Let me take a load off of your plate.”

Swanky, my ass. I am not a morning person and he knows it. Who the fuck catches a flight so early in the morning, anyway? Oh… me, that’s right. Forcing myself out of bed, I stretch again, take my first step, and trip over my shoe, stubbing my toe on the carpet.

“Shit, that hurts!”

Sitting back down on the bed, I rub my toe and decide right there that those pointy-toed pumps will be the perfect pair to shove straight up Markus’s ass.

I finished packing last night so everything is ready to go except my Swanky ass. Maybe this three week trip is just what I need to try and get my life back in order. I’m going to enjoy spending time with Sierra while Adam and Erin are off for a two week honeymoon to Italy, a surprise for my sister from Adam.

Erin is obsessed with vineyards. A huge grin sweeps across my face thinking about the look on her face when she finds out where they are going and especially where they are getting married. Erin thinks they are getting married at the Luke and Shayne’s house. HA! Little does she know where Mr. Romantic has really planned for their wedding to be. She is going to cry her eyes out and then scream at all of us for keeping it from her. The pictures Shayne showed me are going to take my sister’s breath away when she sees everything.

Leaning over to switch on the light, I grab the remote off my nightstand and flick on the television, abruptly halting as I stare at the scene on the morning news.

“You have got to be shitting me!” I exclaim to myself. I seem to be talking to myself more and more lately.

My eyes bug out of my head and my mouth hangs wide open as I gawk at the screen. The weatherman is displaying a map showing that Michigan is getting a major snowstorm. Up to twelve inches are expected over the next twenty four hours.

Oh, my God! I hate snow and cold. Like being cold is the worst thing
ever
. Panic really starts to set in as I throw the remote onto my bed and hoof it over to my closet to pull out another suitcase. I stand there looking over all the clothes in my closet.

I love living in flipping Texas where it’s warm. Even though I was warned by Erin and Adam that it’s freezing cold in Michigan, I figured my jeans and sweatshirts would be enough. I am going to freeze my damn ass off, like, literally. I am far from being conceited, but I kind of like my ass. Lord knows I work hard enough at it with all the yoga I do.

Speaking of yoga, I rush over to the shelf where I keep all my DVDs and swipe a handful of my favorite workouts. No way in hell am I going out into that freezing ass weather any more than I have to.

“Who the hell gets married outside at a vineyard in the middle of freaking winter, anyway?” I bitch again to no one as I pull down every sweatshirt and pair of jeans I own and just throw them into the suitcase along with the DVDs, not caring at this point if they get wrinkled or not.

Closing the lid and zipping it up, I bend down and grab the handle and wheel the suitcase across the floor alongside the other two. Busting my ass back across the room, I turn on the shower, take off my clothes, and get in.

“Ahh.” This is just what I needed.

My nerves have been wound up a little tight for the past week. It couldn’t be because I am about to see the man I dream about constantly. The man with the emerald green eyes, short dark hair, and killer body. No, not that man; especially not the man who, every time I use all three of my vibrators to get myself off, I wish was him instead.

“Damn it.”

I drop my bottle of shampoo on the floor when I feel that ache in my core that hits every time I think of Antonio Schavone.

“Ugh!” I bang my head on the tile wall. “Fucking shit balls!” I scream.

This is going to be three long weeks of torture. At least I packed enough batteries with my vibrators. I am definitely going to need them.

“Swanky, you better be about ready,” Markus calls up the stairs in his little queen voice like he’s on top of a rainbow and his box of Lucky Charms is waiting for him at the bottom.

“In here,” I call to him from my bedroom standing with my hair dripping wet and a towel wrapped around me.

“Well, I am coming in.”

Yup, he’s in a mood today. A good mood. I can tell by the sound of his voice- all sappy and sweet.

“I’m naked, so no, you’re not,” I retort in a singsong voice.

“Girl, do you really think seeing you naked is going to do a damn thing for me?
Please
.”

He waves his hand as he enters my room.

“Markus, I don’t care if you’re gay or not. I am still naked, so get out until I am dressed.”

I place my hands on my hips and try to act all badass against my friend, who I know damn well isn’t going to move from the middle of my bed now that he has plopped his ass down.

“Really, get up. Go make me some coffee, would you? I’m running late.”

Markus quirks an eyebrow as he still just sits there. No, now he leans back and props himself on one of my pillows. Crossing his legs one over the other, he starts swinging one leg away.

“Are you for real, Shelby?” he says, waving his hands my way. “For crying out loud, you’re always late and I am always early, so move it. Now, shoo, ’cause seeing your vajayjay ain’t going to turn me on, it’s just going to make me jealous because I
so
want one.”

I’m falling over laughing at how brassy he is.

“You asshole.”

“Nope, got one of those there assholes, sugar, but I ain’t one.”

His eyebrows go up again and a self-satisfied look spreads across his face.

“Well, you are not seeing my ‘vajayjay’.” I grab my panties and walk into the bathroom to shimmy them on.

“Why not?” Markus hollers as I drop my towel and put on my bra.

“Why not what?” I yell back.

“Maybe I want to see what you’re hiding underneath your work uniform. Hell, it’s all you wear these days, anyway. Plus, the only time I have ever really seen one was from those porn movies you and I watched. I was staring more at the big dicks those studs had rather than some coochie. But hey, maybe I want to swing over to the other side or become bisexual. You never know until you try something once, right?”

I scoff at his bluntness. If I showed him my coochie, he would run for the hills. I shake my head as I continue to get dressed.

“Just shut it, Markus.”

“Someone needs to see it besides that old wrinkled up, should-be-retired gynecologist you go to.”

That’s it! I have had it with him already this morning and I have to spend an hour in the car driving to the airport with him.

“You are annoying as hell, Markus!”

I exit my bathroom sans shirt, standing in the doorway giving him an ‘if looks could kill’ glare. 

“What?” he says innocently, batting his eyelashes and looking oh so much like a damn girl laying there all sprawled out on my bed in red skinny jeans and a black t-shirt with some bling saying on it that I can’t read from here.

“Is today ‘Rip Shelby a New Asshole’ day? What the fuck, Markus?” Irritating shit. “Let me tell you, this getting up before anyone else in the entire state sucks big balls. You’re the one who needs an ass beating, not me.”

“Oh, my precious, hot little friend. Keep talking dirty to me. I’m getting a major boner here.”

“Oh, can I see it?” I say in a high-pitched voice, rolling my eyes and clasping my hands together, pretending to be excited.

“Hell, yeah, you can see it. But really, come on. You know you don’t have the goods to turn me on. I think you are the most beautiful creature ever created, but I’m
SSA
, Swanky.”

“
SSA
? What the hell is that?”

“Same Sex Attraction. You know, like dicks, cocks. I bet anything that hot lawyer in Michigan is fucking packed with one of those. Dayum.” He gives himself a little lift of his shoulders. “Oh and to answer your question, no. It’s ‘Shelby Needs to Go to Michigan and Finally Get Herself Thoroughly Fucked’ day.”

His face is serious and I am going to kill him if he doesn’t quit bringing this crap up. I eyeball the pointy-toed shoe on the floor again. He most definitely needs it upside that damn head of his.

And I swear, this man has abbreviations of nicknames for everything. I kind of like the SSA thing, though. I shake my head at him. He shrugs and then all of a sudden he shoots straight up in bed, his mouth hanging open. He can’t take his eyes off of my chest, which makes me immediately look down. Shit, damn, and double hell. My boobs are hanging out. I didn’t clasp my bra in the front before I stormed out of the bathroom.

I quickly fumble around and stuff my boobs in my bra, clasping the front and adjusting them just so. I look up at Markus, who has a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Damn, Swanky, those are huge! Now tell me why you would cover those?”He gestures toward me with his hands. “Shit! If I were a woman and had a pair of tits like those, I sure as shit wouldn’t be covering them up. No damn way. You’re smoking hot, girl. I like cocks, but dayum, sista. Look at you.” 

Scooting his body to the edge of the bed, he reaches for me. I know he really doesn’t care about my boobs. I love him anyway for the simple fact that no one on this earth makes me feel more loved and cherished than he does. I scuttle my way over to him and sit down on his lap.

“I love you, honey. And I’m only giving you a hard time, you know that, right?”

He pats my back and brings me in for a big Markus bear hug. All thoughts of being mad at him are forgotten.

“I know.”

“Let’s be serious for a minute here, okay?”

Rolling my eyes and frowning, I pull my face away from his shoulder, which has been my safe place for months. There is nothing better than a six foot three, muscular, bald headed, tatted up Markus hug. Knowing what he is going to say before it even spills out of his mouth, I brace myself for the ‘talk’ I have heard over and over ever since I returned from Michigan a few months ago.

“Oh, come on. Don’t look at me like that,” he says, his voice dripping with sympathy.

“Look at you like what?”

“Like you know exactly what it is I am going to say.”

“That’s because I
do
know. You tell me every single day and the answer is still no.”

“Well, fuck it. I am saying it again, and maybe this time it will sink into that damn thick skull of yours and you’ll listen to me.”

We have been best friends since forever, but I am going to welcome getting a break from hearing this every day, that’s for damn sure. I can handle listening to him one more time and hope like hell that when I return home in a few weeks, he will never talk about it again.
es.apple.com/us/book/rescue-me/id957343856?mt=11

Markus hesitates for the longest time before he says something I never expected him to.

“Now, I’m not saying you need to jump into bed with anyone and give up the most precious gift anyone has. You have held onto it for a reason, and I admire you for doing so. But sweetheart, you’re miserable and lonely.”

I am not lonely! Miserable, yes, but it’s not for the reason he is obviously thinking. I do not need to get laid. He has been telling me for months, no, years, what I have been missing when it comes to a man’s dick.

I go to talk and he places his hand over my mouth.

“No. I don’t want to hear any sass coming out of your mouth. Just listen.”

“Okay, friend. I’m listening.”

“Good. Now let that sink in and think about it on your long flight.”

It’s as if he just read my thoughts. He knows me too well.

“I hear you on the phone, you know, sometimes at work when you’re talking to Erin.”

Where is he going with this? He’s lost me now.

“You’ve been eavesdropping on my phone calls?”

Suddenly I get a little irritated. I go to stand up and he tightens his grip.

“Damn it, Shelby! For Christ’s sake, for once in your damn life keep your mouth shut and listen to me. God, you are so damn stubborn,” he bursts out, his voice on the verge of being pissed.

Reeling my anger in, I nod again.

“You’re going to be around Antonio a lot when you’re up there, so go have some fun. Don’t shut him out like you do everyone else but me and Erin. Go up there and have the time of your life. And for fuck’s sake, smile and laugh. I have not heard you laugh at all since you’ve been back, and I miss it. I miss my best friend.”