Keep Me (Shelter Me #3) (9 page)

“I don’t think I have any idea what I am in for when it comes to you, Shelby, but one thing I do know is there is no way I have ever felt a kiss as explosive as that.”

“Me either,” I whisper.

“Good, because the moment we met and you opened your sexy, feisty little mouth, there was something that stirred inside of me and I have yet to figure out exactly what that something is. You easily slipped under my skin, Firecracker, and I'll be damned to hell if I will let you walk away from me again without making you see that we have something here.”

He’s right. There
is
something between the two of us. There has been since we spoke our first words to each other. The problem is, I am not the same woman he met several months ago. I still know right from wrong, though, and damn it, he feels right. But what hurts the most is, it would be wrong of me to let him in any farther than he already is.

Chapter Nine

Antonio

Shelby and I stand there, staring at each other. No words. Just staring. Funny how the eyes at times tell what a person is thinking. I am reading this woman like an open book. She’s struggling with a shit ton of emotions right now, from one end of the spectrum to the next.

There is sorrow, pain, excitement, and pure, unrefined lust looking deeply back at me. I tilt my head to the side, trying to decipher which one of these troubling sensations of hers I need to tackle first. My heart drops as I study her facial features and see more pain etched in the hue of her desolate baby blues.

“Talk to me, ” I whisper.

I allow my head to drop until our foreheads are touching, never once robbing myself of her enchanting beauty.

She has me in such a trance with how innocent she is, and yet she has a barrier shielding both her mind and her heart. My past may be part of why she is denying that there is much more than chemistry between us, but I can’t change it and I won’t make excuses for it. It was all before I met her. My
bella petardo
has bewitched me. Tamed the un-tamable. I want all of her, and by God, I am going to keep pushing until she knows it.

She wavers as if she is waiting for me to pull away from her before she answers, so I do. I remove myself from her personal space, even though I hate not having her in my arms where she belongs. When she finally speaks, her words slice me in half.

“I… I’m scared. Of everything.”

“What do you mean of everything? Us? This?” I signal my hands back and forth between the two of us.

“Yes, us,” she nods. “But mostly...”

Her gaze drifts to the floor. I want so bad to bring it back up to mine, although I won’t. I want her to do this all on her own, since progress has been made far beyond my expectations today. When she releases a soft deflated laugh, on instinct I run my hand down her arm in more of a friendly manner than a seductive one, and grasp her hand. I entwine our fingers in hopes of relaxing her so she will tell me something, anything, to get the woman back who has me melting right here literally in the palm of her hand.

“There’s so much rattling around in my head right now, Antonio. Things no one but Markus knows. Not even Erin.”

Her tone drips with sadness. Is she giving me an open invitation to ask her what has her so distraught? Shit, I have never had a serious relationship in my life. I sure as hell don’t know how to respond, so I am going to just go with my gut and ask.

“Whatever it is, let me help you. Let me be the one you lean on.”

She needs to know I mean my words. Suddenly it occurs to me why she pulled away from me when we first met, and why she freezes up whenever it comes to me. Shelby is afraid to let me know she’s a virgin. For some reason this gives me an even higher opinion of this remarkable woman. Is she afraid I will reject her for it? Hell, no. To know she is untouched by another man only makes me want her even more.

And fuck me, it’s not even the sex I am thinking about right now. Truth be told, it’s the fact that I could not only be the only man to make love to her ever, but the only man who could ever hold her heart and to have her hold mine. If this is what’s troubling her so badly, I need to put an end to this right now. She needs to know there will be nothing to make me hold back from her.

Standing here teetering on the edge of losing her once again, my mind turns into a bundle of raw nerves trying to think of the right words to say. One wrong word will set this little firecracker off, exploding right in the palm of my hand.

“Did you know you can read so much about a person just by looking into their eyes, Shelby?”

She squints her eyes immediately, which is a telltale sign she doesn’t like what I am saying. Her body tenses up nervously.

“They do,” I nod. “Being a lawyer, I know how to read people well, and right now I can see you have so much going on inside your head.”

A smile curves my lips and my hands cup her face. I want to be able to look her right in the eyes so she knows I am speaking the truth. The only thing I see is her.

“Please, for once, just listen to what I have to say before you say anything. Can you do that for me?”

She simply nods, which lets me know I have her full attention.

“I know you’re a virgin, Shelby.”

Her eyes dart all over the place, which again shows me she feels insecure, trying to avoid this conversation. I am not about to let it happen.

“It doesn’t matter to me if you are, or your reasons behind it. If anything, I have nothing but the utmost respect for you for holding on to your virginity for whatever reason it may be. Clearly there is something happening between us, there has been since the first night we met. You were just too stubborn to realize it then.”

Her mouth starts to open and I know she is ready to come back with some sort of retort, but I shake my head ‘no’ and she snaps it shut.

“What I’m really trying to say is, if this is one of those things running through your mind, I need to put it to rest and let you know I’m not going anywhere. Certainly not because of that.”

She goes to speak and I silence her by placing a small kiss on her lips. I move my head back an inch or so and shake my head.

“Don’t push me away anymore. Don’t deny either one of us what to me feels so damn right. Like I said before, living miles apart means nothing to me, and I mean
nothing
. I am not asking you to spend the rest of your life with me, and I am not asking you to jump into bed with me, either. What I am asking you for is to give me these two weeks you’re here. Don’t turn your back on me. Don’t run from me anymore. Let’s just have the time of our lives together and take everything else from there. Two weeks, and I will make you see life can be so sweet if you just let it.”

I am being as truthful as I have ever been in my life. I take a deep breath as I watch her forehead pinch while she observes every part of my face. My eyes fix entirely on hers. Her head tilts ever so slightly.

“I- I don’t really know what to say,” she whispers.

I shrug my shoulders.

“Say yes.”

The only sound I hear is the thumping of both of our hearts beating wildly.

“Yes...”

A smile spreads clear across her stunning face, and my knees fucking buckle. Right now this firecracker of a woman standing in front of me has made me the happiest man on the damn planet.

“I will give you the time of your life. I promise that you will never regret it. Whatever other problems or concerns you are worried about, those can all be left unsolved for the next two weeks. Understand?”

Her expression changes with no delay when she cocks her hip and pokes me square in my chest.

“Are you bossing me around, mister?”

“Trust me,
bella petardo,
the minute I boss you around, you’ll know it,” I say sarcastically. 

When I lean in and kiss her full lips, I know the nickname I gave her fits as my heart explodes in an instant just like firecrackers do, with every damn color of the spectrum.

“Eww! That is so gross!”

The pint-size little lady’s comment has me smirking against Shelby’s lips.

“It
is
gross. Don’t ever kiss a boy, Sierra. They have cooties.”

Shelby slinks under my arm to face Sierra, whose nose is wrinkled up.

“I’m hungry, Aunt Shelby,” she says, wrapping her arms around her aunt’s neck the minute Shelby lowers herself to her level.

My gaze travels straight to her ass, which sets my blood rushing south straight to my dick.

Fucking hell, Antonio, you just told her it’s not about the sex!

Well, it’s not, except this woman’s body is rooted in my brain. On the outside she looks like an angel with her long, blonde hair and those eyes. But continue further down and damn, it’s like she turns into a sinful little devil. The best part about it is she has no clue how truly breathtaking she really is. I find her obliviousness to her beauty a form of foreplay to me.

I intend to use any and everything I can think of to my advantage to make her the happy, playful, and oh-so-feisty person she was when I first met her. Whirling back around, I decide the first step is to spoil this girl rotten. Not by buying her material things, but proving to her that she of all people ought to have a man who pampers the ever loving shit out of her.

Shelby won’t take no for an answer as I set out everything to make dinner. I am so damn close to taking her over my knee and throttling her ass in one second flat when she surprises the shit out of me by throwing up her hands in defeat.

“Fine. You win. But mark my words, Antonio, I am the expert in the kitchen. This is the last time you’re cooking for me, got it, you pig-headed...”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

My mouth crashes down on hers, getting the attention it craved. Taking advantage of the fact Sierra is playing in her room, my tongue roams over every part of her delicious mouth. My hands grip the hem of her sweatshirt, pulling her into my body.

I took advantage. That’s the best way I can describe it. She’s giving me her mouth and her sweet kisses and I am taking everything I can, storing them in my memory. Fuck, she tastes so good. If innocence and purity have a flavor, then this has to be what it tastes like.

I crave her. She has the power to cripple me. Our kiss has to be way past the four hundred and fifty degrees I set the oven to. Ironically at that moment, the timer beeps indicating it’s warmed up enough for me to put in the pizza, and I chuckle inside at my thoughts.

Pizza can wait for a damn minute. My eyes are closed and I can still see her. Our noses are touching and all I want to do is breathe deeply to smell her. I am not much of a dancer, yet I know our tongues are in sync as if I am leading and she is following in perfect rhythm. Tilting my head further to the right, I begin to trace every curve, every crevice of her mouth I can find.

When her tongue sweeps deeply into my mouth repeating my exact moves, I know I am a fucking goner. This isn’t a dry make out session like you have when you’re a teenager and have no clue what you’re doing. This right here is a kiss between two adults who, if I have anything to say about it, will kiss this way until I shed my very last breath.

Needing to break apart before all the oxygen leaves my lungs, I unhurriedly separate my tongue and then my mouth from hers. When our lips part and she lets out a small laugh, my brows peak at her unexpected reaction.

“I am beginning to think we’re going to be doing that a lot,” she says, nipping at my chin as she speaks. Damn little tease.

“Why is that?”

Fucking hell. My voice is lodged in my damn throat.

“Because, Antonio Schavone kissing me like that is the best way to shut this girl up.”

Well, fuck me some more. I can already tell that when these two weeks come to an end I won’t be able to let her go. As I ride home in my truck a few hours later with my balls swollen to the size of coconuts, I know for damn sure I am totally fucked. Hauling my ass down the highway, I retrieve my phone out of my coat pocket, connecting it to my hands free device.

“Well shit, it’s about damn time. How the hell did it go?” Markus asks eagerly.

“Better than I thought it would, man. Get your ass over there. It’s time.”

Chapter Ten

Shelby

For the love of all that is holy. I am so screwed. People don’t lie when they say it’s all in the kiss.

It truly is. Kissing Antonio tonight had my brain jump to my heart then to my stomach then straight to my core. I’m aching everywhere. Nothing he said tonight had a damn thing to do with sex. So why am I so aroused?

“You like him, that’s why?”

I almost jump out of my skin at the sound of Markus’ voice as he saunters into the kitchen.

“Where in the hell have you been all day? And wait, before you answer how...”

“You said it out loud.”

I gasp in wonderment as a delighted but devilish smile spreads wide across my best friend’s face.

“You jerk off. How much did you hear?”

I punch him right in his arm when he steps into my personal space. Markus stumbles backwards rubbing his arm as if he really were in pain.

“Ouch! What the hell was that for? Taking your sexual frustration out on me now?” 

I just glare at him.

“So where
have
you been?” I ask again as I grab my toothbrush and paste from the sink in my bathroom.

Markus really has never been the type of guy just to jump into bed with someone he just met.

“Markus, I swear, if you slept with...”

“I was at Luke and Shayne’s.”

My back stiffens as both my toothbrush and paste fall out of my hands and into the sink. Pivoting on my heels, I barge right back into the room as I wait for freaking ever for him to explain himself. I see him bite down on his lip as he presses them both together trying to contain his laughter. I get right up in his face, demanding immediate answers.

“Markus, what in the fuck? I know you. Now what the hell is going on and why were you at Luke and Shayne’s house? Did you think you couldn’t be here while Antonio was here, or what?”

My voice is a little too loud even for me. I am pissed, as I know damn well he is hiding something from me.

“Jesus, Shelby. Settle the hell down. I kind of like my asshole and right now you’re ripping me a new one. You’re starting to piss me the hell off. I walk in here listening to you rattle on about being aroused and shit. I mean what the hell?”

Markus’ posture becomes rigid, his jaw flexing. When he crosses his arms and nods his head at me like he is holding back from saying anything else, I know he is pissed. He has never in all the years I have known him acted this way before.

“I think I am just going to crawl back down the rabbit hole now,” I say, hoping he will give a smile.

He quirks a challenging brow at me.

“Well, here. Let me do it for you. Head first.”

“Gah. Look, I’m sorry, okay? It’s just...”

“It’s just what?” he asks, throwing his hands up in the air.

My words all come out jumbled up in a rush.

“I told Antonio I would spend the next two weeks with him and see where we go from there. And he kissed me. It wasn’t just some little peck on my lips, either. It was greedy and passionate and tongue thrusting erotic. I felt it
everywhere
. I wanted to throw him down on the floor; I’ve never felt anything like that before. It was so foreign to me, and when he kissed me goodbye it all built up inside me again leaving me so sexually frustrated that I could feel my damn pulse beating in my hoohah. I’ve gone mad and I took it out on my best friend, and I’m so sorry.”

After getting that all out I take a deep breath and peek at him. The last thing I want to do is fight with him.

“Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my friend?”

He gives me a cocky wink and an even more smart aleck look.

“Come here,” he says, extending his arms to me.

Beaming from one end to the other, I fling my arms around his neck, holding him tightly as I squeeze my eyes shut and savor the feeling of being held by my Markus. We stand that way for a few minutes until he pulls my arms from around his neck and kisses my fingers.

“Now, I have something to tell you, but before I do, I need you to make a promise to me, Swanky. Can you do that?”

This piques my interest right away, and without thinking I shake my head yes.

“You promised. Not a damn word out of that mouth until I am done.”

I smile curiously when I see anxiety on his face. My inquisitiveness is getting the best of me now.

“What is it?”

“I never went on a date last night.”

I go to speak but he silences me by placing his hand over my mouth, which instantly irritates me.

“Don’t. Listen, remember?”

“Um. Okay.”

“Antonio and I planned this entire thing.”

My expression goes downright blank at his admission. I look at him as if he has just flown in here on a pink cow or he is on drugs and they have him so wacked out in his head he isn’t thinking straight.

“What did you just say?”

“Don’t sass me or spew any shit out of your mouth, or so help me God, Shelby, I will unhinge and you will see a whole other side of me. Now shut that mouth.”

I’ll keep my mouth shut for now, but goddamn it, the next man who tells me not to talk and goes all King-Kong dominant on me, I am going to bitch slap so hard his head is going to spin faster than that chick in
The Exorcist
. Fuckers.

“When my phone rang last night and I saw it was Antonio, needless to say at first I was worried something had happened to you. But when he explained his plan to me, which, it’s a brilliant plan if I do say so myself, I agreed.”

I’m getting angrier by the second as I feel adrenaline and blood shooting right down to my fingers which are now clenched up into fists. If he doesn’t hurry the hell up and tell me what the fuck is going on, it’s going to be more than his arm that I punch.

“Spill it now, Markus. What plan?”

“He wants to get to know you. You are about to take a little road trip for the next ten days, and I am here to make sure your stubborn ass packs your bags and you’re ready to leave.”

“Ten days?”

While I am trying to process everything he just said, he is sitting here with a smug look on his face. I am confused and frankly very pissed off at the moment and he knows it when his expression changes from arrogant to his ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake’ look.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Shelby. Don’t give me your ‘I’m so pissed off’ look,” he says, making air quotes.

“Fuck you, and him, too. Don’t tell me what I am going to do. For one, I can’t just up and leave Sierra, and for two, how dare
you
of all people help him plan some crazy ass trip to God only knows where for
me
to go. I am calling his ass right the fuck now and telling him this shit is over.”

As I go to stand, he grabs me by my arm and jerks me back onto the bed.

“Like hell you are, little lady. You are FUCKING GOING.”

“And where the hell am I supposedly going, Markus?”

“Antonio didn’t tell me where, so I have no idea. What I do know is that he has taken care of everything and that includes Sierra.”

How dare any of these people tell me what to do? I feel angry flames igniting inside me.

“So where is Sierra supposed to go, then?” I question.

“Luke and Shayne’s,” he says self-assuredly.

“Um, no. Shayne is about to have a baby any day now, so I don’t think so.”

“That has all been arranged too, smart ass. Oh, and before you say anything about Erin not liking this, she knows all about it, too. And here is the kicker, baby. It was all her idea.”

I’m beginning to really not like where this is heading at all. There is nothing I hate more than people plotting behind my back, and of all the people doing so, my sister is one of them. Oh, how I would love to pick up the phone and ream her a new one, but unlike her, I won’t stoop to her level by calling and ruining her honeymoon. But you bet her sweet little ass when she gets back she is going to wish like hell she never meddled in my personal life.

On one shoulder sits a whole bunch of little devils with their yapping mouths going on and on about how I should just say ‘fuck it’ and go on this adventure with Antonio. And then there I sit, not quite the little angel that should be there, but a lone she-devil who wants to claw all of their eyeballs out while I take my pitchfork and shove it up their asses.

“Up you go, my love. Get your bags packed and a good night’s rest because you now have...” he checks his watch, “Eight and a half hours to pull your head out of your ass and grow the hell up.”

“Fuck off, Markus.”

He lifts me off my bed by placing his hands under my armpits.

“I intend to fuck off, Shelby. Straight back to Texas, after I make sure you for once in your life do what not only feels right but
is
right. I will say this one more time and by God, LET. IT. SINK. IN.”

He taps his fingers gently on my temples.

“Go be adventurous and spontaneous, and for the sake of my fucking sanity, please get laid. And I don’t mean just scratch that itch, either. When I talk to you again I want you to tell me that your pussy has been so used and abused that now you have a primal desire to have him fuck you every day for the rest of your life.”

“Jesus, could you be any blunter?”

“If you want me to be, I can.”

Markus puts a halt to me trying to escape this bullshit nonsense by wrapping his hand around my waist and pulling me into him.

“Come on, honey. Quit acting like this and do it. Just go. Be free, and whatever happens, let it. Don’t do it for anyone else but yourself, Shelby. You’re a twenty-five year old woman who is drowning in her own self pity. I know you so well, sweetheart. It’s killing you. All of it is. Promise me you will go.”

My smile strains to spread across my face as I answer him.

I so want to bark something smart ass back at him, except if I do, this discussion will escalate into a full out screaming match and wake up Sierra. Then again, he’s right. My best friend is always right. He knows he has me when I look into his scheming eyes shining as brightly as the morning sun.

“I- I’ll go, but...”

“‘But’?” His eyebrows quirk up.

“When I get back I am going to kick your ass.”

“Nah. You won’t kick my ass. You may kiss it, though, because something tells me that mister hunk of man meat fucks like a sex-crazed porn star. I can almost bet his dick is huge, which makes me jealous, by the way.”

His eyelashes flutter as if he is picturing exactly what Antonio can do. I swat him on his arm playfully as he backs away and shakes his ass as he saunters out of my room taunting me.

“Harder, oh, God, yes! Antonio, fuck me harder!”

Before he makes it out the door I have a tennis shoe in my hand. I swiftly throw it spot on, catching him in the back of his head.

Ten freaking days alone with Antonio. God, what have I gotten myself into? Oh wait, I didn’t get myself into this little getaway at all; my family and best friend did. I could throttle their asses for this. And just wait until I get my hands on Antonio, the sneaky bastard.

“Ugh!”

Stretching on my tip toes to get hold of the handle of my large suitcase on the top shelf of the walk in closet.

Why the hell I put it up there is beyond me. Even as tall as I am, it’s a bitch to reach. When I finally have it on the ground and grasp the handle to pull it toward the bed, it flies open.

“
Great
,” I mutter.

Bending down to zip it back up, it’s then I notice a small wrapped package with a card attached has fallen out of it. Sitting my butt down on the floor, I reach for the present realizing who it’s from right away from the handwriting.

“Oh, Erin. What have you done?”

I twiddle my fingers for a few drawn out seconds before curiosity wins out. I slide my finger under the tightly wrapped red bow, pulling the card from underneath. My fingers swipe over her perfect handwriting as I open the card.

My dearest sister,

If you’re reading this, then I know you have decided to take a little trip with Antonio. I must say I so wish I could be there, if only to see the look on your face. You’re pissed and knowing that has me laughing my butt off right now as I write this.

Sisters know each other so well, always having each other’s backs and loving each other unconditionally. I’m the lucky one in this relationship having YOU as my sister, a blessing, a woman I look up to. When times were tough for me, you never once judged me, you grabbed my hand and you never let go.

Let me grab your hand for once and guide you in the direction of what I believe is your destination. Your happiness means more to me than anything, Shelby. I know you, you’re hiding behind something, something you feel you cannot share with me, and that’s okay. Don’t bottle it up inside of you. I know firsthand when you keep things inside how they can destroy you. I can’t, and won’t, let it happen to my best friend. You saved me, and now it’s my turn to save you. Antonio is a good man. It’s obvious to everyone around how much he wants to get to know you. Let him in. Let him see the Shelby I know and love.