Life in Shadows (18 page)

Condoms?
Silly things,
 
she mused to herself, banishing a lifetime of concern for safe sex with
a single, completely alien thought. “We’re safe,” she said softly. Her hand
guided him in, giving him just a first taste of the sensations that would
consume them both for the rest of the night. She watched his eyes flutter and
then open once more. Before he spoke, she said, “Shh. You’re mine.”

Shannon
sank down on him, greedily sheathing his cock within herself. She saw his eyes
flutter closed again. His head fell back onto a pillow while her body rose to
an all new level of energy and pleasure. Her legs spread wide across the corner
of the bed, feet dangling over the sides of the mattress as she rose up on her
knees only to sink down upon Kevin once more.

His hips
came up to meet her, pushing deeper in response to undeniable need. When his
hands came up to touch her, she took hold of his wrists and pushed them back to
the bed again. “Relax,” she whispered. Shannon leaned forward, bringing her
mouth closer to his and rocking her hips up and then down again to stroke him
within her. “Let me take care of this.”

He let out
a heavy, lustful breath. Kevin couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She reveled
in the look of awe on his face and the ecstasy of having him inside her as she
rode him. Taking control excited her. The sensual pleasures of coupling with
him excited her more.

Shannon
rested her hands on his chest. All the motion seemed to come from her legs and
her hips. It wasn’t a motion she’d ever tried before; she’d been on top with
guys, of course, but never so wantonly or with such confidence. Her motion
remained perfect as she came down harder on him, holding him even tighter
within herself with each stroke. Shannon bathed in his amazement and knew this
was the best thing he’d ever felt in his life. She could feel him thrust up to
meet her. That went beyond the spirit of her instructions, but she couldn’t
complain. Nor could she blame him.

The ride
went on. Shannon felt sexier than ever. She
 
had
 
him. Kevin was completely enthralled,
by her beauty and by her skill and passion in bed. He would never forget this.
Nor would she. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t do
this every night.

Well. Let’s
not get carried away,
 
she thought, her mind capable of such thoughts despite her inflamed
emotions.
 
A one night stand
doesn’t make us a couple. Still...

Shannon
leaned in on him. Her face came near his. Her red hair dangled around his face.
Even with the new angle, Shannon skillfully kept up the same pace, fucking him
as intensely as ever. She heard nothing but surrender in his breath.

“I like
you, Kevin,” she hissed.

“Oh God,”
he managed. “I like... I really like you, too... I’m gonna... oh, wow, if you
don’t slow down I can’t... I can’t hold back like this.”

“So don’t,”
Shannon grinned. “I want you, Kevin. I like you and I want you to get off.”

“But you—I
don’t wanna leave you... unh... hangin’...”

“Shh. Give
in to me, Kevin,” she whispered before her lips came down on his.

Over a few short
hours, Shannon had gotten to know Kevin Murray. She’d taken the measure of the
man. Underneath that humble, self-deprecating grin and gentle demeanor, she
found the tough spirit of a veteran of war and police work. Like Shannon, he
found many frustrations with his job and his co-workers. Still, he persevered.
She couldn’t imagine him being cowed by any mortal man... yet she now had
complete control of him. She heard uncontrolled moans from his throat as she
forced him past his point of no return.

She felt
him stiffen and watched his muscles tense. He’d never had it this good. She
knew that just by looking at him. Kevin had been with plenty of women, but this
was beyond his experience. Shannon felt the first intense pulse of his release
within her and grinned from ear to ear—or would have if her own orgasm didn’t
swiftly overcome her, rushing in from out of nowhere to share in her partner’s
climax.

It slowed
her. She still rocked against him, but Shannon relaxed her pace, almost against
her will, as if her body forced her to savor every second of the rush.

Shannon lay
on top of him, her breasts crushed up against his chest as they bathed in
satisfaction together. She felt him throb within her, still getting off well
past anything he would have expected. She spasmed right along with him.

The last
throbs of orgasm faded, but she refused to let him go. She didn’t need to. He
stayed perfectly hard. Neither of them knew how much time passed before they
stirred once more. Shannon felt his hands rise to her back, and then grinned as
they slid down to hold her ass.

“I’m not
done with you yet,” she warned him. Her voice spoke to her deep satisfaction,
but she still wanted more. She knew he’d be up for it, too.

“Not goin’
anywhere,” breathed Kevin.

“This isn’t
me, you know.”

“Hm?”

“I’m not
normally like this. I’m shy. I’m timid. I might crawl back into my shell
someday. Maybe even in the morning.”

“Well, you
can still call me from in there if you want,” said Kevin. “I’m not gonna
presume anything with you. But either way, I hope this isn’t a one-night
stand.”

“No.”
Shannon smiled. She propped herself up a bit to look him in the eye. “I’m going
to fuck you all night. I’m going to go down on you and taste you and rock your
world. And then I
 
might
 
let you go in the morning. Maybe. But
until then, you’re mine. Maybe after that, too.”

He nodded.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said before he kissed her again.

* * *

She rolled
over in bed, frustrated in her half-conscious state by the light in the room
and her lack of blankets. Shannon reached out for the sheets, only to find her
bedmate beside her. She put her hand over Brad’s flat, well-toned abs and
smiled to herself.

Wait. No.
When did Brad lose the gut? His abs weren’t this firm. Certainly not while he
slept.

Oh no.

Ohmygod.

It all came
back to her. There was no more Brad. She might be in trouble at work. And she’d
completely thrown herself at a cop she’d only just met yesterday, taken him
home and fucked him all night long like a raging...

Ohmygod. Oh
my god I can’t believe I did that. This. Oh my God.

Shannon
slipped out of the bed with her eyes wide. All thoughts of further sleep
vanished from her mind. Kevin lay asleep in her bed, handsome and covered in
scratches and bite marks and hickies. Her hands came to her mouth as if it might
help keep her from screaming.

No. He’s a
nice guy. I did this,
 
she remembered, but that did nothing to alleviate her roiling emotions.
Safe as Kevin the cop might be, Shannon was not in the habit of bringing people
into her home after knowing them for less than a day—less than a month, if she
were honest with herself—and had never, ever had sex with someone she’d just
met.

Her eyes
darted around the room. She grabbed the first thing she saw—a discarded
pillow—and promptly snatched it up to cover herself. Then she backed out of the
room, nearly leaping with fright when Kevin rolled over and sniffed. She shut
the door behind her, kept backing up, moved into the bathroom, shut that door,
too, and even locked it for good measure.

Calm down,
 
she told herself.
 
Calm down and get a grip. You did
this. He’s just a guy. He’s cool. Just wake up and shower and be a good hostess
and offer him coffee or a shower or whatever and send him on his way.

Shannon
took a deep breath, then another, and forced her nerves to settle. She was a
first responder. She dealt with people when they were at their worst. She could
handle this. With an effort of will, she put the pillow down on the floor. Her
bathrobe hung from a hook on the bathroom door. She could wear that when she
was done in the shower.

She reached
inside, turned on the water and dared to look in the mirror. What she saw
stopped her in her tracks.

When did
she get that swimsuit model figure?

* *
*

“Listen, I
know I’m being weird.”

“You’re
not. It’s cool.”

“No, I am,
Kevin,” Shannon all but pleaded as she apologized. “You’ve been so nice to me
after I completely took advantage of you and I... God, I can’t believe I’m even
saying that.”

He smiled
at her. She liked his smile. “Yeah, I can’t believe you’re saying that, either,”
he said. Kevin stood in her kitchen, more or less clothed and ready to go.
There were some things he couldn’t quite put right before he left.

Shannon
winced. “Jeez, you can’t even button your shirt anymore.” She put her hands on
her face for the twelfth time since he woke up. Her cheeks had blushed fiercely
from the time he woke up to now, abating only briefly while he showered. And
now she stood in her bathrobe, shooing him out of her home and unable to stop
herself no matter how much she wanted to.

Kevin was
gracious when he woke up. He’d been affectionate at first, then scaled back to
being considerate and polite when he saw how awkward she felt. He didn’t
linger, making a point of showering and dressing quickly. Even so, it felt like
an eternity to Shannon. She wanted him to go. She wanted to wish the whole
night away. She wanted to bury her face in her couch, because she couldn’t
bring herself to look at that bed again.

She also
wanted to get down on her knees, tear his pants open and go down on him until
he could no longer stand. That urge only made her want to hide from him even
more.

“I’m
sorry,” she said for the twelfth time.

“Don’t be.
Just... listen, I know what it’s like to have regrets.”

“It’s not
that I regret anything, except that—”

“Shannon,”
he interrupted calmly, “let me ask again: did I do anything to make you
uncomfortable?”

“No, not at
all! It’s nothing you did!”

“Okay.
Good. Do you like me?”

“...yes?”

“Then call
me later. Whenever you feel ready. And if it’s like a week or a month from now,
I don’t care. I mean I’d like it sooner, but if you need time to get your head
together or whatever, I understand, okay? You already made it clear that things
won’t be like last night again. I’m fine with that. I’d just like to see you
again. And if you don’t call me or if you decide you want to see someone
else... no hard feelings, okay?” He shrugged easily. “I had a great time. You
seem awesome. Even if you just want to be friends, I’m here, okay? You’ve got
my number.”

She
blinked. “Just friends?”

“Yeah, I
can’t believe I said that, either,” he confessed. “I may be a little out of it
right now. Turns out I had a hell of a night.”

“So you
 
don’t
 
want to be just friends?”

“No. Well.”
He grinned. “Not ‘just,’ anyway. But you’ll never hear me complain if that’s as
far as it goes.”

His comment
nearly triggered yet another apology, but the knock on her door interrupted it.
Kevin threw her a quizzical look. She shrugged. “Probably someone looking for
the wrong apartment,” she said. “It happens.” She stepped past him and opened
the door.

Shannon had
never been legitimately stunned by a woman’s beauty before. The woman at her
door had long black hair, icy blue eyes, and flawless skin. Her black designer
skirt and top fit her like a glove. Shannon’s mind ground to a halt.

The woman
behind this stranger, though, was at least somewhat more familiar. “Aw, mother
fuckballs,” groaned the lovely blonde. She slapped her forehead. “What did I
tell you? Seriously, you couldn’t go one night without fucking somebody? One
damn night?”

“Huh?”
Kevin blinked. “What?”

The
drop-dead gorgeous woman in black sighed. “I apologize for the rude greeting,”
she said. “Is your name Shannon Abrams? You work as an EMT, and you were
outside a fire on Capitol Hill yesterday?”

“Y-yeah?”
answered Shannon.

“And is
this your boyfriend?” she asked, gesturing to Kevin.

“Uh,”
Shannon began. She immediately blushed as fiercely as ever.

Kevin shook
off his own surprise at the sight of the newcomers. He sensed trouble, or at
least discomfort on Shannon’s part. “I’m sorry, who are you?” he asked.

The blonde
sighed. “His name’s Kevin, he’s a cop, she met him just yesterday and fucked
his brains out all last night,” she grumbled. “Looks like he’s about to leave.”

“I see,”
said the other woman. She stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his chest.
She breathed out in sultry, flirtatious tones, “
Kevin,
be on your
way. Forget all about the two of us. Pay this no mind.
”