The Broken Road (15 page)

“
Hey
! Knock it off! Or both of your asses are going into the river!” Adrian shouted. Brothers Ryan and Ben, two friends of ours, ran to hold Eric back. Eric strained against the brothers, trying to get to Shane, who was rubbing his jaw.

“You’re like a brother to me! I can’t believe you did that! You’re such a fucking coward Shane. You’re a mother fucking coward,” Eric shouted.

I ran over to Shane and grabbed his arm. “Dammit, Eric! You know I wouldn’t do something like that. You
know
I wouldn’t. You don't want to do this. Don’t listen to Reggie,” Shane shouted back, rage filling his voice.

“Get the hell out of here Shane. I am going to kick your ass if you don’t,” Eric yelled, his eyes wide. I pulled on Shane’s arm.

“Let’s go,” I said quietly. Shane shook his head in disgust and followed me out. I led him out to his truck. He was fuming, his body coiled up tight like a snake ready to strike.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked gently. Shane didn’t respond, just shook his head. His fists were balled up and I could tell that the slightest thing was going to set him go off.

“Let's go home.”

“No. I left something at the shop. I’ll meet you back at the house,” Shane said roughly. I wasn’t sure if he needed time alone, or if he was going to go back and beat the snot out of Eric.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, I’m good. Don’t worry. I just need to chill out.” He pulled me in for a tight squeeze. “I’ll be home later.” Shane kissed me, then got into his truck and pulled out of the driveway.

I wanted to follow him, make sure he was okay. But I decided against it and forced myself to leave him alone.  I headed home. I tried to stay up for Shane to get home, but by one-thirty, sleep called my name. I set the house alarm, locked up, and went upstairs. I had to admit that I was worried about him. I’m so used to falling asleep in his arms, that it would be difficult to sleep without him. Not to be the nagging girlfriend, I sent him a quick text. “Ready for bed. Wish you were here. Be careful.”

Two minutes later, I got back:

“I’ll be next to you soon. Sweet dreams.”

With a sigh, I set my cell phone on the nightstand. Not soon enough, I thought, as I laid there. I slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of his kisses and touch.

Chapter 12

I realized that Shane wasn’t in bed before I even opened my eyes. I couldn’t feel his body heat, I didn’t hear his light snoring. My hand instinctively reached for him, finding only the coolness of the pillow.
He never came home.

Groaning, I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. Only seven thirty? Ugh. I hated waking up early when I didn’t have to. The best part of the weekend is sleeping in. I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom. No point in being lazy. I didn’t have any plans today besides dinner at Mom’s. I got in the shower and was washing my face when I heard the door to the bathroom open. Shane walked in.

“Well good morning, sunshine,” I called through the clear glass.

“Good morning to you, too. Adrian came back to the shop and I lost track of time. I’m sorry babe,” he said. I wasn’t going to make this a big deal. He was upset last night and I was glad that Adrian was with him.

“It’s okay. I was just a little worried. Are you going to join me?” I offered, giving him a sly grin. Shane chuckled as he pulled off his shirt. He opened the glass shower door and got in. The beauty of his body took my breath away. My eyes roved over his now-familiar body. I reached out and gently soaped his sculpted chest, watching the suds fall down his toned thighs. The dragon on his chest took up most of his torso, with the tail ending right below his hipbone. His muscular, sinewy arms, covered in two detailed and intricate tattooed-sleeves, pulled me into his body. Shane’s engorged erection pressed into me and the ache between my thighs grew. I gasped, giving him the opening he wanted.

Crushing my lips to his, his tongue plunged into me, exploring every inch of my mouth. Moaning, I arched into him, looking for release. The tension was becoming too much to bear. Shane lifted me up, wrapped my legs around his waist and braced my back against the wall. I took him eagerly, clinching as tightly as I could. With every thrust, my nerve endings screamed. I floated higher until I fell in a dizzying explosion. Shane shuddered against me, pulsating inside me.

Panting, he let me down gently on my quivering legs. Shane kissed my neck, and then gently ran the soap over my body. His hands ran down the length of my body; it felt like I was being caressed with silk. Thank god I converted this bathroom into a double steam shower. It made moments like these so much more enjoyable.

We got out of the shower thirty minutes later, wrinkled like raisins and the hot water was completely gone. Shane moved to the bedroom, where he passed out on the bed from sheer exhaustion. I put on denim capris and a V-neck gray t-shirt and headed downstairs with Penny following my every move. I let her out the back door and turned to start the coffee. I let out a squeak in surprise. Sitting on the counter, beside the bills and the mail, was a beautiful bouquet of white tulips in a glass vase. What a sweetheart, I thought, inhaling their sweet scent. I started the coffee and poured myself a bowl of cereal. I had just finished my ‘Captain Crunch” when my cell phone rang. I was happy to see that it was Sarah.

“Hey sis. How are you? Are you with Kyle now?” I answered.

“Hey sweetie. Yeah. I'm here with him now. He’s incorrigible; he won’t stop flirting with the nurses,” she said with a laugh.

“That’s great news. At least we know he’s back to normal,” I joked.

“Exactly. We will be going to Mom’s shortly. We’ll see you at dinner, right? I think Mom’s going all out for her baby boy.”

“Yeah, we’ll be there. I’m sure Mom will cook enough for an army,” I said dryly.

“Right. I'll see you later, they are discharging Kyle now. Oh. And I have bridesmaid dresses for you to look at!” And with that she hung up the phone. I had to laugh. Sarah’s so excited to get started at planning the wedding. She had already asked her sister, Erin, Jen, and me to be in the wedding party. However, I’m slightly nervous on what dress she has in mind. Bridesmaids always share their horror stories of dresses in teal taffeta or sequins. I’m not a fan of either one, so I hope Sarah picked out a great dress. 

Hearing that Kyle was doing well made my day. I know my mother is going to be fretting about both of them this evening, which would hopefully distract her about my own living situation.

My mother equated living together to being practically married, so she has been beating around the bush about what’s been going on. I’ve had to tell her that I honestly didn’t know. As much as I am falling in love with him, we have never had that “talk.” The whole “where do you think our relationship is going?” talk. I feel that there is something he’s not telling me, some sort of mystery that he’s either hiding or something he is ashamed of. There have been calls late at night or emergencies at the shop that he had to deal with right away. Maybe it’s my paranoia, maybe it’s something more. I don’t know.

I lazed about the house for the rest of the day, until it was time to go to Mom’s. I went upstairs to wake Shane and found him snoring away. I gently shook his arm and quietly said, “Shane. It’s time to get up. We’ve got to go to Mom’s for dinner.” Shane grumbled and rolled on his side. I shook harder this time. “Come on, punk. I know Mom’s making her famous ziti. I’m going to leave you here and I’m not bringing home leftovers.”

“Like hell you won't,” he mumbles, rolling over to grab my wrist and pulls me underneath of him. “Your mom loves me. She’ll make sure I get my ziti.” He laughed as he pinned my arms over my head with one hand and tickled me with his other. I shrieked and couldn’t contain my laughter. I am extremely ticklish and he always uses it to his advantage. I laughed and screamed until I couldn’t breathe.

“Okay, okay! Stop!” I cried out, gasping for air. Laughing, Shane stopped and kissed me.

“Let me change my clothes and we can go,” he said, getting off the bed. I just laid there, drooling and trying to catch my breath while I watched him change. The muscles of his back were just mesmerizing. I debated on whether or not I had time to attack him, but decided against it. It was already five and Mom wanted us over at five thirty. Shane changed into a gray t-shirt and a white button down shirt that hung loosely over the t-shirt and jeans. He put on his boots and pulled me off the bed.

“How’s your brother doing?” he asked, as we walked down the stairs.

“Good. I talked to Sarah earlier and she said that he was flirting with the nurses, so she thought he’s back to normal,” I joked. I pulled on my hooded gray sweatshirt and whistled for Penny. I clipped the leash to her collar and let her out the mudroom door.

We arrived at Mom’s with a minute to spare and I could see Sarah’s Prius sitting in the driveway. We let ourselves and were welcomed by the wonderful aroma of basil and homemade garlic bread. My mouth watered. I love my mother’s cooking; she never fails to put on a huge spread. In addition to the garlic bread and ziti, she had made chicken with tomatoes and spinach, a salad, and I could see my favorite apple turnovers sitting on the stovetop. I was in heaven.

“Hi baby cakes,” Mom said, coming over to Shane and me. She gave us a hug and shooed us into the kitchen. My mother’s house is small and doesn’t have a formal dining room, so we all crowded into the kitchen for dinner. The small table had been extended to its maximum capacity. Kyle and Sarah were already seated, apparently waiting for us.

“It’s about time you guys got here. I'm starving!” Kyle joked, his good arm slung around Sarah’s shoulders.

“I guess we shouldn’t keep the invalid starving, can we?” I joked back, coming around to give him a hug. A look of regret flashed over Shane as he gave him one of those half hugs before sitting down. It passed quickly and I brushed it off as a figment of my imagination. We gathered around the table and before long, our plates were piled high with food. The conversation was at a minimum while we gorged ourselves.

“So how are you feeling Kyle?” I asked. He looked awkward, with his right arm in a sling. He was having a bit of difficulty using his left hand.

“I’m good. The bullet went straight through, doing minimal damage. Don’t think I’ll need any additional surgeries or anything.” Kyle was calm, talking about his injury and threat to his life like he was talking about the weather. I guess it comes with the territory, but I would have been a blubbering idiot if that happened to me. I felt better about Kyle. His spirits were up and he seemed to be doing fine. Sarah was taking great care of him. I was so thankful that they were together.

We switched topics: now that Kyle’s injuries had been acknowledged, we discussed the wedding. Every girl dreams of her wedding. Being together with Shane made me hope of our future, our potential wedding. Not that it was imminent or assumed, but it is nice to dream. Both Shane and Kyle were basically ignored at that point. That was expected though. I mean, seriously. What input do they really have?

After dessert and coffee, Kyle looked like he was about to doze off at the table, so we said our good-byes. On the drive home, Shane was quiet. In fact, he was quiet throughout dinner as well. I wonder if all the wedding and marriage talk scared him.

“Are you okay?” I asked, as I pulled into the driveway. I turned off the car and we sat in silence. Shane seemed to be lost in thought and when I spoke, I startled him.

“Yeah. I’m okay. I’m just tired. I have to meet Adrian shortly,” he said vaguely, getting out of the car. I frowned. Adrian was working Shane to the bone. What bike shop is
that
busy that Shane couldn’t take a night off?

“Shane, stay home tonight. You need the rest,” I suggested, as I followed him inside. Penny ran straight to her bed. Poor pup was exhausted.

“That depends,” he said, putting his arms around me.

“On what?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

“On how well you persuade me,” Shane replied, giving me an evil grin. I had to laugh because he knew my persuasion skills were unmatched. And needless to say, he didn’t go back to the shop that night.

Chapter 14

Shane was up early the next morning. I stretched as I watched him get dressed.

“Can’t you go in later?’ I mumbled, as I burrowed my face in the pillows.

“Babe, I can’t. If I don’t get over there now, Adrian’s going to have my ass,” Shane said hurriedly, as he pulled on an old gray long-sleeved shirt. He bent over, his hair still wet from the shower, and gave me a quick peck on the lips. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but it will be later today. You will see me later. So stay just like that.” He motioned to me, giving my naked body the once over.

I laughed and threw my pillow at him. “Go before I make you stay!” I heard him chuckle as he walked down the stairs. I sighed, content. It doesn’t get any better than this, I thought. A tiny voice in the back of my head said quietly, “It does if he feels the same way you do.” Stupid insecure brain. I pushed that to the side. If he didn’t feel the same way I did, would he stick around like this? I doubt he was here just for the sex, regardless of the fact that it’s fantastic sex.

I laid in bed for as long as I could until Penny started pacing the floor. “Okay, Penny. You win. Let’s go.” I pulled on sweats and walked downstairs to let her out.

With the coffee brewing, I made spinach and tomato omelets for Penny and me. She promptly wolfed down her omelet; I doubt she even tasted it. “You’re such a piggy,” I said, as I flipped through the paper. I put the sports and business section aside, knowing that Shane would want them later. Browsing the sales ads, I made my shopping list. I figured that shopping would be a good way to start the day. I drained my mug and carried it to the sink. I showered, pulled on a pink scoop-neck shirt and jeans, and headed to the store.

I was sitting at the traffic light when my cell phone rang. “Hello?” I saw a police officer next to me, giving me the evil eye. Maryland had just passed a law banning cell phones use while driving. Deciding to avoid yet another ticket, I hit the speaker button and put the phone down.