Shane (Damage Control 4)

“Fuck.” I jerk to my feet and storm toward the bathroom.

“Shane! Everything okay?”

Fuck, no. Nothing’s okay. I slam the bathroom door shut and reach into my pants to straighten my aching dick, then put down the toilet lid and sit down on it, my head in my hands.

She knocks on the door, but I don’t answer. Why is she here? Meeting her at Halo, among other people, was doable. The others distracted me. I managed to push away the attraction, to ignore how damn pretty she is, how brightly her smile shines.

To ignore the fact she’s attracted to Jesse, not to me. Even though now she’s saying she didn’t mean it, I don’t know… You don’t just kiss any random guy, do you?

Can’t remember ever kissing a girl.

I lift my hand to my mouth.

“Shane, are you all right in there? I’m coming in.”

What the…?

The door opens and she walks inside, her brows lifting when she sees me. And before I can move or say a word, she’s kneeling between my legs, putting her hands on my thighs.

“Why won’t you answer? What is wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Except she’s between my legs, looking up at me with those blue eyes, her mouth pink and lush, and my dick is quickly reaching critical mass.

Dammit.

“You should go home,” I rasp, my voice shot to hell. “It’s late.”

“Can’t I crash here? On the couch?”

“No.” I shake my head, because I want to smash my fist into the wall. “No, you can’t, Cassie.”

“But you said it yourself. It’s late, and it’s cold outside. If you—”

“Why are you doing this?” I hiss. “Why the hell are you here?” Oh fuck. I clench my hands into fists, dig my short nails into my palms to regain control.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she says quietly, her hands still on my thighs, warm. Her eyes are wide, earnest. “About what happened at Halo, but now I’m here, and…”

I wait but she doesn’t continue. “And what?”

“And I like being around you. You make me feel calm, and good.” She gives me a faint smile. “And I’m worried.”

“About what?”

“About you.”

“Why the fuck are you worried about me?”

“Because you look tired, and out of sorts. Are you sick? Or has something bad happened? Can I help?”

Her eyes are soft and concerned, and I don’t know how to deal with this. I have this urge to cover her hands with mine, or to take her face and kiss her, and fighting it is harder than it should be.

“I’ll be fine.” I cast about for something to say, something normal, something friends say to each other. “Thank you.”

Her smile brightens for a moment. Then she gets to her feet and gestures at the door behind her. “I’ll be on my way then. Sleep tight, Shane.”

Just like that, she walks away, and by the time I gather my thoughts and wander into the living room, she’s already gone.

***