“I know that now. But at the time I was just…furious with you. And myself.” He raked his hair. “Even when Dane told me you were with another man, I wanted you. I wanted to fuck you until you forgot him…until I could take you away and make you mine.” His jaw clenched. “I never wanted to be like my dad, who doesn’t care about anything except screwing the women he wants. Even if they’re married. So I couldn’t…” He let out a rough breath. “I just had to get away…and I messed up.”
“Shane…” She squeezed his hand, her heart aching for him. “You are nothing like your dad. I would’ve never stayed with you for so long if you were.”
His laugh was hollow, self-deprecating. “Debbie was really pissed off.”
Ginger’s eyes widened. “What did she do?”
“Called me some names. Threatened a few things. I don’t really remember, because I was, uh, a little hung over.”
“Jeez. I told her not to do stuff like that.”
He shrugged. “She’s your best friend. You really should expect more from the people around you. Speaking of which…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. “I had Mark mail your original engagement ring to me in Thailand. I was going to give it to you there, but then I thought I should make the second proposal at least as memorable as the first, even if I couldn’t remember exactly how it had gone before. I was going to do it last night, but everything got derailed when my family decided to drag us out to dinner. But I can’t wait any more,” he said, going down on one knee. “I’ve screwed up everything since the first time I saw you after the accident. But I want you to give me another chance.”
His words rushed out in a torrent, and Ginger felt her heart soften. He got wordy and spoke fast whenever he felt nervous, which was rare. His mouth set in a firm line and his gaze unblinking, he was doing a good job of looking cool, but there were taut lines around his eyes as he waited.
Her heart pounded unsteadily. A part of her wanted to run. A big part. If things went bad again, she wasn’t sure she could ever deal with it. But another part of her urged her to say yes. Most people never got a second chance. She should seize this one and make it count.
“Will you take my ring?” he asked.
With a slow smile, she extended her left hand. “Put it on me.”
He pulled out the ring and pushed it onto her ring finger. She knelt down opposite him and he rested his forehead on hers. “You’re mine.”
“Right back at you.” She tilted her mouth up for a kiss.
His lips were so soft, so gentle. His tongue darted out, licking and taunting her with teasing strokes. He tasted like Shane and happiness and apple pie, and her heart sang—he’s mine. Her core went liquid, and she tilted her head for some deeper contact, thrusting her tongue boldly into his mouth.
With a low groan, he pulled her closer, his powerful hands on her hips, fitting her body against his until she could feel his erection pressing against her belly. She rocked slowly as she put her hands behind his neck. He felt like everything she’d dreamed of, every fantasy she’d ever had about her fut—.
“What the fuck?”
Ginger jerked back at Trevor’s outraged voice. Her cheeks heated. “What are you doing here?”
“I finished my pie!” His gaze swung to Shane. “Dude, what the fuck? This is our parents’ house!”
“Calm down,” Shane said.
“Would you be calm if it was your sister?”
Ginger pinched the skin on her forehead. Now thanks to Trevor’s yelling, probably everyone within a mile radius knew what she and Shane had been doing.
“Yeah,” Shane said at the same time Ginger stood up, tugged on Trevor’s arm and said, “Come with me. Now!”
“I’m not finished with—”
“Yes, you are. And if you don’t come with me right now I’m not going to talk to you for the next half a decade.” She turned to Shane. “You stay here.”
Shane had started to get up, but stopped with one knee still on the ground. “Yes, ma’am.”
She dragged Trevor away to the barn. Cows stared at them, then flicked their tails and turned away. “Even the cows have better sense,” she muttered, then rounded on her brother once they were in the barn. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so nasty to Shane?”
“Because he hurt you. You think I don’t know what’s going on?”
“That’s exactly what I think, unless you’ve been stalking and spying on me.”
“I don’t have to do either of those things to know what he’s doing. I’ve seen guys like that. He takes women for granted, uses them…and he sweet talks them or seduces them to get out of anything. You’re making a huge mistake if you take him back.”
“Jeez, what’s up with you? He’s not like that.”