There’s a comfortable silence as we both sip before she breaks it, looking at me earnestly. “Shane, thanks again. That was some scary intense stuff tonight. I’m glad you were there.”
I nod, setting my cup down on the tray. “It was no problem, Meghan. I’m glad I was there too.”
She flinches a little, and I’m afraid she’s having a bit of a flashback, so I slip my arm across the back of the couch, not touching her, but she scoots closer, curling into my side, so I place a light hand on her shoulder. “I usually think of myself as capable of handling whatever comes my way, and I’ve dealt with some handsy customers, but if I’d been alone in that parking lot tonight . . .”
Her voice trails off, and I know she’s imagining all the ugly things that could’ve happened. “It’s okay,” I reassure her. “You’re safe now.”
Chapter 3
Maggie
I wake slowly, feeling warm and fuzzy-headed and safe. It’s funny, because normally, I have to be yanked out of sleep by the harsh braying of my alarm clock just to make sure that I can get to work on time. But a quick glance to my left confirms that it’s only eight o’clock, and I’ve got time. So I curl tighter into a ball before stopping because my pillow feels harder than usual.
The thought makes me stop and actually wakes me up, because I’m not in my bed. I’m on my couch underneath one of my throw blankets, the clock I saw was my microwave, and I’m curling up to a hard body . . . the very hard body of Shane.
His breathing is even and slow, still asleep, so I take stock. He’s lying half reclined on one end, his boots hanging off my couch and his muscular left arm lying across the back of the couch in a protective position, like he wanted to hold me but didn’t. Meanwhile, I’ve got my cheek pressed against one nearly iron-hard but delightfully warm pectoral and my left leg’s half draped over his like the world’s biggest body pillow. It feels . . . good. Safe.
I hum softly, and Shane stretches slightly in his sleep, his muscled arm descending slowly to lie on top of the blanket, almost instinctively cupping my butt.
I have a momentary freakout as my body thrills and fully wakes up in a lot more ways than just shaking off the last cobwebs of sleep. Did we? No, no. We’re both fully dressed, and I’d definitely remember that. I have no doubt that having sex with Shane would be something a girl would never forget. Considering I’ve had a few fantasies about him over the past two months . . . yeah, I wouldn’t forget it.
At that thought, my core fills with warmth, making me squirm slightly. The leg I have thrown over his lifts, and I feel the hard fullness of his dick. Sweet mama’s fairy tales, he’s . . . I don’t think I could even fantasize about someone this amazingly put together.
Shane moans lightly in his sleep from my pressure, pulling me to him and grinding against me ever so slightly, and I gasp as electricity shoots through me. Unfortunately, the sound seems to wake him and he stirs beneath me. He rubs my butt, pressing into me again as he stretches and groans. The sound alone turns me on, and I bite my lip, lifting my head to look at his face.
Shane blinks and smiles sleepily back at me before I get a close-up view of the second his face goes from smiling ‘good morning, sweetheart’ to frowning ‘oh, shit.’
Sigh. I never should’ve even pretended he’d be happy to wake up here with me, even if we didn’t do anything. I mean, I’m just a nerdy girl next door, and he’s so far out of my league it’s not even funny. He’s the sort of guy who has girls like Allie and the other dancers drooling over him.
It’s only because Shane’s so nice, and that I basically begged him to stay like a little girl last night, that he’s here. But I was truly scared after the parking lot incident.
I can feel the blush rushing across my cheeks, and I do my best to try and smooth all this over before I die of embarrassment. “G’morning. Guess we fell asleep?”
Smooth one there, Maggie. State the dang obvious, why don’t ya?
Shane smiles back softly, though, lifting an eyebrow. “Guess so.” Suddenly, he notices his hand on my ass and maybe the feeling of his morning wood against my thigh, and his smile disappears in an instant. “Oh, uh . . . sorry.”
He lifts his hand off my butt, and I lift up, trying to disentangle myself from our compromising position before my heart fails. “Thanks for staying last night. I was pretty freaked out after everything. Think that guy will stay away?”