We’ve danced around each other for two months to the point that earlier tonight ,we nearly kissed, despite knowing the rules. We both know that we want the other, and that the only reason he’d gotten me so angry at him earlier tonight is that he’s under my skin.
But that seems minor in comparison to mob hits, and honestly, I don’t think telling Shane that I’ve been lying to him is going to ingratiate me to him.
And I need him right now, to stay safe, to stay alive.
So I let the truth die on my lips, keeping that secret.
For now. I only pray that before this is all over, there’s a chance that I can tell him the truth. Because just once, I’d like to hear him call me Maggie instead of Meghan.
Chapter 12
Shane
For a moment, Meghan looks like she’s got something to say, maybe something important that dances on the tip of her tongue, but with a sigh, she deflates, biting the words back, and I’m curious what she was going to tell me.
Maybe something about the shooter? Big guy, cauliflower ear. I can think of a few suspects, but I’d need more to be sure since the ear doesn’t ring a bell at the moment.
Still, the look on Meghan’s face. I have to know what she’s thinking. Unable to stop myself, I cross the room, crouching in front of her and tilting her chin up, forcing her to look me in the eye.
“You’re safe. We’re okay right now.”
She bites her lip, and I can see the sheen of fear in her eyes. Tears form on her lower eyelids, and I pull her to me, hugging her close. She lays her head on my shoulder as I rub up and down her back.
I hear her sobbing gently, her sniffles breaking my cold heart wide open. “I . . . I never . . .”
Nothing should make something as sweet as her cry. Ever. I lean down, bringing my lips close to one perfect shell-pink curve of an ear, and breathe deeply of her scent, which is undercut with the acrid stench of fear that still can’t overwhelm how beautiful she is. “Shh, let it out. I’ve got you.”
She quakes a few more times, burying her face in my chest as she clutches at me for a moment before taking a steadying breath, but even that sounds a bit shaky. She might have pulled herself together by sheer will, sealing over the cracks in her worldview with Scotch tape, but she’s still fragile, and that tugs at every heart string I have.
As she pushes back from me, a watery smile on her face, she’s trying so hard to be brave. “I’m not sure why I’m even crying. It’s just a lot to take in, you know? Guess I’m a bit overwhelmed. And mad! I’m mad I didn’t see what was going on when it was right there in front of my face. I feel stupid, and I’m definitely not. I was just focused on the wrong things and didn’t see the forest for the trees.”
Her voice is stronger by the end of her rant, her fire making me reevaluate just how fragile she is. I think she’s made of stronger stuff than I gave her credit for, and the momentary breakdown was the anomaly, not her usual default when things get tough. It’s an odd reassurance that her sweetness is tempered with some iron, like pretty cotton candy on a steel core.
I lay a light kiss to her forehead, comforting her, but the touch of her skin to my lips is like fire in my veins and blood rushes to my cock. “Meghan.”
The heat in my voice is evident, and she looks up at me, her eyes flickering too. “Yes.”
I don’t need another word as I drop to my knees on the carpet, and Meghan spreads her legs as wide as her skirt will go, letting me between her thighs. I press the growing bulge in my jeans against the side of the bed, looking for any relief as I get closer to her while trying my damndest to be respectful. She just saw a shooting, had a breakdown . . . the last thing she needs is my intensity. I force myself to sit back, making my jeans tighter to the point that my cock and balls are painful, but I take a deep breath, regaining a modicum of my unraveling control. “I think Dominick does a good job of hiding the truth from those he doesn’t want to see it. He’s cultivated an image of being a high-class businessman, and only those who need to know the truth do. Hell, some of the guys in his organization probably don’t even realize he’s The Boss at the very top. That’s the way he likes it. Low-key and calculated. But Meghan, I’m not lying when I call you an angel. You have no place in this mess, and I’m sorry you got caught up in it.”