Today I'm sharing a chapter excerpt from Devious Little Lies. Enjoy!
Chapter Fifteen
“How long have you been watching me?”
“Long enough to know you’re upset,” he said.
He was in the shallow end of the pool with the water barely up to his waist, staring at her as if she was the only thing in his universe.
“I’m fine,” she lied.
“No you’re not. I heard you inside.”
He made a move towards her and she put up her hand to stop him from advancing.
“You were spying on me?”
He stopped and crossed his arms. An annoyed look marred his face. “I didn’t have to. I’m surprised the whole block didn’t hear you screaming.”
“I wasn’t…” she started to say, but quickly closed her mouth. What was the point in telling another lie? She treaded to the middle of the pool as her tears came again. Rena didn’t fight them because right now she could care less if the whole world saw her crying. She was past being able to hold in her pain. Closing her eyes she turned away and cried. A few moments later, strong arms were holding her and she was pressed against his chest.
“It’s okay, Rena. You’re not alone.”
Wrapping her arms around Shane she cried harder, pressing her face into the curve of his neck. His hands caressed her back slowly. It felt wonderful to have someone hold her and care about her pain. She stopped crying long enough to look at him. He brushed a lock of hair from her face.
“Why do you care so much?”
Shane’s hand cupped her cheek. “We’re friends.”
“We barely know each other.”
“We know each other enough. Now, tell me what’s got you so upset?”
His eyes implored her to confide in him and she wanted to. Sometimes it was so hard to hold onto everything.
“Come on. You can tell me anything,” he coaxed.
A small smile touched Shane’s lips as his hands stopped caressing her back. Instead they hovered just above her ass, in territory neither safe nor appropriate. Suddenly she was hyperaware of exactly how close they were and how right it felt to be in his arms.
“My husband…I’m not sure if we should stay married any longer.”
His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Forget it. I shouldn’t be talking to you about this.”
She tried to disengage from the circle of his arms, but he stopped her.
“I told you when we first met that your husband didn’t deserve you. What did it take for you to finally realize that?”
The bluntness of his statement jolted her, but he was right. So right.
“I think I’ve realized that over the past few years.”
“Then why do you stay with him?”
“It’s complicated,” she hedged.
“Is it really?”
His hands slid lower until he was cupping her ass. She should tell him to stop and then slap the holy hell out of him for daring to get fresh with her, but she didn’t. Tonight she just didn’t care.
“Yes. A part of me still loves him, but a bigger part hates him so much.”
“Where is your husband, Rena? Is he always away on business?” Shane asked.
She laughed, a harsh bitter sound to even her own ears. “Business? That’s what got him in trouble in the first place. My husband is in a federal penitentiary serving fifteen years.”
“Wow. That’s a lot. How long has he been in?”
“Five years.”
“Rena…” his voice trailed off.
“I know, it’s a long time.”
“Too long. How long were you married before he went in?”
“Five years.”
“And were they happy?” he probed.
“The first three were.”
Shane shook his head. “That’s not good enough. What happened?”
“He wanted children, a son specifically, and I couldn’t give him one. One that lived anyway.”
Shane’s eyes were soft as he pulled her even closer. Her breasts were crushed against his chest and she tried to ignore how her nipples hardened.
“You miscarried?” he asked, his tone soft.
“Three miscarriages after our stillborn son, Reno. That’s why you heard me laying into Tony. Yesterday would’ve been our son’s ninth birthday and my bastard husband didn’t even
bother to call. He wants to pretend like our baby never even existed.”
She swallowed back tears as his lips pressed to her forehead. Rena couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt anything so sweet.
***********
Tony Rosetti was a real bastard and a federal penitentiary was too good for him. What kind of man punished his wife for her inability to have a child? Shane knew the answer to that question. A man that was the scum of the earth. Rena needed to unyoke herself from her husband before it was too late.
He kissed her forehead from left to right. A soft sigh escaped her mouth as his kisses moved lower to the bridge of her nose and then the soft tip. He eased back to look at Rena. Her eyes were dark and there was a pronounced flush on her cheeks. Against his chest he could feel the increase in her breathing and the hard pebbles of her nipples. She was aroused, heartbroken, and vulnerable and Shane couldn’t remember a time he’d ever wanted a woman more.
Her tongue swiped across her bottom lip and he couldn’t take it any longer. His lips crashed down on hers and nothing else in his world mattered. Mouth opening, his tongue dove inside to taste her sweetness. Rena’s tongue met his and he sucked on it softly. He grew hard as she moaned against his mouth. If he couldn’t have her he was likely to combust.
Lord help me.
**********************
Rena’s body burned like a flame as Shane kissed her. His lips were firm and hot against hers, desperate for her kiss. As their tongues dueled, she could feel how hard he was for her. His kiss was all consuming and she reveled in it. He kissed her like a man who knew exactly what he wanted and that was her. Only her.
She gripped his shoulders, holding him tighter and kissing him harder. He lifted her against his rampant desire and they rubbed slowly against one another. Deliciously slow. His hands were gripping her ass tight enough to leave a mark, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything except the way he was making her feel.
Shane’s lips left hers and trailed down her neck. The feel of his tongue made her moan and as his mouth went lower and lower, her heart squeezed tight in anticipation. Her chest
heaved and then his lips were there kissing across the top of her breasts. With a deft hand he freed her right breast and began to suckle at the same time his other hand slid inside her bikini bottoms to toy with her clit.
“Shane…mmmm.”
His tongue laved around her nipple before he suckled her hard again. Rena couldn’t help herself as she pressed closer to the hand that was rubbing her clit with vigor. She could feel the pressure building at the base of her spine as the tiny flicks of pleasure started to get more intense. When the orgasm ripped through her body, Rena held onto Shane as the only stable thing in her universe. She convulsed as the pleasure spasms rocked her body to the core.
