Adea
He walked over to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and grabbed a towel. He held my gaze as he wiped off the blood from his hands. His jaw ticked and I stood helpless as I watched the wheels churning in his head. What was he thinking? What was going to happen now? Duke made his way around the room, picking up pieces of Pan as he went before putting them under his arm.
I kept my eyes on Shane as he finished cleaning the blood and dropped the towel on his desk. The only sound in the room is Pan’s body being dragged along the floor towards the exit.
Shane’s gaze drops down my body and I fight the urge to squirm as he checks out the dip in my shirt, the denim shorts, and the flesh of my thighs. My breath is shaky as I try not to fidget and stay still. The door opens and Pan is dragged out of the room.
When it shuts, I’m left alone with Shane. This is the part where I need to convince him I’m here for him. I need to make him believe that I’ve been holding a lit candle in my heart for him. How do I do that? How far am I going to have to go? How far am I willing to go?
The plan had been semi-clear and sounded clear cut when I’d rehearsed it over and over in my head on the way here. Now that I stand across the room from him, I find myself speechless. The plan isn’t as clear as I thought it was and the words are refusing to form.
I opened and closed my mouth like a fish out of water. When I’m tired of looking like an idiot, I close my eyes. I don’t have anything to say, so I won’t say anything. I don’t need to. I’ll wait for him to speak first, move first. I need to see what he’s thinking. The next words out of his mouth are a shock.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured. He gazed into my eyes from across the room and I hated how serious he sounded. I hated how I knew he meant those three little words.
For the second time today, Shane has left me speechless. I may not know what he’s thinking but I know everything about the way this man moves and the meaning behind them.
The sincerity once again throws me off-kilter and I’m lost, unsure of how to proceed. There’s a hint of lust in his voice but there’s more to it, more to him today. I’m not sure how I feel or how I should feel about this version of Shane. The devil’s words are sweeter than honey.
He makes to take a step around the desk and I’m reminded of that day in the gym. Long before I’d become Luna before I’d found Ethan, before Shane found me in the courtyard, and before the Crescent Ball.
We’d been alone in that large gym, he was a predator even then, but now, he was dripping with danger, need, and sex. Had I been smarter, I could have reached out to Mavy or Alpha Joshua after the first time he touched me.
Even if I had, would Joshua have done something about it? Or would he have accepted his son’s choice? It was too late for that now. Joshua was gone, Gabe and Ethan weren’t here and there was no one around who could help me now. It was up to me. I needed to help myself.
“I’ve got you all to myself. It’s been a long time since it’s just been the two of us,” Shane murmured. I nodded. “Now that we’re all alone, are you going to listen to me?”
When I didn’t respond, he backtracked, pulled out his chair, and took a seat. Leaning back, he put his elbow on the armrest and ran his fingers down his jaw. When he didn’t command me to move forward, I knew it was now or never.
I kept my eyes on him as I took my first step forward. One after the other, I inched closer to the monster in the room. He didn’t move, his expression was cold as he stayed still. When I started for the love seat in front of his desk he shook his head.
“To me, love.”
His voice was husky and made my knees weak. Turning from the love seat, I made my way toward him. What would happen when I reached him? Would he bend me over his desk? Would I let him? Would he make me ride him to prove my loyalty?
I swallowed painfully as I made my way around the long desk. As I inched closer, my heart rate picked up. I came to a stop to his right and he stared up at me expectantly. I wasn’t sure what to do now.
There was a flash of movement and I fought the urge to scream as Shane grabbed my arm. I held my breath as he pulled me close. I kept my eyes on him as he leaned in. In the corner of my eye, I could see the shine of the sword above the fireplace. Deeply, he inhaled before he pushed me so my back was against the table.
“You smell different.”
“Yes.”
“You smell different and the same. You’re still as intoxicating as ever,” he murmured. His arms reached under my arms and he lifted me until my backside was on his desk and my legs danged off the ground.
Pushing his chair in, Shane sat between my legs. As soon as his hands were on me, they were gone, returning to the armrests at his side. His trails never left me and he took his time. His gaze trailed up my thighs and landed on the swell of my breasts that peeked out above the v of my shirt.