Page 24

Laney was used to men’s eyes on her, but nobody had ever looked at her the way Shane had been looking at her all night. It reminded her of when she’d first met him, his eyes glinting with something wild and unpredictable, half-starved and dangerous. It made her toes curl.

She could feel him beside her, watching her, as they walked up the driveway. She’d been ignoring him all night, pushing him to the edge of… she wasn’t sure, exactly, but something delicious had unfurled in her lower belly, and she was luxuriating in the heady feeling of his unwavering attention, hot and dark.

They paused at the end of the driveway, their arms almost-touching, Dustin bouncing ahead of them and up the concrete porch steps.

“Laney...” he said. He sounded like he was in pain.

She waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead, he just turned slowly towards her, reaching up with his hands and resting them on her shoulders, moving her to face him.

He was staring at her, that look still on his face, like he hadn’t eaten in weeks and she was a giant, juicy peach. And for once, he wasn’t tensing up, or stepping back, or looking away.

Touch me, she silently begged. His right hand slid up from her shoulder, cupping her jaw, his thumb tenderly stroking her cheekbone – the one he’d hurt – a slight frown marring his face.

She shook her head. Don’t think about that. Keep touching me.

His hand kept moving, sliding into her hair with a squeeze.

She leaned into it and he closed his eyes. He was breathing hard, and his fingers tightened in her hair.

Harder, she thought.

His eyes popped open, so dark they almost looked black, and she sucked in a breath, her chest burning at the scorching look on his face as his fingers flexed a little tighter.

Kiss me. Please. She was practically panting. Infuriatingly, his mouth quirked up in an almost imperceptible smirk, and he cocked his head mockingly.

“Who’s your boyfriend,” came a hard, cold voice from behind them.

She felt like she’d been plunged into an icy river as she stepped away from Shane and swallowed.

“Cary,” she breathed.