Page 29 of Biker's Temptation
At his warning tone, I glanced up in shock.Didn’t he understand?“I’m doing it to protect you, Shane.”
He snorted.“The only person in this hellish trio that needs protection is Cade.I promise you that, Melissa.If he comes around again, if he so much as looks at you in a way that I don’t like, I’ll make sure he never operates again.”
My eyes widened at his vehement tone.
“If he tries to touch you, I’ll fuck him up so bad he won’t even be able to feed himself when I’m done with him.”
I gulped.
“You’re my girl, Melissa.Mine.He had his chance to love you and cherish you.He threw it away.He doesn’t get to come back now that he’s in trouble and probably on his wife’s last fucking nerve.You’re not his backup plan.You’re not some toy he gets to smack around when he’s bored.”Shane’s nostrils flared, and his chest heaved.“You’re mine.It’s my turn to love you and protect you and take care of you.”
My heartbeat galloped like a wild mustang’s hooves.I gazed up into Shane’s handsome face, into those striking eyes that had ensnared me with one look.His words echoed in my mind.I didn’t even try to fight it.I let the tears come, let the relief of his confession soothe my weary soul.“You love me.”
“I fucking love you, Melissa.”He cupped my face in his rough, scarred hands.“I love you.”
“I love you so much, Shane.”I gripped onto his powerful forearms, feeling the steely strength under my fingertips.“I know it’s crazy, and we barely know each other, but I love you.”I rose up to meet his mouth halfway.The kiss we shared left me dizzy and giddy.“I love you so much, and I don’t ever want you to leave me.”
“Good thing because I don’t plan on going anywhere.”Shane brushed his thumbs along my cheeks.“In fact, just in case it matters, your dad came to see me today.”
“Hewhat?”Shock and irritation burned through me.
“He saw my truck and bike out front.Heknows.”
My frustration was replaced with embarrassment at the idea that my dad was fully aware of what I had been getting up to with my burly biker boyfriend.Worried, I asked, “Did he threaten you?”
“No.”Shane grinned boyishly.“Actually, he gave me his blessing.”
“He did?”I asked in awe.“He approves?”
“He knows who I am, Melissa.He knows what I am.He knows that I’ve changed, and he believes it.”
“I believe it, too,” I hurriedly assured him.“I know what I said about people not changing, but I meant people like Cade.Not you.”I kissed him with as much love as I could muster.“Never you.”
“I meant what I said about not going anywhere, Melissa.”He nuzzled his nose to mine.“I’m committed to you.Whatever you want, I'll give you.”He reached over and shoved aside the pile of mail.He flicked through the pieces until he found what he was looking for and brought it up in front of my face.“You don’t need this.I’ll give it to you.”
My eyes focused on the pamphlet lettering—and I nearly died.It was another mailer from one of the sperm banks I had contacted for information.I snatched it out of his hands and tried not to melt from sheer embarrassment.“It’s not what it looks like!”
He gave me a strange look.“It looks like you’re trying to buy sperm.”
“I was, but I’m not now.”I cringed at how goofy and pathetic I must have seemed to him.“It was before I met you, Shane.”
“Hey.”Gently, he placed two fingers under my chin and tilted my head so we were looking at each other again.“Just tell me.”
“I want a baby,” I confessed breathlessly.“I want to be a mom.”Tears burned and spilled onto my cheeks.“I’ve wanted to be a mom since I was twenty-three, but it was never the right time.I was working on my master’s degree.He was in medical school.Then he was an intern and a resident and there was always some excuse, some reason why he didn’t want to have a baby with me.”I drew in a broken breath and admitted, “It’s because of my mom.That’s why he didn’t want kids with me.”
“Your mom?”Shane frowned with confusion.
“She lost a baby when I was really young.”I sniffled at the memories that seemed almost dreamlike now, jumbled pieces of a life I could barely remember.“It was a stillbirth, and mental health care wasn’t the way it is now.They basically just sent her home and expected her to get over it.”
“But she didn’t,” Shane murmured with understanding.
“Today, she would have been diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, but back then?”I shrugged helplessly.“My dad tried.I know he did, but he’s not a doctor or a psychiatrist.He took her for counseling with the priest.Father Ricardo warned him to get her to the hospital, that she was unwell and needed real help, but Mom panicked.She was paranoid by that point, and she just...”
“She what?”He tenderly stroked my face.
“She ran out into traffic, screaming that my dad was a demon and that Father Ricardo was the devil.They tried to stop her, but she was moving so fast.”I closed my eyes as I imagined a chaotic scene that I had thankfully not witnessed in real life.“My dad says she was dead before she ever hit the pavement and definitely before the second and third cars hit her.”
“Jesus,” Shane swore softly.“I had no idea, Melissa.”
