Relinquishing Liberty (24 page)

As soon as the shock subsided, I thrashed my way up, just far enough to break free and take in a delicious breath of air. During that split second, I could see Shayne was almost back on the beach. I was barely able to choke out his name before being pulled under again increasing the distance between us.

So many things rushed through my mind while becoming engulfed in what I knew would soon become my watery grave. Some people say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die. In my case, it was all of the things that had yet to come; everything I never had a chance to do.

I never had the chance to tell my parents how sorry I was for leaving them and let them know how much I love them. I never had the chance to walk down the aisle with my father on my wedding day. Never had the chance to experience the joy of motherhood, and watch my children grow and have children of their own. But out of everything, my biggest regret was that I never told Shayne that I love him. I had known for weeks that I was falling in love with him, but I was never able to express those three precious words to him vocally; I’ve kept them locked up in my heart where they remained until now…and it looks like that was where they would remain. I could only hope that in the short amount of time that we shared together, that somehow he already knew that my heart belonged to him. I could only hope…

Just before everything faded to black, the moon and stars reappeared, illuminating the heavens above me. I never took the time to appreciate the beauty of the night sky, and tonight it simply took my breath away…but Shayne had breathed it right back into me.

While I was lying on the beach, I could feel Shayne’s delicious breath pass through my lips, filling up my lungs. I wished that I could’ve held that little piece of heaven inside of me forever, but I fell into a coughing fit, regurgitating half of the ocean I must have swallowed.

My eyes fluttered open and fell upon Shayne’s worrisome face.
Why was he looking at me like that? Like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest and everything that mattered most to him was being taken away?
I’ve been there. I know that look. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.

A few minutes passed before I could piece together the events that took place tonight, leading up to me lying there in my clothes, soaked and covered in sand. My memory was fuzzy, but fragments were slowly beginning to play through my mind like a slideshow: Shayne’s panty-dropping smile beaming at me from across the table at dinner; Vanessa and the devious smirk splayed across her face after dropping the bomb that she was still sleeping with Shayne; a stranger’s hands touching my body and roaming towards uncharted territory.

It didn’t take me long to figure out how we had found ourselves in this mess. How could I possibly forget? Shayne was the one who started this whole domino effect of destruction! I shot up off the ground as soon as I got my bearings and vigorously brushed the sand off of me until my skin was raw and free of any remnants of our disastrous evening.

Shayne slowly rose to his feet and apprehensively took a step towards me.

“Liberty…”

I held my hand up, cutting him off before he could shower me with any of his lame excuses. My patience was completely shot to hell and at that point, there was no fucking way I was buying anything that came out of his mouth.

“Do you have any idea how badly you fucked things up? Do you even have a fucking clue!?”

Shayne reached out for me, but I pulled back before he could lay a finger on me. I was doing a pretty good job of keeping my temper at around an eight…he would NOT want to see me at ten, and his touch would be just the trigger to get me there.

“Sweetheart, I didn’t mean for that to happen. Trust me, if I could take it back I would. I just thought you needed to cool down before we talked about what you did tonight.”

“What I did!? What I…SHAYNE!”

Ohmigod he is so infuriating!
I reached up to rub my temples and relieve the pressure that was quickly building up in my head thanks to him. He just didn’t get it. He thought I was pissed off about him throwing me in the ocean and leaving me to practically drown and then he tried to blame his actions on the fact that I danced with another guy. Oh. Hell. No. I was not going to let him turn this around on me.

“Let’s do a little recap here because I don’t think you understand what started this all in the first place, Shayne. It was you! You and the fact that you can’t keep your dick in your pants for more than two seconds and see what is sitting right here in front of you! Honestly, I don’t know what the fuck you see in Vanessa. I knew from the second I laid eyes on her that she bad news, but I guess that’s what you really want, huh? An easy lay? Well, that sure as hell isn’t going to be me. I hope you two a very happy together. You deserve each other.”

“Whoa, hold up, babe. What the hell does any of this have to do with Vanessa?” He looked at me quizzically, like he had no clue where I was going with any of this.

“Are you fucking kidding me!? I ran into her in the restroom, and she told me everything, Shayne, so don’t even try to deny it. I know you’re still sleeping with her.” I couldn’t even look at him. I was so disgusted with his lying, cheating ass.

“That little conniving bitch!” Shayne stood there with his hands resting on his hips, shaking his head vehemently. “Liberty, sweetheart, I would never in a million years cheat on you, let alone with
Vanessa
.” Her name spilled out like a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Look…she used to bartend at ‘Vinnie’s’, a bar that Wade and I would go to a few nights a week after he came back from Afghanistan. I admit, I found her pretty attractive, and I enjoyed talking to her, but I knew I wasn’t looking to get into a relationship. Turns out, she wasn’t looking for one, either. So we had an agreement: casual sex and nothing more. After a while, I could see she was turning into a stage-five-clinger so I dropped her like a bad habit and never slept with her again. She’s been hounding me ever since to hook up again, but I don’t want anything to do with that bitch. I haven’t been with her since January.”

I wanted to believe him. I really did. It would’ve been so simple to just accept that he was telling me the truth. That it was all a huge misunderstanding. I had no actual proof that her and Shayne were still sleeping together: just her word. But once she implanted the idea, it was hard to see things any other way.

“Shayne, I’d like you to take me home.” It was barely a whisper, but I knew he heard me when I looked up at him and his eyes were as big as saucers.

“What? No!”

“Please don’t make this any more difficult than it already is, Shayne. If you don’t take me, I’ll just call Maddie or Brett to pick me.” I knew Brett would jump at the chance to come and get me, especially if it meant he would get to see the look of defeat on Shayne’s face right now.

I waited for Shayne to make a move, but he stood there with his feet cemented in the sand.

“All right, have it your way.”

I started walking towards his Jeep to get my phone and noticed the passenger door was still wide open. Shayne hadn’t bothered to shut it when he pried my stubborn ass out of my seat. I was only a few feet away when I felt his strong arms wrap around my waist and arms from behind. His secure hold tightened, letting me know that he had no intention of letting me go, both from his grasp and from his life. That was my undoing.

I couldn’t hold myself up any longer as my body shook and a soft whimper broke free. The tears were flowing without restraint, and I watched through blurry eyes as they fell one after the other onto Shayne’s arms. I tried to wiggle out of his hold but it was no use; his grip was unrelenting.

“Why are you doing this to m-me?”

“Why?” He spun me around and gave me a look that said I was crazy for even asking. I watched as his hands slowly rose to cup my face with such tenderness. He gingerly brushed his lips against my cheeks, kissing away each and every one of my tears until my ugly sobs subsided and my breathing gradually steadied. “Because I love you…and I’m not going to let anyone tear us apart with their lies.”

I was pretty sure my heart just skipped a beat right then and there.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
Did he really just say what I think he said?
My mind was swimming as I tried to process what he just professed to me. I considered for a moment, that this could just be a ploy to keep me from leaving, but that idea was quickly extinguished when his lips came down to meet mine.

This wasn’t like any other kiss we had shared before. It wasn’t aggressive. There was no urgency. He took his time, as each movement harmonized with my own. He drew my bottom lip between his teeth, gently nibbling and sucking. This drew a quiet moan from me, and I could feel his smile spread against my mouth. He knew how easily he affected me. I was beginning to feel that now familiar heat pooling in my belly that only Shayne seemed to bring out in me. It quickly intensified when his tongue caressed mine, teasing me and beckoning for more. I was all too willing to give in, as I felt the wall I had built up slowly crumbling down; it was then I knew I was finally ready to let Shayne in.

He was pouring his heart out and conveying everything he felt into that single kiss. I never imagined it was possible for someone to make love to you using just their mouth alone, but Shayne proved me wrong because that was exactly what he was doing…and my God, it was intoxicating. All of my previous doubts were replaced with nothing but pure, unadulterated desire for this man that stood before me…fighting for me…
loving
me.

I was still high from Shayne’s admission that he loves me. I was dying to say those very same words myself, but something was still holding me back. I couldn’t explain what it was, but it just wasn’t the right time for me to reciprocate those three words that, once uttered, I could never take back. So instead, I had to
show
him just how much he meant to me, how much I wanted him.

Without breaking away from the most amorous kiss I have ever experienced in my life, I reached up and threaded my fingers through his hair, luring him in and closing the gap remaining between us. His hands slipped away from my face and settled low on my hips. I could feel the warmth of his fingertips seeping through my skirt, and I wanted nothing more than for him to take me right here on the beach.

I was convinced my wish was going to come true, when Shayne reached for the hem of my shirt and in one swift movement it was up and over my head. My body shuddered as a breeze suddenly swept over my bare skin, but the second his hands returned to my hips, I was on fire. His touch was scorching me straight to my core, and I knew if he didn’t relieve the ache soon I was going to burst.

Shayne lowered his head and brushed his lips against my ear before speaking in a low, husky whisper. “Hold on tight, sweetheart.”

I whipped my head around to face him, wondering what he had in mind, but I got the message loud and clear as soon as his hands came around to my rear and firmly gripped my ass. He hiked my skirt up a bit before hoisting me off the ground, and instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist.

He started off towards the back of the house, and my heart sank a little when I realized my sex-on-the-beach fantasy might not actually come to fruition. It was silly, I know, but I had always pictured my first time being on a beach, under the stars, with a man who loved me fully and unconditionally, his naked body draped across mine and doing the most unspeakably lascivious things to me. I couldn’t imagine sharing that experience with anyone other than Shayne.

To my relief, he grabbed a towel that was hanging over the side of the deck and laid it across the sand before lowering me to the ground. Always the gentleman…got to love him!

My legs were still wrapped snuggly around Shayne as he nestled himself between my thighs. His head dipped down into the crevice between my neck and shoulder, and he pressed his soft, plush lips against the base of my throat, lingering there for moment before continuing to trail moist kisses along my collarbone. When he reached the edge of my bra strap, he paused and gazed up at me with a pleading look in his eyes, as though asking for permission to go further. I licked my lips seductively and grinned, giving him a slight nod of approval.

My heart was racing a mile a minute as he slipped a finger under the strap and unhurriedly slid it over my shoulder. If he took any longer with his torturous exploration of my body, I was going to pass out from the infinite amount of pleasure he was giving me.
Oh God, I think he’s trying to kill me…but what a delicious way to go!

When his hand reached up to clutch my breast, he lightly tugged the lace cup of my bra down, exposing my sensitive nipple to the cool night air. One flick of his tongue, mixed with the warmth of his breath, and my nipple instantly puckered, protruding straight up towards his mouth and begging for more attention. He captured it between his soft lips, gently suckling it until it was red and swollen, leaving me panting heavily and with a thong that was now soaked through with my arousal.