23. Selene

23

SELENE

J ustin stands on the deck of the yacht, shaking his head with disdain as the sirens grow ever closer.

“I hate the fucking cops, man,” he groans.

“You’re going to talk to them anyway,” Dane growls. “And you’re going to be fucking honest, you hear me? Don’t make things hard for your sister. Do the right thing for once, Justin.”

Justin’s shoulders sag, but he gives a nod.

“Yeah, man. You’re right. I’ve fucked her over one too many times. Hell, one time was too many. It’s way past time I grew up.”

He perks up and even smiles a little.

“Besides, they’ll probably offer me a deal in exchange for testimony against Moreno.”

“Justin,” I say, shocked. “You won’t be able to live a normal life if you do that. The Moreno family will never stop looking for you.”

“Hey, there’s always witness protection. I’m a guy who could probably use a fresh start. For real this time.”

The cops arrive, and in short order so do the FBI. I give my statement about three times to three different law enforcement agencies. Local, state, and federal.

My voice is hoarse by the time they finally wrap things up. The cops take a little longer talking to Dane, but he did shoot a bunch of people, even if it was justified.

The sun has sunk well toward the horizon by the time Dane and I leave the Marina. An officer holds the police tape up so we can pass through their line.

“I wonder if they’re going to arrest Justin?” I ask as we head to the parking lot.

“They might, but he’s being pretty cooperative. It’s more likely he’ll get some kind of protective custody. Regardless, he’s no longer in danger. Not the imminent kind, anyway.”

I get on my tip toes and kiss Dane on the cheek.

“Thank you for helping me save him. Not to mention saving my life.”

“I think we saved each other a couple of times,” he says, trying to blow it off. “Listen, Selene, I think we need to talk.”

My heart skips a beat.

“Oh. Yeah, I think so too.”

He cocks an eyebrow.

“Over dinner?”

“Yes, sounds great…but can I get a shower first? And I don’t think they’re going to let you into a restaurant in ripped up clothes with bloodstains on them.”

He looks down at himself and laughs.

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

I guess Dane really does make me feel safe, because I fall asleep on the way back to my place. His gentle voice and warm hand on my shoulder awaken me when we arrive. I smile before opening my eyes, covering his hand with my own.

I lean against him while he unlocks the door with my keys. Once we’re inside, he leads me up to the bedroom and begins undressing me in a sweet, caring way. His eyes glow with warmth while he slides my garments away.

The shower head sputters, then sends out a warm mist. He checks the temperature with his wrist and then holds my hand to assist me stepping inside. The hot water feels glorious as it sluices down my back.

I watch as he undresses himself. He has some bruises and scrapes here and there, but otherwise his body is magnificent as ever. His illustrated skin flexes and molds over his rippling muscles as he joins me in the shower.

Dane inundates my pink loofah with foamy body wash and then runs it over my body. I turn around and put my hands against the tiled wall as he carefully, gently cleans me.

His smooth palms feel amazing as they caress my skin, wiping away the suds with a deluge of hot water. Once I’m sparkling clean, I take the loofah from his hand and it’s my turn to clean him.

He was all sweetness and business. I get a little bit distracted, taking my time cleaning his member. Dane’s body responds, growing firm under my touch.

He shuts off the water and moves me towards the glass door. I grin mischievously and step out of the shower, still holding onto him.

Dane steps out of the shower, then clasps his hand to the small of my back. His eyes burn into my own, and then he pulls me against him tight. Our lips meet as he crushes me against him. God, he tastes just too good to be true. I let myself be swept away by the moment, the feel of his body pressed against my own, and the deep, intense way he kisses me.

My hand remains busy even as I moan into his mouth. Dane pulls me in tighter, both his arms encircling me now. I groan as his fingers slide down my back and bottom, then tease my pussy from behind. I arch into him, greedy for his touch.

“Oh Dane.”

The cry rips from my mouth as his warm mouth finds my neck. His cock is hard as iron in my grasp. With an urgent growl, Dane grabs me by the waist and spins me around until I’m sitting on the wide, flat expanse of sink. A tube of lipstick topples over and clatters into the basin, but I couldn't care less at the moment.

Dane’s palm caresses my cheek. I gasp, eyes fluttering closed as his hand slips behind my head. I draw in a sharp intake of air as his hand knots in my hair close to my scalp .

Dane pulls my head back firmly, but not brutally, and kisses my exposed neck. A guttural groan issues forth from my very soul. My legs trap him, wrapping around his waist, ankles locking together just above his cute ass.

His shaft lays pressed against the groove of my pussy, partly enveloped by it. He draws back slightly, hand gripping his member as he slides it into my pink opening. I bite my lower lip as he glides in, stretching me and making me feel gloriously full.

Dane thrusts his hips, driving himself into me. Desperately, I claw and clutch at him, my nails raking down his shoulder. It feels so amazing I think I’m going to explode. His taut, leanly-muscled form glistens with a sheen of sweat as he rhythmically pumps his hips into mine.

“Dane,” I hiss through clenched teeth. “Dane!”

A primal groan rips from his mouth.

“Selene, I love you!”

He punctuates the declaration with more powerful thrusts. My senses reel. My heart feels lighter than air because he just told me he loves me. On the other hand, our conjoined, arching and straining bodies create their own sensations that mingle with ecstasy both physical and spiritual.

Everything whirls together into a dervish of pleasure that has me singing the song of sheer release at the top of my lungs. I squirm and writhe as supernovas explode behind my eyelids.

My whole body shivers, gone completely to rubber. No longer capable of supporting its own weight, my body starts to topple off the sink. Dane catches me easily in his powerful arms, whisking me off to the bed.

Once he lays me down, Dane curls his body around mine. I sigh, snuggling my face deep into the pillow I make of his tattooed arm.

“This is heaven,” I manage to say, once the aftershocks have died down and I’m capable of coherent thought.

“I really do love you, Selene.”

I purse my lips into a frown, then shift about until I’m laying on top of him. Our eyes meet, and the gentle tenderness in his gaze makes me want to cry and laugh all at once.

“I love you too, Dane. But I’m afraid.”

He brushes my hair out of my eyes.

“What are you afraid of?”

“Of being hurt,” I say bluntly. “I mean, every time I think you’ve finally let me inside of your private world, you shut me out again. I’m afraid that if I really open myself up to you, I’ll always be on the outside looking in.”

He nods. “I understand. I’ve been standoffish. Or really, I’ve been a jerk.” He heaves a long sigh, and then he tells me a story. I listen, rapt with attention, as he relates his tragic tale. My heart breaks for Dane as he finishes, and I kiss him softly on the lips.

“Dane, you can’t keep blaming yourself for that. Surely you’ve done your penance by now. Besides, you might have hit the kid.”

“I’m a pretty good shot, Living Dead Girl.”

I cock an eyebrow. “Living Dead Girl?”

“Do you like it?”

“No.”

I kiss him hard, and he gives it right back.

“I love it,” I say, breathlessly. “And no matter how good you are, you’re still a human being, Dane. At the end of the day, it was Klaus who killed those people. You were hardly the one solely responsible for him, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s hard not to let those deaths haunt me, though.”

“Whatever happened to Klaus?” I ask.

“He got caught in the least dramatic way possible. He was pulled over for speeding in France and detained.” Dane chuckles without mirth. “After all those years of fleeing from black ops teams, it was a traffic cop that brought him down. He got extradited to the US and was executed for his crimes.”

“Sounds like justice to me,” I say. “But the important thing to remember is you deserve forgiveness. And besides, you kept me safe and sound, and you even rescued my brother.”

“Sort of. Turns out he didn’t need much rescuing. ”

I shake my head. “Yes he did. And so did I. And so did you.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Me?”

“Yes, you. You needed to be rescued from yourself. Nobody gave you a harder time about Klaus than you. It’s time to commute the sentence to time served. Live life for a change.”

He smiles. “When you’re with me, life is definitely worth living.”

Dane kisses me, and this time it grows torrid. Looks like we’re not getting any sleep tonight.

And that doesn’t bother me a bit.