“Are you okay, Keara?” Maeve asked the next day. “I’m sure last night must have shaken you up.”
Keara tipped her head to one side and thought about that. Strangely, she’d slept fine. Probably still sated from all the orgasms Shane had given her. Ha. Doped up on…what was that? Oxytocin? Endorphins? She hadn’t even been nervous. Shane had made sure the building was locked securely and the alarm system working before he’d left. What were the chances the guy would come back? And who knew why he was even there?
Keara had her own theory. She was a little worried that the sex shop might attract some unusual characters. Perhaps someone a bit unbalanced had some strange idea about hiding in the store and then trying things out—maybe someone with a strange fetish. This had never happened before, according to Maeve, but after seeing some of the customers come in, like the guy who was so embarrassed he kept his hood over his head, it wasn’t that farfetched.
And it wasn’t likely to happen again, but Shane had talked to Maeve about having a lock on the Staff Only door, maybe a keypad or a system with a card they could swipe to get access. That way there was no danger of any customer walking back there unnoticed. That satisfied Keara.
“Actually,” she finally said to Maeve, a small smile breaking through, “I’m fine. I like Shane’s idea of getting a security system on that door…” She nodded to the back of the store. “In fact, I plan to call someone today about that.”
“Shane said he would do it.”
Keara sighed. “Shane doesn’t have to do that for us.”
“For me,” Maeve pointed out gently. “He’s doing it for me.”
“Well, I’m here, and I’m perfectly capable of handling that.”
Maeve’s brows lifted and the corners of her mouth quirked up. “Yes, of course you are. Well, I’ll let the two of you fight that one out. I think it’s a good idea too. I wish I’d thought of that before, but of course, I never thought something like this would happen.” She paused. “I’m glad you’re handling it okay. I was afraid that after thinking your condo was almost broken into, this would scare you.”
Keara shook her head, bemused. “No. They’re completely unrelated, of course.”
“It’s the sex.”
Keara gaped at her aunt. “Uh…what sex?”
Maeve laughed. “The Irish Sex Fairy strikes again. See? You’re feeling so much better.”
Keara felt her cheeks heat up to red-hot. “Coincidence.”
“I think not.”
They shared a smile, Keara still a little embarrassed. “Whatever.” She waved a hand. “What security company do you use for your alarm system? I’m going to call them and get them to give us a quote on security for that door.”
She’d just hung up from making the arrangements when the phone rang again. It was Shane, calling to check on them.
“We’re fine,” she said, leaning against the counter.
“Did you sleep okay?”
She sighed again at the interest in her sleep, first Maeve, now Shane. But it was kind of nice that they cared. “I slept great.”
“Good. So, tonight…wanna come to a movie?”
She blinked. “A movie?”
“Yeah. My buddies Dillon and Joey—I think you know Dillon?”
“Yes, I remember him.”
“They’re taking their wives out to a movie tonight and they invited me to come. I thought you might like to join us.”
It sounded almost like a date. Keara nibbled her bottom lip. “Um…I guess so.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, they’re harmless. It’ll be fun. I’ll pick you up at seven. We’ll probably go out for a drink after too.”
Fun. What a concept.
She and Shane had had a lot of fun together lately, just the two of them. Meeting his friends added a new dimension to the whole sex relationship thing.
But his friends were fun. After the movie, they all went to O’Doole’s Pub and argued about the movie and laughed and teased Shane about the first girl he’d kissed and how her mouth had ended up bleeding from Shane’s braces. Joey and Dillon shared Shane’s sense of humor, and their wives Lisa and Gwen included her in conversations that she might have felt left out of, not knowing them and their clearly long and friendly history. When Shane dropped her off at Maeve’s near midnight, he walked her upstairs into the quiet apartment, one lamp on in the living room, Maeve’s bedroom door closed.
Shane pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and she found herself responding with a deeper intensity of feelings, a new warmth and affection for him after the casual, relaxing fun evening. So when he pulled back to smile down at her, she couldn’t help but smile back, loving the circle of his arms around her.
“I’m off tomorrow,” he murmured. “We should do something.”
“Like what?” All they usually did, until tonight, was have sex. Hot, bone-melting, sheet-ripping sex.
“Let’s drive to one of the wineries nearby. There’s a nice one near Santa Ynez. We can have lunch, do the tour, taste some wine…”
Her eyes widened. It sounded like another date. It sounded…amazing. “Okay.”
Chapter Sixteen
Shane drove to Santa Ynez. Above them, a few wispy clouds streaked the cerulean sky. Golden fields stretched away from the highway, to the Santa Ynez Mountains, and yellow, orange and purple wildflowers brightened the roadside. At one point, they passed two men on horseback, plodding along in the hot sun, their Stetsons shielding their faces from the sun. One lifted a hand in a greeting as they passed.
Shane parked his vehicle on the main street in Santa Ynez, and they stood on the sidewalk looking at the western-style buildings, a quaint contrast to Kilkenny’s Irish ambience.
“Where should we have lunch?” he asked. “How about the Ranchman’s Coffee Shop?”
The sun lit up Keara’s hair into a fiery halo. She’d slid sunglasses onto her face so he couldn’t see her eyes, but her lips curled into a smile. “Sure.”
He took her hand as they walked across the street, felt her almost withdraw from his grasp then relax.
They entered the coffee shop and were soon seated. Inside was all wood and wrought iron, with leather and western artifacts decorating the walls and shelves.
“Cute,” she commented, pushing her big sunglasses on to the top of her head, gazing around with interested eyes.
She was cute. Damn. He dragged his gaze away from her to look at the menu the hostess had set in front of him. They ordered lunch, took their time eating.
“You’ve been doing better lately, haven’t you,” Shane said, fingers playing with a paper napkin. He looked up from it.
Keara nodded. “Yes.” She pressed her lips together, and met his eyes. “Thanks to you.”
He grinned. “I’ve been told I have an amazing effect on women.”
She laughed. “I guess it’s true.”
“Seriously, though.”
“Better, but I still get a bit anxious thinking about going back to work. I’m still worried about being able to make decisions.”
“Don’t go back.”
Her eyes flew wide. “What?”
He shrugged and looked down at the paper napkin again. “Don’t go back. If it’s worrying you, maybe it’s not worth it. It’s just a job. You can find another one.”
She stared at him, lips parted. Then she shook her head. “I can’t do that. It’s not just a job. It’s my career. It’s…who I am.”
“It’s not all of who you are,” Shane said softly. “You’re more than just a bank manager, Keara.”
“Well, I know, but…you don’t understand.”
“Make me understand.”
She tilted her head and gazed across the coffee shop for a long moment, then back at him. “My parents were very um…successful. My dad was the CEO of Palladium. I was just starting my career there when they were both killed in a car accident.”