Jezebel (34 page)

While she crumbled, crying
out his name, he drank her in. Her body seemed to vibrate and even
glow in the aftermath. Sated, she never looked more beautiful. The
affect was just as powerful as her sex sucking at his cock, and it
almost toppled him.

Still, Shane kept going. He
didn’t let up. In and out, moving quickly, he hurtled to the
same earth shattering finale. His gut clenched. His balls tightened.
He kept going. He pulled out and pounded forward. Over and over
again, he drove deep and hard.

“
Feel…so…damn…good,”
he panted, her hot cream coating his cock with each thrust.

He gave a final, hard thrust
and the dam broke. Shane never felt more powerful. Strength pulsed
through his veins and he felt inordinately protective. He never
wanted her to leave his side. And he would do anything to make it
so.

Even maintain the lie that
chafed at his conscience and threatened to undo everything.

CHAPTER
TWENTY FIVE

Over the ensuing weeks the
city grew colder deeper into the throes of winter. Shane and Celeste
had become, practically inseparable always seeking each other’s
company.

In turn, she’d
developed a running list of his likes and dislikes. Shane never
complained about her mindless chattering and his endless silences
didn’t drive her mad.

The time they spent together
had become a whirlwind of activities. One could find them on the
floor of the Roseland ballroom, enjoying midweek matinees, riding the
Ferris wheel at Coney Island, eating hot dogs in Central Park or
watching the Giants play at the Polo Grounds.

They even had a standing
date for dinner every night with either Shane cooking dinner or
Maggie automatically setting the table for two.

It was after supper one
evening Celeste decided to buy a Christmas tree. The holidays were
already in full swing with the big day less than two weeks away.

“
What do you think
about this one?”

Huddled in his over coat,
Shane didn’t look the least bit pleased. “It looks fine
to me like the fifty other ones you’ve picked over.”

Celeste worried her bottom
lip. Maybe shopping for a Christmas tree in twenty-eight degree
weather hadn’t been such a great idea. But now that she had
someone to share the holidays with, she found herself swept up in all
the traditions. “Found what you want, miss?”

“
I’ll take this
one.” Celeste pointed to a cedar tree.

“
Do you want the
bottom cut?”

Can you bundle it on the
taxi for us?”

The lot attendant nodded as
he hoisted the tree over his shoulder. “How far are you
going?”

“
To the Navy Yards.”
Celeste handed the attendant a five dollar bill.

“
I’ll string it
up nice and tight.” he said, shoving the money in his pocket.

As soon as the man walked
off, Shane enveloped her in his arms. Celeste shivered. After all
this time, days and weeks in each other’s company, his touch
still gave her goose bumps.

“
You’ve added
your womanly touches and now a Christmas tree. Am I ever going to
get rid of you?”

Despite his teasing tone,
Celeste felt the sting of rejection. And she hated it. Would it
only be a matter of time before he completely lost interest in her?
How long would it take for his eyes to wander in search of someone
with less of a past who was more biddable?

“
I–I guessed I
overreached.”

“
Yep, it’s the
last straw.”

Growing prickly with anger,
Celeste stepped away. She didn’t get very far because his arms
caged her in.

“
You sealed your fate
with that tree.” He kissed her temple and a spark ran down her
spine and settled between her legs. “You’ve made the
place ours. Now you’ve made it harder for me to let you go.”

“
Do you really mean
that?” Celeste bit her bottom lip. She sounded so darn
vulnerable.

His arms tightened and a
nauseating silence stretched between them. Great. Now she’d
ruined everything by becoming one of those clingy women she’d
abhorred.

“
I think I’ve
wanted to be your man from day one,” he whispered in her ear.

The blood rushed to
Celeste’s head so fast she thought she was going to faint. The
effect his words had on her resembled a flood after a long rain. All
the feelings she had for him roaring to the forefront.

Celeste knew in that moment
that no matter what challenge this relationship threw her, she would
bravely weather it because she was in love with him.

Too bad she was grappling
with telling him. Even though the word was on the tip of her tongue,
she found it hard to form the word and voice it. So she decided on a
roundabout declaration.

“
You
know if you break my heart, I’ll rearrange your face.”

His
lips brushed the fine hairs at her temple. “You’ll
rearrange my face?”

Celeste
turned around in his arms and hugged him back. “Completely
pulverize it,” she said, snuggling into him.

“
Only one problem, I
have to have your heart to break it.” He lowered his head and
whispered, “Are you giving it to me?”

Celeste searched his eyes as
if she could discover an inkling of his feelings for her there. All
she saw was the man she’d fallen in love with. “For
safekeeping as long as you want it.”

“
Is this a reciprocal
deal?”

Celeste slowly nodded. She
couldn’t do much else. Her heart was beating faster than a
locomotive.

“
Then you got it lock,
stock and barrel cause’ I love you.”

Celeste’s toes curled
in her galoshes. “I love you,” she said hesitantly. The
word rolled off her tongue as if she’d said the word bonjour.

Chuckling, Shane tipped her
chin with his index finger. “You sound like you’ve never
said it before.”

Embarrassed, Celeste looked
away. His green gaze seemed to penetrate the depths of her soul. “I
have. This is the first time I really meant it.”

Shane frowned. “What
about your mother and father.”

“
My mother died in
childbirth and The Reverend he never acted like a father.”

“
What do you mean?”
He asked so quietly and with such purpose there was no way she could
backpedal. In truth, she’d kept silent about her and her
father’s relationship not to tarnish Shane’s memory of
The Reverend.

“
He just never had any
time for me. To this day, I don’t think I ever remember him
hugging me or even shelling out a kind word.” Shane’s
expression turned south. Celeste didn’t stop, getting her
father’s ill treatment off her chest proved to be cathartic.
“There was nothing but derision and criticism especially over
my wanting to become a performer. Things came to such a head we
agreed I would be better off on my own. So, I left home at the age
of fifteen.”

Shane cursed softly. “And
here I had The Reverend on a pedestal.”

“
You should keep him
there, baby.” Celeste grabbed the edges of his overcoat and
tugged. “People put on different faces for different people.”

Celeste
felt him stiffen under her hands, but she chalked it up to learning
about her father’s alter ego.

“
Your tree’s
ready.”

Shane grabbed Celeste’s
hand and steered her over to a waiting cab and their Christmas tree.

“
Where you headed?”
the cabbie asked.

“
Navy—”

“
Hold
up a minute will you?”

The
cabbie nodded as he flipped the meter. “Take as long as you
like, but it’s gonna cost ya.”

Shane ignored the
implication. He turned to her and enfolded her hand in both of his.
Celeste tensed, waiting for the axe to fall.

“
Marry me.”

Okay, a marriage proposal
was not what she was expecting! “W-why?”

“
I’m
in love with you and I don’t want to lose you.”

“
I’m not going
anywhere. So stop playing games.” She was suddenly getting cold
feet and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

“
I
want you to be my wife. I want you to be the mother of my kids. I
want to wake up the rest of my life seeing your face in the morning.”

Celeste groaned. It wasn’t
exactly poetry, but it hit all the right buttons. “Okay,”
she whispered. “I’ll marry you.”

Shane let out a loud whoop
and banged the car’s roof. “Manhattan courthouse! And
make it quick.”

“
Were going right
now?” The car swerved from the curb and Celeste grabbed for the
door strap. “What about the tree?”

Shane tried the rope running
along the roof. “The tree’s good and tight. It should
hold while the clerk processes the license.”

“
Why the rush?”

Shane glanced at his watch.
“It’s almost five o’clock.”

His obliviousness was almost
laughable, but this was a serious matter. “Why do we have to
get the license today?”

Shane pressed their
foreheads together, while his thumb brushed across her bottom lip,
causing her to sigh and thank the stars he’d walked into her
life. “I want you sitting ring side as my wife.”

Why did he always have to
say all the right things? “We’ll have to get blood tests
and rings,” she said falling in step with his plans. Who’s
going to marry us? I haven’t stepped foot in a church since I
stopped wearing curls.”

“
I can call on Father
O’Malley and see if he can fit us in before Christmas.”
He lowered his head and kissed her lips. “Other than that,”
he kissed her again, “we can be married and on our honeymoon
before the fight.”

This just couldn’t be
happening. She’d set out to buy a Christmas tree and now she
was getting married.

Two days later, they were
standing at the altar in Vinegar Hill’s St. George’s
Church. With the promise of a hefty donation, Father O’Malley
agreed to officiate and Trudy and Lenny sat in the congregation as
witnesses.

“
Dearly beloved, we
have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the
joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony.”

Shane’s hand found
hers and he entwined their fingers. Celeste wasn’t sure if it
was proper, but she welcomed the anchor his strength provided. Right
now, she felt like she was floating.

“
Shane
Brennan Colin McAllister, will you have this woman to be your wife;
to live together in the covenant of marri—”

“
Colin McAllister?”
Celeste interjected.

Shane
cleared his throat nervously. “Shane Brennan’s my
fighting name,” he said, leaning close and keeping his voice
barely above a whisper. “Shane Brennan Colin McAllister is my
full birth name.”

“
Like a stage name?”

“
Like a stage name?”
Shane parroted.

Although alarm bells sounded
in her head, his excuse sounded perfectly logical. Half of the
entertainers she’d worked with used a pseudonym.

“
Are we ready to
proceed?” Father O’Malley asked.

“
Go ahead, Father.”

O’Malley finished the
Declaration of Consent followed by prayer and exchanging of rings.
He’d barely blessed their union when Shane snatched her up and
captured her mouth in a fervent kiss. Celeste felt like she was
caught up in a dream. However, the desire that settled in her belly,
caused by his lips upon her own, felt very real.

“
I need both of you to
sign the marriage licenses.” Father O’Malley tapped Shane
on the shoulder, interrupting them.

Breaking from her, Shane
set her down. Somewhat wobbly, Celeste held onto his jacket sleeve
as she took the pen from Father O’Malley.

“
Will this be legal?”
A little late to ask, but she needed to know that what they’d
done would be recognized by the state of New York.

Father O’Malley
smiled. “Unlike a good portion of our states, Mrs. McAllister,
New York has never outlawed marriages between a man and a woman
regardless of the color of their skin.”

Reassured,
Celeste signed their marriage license and then handed the pen to
Shane. Afterward they celebrated in the church’s rectory with
sparkling wine and a two-tier cake Trudy whipped up. And to make use
of the daylight hours, they were driving north on Route Twenty-two
before noon.

Shane knew what he was doing
was wrong. He loved Celeste with all his heart, but their marriage
was his insurance policy. If she ever found out the truth, she would
leave him in a heartbeat. With a band of gold around her finger, a
few curly-haired kids, maybe she would think twice about leaving him.