Caroline lifted her head, locking eyes with Shannon. At that moment, in that very instant, Shannon was connected to another human being like never before. She held their gaze and slowly stroked Caroline’s clit with her tongue. She watched Caroline’s eyes glaze as she increased the speed and pressure on the sensitive spot. Caroline’s body moved in rhythm and Shannon knew she was very, very close to climax. She reached out grasping Caroline’s hand as Caroline whispered her name and exploded in her mouth.

• 138 •


Descent

v

The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon when Shannon woke. Caroline was still sleeping, lying on her side with her head on Shannon’s shoulder, her hand cupping one breast. Heat seared through Shannon’s body as her mind flashed back to how they got here.

What she and Caroline had shared through the night was breathtaking.

Hour after hour they took turns pleasing each other, touching, kissing, stroking until finally falling asleep in complete exhaustion. The large clock on the nightstand read three forty-five just before she closed her eyes.Today was a pivotal day in the series but Shannon didn’t care.

It was more important to be with Caroline, to talk to her, touch her, than it was to win the race. When Caroline whispered her name in the darkness, begged for relief, Shannon forgot about everything else.

Not wanting to wake her, Shannon gathered the clothes, picked up her shoes, and tiptoed toward the door. She dressed with as little movement as necessary so not to wake Caroline. Forgoing slipping into her shoes, Shannon tucked them under her arm and reached for the doorknob.

The click of the lock was deafening in the silence of the small room and she waited to see if the sound had woken Caroline. Hearing nothing, she turned the knob, opened the door, and took the first step into the hall. She was not prepared to come eye to eye with Steven Davis.Shannon had seen that look before. It was the same one she saw in Caroline’s doorway those many years ago. Confusion, shock, rage.

But this time the circumstances were very different. Before, they were kids; today, grown women who had shared something magical that only adults can.

“Mr. Davis,” she said firmly, knowing it wasn’t really appropriate to say, “Good morning, Mr. Davis.” By the look on his face, it was anything but. He didn’t return the greeting but looked at her with fire in his eyes.

Shannon figured she had three choices. Go back in the room and close and lock the door, go around him, or stand her ground. She chose

• 139 •


JuliE CaNNoN

the last one. Contrary to the look on his face, Shannon wasn’t concerned that he would hit her, no matter how much he may have wanted to.

They stared at each other as the seconds ticked by. Shannon swore she could hear the second hand on her watch move. She refused to back down. She had done that once and had regretted it almost every day after. She was an adult and demanded to be treated like one. She would stand there as long as she had to. She didn’t have to wait long before Caroline’s father finally spoke.

“It’s my job to protect my daughter.” His voice was barely controlled anger. “And I will do everything in my power to do so. I did it before and I’ll do it again if I have to.”

“Yes, sir, it is and she’s very lucky to have you as her father.”

“She was young and I did what I thought was best for her. I cut off any contact she had with you. Then you went to Switzerland and even if you were able to contact her at least you couldn’t see her.”

Davis continued and the pieces started to fall into place. That was why Caroline hadn’t answered her phone and was so difficult to get in touch with. Her letters had been returned as well.

“I kept tabs on you for a few years. Made sure you stayed out of her life. You were committed to the European circuit, which at least put more than a few miles between you. When I was satisfied Caroline had forgotten about you and you her, I breathed easier. And now here you are. Again.”

He took in her disheveled appearance and there was no doubt that Davis knew that “here” was in his daughter’s bed. Shannon didn’t take her eyes off his face.

“But Caroline was a child then and she’s an adult now. She makes her own decisions. I may not agree with them, but she is my daughter and I support her.” Shannon knew there was a but in there somewhere.

“But let me make one thing clear, Ms. Roberts. If you do anything to intentionally hurt Caroline, to cause her any pain whatsoever, you will answer to me.”

Steven Davis had not raised his hand or his voice during the awkward conversation. He didn’t have to. The love for his daughter was clear and Shannon had no doubt he would follow through on his actions. Before Shannon could reply, a sharp intake of breath came

• 140 •


Descent

from over her left shoulder. Preparing for the worst, she turned and saw Caroline standing right behind her.

For the second time she watched the interaction between Caroline and her father. Like her father, Caroline’s face showed shock, fear, and uncertainty. She was clutching her robe to her chest in a death grip, her knuckles white. Shannon watched Davis take in her just-fucked appearance and the fact that she was obviously very naked beneath the short silk robe. She wondered what it was like for a man to actually see his daughter as a sexual woman. Know what she had done, imagining someone touching her, stroking her, making her cry out in desire. In that instant, and that instant only, she felt sorry for him.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Mr. Davis,” Shannon said. She turned and faced Caroline. As much as she wanted to, there was nothing she could do to help her. This was between Caroline and her father. She reached out, grasped Caroline’s hand for a moment, and smiled what she hoped was a sign conveying that she was with her before stepping around her father.

“Daddy,” Caroline said, not knowing what to say. Her father entered the room, the two cups of coffee he was holding all but forgotten.

Caroline glanced at Shannon’s retreating back before closing the door.

“What you do is your business, Caroline. It’s not my place to interfere like it was years ago. I did what I thought was necessary and I’d do it all again if I had to. But you’re a grown woman now with a smart head on her shoulders. You make your own decisions and I support you. You’re my daughter and I love you. Nothing will ever change that. Now, let’s get you ready for the race today, shall we?”

Caroline stood there speechless. She certainly hadn’t expected to see her father and Shannon together this morning. God, especially not this morning. The sound of voices woke her and when she saw who was talking and heard what they were saying, she was practically paralyzed in the past. Shannon was standing her ground with her father and he was making his intentions clear. What may have looked like a stalemate to others was really a meeting of the minds of two of the most important people in her life. After a moment, she padded over to her father in her bare feet and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

v

• 141 •


JuliE CaNNoN

Shannon was oblivious to the activity around her as she walked the short distance down the hall to the waiting elevator. It was empty, thank God. She didn’t feel like she could make small talk with anyone she knew. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were tired but bright, her face flushed. Did she look any different than she had when she exited this same elevator hours ago? She certainly felt different.

Sometime last night with Caroline she had changed. In the minutes before dawn, Shannon had thought not only about what had happened between them, but how it had affected her. She had touched and been touched. Not just physically, but emotionally, and it frightened her. She had never felt this way about anyone, never allowed herself to. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that no one had ever taken the place of Caroline. No one had even come close. For lack of any other way of describing it, she felt like she had come home.

Shannon unlocked the door with the cardkey she pulled from her pocket and stepped inside. The strength of the early morning light barely penetrated the drawn drapes. She let her shoes drop on the floor and lay on her own queen size bed. She curled up in a ball wanting to savor and remember the taste, the touch, the feel, the scent of Caroline Davis.The smell of her was still on her fingers, the taste of her in her mouth. Shannon didn’t care how ridiculous she appeared as she licked one finger after the other, inhaling the scent of the woman who meant the world to her. They hadn’t talked much during the night. They hadn’t talked about anything at all. They simply reached out to each other time and time again; their need for each other unspoken. Words would trivialize what they were experiencing. Shannon had never felt so loved and felt so much love for someone in return. What she had felt for Caroline before was simply young love. What she sensed now was the full, mature love of one woman for another. She savored the feeling for one more moment before getting up, peeling off her clothes, and stepping into the shower.

• 142 •


Descent

ChaPTER EighTEEN

Shannon was next on the starting line. The final of this race was a series of three heats. She and Caroline had both completed the first two and Caroline was ahead of her by eight tenths of a second.