“Oh, Nick.” Shannon sighed. “I’m sorry for being such an emotional mess. I have faith in you,” she whispered as her hand went back to his chest where she could find his heartbeat again.
“Even when I thought everything between us was lost…there was still a glimmer alive deep inside me. You spoke your truth” Shannon whispered. “Mine is, that all this time I secretly clung to the dream that you would somehow find your way back to me. I like that saying, ‘dreams are wishes the heart makes,’ because I see how true it is in my life. Thank you for telling me what is in your heart.”
With that, Shannon melted against him, feeling herself open at long last to the real possibility of a future with him.
Nick was so overcome with feelings that he struggled to not shed some tears of his own. They’d survived the storm, and now that some light was shining, he was deeply and profoundly grateful for the forgiving heart and loving nature this extraordinary woman was gifting him. No way was he going to screw this up.
His mind was thinking, thank fucking god. Although he knew the irreverence was overkill, it seemed to strike just the right chord of relief inside him nonetheless.
After a bit, Nick finally eased Shannon off his lap. Thankful for the chance to let his ever-present hard-on get some breathing room, Nick turned his full attention to the lovely woman who had just given him back his heart. With a small chuckle he thought, Thanks, nephew. Thanks for that, as he remembered Dom’s earlier words about having lost his heart. Damn if the kid hadn’t been right. He said just to ask Shannon for it back and she would give it to him. Out of the mouths’ of babes.
Her hair had become a mess from their fevered make-out session, so Nick lifted able fingers to some flyaway curls, tucking them neatly behind an ear as he searched his heart for what he wanted to say next.
“I want to share your bed, Shannon, from tonight.” His bold statement of intent caused a blush to steal across her features. “Not to force the issue, sweetheart, but because I don’t want you sleeping apart from me ever again. We’re alright, aren’t we? It’s for real this time, baby. What just happened here, and over the past few days, we’ve started over…haven’t we?” Nick asked, showing a bit of uncharacteristic anxiety as he waited for her answer.
“Yes, Nick. I think alright is a good way to describe where we are, but isn’t sleeping in the same bed just asking for trouble?” When she saw him shaking his head to negate any trepidation she was feeling, Shannon quickly added “I know you’re not rushing me!”
Nick stood and started backing away from her when she reached out a hand to his and held on fast. She didn’t need any space, but she did need more time, and she desperately searched for a way to express that to him.
“I want you to stay with me, Nick. It just seems like an awful lot to ask. You know…” She shrugged as her eyes glanced at the erection still pressing against his zipper. “I think I’m afraid of what all this means.”
Nick squeezed her small hand that had slotted so perfectly into his much larger one and presented her with a knowing smile. “I’m a big boy, Shannon. Clearly!” he added with a sparkle in his eyes. “I can handle a bit of sexual frustration if it means holding you in my arms through the night. You are safe with me, love. I just want you near. That’s all.” He pulled her to her feet saying, “This is about you and me and the future we are building. We did everything wrong the first time, and I’m not about to let that happen again!” Chuckling he added, “You are about to be wooed and courted, as is befitting the incredible woman you are, so get used to it!”
Shannon laughed at that and presented him with a huge grin. “Wooed and courted, huh?” she said in a teasing voice. “I like the way that sounds, Mr. Barrett. I’m not quite sure what wooing and courting entails, but it sounds yummy!”
And just like that, one more time, a smile and some playful banter set everything right. As had become the norm, the crutches were instantly forgotten as he swung her up into his arms and headed confidently toward her bedroom with a tremendous smile on his face.
It didn’t take long for Shannon to go through her nightly ablutions while Nick gave her space and privacy to take care of her needs. She warmed at the thought that he stayed nearby and prayed that taking this huge step forward was a good idea for them both. She wasn’t sure why she still hesitated, but she knew herself well enough to realize that she should just relax and let things unfold as they may. She’d know when she was ready to take that final leap of faith and was content to let her heart and intuition set the pace.
When it was time to climb into her huge bed with the massive sleigh head and footboard, Shannon was relieved to see that Nick had lowered the lights and pulled back the covers so all she had to do was get herself comfortable. Once she was in place he joined her under the sumptuous linens and without hesitation pulled her into him so her back was plastered against his front.
“Sweet dreams, little one,” Nick whispered in her ear a second before kissing the side of her face, just barely touching her mouth.
Exhaustion took over, and as Shannon started drifting to sleep, she enjoyed the feeling of his bare chest pressed against her back. She had missed this, missed sharing even this small intimacy, and as sleep overtook her, she murmured dreamily just above a whisper, “This feels right.”
Nick couldn’t have agreed more but kept his silence as she drifted off, content to feel her nestled against him while her unforgettable scent invaded his senses. Sometime later he joined her in sleep with a happy smile lingering on his face.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It was normal for Nick to wake with the dawn. What wasn’t normal was finding a soft, warm female body molded against him. The instant recognition that it was Shannon snuggled up against him with her sexy bottom providing the perfect cradle for his raging morning hard-on made the moment unforgettable. He planned to never wake up without her at his side ever again. That thought warmed him from head to toe as he lay there for a very long time luxuriating in the simple, delightful pleasure he was feeling.
Before too long, though, he knew it was time to switch gears since the erection he hoped would calm down just kept insisting on itself in a way that was testing Nick’s control. He quickly discovered how many ways one could count backwards from a hundred as he attempted to avert his body’s attention away from the enticement Shannon’s natural heat and allure were sending to his brain.
The first rays of light had crept across the ceiling when he gingerly eased out of the bed they’d shared and headed for the bathroom. It was early still, he thought. Too damn early for her to be disturbed, so ever the gentleman, Nick moved silently through the motions of getting ready for the day.
He’d decided on a quick run through the canyon to release some pent-up energy. Anything to take his mind off wanting to crawl back under the covers and strip her of the bland nightshirt and boy-short knickers she had worn to bed. After feasting on her naked beauty, he would cover every inch of exposed skin with his mouth and tongue in an endless oral indulgence that could only end with his face pressed between her open thighs while he licked her slit, tongued the throbbing little nub hidden in her delicate folds, bringing her to a mind-blowing orgasm that would rock his little lady’s world.
Yeah. He needed to run like the damn devil this morning before his thoughts sent him up in flames. As he headed for the door, Nick paused and considered that he had best leave a note in case she awakened and didn’t find him in her bed. Things were better between them, yes, but still raw and tentative. He didn’t pretend to understand the mind of a woman—what man could?—but he did know with some surety that her mind would go into cranky overdrive with reawakened fears and hesitation if he wasn’t there as she would expect.
She needed reassurance, and he intended to give her as much support in that area as possible. He wasn’t going anywhere and she had nothing to fear, but he knew that she still questioned how he could have just walked away from her before. Nick was going to make damn sure that that was o
ne wrong he righted every day for the rest of his life.
Spying the open door to her home office down the hallway next to the front landing, Nick stalked off in that direction in search of paper and pen to leave a note.
Stepping into the room, he located and headed immediately to the long, cluttered desk that ran under a wide set of windows lit up by the morning’s rays. Spotting a pad of sticky notes and a pen, Nick dashed off a quick explanation that he was off for a run and ripped it from the stack. Tossing the pen aside, he caught sight of something on the tall ceiling-to-floor bookshelf next to the window. His attention drawn, Nick turned away from the desk and walked to the bookshelf.
There was a strange buzzing sound in his brain when he got close enough to see that what had grabbed his attention was a large-footed, teardrop-shaped apothecary jar filled with extra-long vines of black-and-red-twisted licorice. Did his jaw hit the floor? It might have.
Thoughts of the canisters, boxes and bags of butterscotch candies scattered throughout his day to day life and what that said about his emotional well-being or lack thereof assailed his mind. Seeing the synchronicity of this reality reflected back in Shannon’s day to day life hit him squarely in the center of his chest.
Releasing a vulgar swear Nick shook himself and resolved yet again to fix the mess he’d made of their lives.
Feeling as though he was intruding into Shannon’s private thoughts, since that’s exactly what those golden candies strewn throughout his life represented, Nick headed for the door with the note still stuck to his fingers. A series of easels were placed in the corner behind the door with what looked like storyboards on them.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Nick moved closer to examine the boards and was delighted with what he discovered. Each board represented an event that she was working on. Domenic’s cowboy party was represented, and he stood for long moments exploring the board that was covered with pictures and pieces of fabric. There were drawings of sets and props and notes about proper placement. There were shots of the actors she’d hired to portray Wild West folks and even a piece of the patterned cowboy paper products for the kids. It was all too charming, and Nick was enchanted with how she set about creating a vision for her events.
Two boards set side by side were for charity events with different themes that involved an emcee and a stage setup. The last board looked like a work in progress with a French Parisian theme that was equally as over-the-top as Dom’s party had been. Curious, Nick leaned in closer to read the tag that held the party’s information. It was going to be a sweet-sixteen party for one Amelia Spencer Al-Alain to be held in December.
Nick was stunned by the mention of the Al-Alain family and knew immediately who the sixteen-year-old was. Her father was Zahir Al-Alain and he had been at Oxford during Nick’s first year in England. Zahir was guest lecturing in international law at the university when they met through mutual friends. The illegitimate son of a powerful Middle Eastern sheik, the man had been driven to prove himself outside his half-royal pedigree and had turned into something of a guide and mentor to Nick in his grad college days.
They’d been friends ever since, with the two enjoying each other’s company during the odd times they intersected through business and whenever either of them was near the other’s home base. Zahir was one of Nick’s closest friends, ranking right up there and only slightly behind Ned.
Because they’d been friends a long time, Nick was one of the few people who knew the story of Zahir’s doomed love affair with an English girl that had ended badly, although Nick didn’t actually know what had caused the breakup. What he did know was that Zahir had carried around the burden of a broken heart for a long, long time.
Many years later, Zahir had discovered that this love of a lifetime had produced a child, and from that moment forward he had been single minded in his drive to claim the daughter he hadn’t known about while also rekindling his relationship with Amelia’s mother. Nick had met the lovely Suzanne Spencer many times in the past couple of years and could understand why his friend had been so desolate without her. The two complemented each other in a way that made people stop and pause. He was tall, dark, powerful, and every inch an Arab male while she was an English rose, just as tall but with pale, alabaster skin, light eyes, and golden blonde hair They made a stunning pair, and the daughter they’d created was a perfect blend of the two.
These were feelings Nick could understand, and he was glad now that he’d been openly supportive when Zahir had publically declared the three a family just four years ago. That Amelia was turning sixteen already surprised him, true, but what really set him back a few paces was that Shannon was doing the party and that the event itself was in England. Shannon’s reputation had apparently gotten her the attention of the world’s power elite.
Nick knew he would be invited to the gathering, and it struck him between the eyes with the force of a moving train that, even without the interference of his meddling sister, he and Shannon had been on a collision course one way or the other. The universe had apparently put in motion several opportunities when it would be likely that their paths would cross.
“Kismet,” he said out loud to no one but himself, and that was the thought he took with him as he silently returned to Shannon’s sleeping bedside so he could leave her the note he’d written. He’d tell her about Zahir, of course, when the opportunity presented itself. Nick didn’t necessarily want to elaborate on having been in her office or having seen the gigantic glass jar filled with what could only be regarded as yet another direct tie to their past, in case knowing that would make her uncomfortable.
As he let himself out the front door after pocketing her keys so he could get back in, Nick knew that turnabout would be fair play when he got her on a plane and flew her to his home back east where, like he had seen here, she would find plenty of evidence that he had never truly cut the cord with their past. He thought of the telltale candies that would be everywhere—on the plane, in his limo, at the office—and he thought about a couple of other things that would show his currently sleeping woman that she’d never been far from his thoughts.
* * *
When Shannon awoke to the sounds of birds twittering on the patio, she was astonished to realize she’d slept well beyond her usual early-morning habit. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept that soundly and chalked it up to the delicious male body that had spooned her throughout the long night.
She’d been dimly aware of him wrapped around her earlier and had drifted in and out of a sound sleep while her senses savored the feeling of his huge, strong presence next to her. When he had shifted and ground his clearly engorged staff against her derriere, she had been sorely tempted to wiggle in response, but good sense and the fact that she wasn’t nearly awake kept her still enough to fall back into a deep sleep that included some rather risqué dreams where she did way more than let him rub against her bottom. When she finally did wake up, he wasn’t there, making Shannon clear her head in a big hurry.
As soon as her eyes popped open and she sat up, she saw the sticky note on the headboard featuring Nick’s elegant scrawl explaining that he’d gone for a run. Satisfied but refusing to analyze why she’d been so quickly fearful by his absence, Shannon settled back under the covers and turned toward his pillow, which she snuggled in his absence.
Mmmmm, she thought. He smelled so good, evidenced by the lingering scent his body had left in her bed. She smiled at the thought that they’d slept together and knew a sense of deep contentment. It was something so simple, sharing a bed, but them being together like that was way more than simple.
It was probably a good thing that he wasn’t around right then because Shannon’s mind suddenly flooded with images from the erotically charged dreams she’d been having as she came awake.
In her sleep filled visions, she had been the one to wake first and it was she who had initiated a slow-motion exploration of Nick’s naked chest while he slumbered on. He had felt
so wonderful under her questing fingers that Shannon lost herself in sensual awareness. Such is the way of dreams, for they let the dreamer weave whatever they want into the moment.
In Shannon’s dream, she had indulged in his maleness, searching out and then running her fingers back and forth against the nipples peeking through soft hair covering his chest that led like a road sign to delights hidden lower.
She’d kissed his skin and licked her way south until reaching the barrier of the unbelievably sexy underwear he preferred, which were skintight and nothing more than a mouthwatering pouch for his impressive manhood.
In her dream, she woke him up in the most erotic and exciting way she could with a slow, tortuous, blowjob that found her moaning and sucking on his impressive hardness with unrestrained enthusiasm. Apparently, in her dream world, this was the perfect way to say good morning, for in the next heartbeat her suddenly awake and rampantly aroused cowboy pirate was pushing down his shorts as he ripped off her knickers so he could lift her up in one fast, smooth move, lowering her rather forcefully onto his throbbing staff.
From there her dreams had smoldered and burned as she had imagined taking him on a wild ride until her grinding and writhing on his sensitive staff as she whimpered in a total loss of control had forced him to take over. Shannon had held on for dear life while he bucked up into her aching core, impaling her on each upward stroke, filling her so deeply she cried out in the throes of unbearable arousal. It was just a dream, but mesmerizing in its sensual imagery. So much so that when he exploded inside her and she throbbed around him in a blinding climax, her dream-seduced body shook in response.
No wonder she didn’t want to get up and only wanted to snuggle against his pillow. Shannon had known desire before, but nothing quite like this. When she finally found the courage to accept what Nick was offering, she was worried that the intense passion they had awakened might consume them both. In the next heartbeat, that worry changed to female satisfaction and thoughts of what was yet to come.
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