The Billionaire's Second Chance (25 page)

They stayed like that for a long time. Shannon’s fingers on his skin were as soft as the lips which had opened under his without reservation. He got lost in the sensations wrought by her delicate touch and deepened the kiss with each new caress. Heart thundering in his chest, Nick pulled her even closer so she could feel his excitement and know it was for her alone.

His tongue plundered her mouth mimicking what he wanted to do with another part of his anatomy; plunging slow and deep, swirling sexy pulses meant to drive her wild. She responded in kind, sucking him in with barely audible groans of
sensual
abandon.

Shannon lay in his arms and
exulted
in the way he took command of their sensual interlude. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t push things too far
.
That
knowledge allowed her to let go and enjoy what was happening between them.

She loved being kissed by him and she’d never forgotten how it made her feel to be in Nick’s arms with her soft, trembling mouth crushed under his. How could she have lived without ever knowing this feeling again? Well, she hadn’t really lived and that small, sad truth made her grip his head more forcefully as it was she who took their kiss deeper still.

Years of want coalesced inside her, suddenly bursting forth in a wave of aching, throbbing need. Her female core became taut with pulsating intensity as his tongue inside her mouth reawakened a passion
that had
the ability to render her mindless and begging for his possession.

Desperately needing to regain some control Nick began gentling his touch moments after Shannon dove in with a growing urgency that threatened to shatter his intention to go slow. God, but she was like fire in his embrace; losing herself in the yearning
they had awakened,
sending shock waves of desire through
them both
.

Time was on his side he reminded himself as the deep, probing oral exchange became less i
ntense by degrees until she lay quietly
shaking in his arms
.  H
e nibbled at her mouth before covering her face with tiny, soft kisses each holding a promise for the future that he intended to press when the timing was right.

Long moments later, after they’d swayed and rocked slowly on the patio swing for what seemed like ages, Nick lifted away from her and suggested they move inside now that the light of the day had vanished and darkness had enveloped them.

Reluctantly, Shannon straightened and once again tried to smooth her now disheveled hair. He was right. She may want to continue being kissed and cradled in his arms but she was sensible enough to know they were playing with fire and they both had their limits. She may be enjoying their newfound connection but she was far from being able to go much further than this just yet.

“Since you have every TV channel known to man, why don’t we get you inside and comfortable on the sofa so you can find us something to watch.  How does that sound little one?”

Without waiting for an answer Nick did as he was want to do and quickly stood while he picked her up and marched off with a very happy Shannon nestled in his more than capable arms.

Sofa? What sofa she thought?
She’d much prefer to stay right where she was and only a blast of common sense into her pleasure drenched brain stopped her from saying so out loud.

Enjoying the short walk from the patio to the living room, Shannon absorbed as much as
she could; breathing him in,
memorizing the beats of his strong heart against her side; allowing her arm to hold tightly about his shoulders
while
rub
bing
her fingers on his neck and collarbone.

As he lowered her to the sofa cushions Nick had to admit she was driving him crazy with those shy touches and longing sighs. He knew he was right to take things slowly, but right now he was experiencing acute oxygen deprivation made worse by the straining zipper on his old jeans which he was sure was going to bust open from the pressure.

There was a lot at stake, a fact which had not eluded either of them.  Shannon was content to sit with him for the next two hours as they became engrossed in a recently released pay-per-view movie about political intrigue and a plot to destroy a historic site. 

It was comforting to share even the smallest of experiences with him she
had to admit
as she observed his profile from the corner of her eye. Yeah, she wanted to jump his bones but there was more to consider than a quick slackening of desire.
Hopping
into bed together wasn’t going to suddenly make things right.

Unfortunately, the moist evidence in her panties of just how
hard
her body was trying to change her mind was a constant reminder of how easy it would be to surrender to her passions.  Been there, done that she remembered
. L
ook how well that turned out she nodded in silent recognition of a deeper truth which had the clout to over-ride the powerful lure of physical attraction.

When the movie finally wrapped up, Shannon was
trying not to
yawn while they companionably chatted about what they’d just watched.  She’d enjoyed the actors and thought the story was well presented.

He agreed.
They tended to have similar opinions about such things, adding his review about the directing and pacing of the suspenseful story. 
They talked as Nick moved around the living room turning off lights; preparing for the overnight.  It was all so normal and commonplace and felt so right. So easy. Yet another brick in the wall fell as they slipped into an achingly familiar groove.  Shannon couldn’t ignore how effortlessly they fit together.

By the time Nick picked her up to carry Shannon into the master bedroom she was beyond tired and went with the flow; her sleepy state led to a snuggling embrace as they made their way to her bedside. He smelled so good, she thought.

Settling her gently on the edge of the high mattress Nick immediately knelt before Shannon to carefully remove the bracing wrap around her ankle. She watched in slumberous fascination as he ducked his head and inspected the bruising she knew was evident. It took all her might not to reach out and run her fingers through that dark blonde hair. When he looked up at her from his knees she saw
only hazel
eyes on a face she’d desperately missed in her life.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening.” Shannon breathed out in a voice grown unexpectedly husky. She wanted to say more but exhaustion mixed with a hesitant shyness stopped whatever words were forming in her mind
.

Nick held her eyes then, while he also held her injured foot against his lap as his large, warm hands swept up and down her legs. “Woman,” he growled as his hands tightened where he gripped her calves “you’re gonna’ be the death of me if you keep looking at me like that.”

With eyes quickly grown wide as she sluggishly blinked, Nick thoroughly enjoyed the pretty pink blush which started where his hands still caressed her legs
,
traveling
up her length; spreading across her expression in an arc of color that deepened her natural
luminance
in the soft lighting of
the
bedroom.

She enchanted him with her astonishing innocence when, cocking her head slightly as she looked down at him
with
her brows squinched together in confusion, he watched as her mouth started to say
,
“What?” when instantaneous understanding hit her making her bite off that reply.

A self-deprecating shrug followed before she bit her lip for a second and whispered bashfully
,
“Um, sorry.” She cast her eyes away in clear embarrassment because Shannon knew she’d been lost in a sleepy, sensual fog swirling with lusty imagery when he had said she’d be the death of him.

Nick responded to her adorable reaction with a huge grin as he finished attending to her foot. Standing so he was the one on top, his height
meant
Shannon to adjust her view of him
so
he waited in a whirlwind of immense satisfaction as she took in their positions.

Once again, Shannon was achingly aware of his size and presence. He was just so
big
. His size dominated the space, evoking
a sense deep inside her of being consumed by his powerful presence. She instantly felt small, feminine and uncommonly fragile.

Letting her admiring gaze move unhurriedly up his torso Shannon finally arrived at his grinning face which wore the dimples hidden in a scraggly beard that had long been haunting her dreams and playing havoc with her senses. Seeing his expression light up in that glorious grin brought
a
mirrored response from a deep corner of her bleak soul which was now flooded with light. Her face bloomed with a smile so wide she thought it would spread forever.

They stood there
with him towering over her;
both of them grinning like loons for several satisfying minutes. They’d shared something just now, something real and powerful. Not a memory or a fantasy, something that had legs. Shannon’s cute little
caught in the act
shrug and embarrassed
sorry
was a huge step forward. Her admitting a response she could barely contain made Nick’s heart light up with a joy so immense he couldn’t have stopped the enormous grin of satisfaction to save his life. Her glorious smile was the only balm their broken hearts needed.

“Get out of here Mr. Barrett!” Shannon finally laughed as she playfully pushed at his chest from where she sat on the bed. Her smile didn’t fade a whit when Nick rumbled a deep chortle of delight while he l
et her push him back a step. H
e put his big hands over hers where they pushed against him holding them tight against his body.

Her smile wavered slightly and he could feel her f
ingers where he held them tight as they
flex
ed
against his chest. She gave as good as she got however and he watched her with undisguised approval as she pushed against him again only this time with something that felt more like a caress.

“Don’t make me hurt you.” Shannon laughed with
an
endearing
,
coquettish inflection to her voice and tilt of her chin. “You know I can!”

At that Nick threw back his head and laughed like he hadn’t done in a very, very long time. My god, he thought, she was….
perfection
.

“Alright you saucy wench,” he teased while releasing her hands before reaching to grab up the nightgown
lying
across the
pillow
. “Stop your antics woman before I take you in hand and tame that naughty mouth of yours!”

Shannon grinned some more as her cowboy pirate watched her with unabashed delight. “Put this ugly thing on.” Nick told her as he held up the pathetic Disney princess nightgown she’d
decided to wear.
T
he
disaster
that morning
with
the
tantalizing
baby doll sleepwear
had made choosing more modest sleepwear a no-brainer.

Giggling because she knew he realized the reason why she’d
chosen
the prim, baggy nightgown, Shannon grabbed it from his hands exclaiming “Hey! Don’t make fun of the Princesses. They’re probably scared to death of you anyway.”

“Oh, I see,” Nick smiled back, “they’re afraid I have designs on the luscious woman hiding behind them!” Grabbing her by the shoulders while he planted a forceful kiss to her forehead Nick moved his mouth and rumbled low next to her ear, “They’re absolutely correct in that.” he said.

Without hesitating he continued on, whispering in a sexy growl each and every thing he wanted to do to her
trembling
body
,
making
her squirm with awareness and pleasure. Shannon’s breathing became labored as she listened silently; totally in thrall to the sound of his deep, evocative voice and the suggestively erotic words he spoke.

When he was finished he put his finger under her chin and made her look up into his lowered face. What Nick saw was a trembling woman on the brink of complete seduction.

“That’s a promise.” he whispered against her parted lips a second before he pressed a short, wet kiss there. “Sweet dreams my little one.”

And then he was gone leaving Shannon motionless where she sat.
Oh my
,
was her only coherent thought.

How she got undressed or into the hideous nightgown she didn’t know but that’s how she found herself the next morning when she finally left behind a sleepless night filled with restless erotic imagery and woke to a brand new day.

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

Shannon’s head felt like it was stuffed full of feathers and her body was exploding with unspent nervous energy as she emerged from her bed to meet the day.