Chapter 5 #2
Her brows furrowed. “You’re trying to impress me? What about the woman you were with yesterday?”
Just then, the waitress leaned in to place the drinks on black and gold McGrath coasters.
“Ready to order?” she asked, tapping her pen, her smile more for Jamie.
Jamie nodded toward Shannon, his gesture smooth and polite. “Go ahead, love.”
Her heart leapt at the courtesy, and she couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. Taking a light breath, she scanned the menu.
“Umm... I’ll just have the house burger and skinny fries, please.”
Without even glancing at his menu, Jamie hummed in approval. “Good choice. Make that two, Vicki.”
This time, the waitress slipped away without a reward for her efforts.
Jamie sat deeper in the booth, his posture relaxed, and when Shannon looked up, his eyes were already on her.
Her finger slid into her mouth, nibbling at the edge of her nail again.
Biting her nails was a disgusting habit. It wasn’t something she did after shovelling shit all day, but right now, the intensity of his gaze had her so twisted up inside she couldn’t think straight.
A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke. “ Would you be happy to learn the woman I was with yesterday is my father’s carer, not my girlfriend?”
Relief flipped over in her stomach, but she masked the pointless sensation with a playful quip. “Right. And I’m sure you two don’t have history?”
Shannon batted her eyelashes, tilting her head to the side in mock innocence.
He tapped the coaster under his whiskey glass.
“My dad and Rebecca have a solid relationship. I wouldn’t mess that up for anything.”
He lifted his glass and took a sip.
“Although... It's pretty rare for a woman to resist me. I have to be careful. I couldn’t break the poor girl’s heart, now could I?” His smirk returned, a playful glint in his eyes. “Wouldn’t be fair.”
Shannon raised an eyebrow, glancing toward the bar before leaning forward, meeting his gaze.
“Oh my God, do you hear that?” she whispered.
Jamie’s brows furrowed, and he leaned in closer. “Hear what?”
“The sound of your ego landing.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip, trying, and failing, to stifle a giggle.
His lips twitched before he broke into laughter, the deep rumble making her pulse flutter.
Shannon couldn’t hold back her smile, captivated by the raw, masculine way he laughed.
It was impossible to ignore how at ease she was with him, even with all the tension crackling between them.
“Witty and sexy.” His smile softened as a thought seemed to occur to him. “Do you have a boyfriend, Shannon?”
The way he said her name, dragging out the first few letters and locking eyes with her, made her stomach flip.
“Nope,” she said, leaning back a bit. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
His elbows rested on the table, his fingers steepled under his chin as he shook his head.
“Not my thing. I like women; don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think I’m ready to settle down yet.”
Shannon laughed, though his words tugged at something in her chest.
“It’s called FOMO,” she said.
“Fear of missing out? Believe me, Shannon, I never miss out.” He chuckled under his breath, almost sinful. “I’m surprised you’re single.”
She shrugged, a confident smile forming on her lips. “I’m focused on my career. Guys are a hassle. I’m twenty-four, so there’s plenty of time for all that in the future.”
And she meant it. Shannon had no time for pointless dates or fluffy romance. Her focus was always on the next step in her life, always on the bigger picture.
Her phone buzzed on the table, and when she glanced down, a message from Niall lit up the screen.
Where the hell are you? Why aren’t you in the yard?
She grunted, frustration bubbling up like acid in her chest. Niall, always a fly in the ointment, had a way of turning everything sour .
He was a reminder of a past she wished she could forget.
They’d dated back when they were teenagers, and she hated how she hadn’t recognised his red flags until they were flying too high.
As his father’s money flowed in, so did his sense of entitlement. Niall became arrogant, spoiled and someone who got everything he wanted, whatever the cost.
“Problem?” Jamie’s voice broke through her thoughts, the calm in his tone pulling her back to the present.
“Eh, no,” she lied, moving her phone off the table and setting it on the seat beside her.
She had no intention of giving her ex airtime.
“I have stuff to sort out at home. I’ll need to leave right after we eat.” She shifted in her seat, hoping to redirect the conversation.
Jamie reached across the table, his fingertips settling millimetres from hers. His presence was undeniable, charged with energy that seemed to make every nerve in her body come alive.
“No dessert, Shannon?” The suggestion in his tone shook up the knots in her stomach.
She sucked in a breath, the thought of smothering him in warm custard and licking him clean flashing through her mind before she quickly pushed it aside.
“Sorry, I don’t have time.”
Her phone buzzed again, the screen lighting up with another message from Niall:
I’ll take Trixie out if you can’t be bothered.
“Asshole,” she muttered under her breath, nostrils flaring in frustration.
Anger coiled in her gut, the muscles in her back tightening. If she replied, she knew the onslaught of texts would ruin her appetite, and as much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed Jamie’s company.
Jamie’s fingers covered hers, his touch immediate and soothing. A spark of warmth ignited in her, loosening the tension in her muscles.
His eyes locked on hers, intensity flickering in their depths as he stroked the rough skin of her hand.
“Something I can help with, Shannon?”