Chapter 12
Shannon
“You ride horses?”
“Yeah. Told you it was nerdy.” She shrugged. “I used to get heckled at school and called stupid names. Saddle Bags and Winnie Weirdo were about as creative as they got.”
“I would’ve kicked their asses up and down the corridor if I’d known you back then,” he said, a slight crease in his forehead.
“I would’ve enjoyed watching that,” she shot back, her smile widening.
“You actually like horses? You’re competing in the equine comps?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged.
“I fucking love horses.”
She inhaled, a teasing smile curving her lips. “Really? You’re not just bullshitting me to strengthen your endgame, are you? ”
“Endgame?” Jamie leaned back in his seat, one brow arched in amusement. “That's what we’re calling it now?”
She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. “You tell me. You strike me as the type who always has one.”
He smiled. “When I want something, Shannon, I don’t need to scheme. I just decide how to take it.”
“Oh?” she said, not backing down. “And what if what you want doesn’t come easy?”
Jamie leaned forward, his voice low and certain. “Then I raise the stakes, especially when the rewards are worth it.”
She didn’t blink. “So this is a game to you?”
He leaned forward, his presence pressing into her space like gravity.
“I don’t play games other than poker. When I want something, I take it. When I make promises, I keep them. I don’t fold. And I don’t chase a hand unless I’m planning to own the table,” he went on, his gaze locked on hers, unflinching.
“You play poker?” she asked, half to steady herself, half to mask how easily she’d let him take control.
A slow, dark smile curved his lips. “I’m a master at it.”
“And you like horses, too?” she teased, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
“Yeah.” He returned to his seat, sitting deep.
“I’ve loved horses ever since my dad dragged us out to the country when I was twelve.
We rented this rundown cottage that stank of cow shit—proper middle-of-nowhere stuff.
Next to it was a field full of big, muddy horses.
Back then, they looked massive. Intimidating. ”
His gaze softened just a touch as he remembered. “There wasn’t much to do, so I’d sit on the gate for hours, just watching them. They’d always come over. Let me touch them. They trusted me, even then. That stuck with me.”
Jamie ran a hand through his thick hair, his tone turning more reflective.
“They were the first thing that taught me power doesn’t have to be loud. It’s quiet. Certain. Earned. Just me and them… No noise, no pressure. I could forget everything else. It was the first place I ever felt peace.”
He looked at her then, gaze steady and unreadable. “Even now, that kind of stillness is rare. But I get flashes of it around you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. With a few words, he’d tapped into something deep inside her, a sensation she’d experienced a hundred times over at Meadow Dawn.
“I get what you mean,” she said. “It’s like when I wake up on a summer morning, and the sun’s rising over the hills. The horses wander down from the fields and gather at the gate when I shake the feed bucket. There’s no one else around. Just me and them.”
“How many horses do you have?” he asked, his smile still irresistible, but there was a new warmth in his eyes.
“None.” She sighed. “I just do the legwork.”
An unexpected thought popped into her head. “Would you like to meet my first love sometime?”
A rush of heat flooded her cheeks as she realised how eager she sounded.
When his lips parted, she swallowed her embarrassment, waiting for him to make his excuses. She stared at the misted glass, her gaze following the tiny beads of water.
“If you like horses, you’ll love her. She’s called Venatrix, but we call her Trixie,” she added, reinforcing the fact that he would meet the horse, not just her.
“I’d really like that.” His voice was low and steady, cutting through the noise of the busy lobby.
“Sure, whenever you’ve got time, just text me.” She shrugged, acting nonchalant.
“Tomorrow,” he said without hesitation.
Her heart skipped as he thumbed his lower lip, his gaze lingering on the exposed skin of her cleavage. That subtle movement made her breath stutter.
“Oh, there’s no rush. She’s at Meadow Dawn yard.” She almost panted, the intensity of his gaze sending a shiver up her spine as it finally returned to her face.
“I know the yard,” he said, his voice rougher now, huskier. “If she’s your first love, then who’s your second?”
Shannon let out a shaky breath. “She’s my one and only. I don’t have time for silly things like love. She’s my life right now.”
“Good to know.” He winked.
The waitress returned with more drinks, her sweet smile unwavering, though the subtle disappointment in her eyes was impossible to miss when Jamie didn't even spare her a glance.
He couldn’t help being carved to perfection, oozing sex appeal, and wrapped in dangerous charm .
Shannon nibbled her fingernail, aware of his gaze on her, yet uncertain of what it hid.
“What about you?” she asked, freeing her finger from her teeth. “Did you ever get a horse or riding lessons?”
When he started to reply, a tall man escorting a beautiful woman joined them.
“Hey, Jamie. Why are you down here when all the fun’s upstairs?” The man shot Shannon an odd look, as if he didn’t quite understand her place in the situation.
The attractive woman hung back, lingering on the edge of the conversation.
Diamonds adorned her earlobes, and an expensive necklace caught the light, casting little rainbows. Shannon’s gaze followed the sparkle, drawn to it.
Up close, the necklace wasn’t just expensive looking. It was thick, snug around the base of her throat. Decorative, sure, but something about it made Shannon think of a collar.
Neither man acknowledged her, nor did they glance in her direction. But her attention locked on Jamie. Her tongue traced her lips, and she teased the jewels near her throat when he spoke.
The woman sized him up, like she wanted to savour every inch of him, or worse, like they’d shared a past that left her hungry for more.
Jamie finished the conversation with a light pat on the guy’s bicep. “I’ll catch up with you later, Trent.”
Before Trent turned to go, he crooked two fingers in a silent beckoning motion, expecting the woman to obey. And she did without a word. As she followed him, she tossed a quick glance over her shoulder, offering Jamie a lingering stare.
Shannon’s expression darkened when Jamie angled back to her. Unease twisted in her stomach. She could tell Trent was the type who cycled through arm candy every night.
That’s who Jamie hung around with. Men with no morals, no principles, and more money than manners. The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks.
Clearing her throat, she met his gaze. “I don’t want to keep you from the party, Jamie. If you want me to leave, just say so.”
His forehead creased. “I don’t. I’m enjoying our conversation.”
“Well, that guy seems like a pompous prick who thinks he can buy off everyone less fortunate.” She was blunt, her voice cutting through the tension. “And his pet? What’s with that?”
“Not everyone with money is like that.” His voice dropped, threaded with steel. “A man with true power doesn’t need to flash it or buy loyalty. He commands it.”
He moved closer, the heat in his gaze dark, his presence swallowing the space between them.
“And as for that prick and his pet…” A smirk ghosted across his lips. “He’s a poser. Playing at ownership without a fucking clue what it means to protect or worship the woman who belongs to him.”
His fingers curled under her chin, lifting it until she had no choice but to meet the intensity in his eyes .
“When I claim someone, it won’t be for show. It’s for life.”
A beat passed. The air thickened.
“Those rich assholes think they can do whatever the hell they want, and fuck the consequences, because at the end of the day, money talks,” she replied with a bite.
His arms folded across his broad chest. “Is that an observation or from experience?”
She sighed, setting her glass down with a thud. “I’ll never spend time with a guy who has more cash than sense, or more self-importance than honour.”
Jamie’s eyes flashed. He collected his glass, drained the icy liquid in one gulp.
She stood, her stomach churning.
“I shouldn’t be here. I’ll head home now. And for the record, I didn’t know you owned this place, or that the party would be full of people like him, or more to the point, that you were one of them…”
Jamie lunged forward, halting her retreat by grabbing her wrist. “Stop…”
Warning bells rang in her head. She had arrived underdressed, understated, and under the fucking illusion that a guy like him might actually want her company.
No doubt, he’d score points with his rich friends if he fucked a poor country girl. She’d seen the red flag the first time they met, when he shoved cash at her.
“I thought you were just having a knees-up in the function room and wanted me to come along,” she added, smoothing a hand over her windswept hair, her words shaky.
Tightening his grip, Jamie stood to his full height and dipped his face closer. “That’s exactly what it is. I want you to stay.”
“I’ve changed my mind.” She looked down at the tiles beneath her boots.
Jamie tilted her chin up with his forefinger. “I asked you to join me so we could get to know each other.”
“Yeah, through sex,” she said, swallowing hard.
He grinned down at her, a flicker of heat in his gaze. “I’m not gonna lie, Shannon. I’d fuck you right here if you’d let me.”
A strangled moan caught in her throat, and she glared at his wicked grin, her body betraying her as the tension between them crackled.
“I’d also be happy to just talk for a while.”
A lock of hair tumbled over her face as she shook her head. “I’m not dressed for this. I don’t fit in with them… I don’t belong in your world, Jamie.”
A low growl rumbled in his throat, sending a skin-tingling shiver down her spine.
“My world? I started with nothing and worked my ass off for years to get here. Having money means nothing if you’re an asshole with no dignity or self-control. This has nothing to do with cash and everything to do with enjoying the evening together.”
His breath, thick with alcohol, lingered in the air between them.
“Come up to the party with me, and if you’re not comfortable, tell me and I’ll escort you back down here. No pressure.”
She gulped, barely able to focus when his cheek dented.
“Fine,” she whispered, though every instinct in her head screamed to run.
His hands slid down her sleeves, finding her clenched palms.
“Like you said, there are a few assholes up there tonight who’d probably fit your expectations, but I’m not one of them, okay?”
His molten amber eyes darkened, lingering on her lips with a hunger that sent a tremor through her. She waited, her breath caught, thoughts swirling, craving another taste of him.
For a second, insanity took over. Being held captive by him stirred crazy sensations, and she jolted back, yanking her hands free.
“I’ll have to take your word for it.”
He owned half a hotel, and she owned nothing but the clothes on her back. Shannon cursed herself. Somewhere along the way, in her inexperienced heart, the lines had blurred and broke her rules.
Jamie swiped her cash from the table, uncurled her fist and placed every penny back in her palm.
He towered over her, blocking out everything, except for the rapid beat of her heart. His masculine scent hung in the air, thick and intoxicating.
“Take the rest of the money and grab a taxi home later. If you decide not to come back to my place, that is.” His voice was a silken drawl, every word coated with a dangerous promise. “Though, that’s highly unlikely.”
“Really?” She smirked. “You seem pretty confident about that, Jamie. The last bus is at midnight, so if I decide to go home alone, I’ll just use my return ticket. Take the money.”
His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he inhaled deeply. “You’re not sitting on a bus alone in the middle of the night.”
“I’ve taken the bus home from Belfast before. It’s fine.”
His head lowered, but he peeked up at her from beneath thick lashes, his lips curling into a sexy half-smile.
“I can tell how much you appreciate your independence. Or is it stubbornness?” he asked. “Let’s have a wager. I’ll bet you twenty-four pounds that you’ll be with me tonight.”
“I already am, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, and you’ll be at my place later, too.”
Shannon gulped, the surge of his wickedness pulsing deep within her core. “So, you’re a betting man?”
“I don’t bet against the odds. And I know you’ll end up on my face, tonight.”
The truth hung between them, raw and undeniable. This wasn’t about a date. It was about him, about shameless sex and the memory of that game-changing kiss in the hotel restaurant.
“Let’s see how the party goes. At the moment, the odds are stacked against you, Jamie.”