Chapter 39
Shannon
His grip on her arm tightened, his eyes turning to fire. “Why did you push me away so hard, when your eyes said something else. Were you afraid I’d hurt you, or what?”
“Hurt me? No.” She shook her head. “I mean…maybe I knew you’d move on easily. Which you did, right?”
“I hardly think I was moving on.” Jamie’s voice was a low rumble. “I could chase a hundred women around the world and none of them would ever replace you, love. Truth is, I couldn’t even bring myself to kiss her. I made a fucking mistake shoving my dick down her throat. Anyway…”
His chest rose and fell with quick breath. “You told me to fuck off. What did you think would happen?”
Her throat tightened. She fought to hold back the emotions threatening to spill.
“Just because I said those things doesn’t mean I meant them. It’s complicated. ”
Every nerve in her body was on fire. Anger, fear, hurt, desire all coursed through her, making her dizzy. It must have been the uncertainty in her eyes, or the raw honesty in her chest, that made his brow furrow.
His breath stilled, and for a moment, he simply stared, trying to read her.
“What’s so complicated?” he asked, his voice gravelly. “I’m still here… I mean… I never knew I could feel this way… Fucking upside down. What happened between us gave me a huge fucking ache in my chest.”
His free hand slid to her waist, bumping her into his body. The intensity of his protection sent a shiver down her spine.
“I want to know how you are, love,” he said, his tone commanding, pulling at something deep inside her. “I need to understand why you pushed me away.”
His voice dropped, almost a whisper, vibrating against her skin. “I want you. Just let me in.”
That statement charged the air, and the space between them caught fire. Her pulse went wild as his face dipped closer, his lips so close that his warm, liquored breath heated her cheek.
Crowd noise, cheers, and the loudspeaker announcements faded. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and the world around her seemed to slow, but when she opened them again, confusion clouded his gaze.
“Are you fucking with me, Shannon?” The strain in his voice was unmistakable and her stomach dropped.
“No,” she whispered, torn between desire and fear. “I’m not fucking with you. ”
“Will you open up to me?” he asked.
“Yes. When we’re alone.”
“That’s my good girl.” His words were a velvet command, a soft growl in the air before his lips captured hers.
The kiss exploded with raw intensity, the weight of every unspoken emotion crashing through her, leaving her breathless.
Their previous kisses had been obsessive, fierce, and driven by hunger, but this one offered so much more.
Jamie dipped his tongue into her mouth, taking control of the pace, sweeping, teasing, relishing her with a delicious pressure.
Shannon’s insides melted, liquefied by the strength of him. Lost in everything Jamie, her soft moans grew more desperate. He jerked her closer, pressing the curve of her lower back, holding her tighter.
Her hands roamed up his chest, as if mapping the strength beneath his shirt. When her fingers found the back of his neck, she clutched at the strands, desperate to pull him closer.
The clutch slipped from her fingers, forgotten in the heat of the moment.
He pulled his lips away, and she just stood there, staring up at him, captivated by the effect he had on her body, mind, and soul.
His lips drifted to her neck, nipping lightly before he whispered in her ear, “Every time she touched me, it was you I thought of.”
Shannon swatted his bicep with a playful click of her tongue. Jamie lifted his face, a mischievous grin flashing along with that signature dimple that always made her smile.
“What a guy,” she teased.
His eyes sparkled. “You look sexy when you’re jealous.”
She blew a puff of air through her nose, trying to sound casual. “Jealous? As if.”
“You so are. I can tell by those wide baby blues.”
Her fingers ran over the short, soft hairs at the nape of his neck. “I bet you’d eat yourself if you could, Jamie.”
“Shannon,” his voice deepened, “If this is going to work, I need you to be honest with me. I need to know why you said those things.”
She moved her hand to his mouth, pressing her finger against his lips. “I’ll tell you. I promise. I’ve missed you.”
A low, guttural growl rumbled from deep in his chest, the sound primal, commanding. It ignited an uncontrollable ache deep within her, every part of her body responding to his dominance.
His breath was shallow, each exhale brushing through her hair, making her skin prickle with desire.
“Stay fucking still,” he commanded, his voice rough, low, and unyielding.
The heat of his breath on her ear sent shivers down her spine, making her whole body ache with need.
Shannon’s body locked with his command, every muscle taut, as she surrendered to the electric pulse of his touch .
“The crowd doesn’t matter. Only you and I exist here,” he said, his hands gripping her waist with a possessiveness that left no room for doubt.
In this moment, she was his.
His chest pressed into her, hard and unyielding, as his fingers slid beneath the fabric of her panties, sending a shiver through her body.
He exhaled a ragged breath against her skin, filled with lust and ownership, each movement deliberate and possessive.
“I love how wet you are for me.”
They stood among the crowd, hidden in plain sight, while Jamie slid his fingers under the damp fabric, finding her pulsating clit.
Featherlight kisses trailed down her neck, making every wrong she’d endured insignificant. The slow, teasing dip in and out of his fingers whispered promises of him, things she longed to revisit.
She pulled him closer, her arm snaking around his shoulders, urging him against her as his fingers pumped.
“God, love, I’ve missed your body.” Just as she groaned in response, his lips found hers in a kiss that was violent, hard, fast, and unrestrained.
She spread her legs wider, giving him the freedom to take what he wanted, her forehead falling to his shoulder in surrender.
“I want to taste you, feel you beneath me again,” he growled, his voice thick with desire. “I want to wake up beside you every fucking morning. ”
Every nerve in her body sizzled, the heat of his touch burning through her like wildfire. She rocked into his hand, the sensation of him so close, so relentless, sending waves of desire crashing over her.
Her breath hitched, caught between desperate gasps and the fabric of his shirt, her chest heaving with the intensity of what was unfolding.
She could sense the heat of his body through her clothes, each brush of his body against hers sending electric jolts straight to her core.
This moment was more than just physical, building up to everything she denied him.
Lifting her flushed face, she met his gaze, her heart pounding in her chest, overwhelmed by the depth of their connection.
Her lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile.
Jamie’s hand left her body, but the ache of his touch lingered, his fingers tracing the slit of her dress while she panted. His wet fingertips brushed over her lips, leaving a trail of sin and dark promise.
Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him, knowing this wasn’t just about physical anymore.
They had unspoken truths to address which could be the beginning of something.
She took a moment to calm her breath, the rush of adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Her pulse hammered in her chest, each beat a reminder of the whirlwind of emotions that had just crashed over her.
“I got off earlier by imagining that riding crop buried inside you,” he murmured, voice thick with desire. “ Then, like some twisted fate, you appeared out of nowhere, my good girl, wearing this dress and your hair wild as the wind, just to fucking torture me.”
A dizzying wave of emotion crashed through her, his words pulling her deeper into the spiralling chaos. Every beat of her heart, every breath, felt like it belonged to him, draining her of everything but him.
The whip. Niall. Trixie. George. Threats. Pain. Heartbreak.
“Shannon…Shannon?” He ducked to meet her gaze, his voice sharp with concern.
Leaning into him, she tried to steady herself, but her mind raced to a place too dark to escape. Fear was her master now.
A powerful arm held her close as her knees gave way and then she was weightless, cradled in his arms.
“Jamie, your next runner is ready,” someone said. “They’re taking her to the parade ring now.”
“I want a recording of all my races and a full stat report by this evening. Update me on our positions after each race,” Jamie’s voice drifted, distant, almost indifferent. “I’m leaving.”
The loud whirl of chopper blades yanked her back into the present as Jamie carried her toward a black helicopter, handing it to a suited guy with an earpiece who opened the door.
Setting her inside the cabin, Jamie secured her harness before placing a headset over her ears and kissing her forehead.
The warmth lingered on her skin even after his lips pulled away to sit next to her. Her head fell to his shoulder as she clung to him, nausea churning in her stomach.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you home, love,” he murmured.