Chapter 43
Shannon
Shannon sipped her coffee, staring out at the mist creeping from the dense woods behind Jamie’s mansion.
The view was breathtaking, adding a touch of calm to her scattered thoughts.
Perched on a bar stool, wearing nothing but his oversized t-shirt, she hugged a warm mug to her chest. Her body ached, swollen and sore from a night spent reconnecting.
She adored him.
The way he took control in the bedroom, that commanding, possessive edge that always had her trembling, was a power she craved.
Her focus snapped back to Jamie as he rounded the kitchen island, the towel wrapped around his waist doing little to hide the strength of his abs and broad shoulders.
Damn, everything about him was so fucking overwhelming, so impossible to resist.
“Ready to go back?” His hands rested on her waist from behind, his lips brushing against her neck in a fleeting kiss.
She inhaled the scent of his skin, letting his touch melt some of the tension away. “Yeah, I’m ready. A break from the monotony was good for me.”
He swivelled the stool around so she faced him. “You’ll come back once you’re finished. I’ve got something to show you later. A few things to discuss. The chopper will take you back and forth.”
Her brow furrowed, her stomach twisting. “What do we need to talk about?”
Jamie’s mouth curled into a half-smile, but a slight hesitation altered his expression for a beat.
“All in good time.” His gaze drifted, like he was holding back. “With the comps coming up, you’ll have to leave Coffee Kicks and spend the evenings here with me. It’ll be more…convenient.”
“Only a rich guy would suggest something like that,” she muttered under her breath.
“Harry promoted me in the yard. I’m going to have to hand in my notice at Coffee Kicks anyway, but running the business is an incredible opportunity.
I’ll need to shadow Harry even more than I already do.
This is everything I’ve worked for. I’ve got bills to pay, a job to learn, and a reputation to build. ”
“That’s fine. You’re moving out of the loft and staying with me, though. The chopper is yours whenever you need it. You won’t have to worry about bills anymore,” he countered, his tone calm, as though it should be an easy decision.
Her eyes narrowed, irritation flaring.
“Are you serious?” Her voice dropped, hardening with an edge. The audacity of his suggestion hit a nerve.
Shannon twisted and slammed the mug on the counter.
“You know how hard I’ve worked to get to where I am today.
Don’t think for a second that a wave of your money will make me give it all up.
I’m not about to throw away my dreams and my morals to hang onto your coat tails.
And what happens when you get bored with me and move on to the next damsel in distress?
I’ll be fucking homeless, Jamie. You don’t get it, do you? ”
He stood still for a moment, his cheek dimpling with that subtle, sexy smile.
“Baby, you’re no damsel in distress. I’m just trying to make it easier for you. You’ll wake up with me every morning and focus on the yard. I’m gonna take care of everything else.”
Her breath hitched. “I’m serious, Jamie. I’m not your fucking pet. Stop throwing money around like it’s a solution to everything. One day, I’ll wake up, and this dream will be over.”
His fingers brushed over her clenched fists, his touch soft but firm. “That won’t happen, Shannon.”
She steeled her spine and stared right at him. “I’m not prepared to take that risk. We do this on my terms. I pay my own way. All this money you have…it’s yours. Not mine.”
His gaze flicked down to their linked fingers. “Yeah, it’s mine to spend as I want.”
Her shoulders lifted in frustration. “Money can’t buy everything, Jamie. And the more you throw around, the more it feels like you’re trying to buy me.”
Jamie shook his head. “I’m not trying to buy you, love. I’m taking care of what’s mine , and you need to understand that.”
Her breath came out in a frustrated puff.
“Yeah, yours for now. And then what? You’ll drop me back into squalor, leaving me broken-hearted and penniless. I don’t need anyone’s charity. I work hard to earn money. It’s always been that way. For this to work, we have to be equals. That means financially, too.”
His expression tightened as he stared at her in silence. “You’d be heartbroken-huh?”
Shannon’s lashes lowered to hide the vulnerability in her eyes. “Yeah, Jamie. I’d be very heartbroken.”
A shiver ran through her, and for a moment, she was afraid he could hear her heart pounding in her chest, sensing the desperation that clung to her confession.
Without another word, his face dipped to meet hers, his warm lips claiming a kiss that was slow, hot, and full of dark desire.
His tongue played with hers, coaxing, demanding, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to surrender everything to him.
When he finally pulled back, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths, a faint, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
There was a dangerous glint in his eyes now, something darker that made her pulse thrum.
“So would I, love.” He pressed his forehead to hers, his thumb brushing over her jaw. “Stay with me and I’ll make it worth your time. I never make promises I don’t intend to keep.”
That power he had over her, the unspoken control rooted not in only desire, but in need, coiled inside her.
“You’re asking me to live here…with you?” Her voice faltered, a mixture of longing and apprehension rising in her chest.
She couldn’t ignore the tension between them, the hook that kept reeling her in, but even that scared her too.
“Not really asking, love. I won’t let you walk away again. Not after everything.”
“I don’t need taking care of,” she said, though the tremble in her voice betrayed her.
When he smirked, her stomach flipped. “You do. You just haven’t figured that out yet because you didn’t give me a chance. From now on, I’ll decide what’s best for you.”
She laughed under her breath, resenting his arrogance. But deep down, part of her craved the safety in surrendering control, the certainty that he wouldn’t let her fall.
“Never gonna happen, Jamie.”
“Stay here, love. I’ll handle the bills while you build your dream career with me by your side. You’re mine now, in every way.”
Her breath hitched in her throat, the finality of his words sinking in.
Her mind raced with thoughts of the future—of her independence, her career, her autonomy—and yet, in this moment, all she could focus on was how fucking irresistible he was.
“I… I don’t know what that means,” she whispered. “You say mine , like you own me.”
He smiled again, a dark, hungry smile that made her stomach flutter. “I’ll put it this way…I’m not letting you stay in the loft, love.”
She swallowed hard, a wave of heat rising up her neck, her body betraying her. “I don’t belong to you, though. That’s so?—”
His hand slipped beneath the loose t-shirt, his fingers grazing her skin, teasing their way to her nipple, pinching it.
“You want me all to yourself, don’t you? Want me to give you everything you crave?”
She swallowed hard, the ache between her thighs intensifying. “Yes…”
“So you want me to belong to you, love?” His voice dropped lower, a dangerous edge to it.
“God, you’re impossible.”
“I know,” he growled, his grip tightening on her breast as he lifted her thigh around his hip, pulling her closer.
“Then we’re in agreement. I’m yours. And you...belong...to me. But only if you move in with me. Your choice.”
A chilly breeze stirred the loose hay, scattering it across the yard like tumbleweeds.
Silence hung heavy, eerie for a weekend. There was no rhythmic sound of hooves, bustle of activity as the staff worked. Nothing.
Just a flurry of birds circling the creaking weathervane above.
Shannon peeked over Trixie’s stable door, her heart sinking when she saw it empty. She moved down the line of stalls, all empty, too.
The barn, the yard—everything seemed off.
“Shan…” A raspy voice broke the silence.
Bucky stood in the middle of the yard, shoulders slumped, hands shoved deep into his pockets.
His usual stoic demeanour appeared defeated, his expression dark.
“I tried to call you.”
Shannon furrowed her brow, her mind still trying to make sense of the emptiness. “I lost my phone at the races. Why are the horses out? I’ve got a lesson with Harry in an hour.”
“I turned them out this morning.” Bucky’s gaze dropped to the dusty boots beneath him. “And sent the staff away for a few days. I couldn’t reach you, Shan. There’s been an accident.”
Her heart dropped into her stomach and the hairs on her scalp prickled. An accident?
“What happened, Bucky? Where’s Trixie… where is she? ”
His eyes flicked to the ground, and for the first time, she saw the cracks in his hard exterior.
“Harry…” His voice trailed off, leaving a strained silence between them.
“Where’s Harry, Bucky?” The words left her mouth before she could stop them, an echo of fear filling the space.
“Shan…” Bucky exhaled, his eyes brimming with grief he couldn’t hide. “He died this morning.”
“What?” Her voice cracked, disbelief flooding her senses.
Her legs wobbled, her mind spinning. She staggered back a step, the ground beneath her feet unstable.
“Harry didn’t die, Bucky. We were at the races together.”
“Harry... He died in the hospital just after 3 a.m. this morning.” Bucky’s voice was distant now, like he was speaking through the fog of his own pain.
Her heart stopped, the world around her dissolving into a haze.
“Please, no…” She reached out for something, anything, to hold on to, but the ground slipped away.
Her knees buckled, and she sank to the cold, damp cobblestones.
Every breath came in shallow, broken gasps as silent sobs shook her body.
“This can’t be real. It can’t be happening. Please, Bucky, please tell me it’s a mistake.”