The Billionaire's Second Chance (31 page)

W
ith that Shannon melted against him in complete trust; feeling herself open at long last to the real possibility of a future with him.

Nick was so overcome with feelings that he
struggled
to not shed some tears of his own.  They’d survived the storm and now that some light was shining he was deeply and profoundly grateful for the forgiving heart and loving nature this extraordinary woman was gifting him. No way was he going to screw this up.

His mind was thinking
,
“Thank fucking god.’ Although he knew the irreverence was overkill, it seemed to strike just the right chord of relief inside him nonetheless.

After a bit Nick finally eased Shannon off his lap. Thankful for the chance to let his ever present hard-on get some breathing room, Nick turned his full attention to the lovely woman who had just given him back his heart. With a small chuckle he thought
,
‘Thanks nephew. Thanks for that
,
’ as he remembered Dom’s earlier words about having lost his heart. Damn if the kid hadn’t been right. He said just to ask Shannon for it back and she would give it to him. Out of the mouths of babes.

Her hair had become a mess from their fevered make-out session so Nick lifted
able
fingers to some flyaway curls, tucking them neatly behind an ear as he searched his heart for what he wanted to say next.

“I want to share your bed Shannon, from tonight.” His bold statement of intent caused a blush to steal across her features.
“Not to force the issue sweetheart
,
but because I don’t want you sleeping apart from me ever again.
We’re alright, aren’t we?” he asked

“It’s for real this time
,
baby. What just happened here, and over the past few days, we’ve started over…haven’t we?” Nick asked showing a bit of uncharacteristic anxiety
as he waited
for her answer.

“Yes Nick. I think
alright
is
a good way to describe where we are but isn’t sleeping in the same bed just asking for trouble?
”
Shannon quickly added
,
“I know you’re not rushing me!”
when she saw him shaking his head to negate any trepidation she
was feeling.

Nick stood and started backing away from her when she reached out a hand to his and held on fast. She didn’t need any space but she did need more time and she desperately searched for a way to express that to him.

“I want you to stay with me
Nick;
it just seems like an awful lot to ask.  You know ….” she shrugged as her eyes glanced at the erection still pressing against his zipper. “I think I’m afraid of what all this means.”

Nick squeezed the small hand which had slotted so perfectly in his much larger one and presented her with a knowing smile. “I’m a big boy Shannon. Clearly!” he ad
ded with a sparkle in his eyes.
“I can handle a bit of sexual frustration if it means holding you in my arms through the night. You are safe with me
,
love. I just want you near. That’s all.”

He pulled her to her feet
saying
, “This is about you and me and the future we are building. We did everything wrong the first time and I’m not about to let that happen again! You are about to be wooed and courted, as is befitting the incredible woman you are, so get used to it!” he chuckled.

Shannon laughed at that and
presented
him with a huge grin. “Wooed and courted, huh?” she said in a teasing voice. “I like the way that sounds Mr. Barrett. I’m not quite sure what wooing and courting entails but it sounds yummy!”

And just like that, one more time, a smile and some play
ful banter set everything right.
As had become the norm for these two, the crutches were instantly forgotten as he swung her up into his arms and headed confidently toward her bedroom with a tremendous smile on his face and a sense of everything being right with the world lighting up his being.

It didn’t take long for Shannon to go through her nightly ablutions while Nick gave her space and privacy to take care of her needs. She warmed at the thought that he stayed nearby and prayed that taking this huge step forward was a good idea for them both. She wasn’t sure why she still hesitated but she knew herself well enough to realize that she should just relax and let things unfold as they may. She’d know when she was ready to take that final leap of faith and was content to let her heart and intuition set the pace.

When it was time to climb into her huge bed with the massive sleigh head and footboard, Shannon was relieved to see that Nick had lowered the lights and pulled back the covers so all she had to do was get herself comfortable. Once she was in place he joined her under the sumptuous linens and without hesitation pulled her into him so her back was plastered against his front.

“Sweet dreams
,
little one.” Nick whispered in her ear a second before kissing the side of her face, just barely touching her mouth.

Exhaustion took over and as Shannon started drifting to sleep she enjoyed the feeling of his bare chest pressed against her back. She had missed this; missed sharing even this small intimacy and as sleep over took her she murmured dreamily just above a whisper, “This feels right.”

Nick couldn’t have agreed more but kept his silence as she drifted off
,
content to feel her nestled against him while her unforgettable scent invaded his senses. Sometime later he joined her in sleep with a happy smile lingering on his face.

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

It was normal for Nick to wake with the dawn. What wasn’t normal was finding a soft, warm female body molded against him. The instant recognition that it was Shannon snuggled up against him with her sexy bottom providing the perfect cradle for his raging morning hard-on made the moment unforgettable. He planned to never wake up without her at his side ever again. That thought warmed him head to toe as he lay there for a very long time luxuriating in the simple
,
delightful pleasure he was feeling.

Before too long though he knew it was time to switch gears since the erection he hoped would calm down just kept insisting on itself in a way that was testing Nick’s control. He quickly discovered how many ways one could count backwards from a hundred as he attempted to avert his body’s attention away from the
enticement
Shannon’s natural heat and allure was sending to his brain.

The first rays of light had crept across the ceiling when he gingerly eased out of the bed they’d shared and headed for the bathroom. It was early still, he thought.  Too damn early for her to be disturbed so
,
ever the gentleman, Nick moved silently through the motions of getting ready for the day.

He’d decided on a quick run through the canyon to release some pent up energy. Anything to take his mind off wanting to crawl back
under the covers
and strip her of the bland nightshirt and boy short knickers she had worn to bed. After feasting on her naked beauty he would then cover every inch of exposed skin with his mouth and tongue in an endless oral indulgence that could only end with his face pressed between her open thighs while he licked her slit, tongued the throbbing little nub hidden in her delicate folds and brought her to a mind-blowing orgasm that would rock his little lady’s world.

Yeah. He needed to run like the damn devil this morning before his thoughts sent him up in flames. As he headed for the door Nick paused and considered that he had best leave a note in case she awakened and didn’t find him in her bed. Things were better between them yes, but still raw and tentative. He didn’t pretend to understand the mind of a woman, what man could, but he did know with some surety that her mind would go into cranky overdrive with reawakened fears and hesitation if he wasn’t there as she would have expected.

She needed reassurance and he intended to give her as much support in that area as possible. He wasn’t going anywhere and she had nothing to fear but he knew that she still questioned how he could have just walked away from her before. Nick was going to make damn sure that that was one wrong he righted every day for the rest of his life.

Spying the open door to her home office down the hallway next to the front landing
,
Nick stalked off in that direction in search of paper and pen to leave a note.

Stepping into the room
he
located and headed immediately to the long cluttered desk which ran under a wide set of windows lit up by the morning’s rays. Spotting a pad of sticky notes and a pen Nick dashed off a quick explanation that he was off for a run and ripped it from the stack. Tossing the pen aside he caught sight of something on the
tall
ceiling to floor bookshelf next to the window. His attention drawn
,
Nick turned away from the desk and walked to the bookshelf.

There was a strange buzzing sound in his brain when he got close enough to see that what had gr
abbed his attention was a large
footed, tear-drop shaped apothecary jar filled with extra-long vines of black and red twisted licorice. Did his jaw hit the floor? It might have, Nick winced inwardly.

Thoughts of the canisters, boxes and bags of butterscotch candies scattered throughout his day to day life and what that said about his emotional well-being or lack thereof assailed his mind. Seeing the synchronicity of this reality reflected back in Shannon’s day to day life
hit
him
squarely in the center of his chest
.

Releasing a pithy swear Nick shook himself and resolved yet again to fix the mess he’d made of their lives.

Feeling as though he was intruding into Shannon’s private thoughts, since that’s exactly what those golden candies strewn throughout his life represented, Nick headed for the door with the sticky note still stuck to his fingers. A series of easels were placed in the corner
behind
the door with what looked like storyboards on them.

Unable to contain his curiosity Nick moved closer to examine the boards and was delighted with what he discovered. Each board represented an event that she was working on. Domenic’s Cowboy Party was represented and he stood for long moments exploring the board that was covered with pictures and pieces of fabric. There were drawings of sets and props and notes about proper placement. There were shots of the actors she’d hired to portray Wild West folks and even a piece of the patterned cowboy paper products for the kids. It was all too charming and Nick was enchanted with how she set about creating a vision for her events.

Two boards set side by side were for charity events with different themes that involved an emcee and a stage set-up.  The last board looked like a work in progress with a French Parisian theme that was equally as over-the-top as Dom’s party had been. Curious
,
Nick leaned in closer to read the tag that held the party’s information. It was going to be a Sweet 16 Party for one Amelia
Spencer
Al-Alain to be held in December.

Nick was stunned by the mention of the Al-Alain family and knew immediately who the
sixteen
year old was. Her father was
Zahir
Al-Alain and he had been at Oxford durin
g Nick’s first year in England
.
He
was guest lecturing
in international law at the University when they met through mutual friends.
T
he illegitimate son of
a powerful Middle Eastern Sheik
,
Zahir
was driven to prove himself outside his half royal pedigree and had been something of a guide and mentor to Nick in his grad college days.

They’d been friends ever since with the two enjoying each other’s company during the odd times they intersected through business and whenever either of them was near the other’s home base.
Zahir
was one of Nick’s closest friends ranking right up there and only slightly behind Ned.

Because th
ey’d been friends a long time, N
ick was one of the few people who knew the story of
Zahir’s
doomed love affair with an English girl which had ended badly although Nick didn’t actually know what had caused the break-up. What he did know was that
Zahir
had carried around the burden of a broken heart for a long, long time.

Many years later
Zahir
would discover that this love of a lifetime had produced a child and from that moment forward he had been single minded in his drive to claim the daughter he hadn’t known about while also rekindling
his
relationship with Amelia’s mother.
Nick had
met the lovely Suzanne S
pencer
many times in the past couple of years and could understand why his friend had been so desolate without her. The two complimented each other in a way that made people stop and pause. He was tall, dark,
powerful,
and every inch an Arab
male
while she was
an English rose; just
as tall but with pale alabaster skin, light eyes and golden blond hair
They made a stunning pair and the daughter they’d created was a perfect blend of the two.