The Billionaire's Second Chance (41 page)

“Wow.” Shannon sighed. “This is really happening, isn’t it?” She turned into him and searched his eyes. “I don’t know how to react.”

Nick watched the emotions flashing through Shannon’s expression and noted each and every one. There weren’t any more roadblocks but there was apparently an awful lot of uncertainty and hesitation fluttering around the edges. He supposed that couldn’t be helped. After all, everything between them had come together rather quickly. A week ago he’d been a focused, single minded, hardened businessman.  The grinning, relaxed and undoubtedly happy individual who looked back at him from the mirror now was a complete departure from that other person.

Would people be shocked that he suddenly turned up with Shannon on his arm? Of course
they would
. That was the reality of the world he lived in
. 
But h
is mother
would
hear
the whole story in short order
if he knew anything at all a
bout how the female mind worked and that’s all which really mattered to him.

First Mrs. A would sound the alarm and eventually Jules would chime in with her take on what was happening. By the time he had to say anything at all the conclusions would already be drawn and Shannon’s presence by his side would
answer any remaining questions.

“What about your parents Shannon? Have you told them yet about us? Do they know you’re bringing me to the celebration?”

Shannon lai
d her head back against his arm, smiling
softly. “I called home to let them know when I would be traveling and Dad answered. He’s such a …” she chuckled
, “c
loud chaser! I could have told him we were flying in by sleigh and reindeer and he would have written down all the details
without ever
stopping
to ask a single question!” Her obvious affection for her doting Dad was evident.

“I asked him to tell Mom I was bringing someone special but who knows how that tidbit will come out in translation.”

Shannon was happy with his arm about her shoulder and realized her free hand had been playing with the buttons on his shirt. Since their explosive love-making
in the clouds
she’d been in a state of semi-arousal ever since. She coul
d still feel him inside her
. Recalling
the moment he’d lost control, thundering
his powerful hips against hers
,
was keeping her on the edge of sanity.

“Shannon,” Nick murmured. “It’s alright to tell our families that we intend to be married, isn’t it? I don’t want there to by any doubt about our relationship.”

Letting
a single
button slip through its hole Shannon slid tentative fingers into Nick’s shirt in search of skin. Even such a small connection was enough to clarify in Shannon’s mind what her answer should be. After all, when she’d said ‘
Yes
’ to him on the plane she had effectively agreed to his master plan. The physical intimacy, the sacred promise of the future they’d been gifted. He was completely serious about marrying her, she knew that, but she’d never been the type to fantasize about weddings so she didn’t exactly know how to
react or respond
.

“It’s okay Nick, really. It’s just that, like you said, everything has happened so fast and all this is new and, well….. I don’t know what I’m doing, is all.”

“Ah honey,” he replied as he tucked a finger under her chin and made her look at him. “How about we just try to enjoy each other and
settle
in
slowly
to the whole experience?” With arching eyebrows and a sinfully devilish grin Nick added,
“When
we go into the city tomorrow I plan to find the biggest diamond I can lay my hands on to let everyone know you belong to me and then I’m going to put a public address system on the roof of the Barrett
office building
and shout to all who can hear that Nick Barrett adores Shannon Reynolds and that I’m the luckiest guy on the planet because you have agreed to make an honest man of me.”

If she beamed any more at him he’d need sunglasses Shannon thought as her eyes twinkled in delight at his playfulness. As was her female prerogative however she switched gears in a nanosecond.

“Would you be disappointed if we got married quietly without a lot of fuss?” she asked in such a serious tone that Nick immediately lost the kidding qualit
y to his voice when he replied.
“Shannon, little one. I will marry you right now, just the two of us and I’m completely serious because I can throw a bit of Barrett influence around and get a judge out here in the next hour to make it official. I don’t care about the specifics as long as at the end of the day you belong to me and I belong to you and nothing
ever again
gets in the way of our being together.”

Hugging her tighter he said,
“If you want to get married in St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a ton of paparazzi and a zillion guests, I can make that happen too. It’s all good
,
my love.” he assured her.
“But don’t get stressed trying to figure it all out at once
Shannon
. Let’s enjoy what we’ve made happen and let the rest just … happen.”

“Well I know what I want to have happen right now mister!” Shannon joked. “I want the grand tour of this fabulous house and then I want to meet this Mrs. A. Maybe we can give her all sorts of juicy things to tell your Mom
! T
hen I want you to take me to bed and remind me again why I said yes.”
He laughed, she smiled.
All was right i
n their world
.

“Even with the time change I’m done so let’s get this show on the road before I open all these buttons and manage to get you naked. Now
that
would give your Mrs. A an eyeful!” Shannon hooted as she shoved back out of his embrace and started getting to her feet.

Holding out her hand she said “Come on. I want to see that library room up close and personal!”

With that Nick smiled
as he
adopted
his very best tour guide impersonation and began leading his woman on what he termed the five cent short tour
,
moving quickly from room to room of his magnificent home telling her every step of the way about work
that
had been done and filling in the renovation story with tales about the building’s history.

It was after they’d moved to the upper floors where they’d encountered Mrs. Allen as she was coming from the master suite carrying a huge basket of laundry. As she spied them walking hand-in-hand toward her the smile lighting her face was enormous.

“
Nich
olas
Barrett!” she grinned. “With all your many talents somehow you missed the part where you learn
ed
how to do your own laundry!” Stowing the basket by her side Mrs. Allen looked Shannon up and down
asking,
“And who might this be?”

“Now, now Mrs. A! You know that fancy digital washing machine you made me install is your favorite gadget of all time so enough with the snarky comments! You love having anything to toss into that behemoth set-up!” Nick answered as he stepped forward and gave the woman a hearty hug.

“Watch it now!” she laughed as she swatted at him. “Don’t be bothering with any of that billionaire charm on me and stop changing the subject. Introduce me to your lady friend before I say something which will really embarrass you!”

Shannon enjoyed their easy back and forth and was glad to see that Nick had good people around him. Mr. Allen had been friendly and obviously fond of his boss while his wife
,
Mrs. A
,
seemed as open and welcoming as
a
warm toddy.

She was only about five and a half feet tall and dressed in a sensible black skirt with a white blouse and a charcoal grey sweater that screamed conservative. The impish smile on her face though and the familiar way she kidded with Nick told of a life-long relationship that went way beyond employer and employee. Shannon suspected that Mrs. A and his Mom were
more friends than employer ÷ employee.

With his very best cowboy pirate artfully disguised as billionaire tycoon manners on full display, Nick all but puffed up like a proud peacock strutting his stuff
saying formally
, “
Annabelle Allen, allow me to introduce Shannon Reynolds. Ms. Reynolds will be,” he hesitated just a fraction before adding, “staying with me.”

Turning toward Shannon he continued, “Shannon, this is Mrs. Allen. Please don’t be fooled by all that mother hen stuff she’ll try out on you. She’s actually a drill sergeant in disguise!” he finished with obvious affection toward the older woman.

Shannon immediately stepped up and offered her hand in welcome, managing to get out a quick
,
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Allen.” a
full half-
second before the tiny woman
took her hand
and
pull
ed
her into a tremendous bear hug.

“Ms. Reynolds! Welcome, welcome!” she cried enthusiastically before giving a quick side eyed nod of approval to Nick. “I’m delighted to meet you my dear. That old rascal husband of mine called ahead and told me
Nicholas
had a guest but I never expected ….. oh good heavens! Listen to me
rattling on
like a
nosey busybody
!” she chuckled.

Releasing Shannon and stepping back
,
Nick’s housekeeper did a head to toe assessment
followed by
a
n inscrutable
back and forth between her and Nick
before plastering a wide smile on
her face.

As she had with Ned and Jules after the truth of her relationship with Nick came out, Shannon was suffused with quiet joy at the straightforward way his family immediately embraced her presence in his life. It was obvious from the woman’s reaction to her
unexpected appearance
that Nick bringing a woman to his home was a big deal. A very big deal indeed. She felt special and the way his eyes followed her
every move reflected
the pride and joy he felt toward her
and
made Shannon melt inside. In more ways than one.

The sexy, come hither look she threw at him while he stood by in satisfied silence watching Mrs. Allen and Shannon get to know each other went off like a hand grenade in Nick’s personal space.

As satisfying as it was standing there watching Shannon
interact with
her demur
e
, respectful attitude toward his housekeeper, Nick was suddenly eager to unleash the seductive wanton who had writhed in sexual abandon under his relentless pounding in a most unladylike way just a few short hours ago.

Shannon
,
to her credit
,
sensed the shift in Nick’s attention practically the second it occurred. He was remembering and the awareness of how he had caused her to lose
control
in
an
unrestrained response to his overpowering male carnality was shredding her composure. She continued listening to Mrs. A babble on and even managed to get out a few short answers to questions being asked but all Shannon was truly aware of was the intensifying heat wave that seemed to be building in the hallway where they stood.

Her
heart picked up a beat while she focused on saying good-
night to Nick’s housekeeper, watching
the woman walk away hauling the overflowing laundr
y basket on her matronly hip.
Nick hadn’t moved although he had politely bid Mrs. A
,
good night.

Once the housekeeper had left them alone in the hallway, a seductive silence fell.
He was watching her, the cowboy pirate. Waiting for her guard to drop. Stalking his quarry. Shannon stood her ground for less than a second before the ferocity of his hungry gaze sent her stumbling back
wards
into the shadows of the long dark
hallway. S
he watched in fascinated expectation, rather like balancing on a knife’s edge, as his huge body followed hers into the shadows until nothing
but an inch stayed between them as he backed her against the wall.

His heat immediately surrounded her, making Shannon shiver in awareness as his large frame completely covered her own. His scent assailed her senses
with
his nearness as she gulped in shaky breaths of much needed oxygen. When he pressed his hands on either side of her head placing her squarely in the cage of his arms, she all but slithered to the floor in a boneless heap.

It was only the urgent thrust of his rock hard body against her smaller, trembling one that kept Shannon on her feet. He lowered his head and growled in her ear reminding her of the primal response they’d unleashed earlier in their wild coupling. He didn’t have to say anything; didn’t have to do anything. Just standing there, covering her, pressing himself against her softening curves was enough to send Shannon on an express lane, one-way journey to a sensual meltdown that had her whimpering quietly in growing need.