Shannon sat back against the headboard and quietly watched him slumber on, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the moment. This was the way it was going to be from here on out, she thought. There would be a lifetime ahead of them full of quiet intimate moments, and for once she didn’t try to argue or find the flaw in the happily-ever-after scenario that invaded her thoughts.
They were heading off to Boston later that morning, and as she had come to understand from the plans he was making, they’d be going in typical Barrett style. This part may take some getting used to, she knew, having lived a fairly modest and conservative life till now. But hells bells, the twinkling bauble on her left hand was anything but modest. She smiled to herself.
Eventually, with her early-morning reverie played out, Shannon realized she’d been creeping closer and closer to Nick’s sleeping form. A pink-toenailed foot was scant inches from the calf exposed by the sheet that only partially draped over his hulking body.
She couldn’t help herself, really. The man was like her personal magnet. If he was near, she had to be touching him. Some part of her physical being needed to be in contact with his at all times, and right now it looked like her foot was getting the signal to initiate a search for skin.
When she fleetingly skimmed the top of her foot along his muscular calf, he stirred briefly but didn’t rouse any further. Turning on her side, Shannon moved a tiny fraction closer, cautiously moving fingers up and down the forearm flung on top of the bedding.
She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, enjoying the barest of contact, allowing herself to float dreamily in contented peace. This was nice.
It was nice for about two minutes, and then Nick, who hadn’t been as deeply asleep as she imagined, bolted upright, flinging the sheet aside with a warning growl, and reached for her.
“Good morning, woman,” he grunted in her ear as he flipped her easily onto her belly before pulling her onto her knees while gently forcing her shoulders down.
Caught off guard but hardly resisting, Shannon arched her back and wiggled her bare ass in his direction a second before he guided his hardened sex to the entrance of her body.
“Good morni—ohhhhhh,” she gasped out when he pushed inside her hungry sheath, surging deep and sure.
Another long, drawn-out ahhhhhhhhh followed as Shannon could do nothing but feel and listen as Nick grunted softly with each languid thrust into her heated, damp core. With every stroke of his enormous staff, she fell a little deeper into the building climax that his pumping hips invited.
She heard his groin slapping against her heated core, shuddered, and got lost in the enormity of the response he was drawing from her. Heat coursed, wet creamy fluids flooded and dripped, groans mingled. And still the thrusting continued.
Nick couldn’t believe how hot and wet she was. He’d tried to do nothing when he’d felt her rubbing a foot against his leg in a sexy caress that wiped all rational thought from his brain, but when his morning hard-on had responded eagerly to her innocent touches, try as he might, there just wasn’t any way he could avoid the ravishment he was subjecting her to right now.
His brain had screamed…cock…inside her…now, then given up any attempt at acting civilized right there and then. Burying himself in her heated, velvet depths was all he could think of, so that’s what he did.
In this position, he had an unimpeded view of his hugely engorged sex plunging in and out of her dripping center. The image was seared on his brain as he watched in fascination when his thick, pulsing staff emerged from her throbbing core covered in creamy proof of her red-hot arousal. The helpless moan he wrung from her with each downward plunge as he pumped into her succulent body ramped up his own arousal a thousand-fold.
Sinking into her welcoming heat again and again, Nick ran his big hands appreciatively over her quivering ass and gloried in the satisfaction coursing through him.
She was starting to tighten. Her unbelievably strong female muscles began clutching at his marauding cock as she rotated her hips against each thrust. She was fucking fantastic, he kept thinking, enjoying the way her exquisite response made him feel.
It was time, he realized, time to let the beast loose. Time to hurl them both into the climax that was headed their way. He drove forcefully into her once, twice, and then held perfectly still, thrilled at the way she whimpered helplessly.
He didn’t move, didn’t need to. The powerful inner muscles of her hot, dripping sex took over for him with deep spasms that clutched and released at his blissful cock buried deep inside. Just for good measure, he pulsed against her a few times, which only ended up pushing him further into her luscious body, allowing his balls to rub seductively against her swollen clitoris. It was raw and primitive and unbearably arousing.
His body took over his rational mind then, focused solely on the orgasm that was swiftly building in his core. A sharp, greedy longing to come inside her ignited a fire of desperation that nearly made him lose consciousness.
The desperate and moaning woman in his arms was drawn so tight, hanging on the edge of ecstasy, that when Nick reached under and stroked his fingers over her enflamed clit, she shattered under his touch. Rolling her hips in mindless desperation, Shannon exploded around his throbbing cock, sending Nick up and over in a thundering climax.
He held on tight while Shannon convulsed and shook, feeling his essence spurting deep inside her receptive female core. It felt hotly primal, and with one last grunt, he emptied himself completely, enjoying her quiet moans of intense satisfaction.
He’d hated easing out of her, leaving the incredible heat and feel of her body, but there wasn’t really any other choice. They had things to do, places to go, people to see, and while he’d prefer to stay right where they were, engaged in endless lovemaking until they dropped, the situation called for some of his trademark finesse.
Having taken her in the most basic and carnal of ways just now meant that he’d have a better chance of making it through the day ahead without embarrassing himself. For a guy who hadn’t been bothered to engage for years in anything other than a rare sexual encounter for purely self-gratifying reasons, the current situation was making him crazy. To be unexpectedly placed in the position of being constantly in a state of arousal and actively seeking any advantage or opportunity to have his way with her wasn’t exactly an easy thing.
It hadn’t taken much to scoot her along into the glass-enclosed double shower where he subjected her to a long, leisurely washing that included plenty of kissing and fondling to make up for the lack thereof from earlier.
He’d helped her wash that glorious mane of hair, much to her delight, he noted, and then rather matter-of-factly had rubbed every inch of her body dry.
Men really don’t have any clue, he marveled a short time later when he watched in utter fascination as she shimmied into yet another mind-blowing pair of panties, this time something in virginal white satin with a tantalizing ribbon of pale pink.
As if that hadn’t been enough to send all thoughts south, he was treated to the most provocative visual ever dreamed when Shannon went through the mechanics of drawing on the matching bra. The way she bent forward slightly and scooped her delectably round globes into the waiting cups, causing them to bobble and sway till just right, made his mouth go bone-dry. After fastening the back hooks, she adjusted the straps, bent forward again, and gave the bra a little shake, making her boobs shake, too, and then stood up straight.
Apparently not yet satisfied, he watched as if in a trance while she scooped her hands inside each cup and adjusted both of the luscious pale orbs. When a plain black T-shirt was pulled over the mouthwatering sight of Shannon dressed in prim white satin decorated with tiny pink ribbons, he was sorry to lose the image of that strangely intimate moment.
He had never considered the extraordinary feat of engineering involved in the concept of a bra. Watching Shannon’s glorious breasts scooped up by such a delicate piece of lace had really gotten him thinking and loosed his guy’s imagination.
He betted there would have been a shit-ton more interest in Engineering amongst the male college population if Bra Science 101 was included for course study!
Having never witnessed a woman’s toilet before, he found everything about it surprisingly alluring. He enjoyed the way she touched a crystal perfume wand to the space between her breasts and the adorable twirl in front of the mirror so she could inspect her pert little derrière or the way she adjusted the seams of those tiny panties.
How exactly was he supposed to get through the day, he wondered. Knowing what was beneath her clothes was only making him randier than usual. The tight black jeans that accompanied the simple T-shirt came next. Was there anything more fascinating to watch than a woman wiggling in to her jeans? He doubted it.
Next, she picked up the boots she’d worn yesterday and hesitated, bringing Nick’s ever-alert watchfulness to high.
“What’s the problem?” he asked, maybe a bit too sharply. Constant sexual arousal and a good deal of frustration thrown in seemed to be doing crazy things to his composure.
Sighing, Shannon tossed the boots aside. “My ankle seems a little sore today,” she said while flexing her injured foot. Her tone suggested that she was taken aback by this discovery, but Nick was hardly surprised. Her legs were to die for to begin with, but add the sexy heels, and they went into the turn-on hall of fame. Unfortunately those same heels put an extra strain on already injured muscles and tissue. She hadn’t complained until now, so he suspected that vanity had been overruled in this instance by discomfort.
“Looks like flats for you today, Posh Spice!” he joked, locating a pair of everyday sneakers next to her bags. Picking them up, he tossed them her way and then whooped when she made a two-hand catch. “Way to go, Sharona,” Nick teased. “Glad to see you haven’t lost your touch.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and pouted while she looked disdainfully at the shoes in her hands. “If I wear these you’re going to like, oh I don’t know, maybe dwarf me by a foot!” she whined.
“Ah. Once again I must remind you, my love, that you are nothing short of adorable and totally irresistible when you pout, so unless you want to spend the next hour trying to fend off my dastardly ways, I suggest you put the shoes on and get marching!”
She laughed. “Oooooooooh. I love it when you get all bossy and commanding. Be still, my beating heart!” she cooed merrily while miming a fainting spell.
Throwing back his head and laughing joyously, Nick stepped in with a quick press of his lips to her forehead. “Come on, my lady. Time for us to be afoot,” he joked as he put out his arm for her to place her hand where it belonged, right there in the crook of his.
Wandering through the upstairs of the big house, Nick briefly pointed out the laundry chute by the hall bathroom that he and Jules used to pretend was an escape hatch through which they dropped all manner of things, including the family cat. He showed her the etched marking on the inside of the linen closet where his dad had scraped a notch each year to mark the children’s height.
This was a real family home, Shannon thought. Not like the lonely adult-centered existence she had experienced as a youngster. She loved her parents but had to admit that the warm, loving ambiance from Nick’s childhood was the type of home every kid yearns for. Was this what Nick visualized when saying he wanted it all? She could see herself in such a home. One just like this.
Breakfast with Alanna and Mr. Allen was lovely. His mother was a charming hostess and quite versatile in the kitchen. Shannon was astounded when Nick pulled a huge platter of assorted cut fruit from the chiller, enjoying the simple straightforward presentation and the cups of homemade yogurt that went with a plate loaded with Anna’s almond cookies and a couple of slices of homemade zucchini bread made for a delicious start of the day.
Nick of course grumbled that there wasn’t any meat, making both women laugh and tease him endlessly about his carnivorous ways. When Shannon announced that she’d fix his diet right quick once they were married, his mother beamed while Nick tried not to grimace.
With a few hours yet to go before it was time to leave, Nick politely excused himself, apologizing profusely, indicating that something important had come up at work that he had to deal with. Once he had retreated to the study where he could get at a laptop, Mr. Allen headed off to town to pick up some items on his “Honey Do” list while Shannon and Nick’s mother settled in the den.
Alanna had insisted on showing her old photo albums from Nick’s earliest years, making Shannon laugh with delight viewing shots of him on Santa’s lap, in his first Little League uniform, dressed like a ninja at Halloween. She was surprised just how like his father he was.
David Barrett was as dishy in a 1970s way that Nick was today. Tall, virile, killer smile. She could totally see how the little Southern belle would have lost her heart to such a dashing figure.
One picture in particular hit Shannon like a two-ton brick. It showed Alanna and her husband, perhaps two years or so before the man’s untimely passing, dressed for a formal affair looking like they’d just walked off the set of TV’s Dynasty.
David looked impossibly handsome in a dark tuxedo with a roguish grin and hair probably a bit longer and more casual than was the norm while Alanna wore a form-fitting pink ice gown with a diamond necklace hanging in the deep V of the low-cut dress. They were gazing at each other with open adoration, a look Shannon had become intimately familiar with over the past week.
Her heart clutched for the woman. By her calculations, Nick’s mother had only been thirty-six when David died, such a young age to lose one’s husband.
There were more pictures, most showing Nick and Ned as childhood BFF’s and the usual sorts of antics young boys get themselves into. She laughed, spying Jules in many of the shots, the adoring little sister in the background who one day grows up to marry the best friend.
Shannon had secretly dreamed about Prince Charming as a young girl. Her world had been inhabited by fairy tales and flights of fancy, which no doubt explained a great deal about why she was so good at creating fantasy for others.
Somehow, though, her very own knight on a white horse had come thundering into her life when she’d least expected it and claimed her for his own. In every way that mattered, the fantasy was hers. What on earth had she done to deserve such perfection? She felt lucky and counted her blessings in gratitude. She was especially grateful for whatever force had brought them back together and given her the strength to let down her guard long enough to give him a second chance. Give them both a chance at love redone.
Their Connecticut good-byes were bittersweet. Shannon had found a true friend in Alanna Barrett, and while their paths would no doubt be crossing with regularity, she was sad to leave the splendid home with its tree house and commando laundry chute. She made a mental note to text Jules later to add her agreement to her friend’s declaration that the Connecticut white house was the most awesome ever. It certainly was.
Mr. Allen escorted them efficiently and on time to a small airport where they boarded a chartered helicopter for the short flight to Boston. This was a first for Shannon, and her eyes widened at the comfort and luxury of the big black private helicopter. A bottle of Perrier-Jouët sat in a chilled slot along with two gorgeous crystal flutes. She spied a dish of butterscotch candies and looked at Nick, who chuckled softly, saying, “I never fly without them.”
Earlier than she had expected, they were in Boston with plenty of time to settle in at their hotel before the anniversary event that would take the rest of the evening. This time it was Shannon who chattered on while they sped along in a chauffeured car, as she brought his attention to points of interest in the old, puritan city.
They were en route to the Ritz Carlton when their chauffeur informed them a young pop star staying at the hotel was causing quite the stir with the local paparazzi. To avoid all the nonsense they would be going straight to a private VIP entrance in a secured area.
Shannon giggled when she heard who wa
s getting a ton of free publicity and told Nick she had worked with his management team on a release party last year. She recalled the teenage heartthrob as being something of an airhead and said so, shaking her head.
“Fame is sometimes wasted,” Nick muttered while Shannon nodded in agreement. She’d certainly seen enough the past couple of years to validate that statement.
By the time they arrived in the exclusive suite with a breathtaking view of Boston Common, Shannon was privately glad that they’d been given the VIP treatment without having to pass through the impressive front lobby. She’d been spared feeling conspicuously dressed in casual jeans while sporting a pair of everyday sneakers in the midst of such classic luxury.
The staff assigned to accommodate their every want and expectation had melted away shortly after their arrival in the massive suite. Shannon realized that, since packing the beautiful luggage Nick had gifted to her, she hadn’t seen it since. The world that the Barretts lived in meant that others were doing the packing and unpacking for her now. Glancing into the elegant dressing room, she spied her dressing gown draped over a chair and all her clothes hung carefully in a large walk-in closet.
Feeling unnerved by everything, Shannon tried to express how odd it was to have other people, quite literally, waiting on her. Nick was clearly amused by her observations, telling her that that he was profoundly grateful each and every day for the myriad of people coming and going throughout his personal and professional life that saw to all the details. He pointed out that every job had value and told her that his parents had impressed upon him at an early age that with great privilege came great responsibility.
Her cell phone rang, interrupting their talk with Shannon jumping up excitedly when the caller ID indicated it was her mom calling.
“Hi, Mom! Yes, arrived safe and sound. Uh huh. Okay. Will do. What? Oh, well, um…actually I’m at the Ritz Carlton. I know, right? Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll explain when I see you. By the way, are you wearing the dress Rory sent? I can’t believe Vera was so cool about giving it up. You’re going to look amazing, Mom.”
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