by Trish Wylie
He laughed. He damn well laughed out loud!
‘Aw, c’mon, Shannon! You knew I knew. Pretending I didn’t was all part of the game.’
He might as well have slapped her; the sense of humiliation was just that strong. Because he really had known it was her all along, hadn’t he? Not only that—but he had thought it was all some big sexual game to her! He had played along for the sake of an opportunity for some hot sex! Despite her complete belief that she had seduced him into a fantasy night of memorable romance.
Which it had been. For her.
She’d been so naïve back then! So wrapped up in a romance and a happily ever after that hadn’t existed. It had taken real life to teach her that one, hadn’t it?
And now, thanks to Connor, she got to feel a little of that pain all over again. Slicing through her now as agonizingly as it had when she’d been alone and dealing with the aftermath of her naïveté.
What a bastard!
Connor leaned back in, his cheek against her cheek as his deep voice tickled against her ear. ‘It was the most amazing night—don’t you remember? I used to have seriously hot dreams about it after you left. I never knew that being seduced by a woman in a fantasy outfit could be so…erotic.’
Then his head turned a fraction, his lips brushing oh-so briefly against the sensitive skin below her ear as he spoke in a stage whisper. ‘You were beautiful. A little nervous at first maybe, but then you just let yourself get lost in the moment, didn’t you? And you were sexy as hell. I’ve never forgotten. The way you moved, the sounds you made, how you cried out when you came. Any of it.’
Shannon closed her eyes. It was just the absolute worst form of torture she’d ever been subjected to—laced with a bitter sweetness that tore her in two.
‘It wasn’t a game! You were never supposed to know it was me.’
He chuckled again. ‘A mask and a cheap wig weren’t gonna stop me from knowing it was you. I knew your scent. It was unmistakably you. Still is, as it happens; it’s on you now. A combination of flowers and a hint of something fresh that always said Shannon Hennessey was nearby. You chose to make it a fantasy night—I just followed your lead.’
Perfume had given her away?
‘Let go of me.’
Standing statue still in his hold, she refused to allow him to continue swaying their bodies, her eyes open and fixed on the open door across the busy bar. ‘Let me go, right this minute. Or—I swear—I’ll yell so loud my good friends the bouncers will knock you into next week. And I’ll grin as it happens.’
Connor’s large body went rigid for a moment before he took a step back, releasing her at a torturously slow pace along the way.
While Shannon stared up at his hooded eyes, her cheeks burning as her pulse continued beating erratically with a combination of arousal and anger. ‘You don’t know who I am now, any more than I know who you are. And quite frankly, I’m not sure I want to know the new you or experience any of your new moves. I may have been crazy enough about you seven years ago to want you to be my first time, but right this minute I dislike who you are just enough to never want to set eyes on you ever again.’
Connor’s dark eyes flared as he stepped forwards, his wide chest an inch away from the rapid rise and fall of her breasts. ‘Let’s just take a second here and look back at who it was set up that little seduction scene all those years ago, shall we?’
‘And then let’s look at who played along with it right up to the end and never once let on he knew! But then maybe no-strings-attached sex was your thing? It suited you just fine to pretend you didn’t know who it was underneath you!’
His mouth pursed briefly into a sharp line. ‘It was what you wanted or it would never have happened! Trust me.’
The hissed words washed over her flushed cheeks as she fought to hold back angry tears.
‘No. All I wanted at the time was you! I was just too young and too damn stupid to know any better, obviously. There were probably a half-dozen others who would have been a better choice!’
After a cursory flicker of his eyes over her face, he took a breath and leaned his face closer still, his mouth a mere whisper above hers while he locked eyes with her.
‘If it was me you wanted, then you got your wish, didn’t you? No matter what kind of a person I was underneath. Well, you know what they say about being careful about what you wish for.’
While she stood gaping, he angled his head and added, ‘What you should maybe remember for future reference is that no one is what they might like to think they are.
Under that girl-next-door image of yours was an incredibly sexual woman, waiting to test out what she was capable of. It was just fortunate for you that you picked me. It could have been much worse.’
‘Not from where I’m standing right this minute it couldn’t.’
His thick dark lashes lowered as he looked down to where his mouth almost touched hers, then rose as he searched her eyes. ‘Go ahead and forget it ever happened, if you can. I don’t intend ever forgetting. You’ll just have to learn to deal with knowing that every time you look at me, won’t you? Because every time I look at you it’ll be what I’m thinking of.’
‘Well, it won’t be what I’m thinking of when I look at you—’ she almost spat the lie up at him ‘—so you’ll just have to learn to deal with that. Because I’m no naïve little virgin any more, Connor. I’m a fully grown woman. If you thought last time was amazing—
well, you just go ahead and have a little think about how much more amazing it could be with someone who actually knows what she’s doing. Then remind yourself that the only reason you’ll never get a chance to find out what it would be like is because you’ve turned into a complete and utter ass!’
And with that she turned, her head held high, and her hips swaying purposefully as she walked away from him.
CHAPTER THREE
THE LITTLE COMMUNITY that had built up within the walls of the building Shannon leased from Devenish wasn’t long in gathering a head of steam and forming a committee.
It was what peaceful people did in times of trouble. They got together in a room to argue about what they should do next…
‘I say we should get a petition together.’
‘A petition isn’t going to make a blind bit of difference to a company like Devenish. I say we do a sit-in protest.’
‘A naked sit-in, like in the sixties? I’m in.’ Mario winked across at Shannon.
A tiny grey-haired woman tapped her walking stick on the old wooden floor. ‘We should chain ourselves to the railings outside!’
‘Brieda, there aren’t any railings outside.’
‘Well, we have to do something.’
Silently, all eyes in the room swung in Shannon’s direction. And she sighed in resignation. She really didn’t want to do this right now. Not since she had read her e-mails that morning and found a reply from Tess, Connor’s sister.
But since she had put a note on the notice-board about the sale of the building there had been a constant stream of people wanting to know what they could do to help and she knew she had no choice but to deal with it.
Even though she now had other things running rings round her mind.
‘Well, in the meantime we have the lease agreement. That should buy us some time. But we’ll need a solicitor to fight our case and that won’t be cheap.’
‘We could run some fund-raisers—get everyone who uses the building involved?’
‘A sponsored walk maybe?’
‘We could run a fête, bake cakes and have a tombola.’
Shannon raised her fingers to rub against her throbbing temples. They all meant well, she knew that, and she loved every one of them for loving the place as much as she did, really she did. That was the real problem for her, you see; she had fallen in love with the building the day she had set eyes on it—it had called to her. Within its walls she had made a place to call home for the first time in years. But, more importantly, in return it had supplied her
with the makeshift family that now surrounded her; a family that would rely on her to find a way out of this current dilemma—regardless of just who that put her up against.
Shannon had a responsibility to do right by them. To make an effort to keep the place they all loved. And somehow, having others to fight for instead of just herself almost made it easier for her to stand her ground against Connor.
If it just didn’t feel like such a very personal battle. If it just wasn’t against someone she had once loved. But the very fact she knew him meant she should be able to do more, didn’t it? And they needed her to think of something.
‘I’m not sure that that’ll be enough. Solicitors cost a lot of money these days,’ Shannon said.
Her unguarded remark led to several crestfallen faces, and guilt immediately racked her in waves. ‘But it would certainly be a start,’ she added.
When she smiled encouragingly the room became a hum of voices again, until she had to clear her throat to be heard. ‘What we need to do is find something about the history of this place that might get it listed as being of historical interest. Then at least it can’t be torn down.’
It was a shot in the dark, she knew that. But immediately there was another flurry of loud conversation, and while her eyes fixed on Mario’s proud expression as he walked towards her she didn’t notice the door to the room opening.
Until Mario hissed down at her, ‘Isn’t that the hottie from the bar?’
Her gaze flew to the door where Connor was studying the crowd with a somewhat bemused expression. And her breath caught in her chest at the sight of him.
Because he had been right. Every damn time she looked at him she would know. And she hated him for it.
Large frame dominating the low doorway, he searched the room with a flickering gaze and Shannon, mimicking his search, was stunned to realize that no one seemed to have noticed his arrival. How could they miss him?
Because much as she hated him—he looked sensational. Dressed in another expensive, gorgeously cut dark suit with a crisp white shirt unbuttoned at the neck, his hair spiking in all directions and a hint of dark shadowed stubble on his chin—he had that ‘I’d be great in bed’ look that had caught her imagination so long ago.
And even more recently than that.
Only now she resented him for looking that way. Because she didn’t want to still be so aware of how he looked or to remember just how great he was in bed. And since they had danced and he had lightly suggested they try repeating the experience for some kind of comparison, despite her best efforts she’d been able to think of little else. Regardless of what she had said to him in the heat of the moment.
And it was a lie that had led to a distinct lack of sleep after she left him—which had led to even more thinking.
One of those thoughts being that their confrontation had killed every romantic notion she’d ever possessed about him. He had taken that one fantasy night and scrumpled it up like waste paper.
During the endlessly silent hours when she hadn’t been able to sleep, she had steadily built a burning hatred for him for the constant, never-ending ripple of retribution that seemed to be foisted on her for what had once been, to her, a magical night.
But even while she hated him for the way he had been with her since he’d come back into her life, she now also understood a little better why he might possibly be acting the way he was—or, at the very least, maybe, a part of the reason why.
‘You know him?’
Shannon laughed a bitter little laugh. ‘Yeah, you could say that.’
‘Who is he? Is he gay? Tell me he’s gay and single and I’ll love you for ever and ever.’
Connor’s head turned again, his eyes searching until they eventually locked with hers.
While her heart thundered in response as he then walked purposefully towards her, confidently, with determination, his dark eyes lacking in their usual hint of silent amusement.
Shannon frowned hard as she felt her body immediately react to his approach, her eyes looking down over his broad shoulders, his wide chest, all the way down his long legs.
And she felt her breasts grow heavy, felt the knot forming in her abdomen.
Goddamn him! How could she hate him so much and still want him inside her so badly?
She wasn’t ready to go through another confrontation. Not yet. Not while the sight of him kept on invoking such a powerful response of conflicting emotions in her. What she needed was a few more minutes to gather herself together before she spoke to him. Just a few minutes.
All she had to do was find a way of getting them…
‘Erm, guys?’ She held up her hand for silence. ‘Ladies and gentlemen!’
The room fell silent and Connor hesitated, a frown darkening his face even more, if that was possible.
Shannon swept an arm in his direction. ‘Mr Flanaghan is here to talk to you all. He’s the new owner of Devenish Enterprises. I’m sure he won’t mind answering all of your questions about the sale of the building.’
As the small crowd descended on him Mario leaned down to hiss in her ear. ‘Mr Gorgeous-Hunk-O-Male is the new owner? The guy who tried to cop off with you on the dance floor before you had your big tiff?’
‘He didn’t try to cop off with me.’ Which was an out-and-out lie, wasn’t it? Would she ever stop lying?
But this one her friend wasn’t buying. ‘Honey, it looked like he did from where we were sitting. I can’t begin to tell you how jealous I was of you. So, what’s going on?’
‘Why don’t you ask him? He’s the man of the moment.’
And with that she sneaked out of the room. The rest of the group could deal with him and vice versa while she got herself gathered together.
It took nearly a full hour before he negotiated an escape and found her upstairs.
Leaning against the doorframe, he watched in silence as she loaded dishes into cupboards, her lithe body moving fluidly as she worked her way back and forth, occasional upward stretching affording him a glimpse of smooth skin between her sweatpants and vest-top.
She had an amazing body, didn’t she? Long, seemingly endless legs that ended at the perfect rounded curve of her ass, that deliciously feminine inward dip at the small of back, and as she turned a little to get to the top cupboard again he got a brief view of the flat, creamy smooth skin of her stomach and the upward lift of her pert breasts as she reached upwards.
The other night she had curved that sweet body in against his, he had felt her nipples against his chest, had had the torture of her hips moving in against his. Even while he stood in her doorway, remembering, he could feel the blood rush from his head, his groin tightening in anticipation.
He’d never wanted a woman so badly before.
And the fact that she’d said it would never happen made it an even hotter prospect in his mind—the erotic temptation of forbidden fruit.
Getting her would be a goal he could set his mind to achieving. It was something he could control at a time in his life when he needed some semblance of control.
Unwittingly she had made him even more determined to get her, to torture her long and slow until she was begging him for the same kind of satisfaction he knew she’d experienced once before.
It had been a bad move in her latest game.
The reception she’d given him downstairs had been pretty much what he’d expected, barring the barrage of questions she’d forced him to face while she’d sneaked off. And in a small way he had found her method of avoidance ingenious, forcing him to smile a genuine smile of amusement on the way upstairs to see her.
Once she knew the method he’d used to get away from her little trap he knew he’d be smiling even more. It served her right for taking him on.
But he knew instinctively, while he stood watching her from the doorway, that she wouldn’t appreciate it if he smiled a triumphant smile at her. Even if he managed not to add to his trouble with a sharp comment of some kind, many of which he had rehearsed before h
e’d fallen asleep the night before.
‘Leaving me to the wolves was a bit sneaky, don’t you think?’
The sound of his voice stiffened her spine. But, to her credit in the self-control department, she merely took a breath and continued clearing up, not even bothering to turn round to look at him.
‘Nope. You’re the big guy around here now. And they have a right to know why you’re taking this place from them. On your head be it, Mr Big-Shot.’
‘It’s just an old building like plenty of other old buildings in this city—it’s outlived its usefulness to the company. It’s nothing personal. I believe I’ve mentioned that a time or two already.’
‘Well, I’m willing to bet they didn’t see it that way when you talked to them downstairs.’
She was right, they hadn’t. Truthfully, Connor had been made to feel like the devil incarnate. But it wasn’t personal, either to Shannon or the eclectic bunch of people downstairs. And he had promised them he would find an alternative building, same as he had with Shannon. Not that that had gone down any better with them than it had with Shannon on the day he’d arrived.
Connor just didn’t get what the problem was himself. From the outside the place looked like a setting for a truly awful cheesy horror movie. And it wasn’t a whole heap better inside, barring the miracles that Shannon had obviously managed with the floor she used as an apartment.
‘It makes more sense to sell it when it’s a saleable proposition. It’s falling apart in places as it is.’
She sighed impatiently. ‘Only because no one has ever bothered their backside spending any money on it.’
Connor’s eyes narrowed as she slammed a cupboard door shut and turned to lean against the counter, arms crossed over her breasts as she attempted staring him out.
It was a nice try, he’d give her that. But she should know better. ‘Well, do you think that could possibly be because to repair it would cost more than it would to tear it down?’
‘And everything in this world comes down to money in the end, does it?’