“Seems like more than that,” Jess pressed, her eyebrow quirking. “Man trouble?”
Shannon shook her head and feigned a laugh. “Nah. You know me. I don’t have time for guys, Jess.”
“Girlfriend, you need to get your rocks off. You’re too uptight.” Jessswatted her arm.
Shannon frowned, uncomfortable with the truth. Shewasuptight. And life had grown more monotonous by the day.
Her days had slipped into dull routines with the occasional adrenaline boost of a competition. After she kicked Jamie out, her life lost its shine and the joy of everything seemed to fade.
“Sex isn’t the be-all and end-all, you know?” Shannon muttered, trying to sound convincing.
“Ugh! What are you, a nun?” Jess rolled her eyes.
“No. I just have priorities,” Shannon shot back, her voice defensive.
“You’re gonna be one of those old spinster ladies, living in a dusty old barn with a bunch of chickens,” Jess teased, laughing as she pulled on her jacket.
“I’m going now, little miss perfect.” Shannon rolled her eyes and offered a small, forced smile.
But as she stepped out of the cafe and into the frosty night air, she couldn’t shake the emptiness.
Jamie hadn’t been in touch. Of course he hadn’t. And truth was, she hated herself for throwing him out when he was only trying to help.
Even after he’d washed her hair in the shower and didn’t make a move.
God, she’d come across so ungrateful.
And when he said things between them could be more than just sex, she still pointed to the door.
Sighing, she knew reliving the moment he left for good didn’t matter anymore.
She did what had to be done, despite craving him more than a first place in a show jumping comp.
As usual, the long bus ride home gave her too much time to stew over the hatred in her broken heart.
Niall did that to her. Not only did he beat her down, he destroyed her chance at happiness, too.
At least when she got home, Trixie was there to offer comfort before she climbed the steps to the loft and locked the door behind her.
She couldn’t even bring herself to have her usual glass of wine, so she changed into clean pyjamas and crawled under the sheets, letting out a frustrated groan, annoyed with herself for feeling so miserable.
She finally gave in to the exhaustion, drifting off to sleep, her mind quieting as the warmth of the bed drew her in. In what seemed like a flutter of an eyelid, the front door rattled, then banged from the other side.
Her body jolted awake, every muscle tensing as her heart leapt into her throat.
Groggy and disoriented, she scooted out of bed, cracked open her bedroom door and held her breath, trying to make sense of the noise.
“Shannon!” The male voice called from outside, followed by another bang. “It’s me, Jamie.”
A rush of heat and tension flooded her chest, and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Her body stiffened, caught between the instinct to hide and sit on his lap.
She tiptoed closer, pressing her palm against the cool wood of the door.
“Why are you here?” she called out, trying to keep her voice steady.
“I want to hang out, but this door is getting in the damn way. Open up and let me in, love. It’s freezing out here.”
“Jamie, you can’t just show up. It’s not a good?—”
