She grunted, frustration bubbling up like acid in her chest. Niall, always a fly in the ointment, had a way of turning everything sour.
He was a reminder of a past she wished she could forget.
They’d dated back when they were teenagers, and she hated how she hadn’t recognised his red flags until they were flying too high.
As his father’s money flowed in, so did his sense of entitlement. Niall became arrogant, spoiled and someone who got everything he wanted, whatever the cost.
“Problem?” Jamie’s voice broke through her thoughts, the calm in his tone pulling her back to the present.
“Eh, no,” she lied, moving her phone off the table and setting it on the seat beside her.
She had no intention of giving her ex airtime.
“I have stuff to sort out at home. I’ll need to leave right after we eat.” She shifted in her seat, hoping to redirect the conversation.
Jamie reached across the table, his fingertips settling millimetres from hers. His presence was undeniable, charged with energy that seemed to make every nerve in her body come alive.
“No dessert, Shannon?” The suggestion in his tone shook up the knots in her stomach.
She sucked in a breath, the thought of smothering him in warm custard and licking him clean flashing through her mind before she quickly pushed it aside.
“Sorry, I don’t have time.”
Her phone buzzed again, the screen lighting up with another message from Niall:
I’ll take Trixie out if you can’t be bothered.
“Asshole,” she muttered under her breath, nostrils flaring in frustration.
Anger coiled in her gut, the muscles in her back tightening. If she replied, she knew the onslaught of texts would ruin her appetite, and as much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed Jamie’s company.
Jamie’s fingers covered hers, his touch immediate and soothing. A spark of warmth ignited in her, loosening the tension in her muscles.
His eyes locked on hers, intensity flickering in their depths as he stroked the rough skin of her hand.
“Something I can help with, Shannon?”
6
Shannon
She pulled back so his fingers slid off hers, their powerful connection fading.
Jamie was fogging her thoughts, pulling her focus away from the things that mattered.
“Nah.” She shook her head. “I’ve got it sorted.”
“I’m sure you do.” He drummed his fingers on the table, as if he needed something to do with his hands. “You seem very capable.”
Her brow furrowed. “Capable?”
“Yeah... Feisty.”
“I can look after myself, if that’s what you mean?”
Jamie’s eyes glinted with playful challenge. “Maybe you should let someone else show you what it’s like to be taken care of.”
Shannon raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you think you’re that someone, huh?”
