Fucking Bella.
She needed to get a bleeding life and stop interfering in mine.
She needed to step the hell back and let go.
Messing around with Shannon was something I would not tolerate.
I hoped she got that message loud and clear today, because I was not fucking around.
Not when it came to the girl sitting beside me.
"Are you warm enough?" Blasting the heater in her face probably wasn’t my brightest idea, but I didn’t know what to do.
I had zero experience with the fucked-up workings of the female body.
I only knew about the fun parts.
Already, I had forced my hoodie over her head and shoved tablets down her throat in my pathetic attempt to help.
I wanted to make her better.
I wanted to make it right.
In whatever way she needed me to do it.
I just didn’t know how.
Whatever she needed from me, I was more than willing to provide.
That was a sobering thought.
Jesus Christ, I'd opened myself up to danger with this girl.
"I'm okay," Shannon replied as she settled into the passenger seat of my car.
She pulled her long brown hair out from the collar of my hoodie and draped it over her shoulder.
"Thanks again," she added shyly. "I promise I'll give this one back to you."
"No problem." Clenching my jaw, I forced myself to keep my eyes on the road and not on the way her skirt was hidden beneath the hem of my hoodie and how high said hoodie rode up her bare thighs when she was sitting. "Keep it."
"Sorry?"
"The hoodie." Clearing my throat, I tightened my hand on the wheel to keep myself from doing something reckless. "Hang on to it."
"Why?"
I could feel her blue eyes on me, I knew that sounded thick, but I could, and the sensation caused my arms to break out in goosebumps.
I shrugged. "Because it looks good on you."
Johnny, you bleeding eejit!
"Are you feeling better?" I hurried to ask – and distract. "Did the ibuprofen help?"
I glanced over at her and bit back a groan.
She was so fucking beautiful it was painful, with those big blue eyes staring back at me all innocent and full of uncertainty.
I didn’t need the temptation that came with being this close to her.
Problem was, every time she ran, I found myself chasing right after her, desperate to just be with her.
"I'm okay, Johnny," she replied in a small voice. "You've helped me." She smiled shyly. "Again."
I snapped my gaze back on the road and fought to get my body under control. "It's no problem." I had no idea what this girl was doing to me, but I was burning the hell up. "Anytime."
"I like your music," Shannon said then, giving me a welcome distraction from my wayward thoughts. "You have good taste."
"Go on," I encouraged when her fingers fluttered towards the stereo. Reaching over, I snatched my iPod that was attached to my stereo off the dashboard and handed it to her. "Find something you like."
"Are you sure?" she asked, voice small and uncertain.
I nodded and smiled, trying to reassure her.
It must have worked because she whispered, "I love them all," as she began to flick through track after track. "You have amazing taste."
"Thanks." I shifted uncomfortably, feeling a weird tingling sensation in the pit of my stomach. "I like good music."
Spending countless hours working out alone gave me the opportunity to broaden my taste.
"Me, too," she agreed. "And your music is epic."
It wasn’t that I wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of compliments.
It was just that they usually revolved around rugby.
Shannon clearly wasn’t impressed or fazed by my role.
It was both a relief and a worry.
I didn’t know how to handle that.
She was confusing the shite out of me.
"I wouldn’t have pegged you for a Beatle's fan," Shannon mused, stopping on an old number. "Here Comes the Sun?" she questioned, brow arched. "You like this one?"
"It's my favorite one of theirs," I told her, palms sweating under her scrutiny.
"Me too," she said softly. "My Great-Granda Murphy used to sing this to me when I was little."
I glanced over at her. "Yeah?"
Shannon nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, whenever I got scared or nervous, he would always sit me on his lap and sing those lyrics in my ear." She sighed contently. "And it always worked."
For some unknown reason, I made a mental note of that piece of information and stored it away for future reference.
Shannon was silent then, clearly immersed in the song.
Meanwhile, I held the steering wheel with a death grip, desperately trying to concentrate on the road ahead and not the girl sitting beside me, fucking up my well laid plans.
"Do you have an iPod?" I asked when I pulled up outside her house – her actual house this time.
I was stalling, not wanting her to get out of my car.
The pang of disappointment I felt when we reached our destination was the same one that consumed me every time she left, and that was incredibly disconcerting.
"I could put some of my music on it for you?" I offered. "If you'd like?"
"Me?" Shannon blushed bright pink and shook her head. "Uh, no, I could never afford one of those." She unfastened her seatbelt. "I use an old CD discman of Joey's to listen to music."
I nodded nonchalantly while mentally kicking the shite out of myself for being so dense.
"You like the classics?" I blurted, feeling all panicky when she reached for the door handle.
"Yes," she replied, turning back to face me, eyes bright with excitement. "Do you?"
"I like a lot of stuff," I told her.
You, most of all.
"Shake it off baby?"
My brows shot up. "Excuse me?"
"Shake it off baby." Shannon stared back at me all innocent and cute. "Do you like it?"
It took me a few seconds to realize she wasn’t calling me baby and that she was referring to a song.
"You mean Twist and Shout," I corrected gruffly. "Yeah, that's a good one."
"Do you like Reckless Kelly?" she asked then.
I shook my head. "I don’t think I've ever heard of them."
"They have this new song out called Wicked Twisted Road," she explained. "Are you sure you haven't heard it?"
My heart stopped in my chest.
That song from the pub.
The one that fucked with my head.
Jesus…
"You should," Shannon continued to say. "Listen to it, I mean." Her cheeks turned pink when she said, "It reminds me of you."
Rattled.
I was thoroughly fucking rattled by this girl.
Partially because I had related to the words of that song, but mostly because she related the words of the song to me.
Her red lips and rosy cheeks were fucking beautiful and I had to take a moment before I could form a coherent sentence and not sound like a fucking eejit.
"I'll do that," was all I came up with.
"Well, thanks for saving me," she whispered. Her eyes darted from my eyes to my mouth several times before she leaned over and pressed her lips to my cheek. "Again."
It was the smallest, briefest, non-sexiest peck, but it had come from her lips and that changed everything.
Just like last night had changed everything.
It deepened everything I had been desperately trying to deny.
The signs I had been hiding from.
They shot up like neon posters on the sides of buildings.
I was so fucking thrown off kilter by this girl.
Stunned, I could do nothing but stare at her and mutter the words, "You're welcome."
With glowing red cheeks, Shannon pushed the car door open and moved to climb out.
"Wait!" I regrettably called out, snaking a hand out and catching her wrist.
Shannon looked at me with wide eyes.
Let her go, asshole.
Let the girl go.
You can't do right by her.
"Here –" Reaching into the glove compartment, I pulled out a leather case and quickly flicked through a bunch of mix CDs, stopping when I found the one I wanted, "Listen to track nine." I practically shoved the CD into her hand and shrugged, "Reminds me of you."
"Oh, okay," she replied, holding the CD carefully. "I will."
"Good."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."