Free The Billionaire's Second Chance by Peyton Reeser Page A

of the sexy dimples that had made her knees go weak as a silly twenty year old, reminding Shannon again that she was in over her foolish head.
    “What about you Shannon? Why are you here?  I gather from something Ned said that you planned Dom’s birthday event?”
    To say a million lights went off in her fuzzy, headache shrouded brain was an understatement.  The blazing, brilliant spotlight which was suddenly shining in her mind brought with it some answers to be sure, but also deposited a hundred more questions on her mind’s doorstep.
    Good god, he was Jules’ brother and Dom’s uncle.  Stunned into silence by this disclosure Shannon went to reposition herself as if sitting up straighter was going to make her brain work better.  Bad move was her next thought as once again agony shot up her leg causing fireworks of tension and pain to slice through her head.  Her anguished moan, part pain, part frustration, part surrender echoed off the walls of the exam room slicing into Nick’s self-control.  Hearing her discomfort was almost more than he could bear.
    Frustrated that he couldn’t do more and feeling decidedly helpless, Nick growled , “No, don’t move.” with more force than necessary causing her to flinch at the gravity of his delivery.  Wincing mentally although no expression whatsoever flickered across his controlled expression; he moved suddenly and was across the room at her bedside before she could blink.
    How the hell did he do that, she wondered?  He had a way of dominating the space around him in such a way that made her feel small and vulnerable.
    In the next instant he gently but determinedly nudged her shoulders back against the pillows while rearranging the exam sheet more comfortably around her.  Wherever they connected, wherever skin met skin or if his touch brushed against her clothing, Shannon experienced warmth . Knowing she was aware of him on a deeply phys ical level, caused her senses to scramble even more.
    The gentle concern she saw in his actions lodged a huge lump in her throat.  Of course, having him mere inches from her meant she was aware of him on a sensory overload level too – his cologne, sharp scented with a beguiling spiced undertone mingling with his own unique maleness brought her breath up short. 
    Taking this response as another indication of pain or discomfort Nick leaned forward to catch her eyes with a look of concern before quietly imploring her again to be still.
    “Shannon, lie still please. Wiggling around is only going to make you more uncomfortable.” this last said while his hands had moved from her shoulders to the tops of her legs in a motion meant to convey calm and stillness but which brought the opposite effect on her raw emotions.
    His use of the word wiggle got an immediate reaction from her as she tried to wrap some dignity around this situation. Realizing that this was the second time he’d mentioned her wiggling Shannon quickly found her voice.
    “I told you before that I do not wiggle!” she snapped out a bit more harshly than intended but no matter that she wryly thought.  He may be rattling her cage a bit by appearing out of thin air smack dab in the center of her existence in a major way, but no way was she going to let him minimize her as if she were an errant child.  Wiggle indeed, she inwardly fumed.
    His response was a raised eyebrow with just the hint of amusement tugging at the corners of his mouth most probably she admitted because she had indeed been wiggling as he put it. She wanted to roll her eyes at her own foolishness but drew back instead because there was nothing amusing about this. 
    Shannon was struggling to keep her unease under control. She sincerely hoped that none of the inner turmoil churning inside was showing on her face as she turned what she hoped was a blank stare and a bland expression in his direction. Inside however she was filling with an overwhelming feeling bordering on panic.  In fact right then she