Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Have you eaten yet?”
“What?”
“Lunch. Have you had any?”
“Oh, no, not yet. I got distracted by, um … no, that’s where I’m going now. To grab food.” She was more nervous than usual. I wondered if it was the effect of the song or if she was merely embarrassed to have been caught watching me perform.
“Can I come? I’m kind of starving.”
“Sure, but I don’t have much time. I have a team meeting at two that I need to be back for.”
“That’s fine,” I said, offering her my arm. “I know a great noodle place nearby. Fast service. We’ll be done in no time.”
There was a brief moment where she stared at my proffered arm, and I silently begged her not to reject me. After how vulnerable I felt singing that song, I wasn’t strong enough for her rejection. But then, to my relief, she easily slid her arm through mine, and I ushered her away.
We were only walking for a minute or two when I heard someone shriek, “Oh my God, it’s him!”
“Fuck,” I muttered quietly as I turned my head and spotted a group of girls, probably in their late teens, headed our way.
Shannon arched an eyebrow. “Fans of yours?”
“Come with me,” I said, taking her hand and hustling her inside a pub. There was an exit at the other end, and we quickly made our way out into the next street. Peering over my shoulder, I saw the group had followed us into the pub and were currently searching about looking for us. I tugged Shannon with me down the narrow street and into the next pub, which was tiny and quiet, only one older man sitting by the bar sipping on a pint. A woman was cleaning glasses behind the bar.
“I think we lost them,” Shannon said, slightly out of breath.
I looked down, distracted by the rise and fall of her chest, her flushed cheeks and pink lips. If she were mine, I might’ve kissed her, but she wasn’t, so I battled the urge. I was about to agree with her that we’d successfully lost the fans when I heard giggling from outside.
“Maybe he went in there,” someone suggested, and I had to act fast. Approaching the bartender, I plastered on my most charming expression and eyed the nametag affixed to her black polo shirt. The busty woman cast me an assessing look so I pulled a fifty from my pocket and slid it across the bar to her.
“Dymphna, can you do me a huge favour?”
The dishcloth squeaked against the glass. “Depends.”
“Some people are about to come in here looking for me. If you tell them you didn’t see me, that’s yours.”
She swiped the fifty and tucked it in her pocket while nodding. “No problem. Go hide in the snug.” She pointed to the small, wood-panelled enclosure at the very back of the bar. Shannon came with me, her hand still in mine, and I closed us in. Suddenly, I was aware of how tiny the space was. Our eyes locked just as the door opened, and several people stomped inside the pub.
“Did Jace Fields come in here?” one of them demanded while several others squealed and giggled to one another.
“He’s so hot. Total boyfriend material,” another said.
Shannon rolled her eyes, smirking as she continued to hold my gaze.
What? I mouthed.
He’s so hot, she mouthed back, still with that tempting little smirk on her face.
Acting purely on instinct, I leaned forward, bringing my mouth to the spot just above her ear as I whispered, “You disagree?”
A small, barely perceptible tremble went through her. She didn’t respond, only looked up at me with rosy cheeks and a hooded expression that heated my blood.
“No one’s been in here other than Barry over there,” the bartender responded. Clearly, Barry was the old geezer sipping his pint. There were various noises of disappointment before one said, “Let’s check the restaurant next door.”
I looked back at Shannon. My fingers itched to touch her more. What would happen if I moved another inch into her personal space? Would she welcome me or—
Suddenly, the door to the snug opened, and Dymphna appeared while Shannon dropped my hand. “The coast is clear. Do you two want to order something, or are you just here to hide?” She cast a wry glance between us, and I looked to Shannon, who shrugged.
“You serve food?”
“Sure do. Want some menus?”
“Why the hell not?”
She turned, and I motioned for Shannon to take a seat at the tiny booth inside the snug.
“I can’t remember the last time I was in one of these,” she commented as she removed her coat and placed it neatly over the back of the seat.
“They’re a dying breed, all right. Useful for times like this, though.”
She eyed me curiously. “You used to love meeting your fans. What changed?”