Read Online Shannon by Shara Azod - Free Book Online Page A

but she would always be his.
    And Shay couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Shannon stared down at the woman sprawled across the cheap desk, trying to think of something to say. This woman was making him lose his mind. Generally a good fight would set him straight. Pain made his mind clearer, allowing him to work through problems. But Shay—or whatever her name was, wasn’t exactly a problem. She was a puzzle, an enigma that he wasn’t so sure he wanted to figure out. Yeah, sure, he had made inquiries to see if anyone knew who she was, but only in South Boston. He didn’t want to go out of the neighborhood because really, he didn’t want to know.
    Because he had come to need her in a deeper way than he needed his brothers. It had always been Conall, Fionn, Kieran and him against the world. But this woman had proudly walked into his life, head held high, claiming to want to sell her body and shook him to his very soul. He didn’t want to see a day without her, he realized with a start. Couldn’t even take the thought of not touching her, kissing her, watching her make grown men shit their pants with that dead-eye stare better than even Fionn or Conall’s. Shit, she was far better at cutting through the bull of his father’s spies and lackeys. She had this uncanny ability to read people, and the cunning to make them incriminate themselves.
    More than anything, to Shannon she was Shay; his Shay. Shannon’s Shay. Shay O’Shea.
    Oh, fuck, that was wrong, but the thought made his heart smile. What the fuck was that about?
    “It’s time you meet the family,” Shannon heard himself saying.
    He could’ve sworn Shay blanched as much as anyone could with rich brown skin. And that was something he didn’t want to see so he glanced away, finding a clean hand towel and two pair of clean sweats. Damn good thing he kept his locker here stocked. Instead of doing a quick wipe-up, he lifted her and walked into the showers with her in his arms. He had no idea where Mickey had gone, but he was certain the other man was close. If he had any home training he would’ve felt bad for fucking her in front of the man, but then, manners had never been on the curriculum when he was growing up. Sadly, it wouldn’t be the last time. The need to have her always rode him too hard—he wasn’t planning on restraining himself anytime soon.
    “I don’t think seeing your family is a good idea for me.” She was nervous. Shannon could see it in her face, hear it in her voice.
    Hell, he couldn’t blame her. The O’Shea clan had a certain reputation, none of it good. And seeing as how she knew about that rep, she was probably from Boston. Given the knack she had for his various enterprises, she was connected, which meant he really needed to know who she was.
    Fuck, this was getting him nowhere. He’d tried to talk himself out of it, but this had to be taken to his brothers. They all had too much at stake to bring in a wild card. Though Shannon trusted her like he trusted his brothers—
    Whoa! He trusted her like he trusted one of his brothers! Possibly more. There was an achy spot deep in his chest reserved just for her, and damned if he knew where that came from. Washing and dressing her faster than he’d intended, he picked her up and carried her out of the locker room, not putting her down as Mickey, who had suddenly appeared again, opened the door to let them out. Her shoes were somewhere, but fuck that—he would buy her new ones. He’d buy her a whole fucking wardrobe, as she seemed to have so little.
    “To the Irish,” he told Mickey Mountain, as Shay liked to call him.
    Taking a shoeless woman swathed in sweats about four sizes too big wasn’t the classiest thing he’d ever done, but who the fuck ever called him classy?
    He carried her into the bar, setting her down at the bar.
    “Watch her,” he ordered Mickey. He was about to stomp away to find his brothers, but turned back at the last minute. “I