Craving Shannon Read Online Free PDF Page B

her Buffalo chicken wrap caught Chad’s attention. She was dainty and shy eating around others, it seemed, yet she ate in a way that gave him a gut feeling that this girl was incredibly hungry, like she didn’t have enough to eat on a regular basis.
    “So, Shannon, where do you live?” Chad asked, rolling up his napkin and throwing it onto the paper plate in front of him. He was eager to know as much about her as possible, suddenly. If she was in some kind of financial trouble, he figured that perhaps he could help her out.
    “Ummm, near Yonkers,” she answered hesitantly. She looked over at him but did not meet his eyes.
    “Where about?” he pushed, noting her uncomfortable demeanor.
    She shrugged. “I don’t really know how to explain it. I’ve only been here ten days and don’t really know any popular places or landmarks there yet.”
    The girl was lying through her teeth, that much was obvious, but Chad took pity on her. It was clear that the matter of where she lived was off limits for conversation, for some reason. He would have pushed the issue, but she began biting on her lip and he could feel the tension rolling off her. He couldn’t bear to make her feel any worse. Maybe he should offer to take her to dinner to make sure she was eating enough. Wait…no…that would be a terrible idea, and besides, he was meeting Donna later.
    That right there was the one thing his father always scolded him for: for trying to save people. It really wasn’t his concern what her financial situation was. It wasn’t up to him to fix this. But as he looked over at her, his heart fluttered a little. There was an unmistakable sadness behind those beautiful eyes. “So shall we get back to work?” he blurted out, clapping his hands once, trying to lighten the mood.
    By the end of the day, they were no further at finding out any worthwhile information about Omagal Inc. as they had been that morning, and they hadn’t even managed to get halfway through the folder.
    Chad glared at the folder and scowled. “Ugh, looks like my weekend will be a washout.” He perked up suddenly and looked over at Kyle. “Hey, what are you up to for the weekend?”
    “Going upstate to visit my folks, why?” Kyle responded.
    Chad’s face dropped. “Never mind! I was going to ask you if you wanted to earn a little over time,” he said, nodding toward the folder.
    “Sorry, man.” Kyle shrugged apologetically.
    “I can do it, if you want,” Shannon piped in shyly. “I’ll…I’ll help you out over the weekend.”
    Chad racked his brain, trying to come up with a good reason to refuse her help quickly, but couldn’t really think of one. Besides, he really did need the help. “You sure?” he asked.
    “I don’t really have anything else to do,” she admitted.
    He unconsciously blew out a deep breath, ignoring his better judgment that said spending time alone with her was a bad, bad fucking idea. “Okay,” he said, nodding. “Can you be here at twelve?”
    “Sure,” she replied.
    He watched her slip into a dark-blue parka and fling her bag over her shoulder.
    “I’ll walk you out,” Kyle happily offered.  “Night, boss,” he said, putting his hand on the small of Shannon’s back and guiding her toward the door.
    “Night, Buddy, thanks for the help,” Chad replied.
    “Goodnight, Chad,” she called out over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow.”
    “See you tomorrow,” he answered.
    Dear God, what the fuck was he getting himself into?

Chapter 4
     
     
     
     
    “So, Bertie wants us to visit with him over Thanksgiving weekend. I told him that we’d be happy to, so he suggested we travel up to him on the Friday night or Saturday morning. Which one works better for you?”
    Chad was outlining his plate with asparagus, trying to frame what little was left of his steak.
    “Are you even listening to me?” Donna yelped.
    Chad looked up quickly. “Yes!” he snapped back, which was a complete lie.
    “Which one works