Caught (Men of the Show Book 3) by Rhonda Shaw Read Free Book Online

him and was proud of the respect he received. He was so powerful and so confident that people looked up to him. Shannon wanted that and so he’d groomed her for success.
    “Did you ever feel like you gave up too much?” she asked him suddenly.
    “Hmm?   What do you mean?”   He turned toward her with an arched brow.
    Shannon shrugged. “I don’t know. Like maybe you had to sacrifice too much?”
    “Absolutely not,” he said. “It takes dedication, drive and hard work to be successful. You can’t achieve that if you only give part of yourself to it. If you want it all, you have to commit it all.”
    “Makes sense,” she murmured.
    He turned fully to her. “Is there a problem?”
    “No.”   She shook her head and gave him a small smile. “I was only wondering…if…I don’t know…if perhaps I shouldn’t give up too much.”
    “Shannon, you are a driven, intelligent and exceptionally bright young woman. I have no doubt you’re going to be very successful. You’re young and have all the time in the world for whatever you want. Don’t worry about that,” he said with a smile and a pat on her arm before he turned and walked away.
    Shannon eyed his departing back, and even though he’d been trying to cheer her up, she felt worse.

    *   *   *

    Matt was only half listening to his teammate as he watched Shannon talk with her father. He had no idea what they were discussing, but she appeared upset, and for some reason it bothered him more than it should that her always-present bright smile was absent.
    He’d been looking forward to getting to know her over dinner, but then she’d starting talking about her job, the center of her life, and he’d understood that was all she had time for, all she wanted now. The revelation had been a mood-dampening dose of reality, even though he’d already known there was no point in asking her out, but a deep sense of disappointment settled over him anyway. He tried to ignore her, tell himself it wasn’t his business— she wasn’t his business—but when her father left her side and when he’d completely tuned out his buddy, he accepted he wasn’t going to be able to do just that.
    Excusing himself, he strode across the room to her. “May I have this dance?”
    Shannon turned and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of him before a smile broke out on her beautiful face. “Sure,” she said letting him take her hand in his to lead them to the dance floor.
    Matt settled one of her hands on his shoulder as he held her close to him while trying to retain a respectable distance between them. The light citrusy scent of her perfume made his mouth water, and he had to restrain from pulling her closer.  
    “So,” Matt said, striving to make casual conversation but coming up empty.
    “So,” she repeated and they both chuckled. Shannon cleared her throat and said, “I thought I’d run you off.”
    “Why is that?”
    “All the talk about my work. When I get on a roll, I don’t stop sometimes. Sorry.”
    He turned them to avoid crashing into another couple who appeared at their side as he gave a small shrug. “There’s nothing wrong with being passionate about something. For you, it’s your job.”
    “You too, but you’re not spouting off about it all the time.”
    Matt smiled. “I get tired talking about my job. People are always asking me questions and sharing their opinions, whether I want them or not. It’s nice not to talk about it every once in a while.”
    “I guess I feel the need to justify things,” Shannon told him.
    He frowned. “Why’s that?”
    It was her turn to shrug. “People don’t understand the sacrifices and commitment I need to make in order to be successful…to make partner. They feel sorry for me or think I use my job as an excuse as to why I don’t have a boyfriend or am not getting married and having kids, or whatever.”
    “Who cares what other people think?” Matt asked. “As long as you’re happy with your