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

a quiet hallway of the hotel. It was empty and the lighting dimmed, offering them a secluded area away from the crowd.
    Matt turned and Shannon was right there, her mouth immediately seeking his. Their lips touched softly at first, but soon the kisses became drugging in their intensity. His mouth moved hungrily over hers and Matt pulled her to him, walking them back until she hit the nearest wall. Her arms slid from around his neck, down his chest and she started to unbutton his vest. His hands skimmed up her sides, grazing the sides of her breasts, before he cupped her nape, angling her head in order to deepen the kiss. Deserting the buttons, Shannon’s fingers threaded themselves through his hair, pulling him toward her as she arched against him, causing a flood of desire to surge within him.
    He should slow them down—at any point someone could walk in on them—but he was lost in her. For so long Matt had wondered about her and now that he had her where he wanted, he wasn’t eager to let her go, and she wasn’t exactly an unwilling participant. Flattening one palm on the wall next to her head, Matt settled his other hand onto the small of her back. He slowly trailed his fingers down her arm before circling around to find the zipper of her dress. He’d started to tug down when she jerked away from him.
    Her eyes were unfocused, dazed and confused, and a high flush covered her face, but she quickly snapped out of it. “What are we doing?” Shannon asked as she tried to straighten up.
    “Um,” Matt said, unsure how to answer since what they were doing was fairly obvious. At least to him.
    “No, I mean, we can’t do this.”   She shimmied her dress back into place.
    “Okay,” he said, disappointed and not bothering to hide it.
    Shannon gave him a sideways glance. “Not that I don’t want to, but I just…I’m not…I can’t do this.”
    “No, I get it. Don’t worry about it. It’s probably for the best anyway. It’s not like we can go anywhere from here.”
    “Right,” she agreed, but her eyes searched his as if trying to determine what his true opinion was on the matter. “I mean, me with my job, and you with yours…it would be impossible.”
    “Right.”   He stepped away from her, needing to put some space between them.
    “I’m sorry.”  
    “Don’t be sorry, Shannon.”   Matt buttoned his vest. “No harm done.”
    “None?” she asked, with a teasing hint to her voice.
    Matt smiled. “Okay, well, maybe a little bit of discomfort, but I’ll be all right. No worries.”
    She ducked in and gently kissed his cheek. “I really wish things were different, Matt. Really.”
    He squeezed her hand with his. “Me too.”
    Shannon gave him one last smile before walking away down the hallway, most likely in search of a bathroom in order to check herself before making a reappearance. He closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. It had taken a lot to step back from her and not try to convince her otherwise, but he respected her and her wishes. He also didn’t beg. He was above that…for the most part.
    Maybe another time, another place they might have worked, but it wasn’t now and might not be ever. And as much as Matt hated regrets, the fact that he hadn’t acted on things when he’d first met her would be one he’d have for a long time.

Chapter 6

    Shannon blinked hard at the computer screen as the letters started to swim together. She closed her eyes for a longer pause and reopened them, trying to force them into focus, but it didn’t help. She leaned back and blew out a breath. She needed to step away for a second and rest before restarting. She’d been going for God knows how many hours straight, trying to catch up from the time lost while she was in Michigan, and the strain was finally catching up to her.
    She stared out the tiny sliver of a window in her office, watching the city move below her. Regardless of time of day or the season, the city constantly breathed with