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She stared at me for a moment and I resisted the urge to take a step back, just in case she yelled at me. But she let out a melodic laugh and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, these are jeggings. Leggings that look like jeans.” To prove her point she squatted down and bounced back up in a move that showed just how much jiggle her tits had.
I cleared my throat. “Perfect. They’re perfect, then.” I shook my head to clear that image until later.
“Awesome. I can’t wait to see what you have planned!” She shoved her feet in a pair of hot pink sneakers, grabbed a red hoodie and a leather duffel bag, then looked up at me with an excited smile. “Ready.”
She fell in step beside me as we walked to my car parked right in front, on the street. “You’re excited, not scared?”
Shannon turned, still smiling, and held her thumb and forefinger barely an inch apart. “A little scared, sure, but excited scared. You own a business and you have a reputation to protect, chances are low that you’ll kill me. Right?” Her tone told me she wasn’t really worried.
I opened the passenger door for her, taking a long look at her ass when she bent to toss her bag on the back seat. When she was seated, I leaned in close. “Too late to ask that question, isn’t it?”
“Nope. I’ve been kickboxing for more than a decade. I’ll put up a damn good fight.”
“This is the weirdest date talk I’ve ever had.”
“Same.” I heard her laughter as I jogged around the front of the car and slid behind the steering wheel. “I prefer weird date talk to boring small talk. I’m no good at it honestly.”
“Me too. And in the spirit of small talk, tell me why you came to Pilgrim.” It wasn’t the most exciting question, but she stuck out everywhere she went and even Mara seemed surprised by her visit.
Shannon let out a slow sigh and shook her head. “I’m here to see how come Mara’s making this business work so well when my others aren’t as successful.”
I could tell how much she hated to admit that, but she was brave enough to say it anyway and that was impressive. “ You’re a serial entrepreneur? What other businesses?”
She sighed again. “A clothing boutique, of course. Bread Box. A small record label, and an event planning company. They’re all doing all right I suppose, but nothing like the Bread Box, which is in like, the smallest town ever.”
I laughed at her disbelief and placed a hand on her thigh, a move that was meant to be comforting, but she sucked in a sexy little gasp. “Mara’s pastries are so good, that instead of limiting myself, I just work out more.”
“Yeah, but that’s the thing. She’s pretty bad at customer service, and still it doesn’t matter. I need to know what the magic is, other than sugar obviously.” She looked around as Pilgrim proper turned into a dark, wooded, dimly lit path. “Um, Miles? Maybe I spoke too soon about being able to put up a good fight.”
“Don’t worry, this is part of Security Training Academy.” I parked the car and turned to her just as the group came to inspect the noise. “You wanted a surprise, right?”
She nodded, her expression wary. “Not like a hunting humans type of surprise, though.”
I pointed to the group assembled a few feet from the car and stepped out. “Hey guys, this is Shannon. These are the Black Dragons, and Staff Sergeant Mandy Markham.”
“Hey, nice to meet you guys.” She turned to me, a clear question in her eyes.
“They’re two men down for a proper paintball war, and since these guys were nice enough to help us test out the obstacle courses, I offered us up as tributes.” I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Did I just make a huge mistake?”
Shannon turned to me, her leaf green eyes were now dark and wide, excited even. “Are you kidding? This is going to be so much fun!” She ran back to the car and grabbed what looked like hiking boots. “I wasn’t sure what a guy like you might plan, so I came prepared.”
“It’s just paintball,” I assured her with a barely concealed smile. I loved that she was excited about this and relaxed.
“I’ve never paint-balled before, so teach me everything drill sergeant.” She finished tying her shoelaces and stood tall, saluting me.
“We’ll be partners.” I grabbed her by the arm and guided her to the equipment tent while giving her a quick rundown of the game. “Got it?”
“Just shoot at the opposing team? These don’t hurt?”
“Oh they hurt like hell,” Markham assured her with a smile. “But it’s a bearable kind of pain. Not even as bad as cramps.”
