Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)

by Chloe Walsh

I needed to get my head in the game. Problem was, I left it with Shannon Lynch.

But then I was hit with the stinging pang of bitter regret in my chest when she brushed past me in the hallway without a second glance, her coconut-scented shampoo hitting my senses like a wrecking ball, and I knew that wasn’t going to work for me.

There was nothing forgettable about the girl, and I found myself gravitating toward her, wanting to find her looking at me, and then growing frustrated when she didn’t. Knowing that I would listen to whatever she had to say, whenever she wanted to say it, regardless of time or inconvenience, was a frightening concept.

Oh he is patheticccc

All week, I found myself moping around the place, not listening to a single word any of my teachers spurted. I couldn’t concentrate on a damn thing, and it was all her fault.

It was a large eight-bedroom property in the countryside, with lawns and gardens spanning out the course of several acres, all of which were enclosed with fencing so the family dogs could roam freely without restraints. The previous owners used to operate an equine center from the property, so it was filled with unused housing stalls and sheds, and the only access to the property was through the electronically gated entrance at the front.

I saw her again today. We passed each other no fewer than five times in the hallway, and every single time she put her head down and walked past me without so much as a backwards glance.

This wasn’t a new thing, of course. Shannon had been brushing me off like I was invisible for over a week now. Nine days to be precise. Being ignored didn’t sit well with me.

Especially when the person ignoring me was the very same one who was tormenting my every waking thought—my dreams, too. That’s right; I was actually fucking dreaming about the girl now. How messed up was that? Last night, for instance, I dreamt that Shannon was watching me play.

Shannon had on a matching Irish jersey, with my name and number on the back, and she was cheering for me in the stands.

That feeling had stuck with me all day. I couldn’t seem to shake it off. I couldn’t shake her off.

I was freaking the fuck out inside, worrying myself half to death over the summer campaign, and it was a girl I barely knew, with soul-deep eyes, that I wanted to confide in. Because something told me I could. Because somewhere deep down inside of me, I felt like she knew me. Like she could save me?

“Because you were never my girlfriend,” I countered, throwing her earlier words back at her. “Because you never asked me to be your girlfriend, Johnny,” she spat out. “No, Bella, because you never wanted me,” I shot back. “You only wanted the shiny part of my life. The fame. You were never interested in the real part. The real me.”

“Fine,” Bella sneered, looking wholly enraged. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask her.” Smiling darkly, she added, “Shannon—that’s her name, right?” Yeah, fuck that. “You’ll stay the hell away from her,” I whisper-hissed, aware that we were within hearing range of the office.

Because I cared. I cared a great deal more about a girl I barely knew than I ever did Bella. It was warped, and confusing, and completely fucked up, but I did. Instead of admitting this terrifying new development, I said, “Leave. Her. Alone.”

“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry,” a deep, familiar voice said from above me. I didn’t need to look up to know who I had bumped into, though. I would recognize his voice anywhere. “Shannon, are you okay?” Johnny asked as he dropped his schoolbag on the ground and reached down to help me up.

Moments later, I felt a hand on my back as someone knelt down beside me and pulled my hair back from my face. “It’s okay.” Johnny’s voice filled my ears as he rubbed soothing circles over my spine with his big hand. “Shh, you’re okay.”

“What’s this?” I heard him ask moments before his fingertips grazed my neck, right above the collar of my school shirt. “Your neck is bruised.” Panic seized my heart as I felt him shift more of my hair aside and touch my neck again. “Shannon?” Johnny repeated. “How’d you get this?” “It’s old,” I croaked out, still gasping for air. “Doesn’t look old,” he replied, touching my neck.

With wide eyes, I watched as Johnny unzipped the black coat he was wearing and draped it over my shoulders. “Come on,” he said in a coaxing tone as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, tucked me into his side, and led me out of school. “I’ll take care of you.”

She tucked her hair behind her ears and exhaled a shaky breath. “What I did at school.” My hands twitched on the wheel as I fought the urge to pull her onto my lap and hug her. “I’m not going to tell anyone anything,” I said in as gentle a tone as I could muster. “You promise?” she croaked out. I nodded. “I promise.”

“I’m sorry… It just… It happens when I get scared.” My blood ran cold. “What are you scared of, Shannon?” I surprised myself by how calm I sounded when I was two seconds away from losing my shit right here in this car. “Did something happen?”

“You’d tell me, right?” I called after her when she was out of my car. “If something was happening to you?” I leaned over the passenger seat to look at her, knowing I was making a hash of this, but needing to say it anyway. “You’d tell me if someone was giving you trouble at school?”

I needed to get out of here before I did something really stupid, like put her back in my car and take her home with me. Because a fucked-up glitch in my brain told me to do just that. Leaving her felt all wrong.

“Wait!” Shannon spun around and stared at me with wide eyes. “Huh?” What are you doing, Kav? What the fuck are you doing? “Come with me.” The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop myself or take them back.

“Come where with you?” Shannon whispered, gaze flicking from me to the house down the street. I don’t know, Shannon. I don’t fucking know. I have no bleeding clue what’s happening to me. I just know that my gut is telling me not to leave you right now. “Anywhere?” I offered, and then cleared my throat before adding, “We could go for a drive? Or get something to eat?”

When he opened that passenger door of his car and offered me a temporary escape from the hell that was my home, I took it. I more than took it. I practically dove into that seat.

“Well, you’re not fat for a guy who eats so much,” I blurted out and immediately regretted my words. Johnny laughed softly. “No, I’m not.” I turned the color of crimson. “I’m so sorry,” I choked out. “I didn’t mean to call you—” “Don’t apologize,” he told me, still smiling. “I train. Hard. I need the fuel to pump my body.”

Lololol

“If I was a bigger girl, you could have seriously hurt my feelings.” “What?” Panic flashed across his face. “Fuck, no! It was a joke.” He leaned forward in his seat. “I didn’t mean… I wasn’t calling you fat… You’re the tiniest thing I’ve ever… Shite, you’re so small I could—” “Relax,” I snickered. “I’m not offended.”

Seeing Ciara Maloney, my greatest tormentor from my old school and the giver of my eyelid scar, sitting among them made my entire body coil up with dread. Like she could sense me watching her, Ciara turned her face in my direction.

“Relax,” Johnny whispered in my ear, distracting me from my memories. “You’re safe with me.” His words threw me and I turned my face to look at him. God, he was just so beautiful, it was painful. Everything about Johnny Kavanagh was pure perfection. He was big and strong, and his face?

“Those girls?” he asked, tilting his face down to look at me as he spoke. “What’s the story?” “There’s no story,” I croaked out, clutching my bottle with a death grip. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“Look at me.” I didn’t. “Look at me,” he repeated, tone calm and coaxing. I couldn’t.

I felt him shift beside me and then his fingers were on my chin, tipping my face up to his. “You’re safe,” he whispered, cupping my cheek in his hand, eyes boring holes straight through my soul. “I promise.” That word.

To be honest, it was a good thing she was touching me because I was about two seconds away from blowing a head gasket and getting my ass thrown in the barracks. This wasn’t me. I wasn’t a reactor. I thought shit through. Not when it comes to this girl…

No wonder the blond was pissed, I thought to myself. The dark-haired git was clearly going out with her, and yet he was staring at Shannon like she was dinner. My dinner, prick, I wanted to roar.

I waited until Shannon had moved to the bar before spinning on my heels and stalking back into the lounge, not stopping until I was standing in front of the table of assholes. “Now,” I sneered, glaring down at their faces. “Who wants to call my girlfriend a whore to my face?” I threw in the word girlfriend for maximum effect to align with the maximum damage I was about to cause. Several heads turned my way and I did not give one iota of a fuck. Someone was going to pay for her pain. “Well?” I demanded, glaring at the blond. “You?” I asked before flicking my gaze to the redhead sitting beside her. “Or is it you?”

SCREAMINGGGGGG

“Oh, you realize that, do you?” I spat out. “So you are capable of knowing right from wrong?” “What’s your problem?” she cried. “We didn’t do anything to you!” “You sure as shit did something to her,” I snarled. “And when you fuck with her, you fuck with me.” The blond paled and I released her boyfriend.

“Jesus, lad,” the lad groaned, holding his nose to stem the blood. “I didn’t do anything to you.” “No,” I seethed. “And my girl”—I pointed to the lounge door—“didn’t do anything to your girl but that didn’t stop her from terrorizing her.” I glared at the blond. “From cutting her hair and beating the shit out her!” The blond’s face turned scarlet. I knew it.

“Make sure your girlfriend gets it,” I hissed, glowering down at him. “Because if she doesn’t—” I paused to point at both the blond and the redhead before continuing. “If she or any of her whore friends even look at my girlfriend again, I’m coming for you.”

“Trouble?” He arched a brow. “I saw you on the cameras. You could’ve killed that kid.” Agitated, I ran a hand through my hair. “Those pricks were giving my girlfriend a hard time,” I bit out. “Now I’m sorry that I resolved the issue in your bar, and I’ll pay for any broken glasses or damage I caused, but this will be my last time putting money behind your bar.”

“This will be their last time here,” Liam called after me. “I’ll have your usual ready for you tomorrow?” I stopped at the door and turned back. “I’ll be back when the clientele doesn’t consist of vicious fucking bullies.” And then I turned around and stalked out.

Her eyes burned holes in me so deep that I had to look away before completely losing myself in the girl. It was too much. She was too fucking much.

“Are you sure?” she whispered, killing me with those big eyes. I nodded and resisted the urge to lean across and kiss the shite out of those swollen lips. “I am absolutely sure.” The smile that lit up her face then was so striking that it made my heart race recklessly. I just stared at her for the longest moment, wondering how the hell I got here, and how the hell I was going to get out.

“Or,” I heard myself say, giving in to the urgent need I had inside of me to keep this girl right here with me. Shannon looked at me with bright eyes. “Or?” Don’t do it, Johnny. Don’t put yourself in temptation’s way. “We could go see a film?” I offered, knowing I was screwed the minute the words came out of my mouth.

“You’re not allowed to go where?” I asked, feeling a huge pang of disappointment settle in my stomach. “Um, anywhere?” she offered with a helpless shrug. “My parents are kind of protective.”

The move resulted in Johnny placing his hand on my lower back to steady me, while warning said boys to back the hell up.

“All we have left is Boogeyman.” “Fine. We’ll take it.” “So, you want two tickets to see Boogeyman, and the couple’s combo,” the girl stated, gaze flicking from him to me, expression incredulous. “With her.”

“I, uh…” I began to say, only to stagger sideways when I was jolted by a rogue elbow to the back. “Watch your fucking arms,” Johnny warned the lads behind us. “Jesus bleeding Christ. Here.” Catching ahold of my hand, he positioned me between him and the counter. “I’ll protect you, Shannon like the river.” He held my hand. Johnny Kavanagh actually put my hand in his.

Ahhhhhh

“There’s a lot of people from school here, Johnny.” “Hmm,” he agreed, chest brushing the back of my head, as he grabbed our drinks and popcorn from the sullen-looking sixth year. Keeping an arm hooked around me, he guided me toward the screen our film was showing on. “Stay close.” Repressing a full-body shiver, I blinked rapidly and nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m, ah…” Shrugging sheepishly, he shook his head and grinned. “I’m a fair bit oversized.” No, he was perfect. God hadn’t made a single mistake with this particular boy.

“That’s hardly comfortable, Shannon.” “It’s okay.” His blue eyes locked on mine, and he shook his head. “Give me your legs.” “My wh-what?” I spluttered, breathing erratic. “Your legs,” he coaxed, patting his lap. “Seems only fair since I’m taking up all the legroom.” “You want me to put my legs on you?” “I want you to be comfortable.” “But what about your sore—” “I’m fine,” he replied, giving me an expectant look.