Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~22~

Taryn broke away from a very passionate kiss and looked at the clock on the piano. "We can either continue what we're doing or I can have lunch with you. I don't have time to do both."

This was a no-brainer for Shawn. She was straddling his lap, grinding against him as they made out. Of course he wanted to keep going since that meant possibly having sex. But...that also meant that she wouldn't get to eat before a very long shift at the bar. "If I pack you a sandwich to eat on your way to the bar, you'll get lunch and whatever you'd like from me."

"That's a very generous offer, however, instead of taking from you, I'd like to give." The other night, he took care of her when she was tense, and she wanted to return the favor since he'd had a rough twenty-four hours.

He felt guilty at accepting anything from her after the way he'd behaved. "You don't have to do that. I'm the one who blew you off."

"Then I guess it's my turn to blow you."

Shawn let out a small choked groan at her suggestion. Winter had what she referred to as a "overly sensitive gag reflex" and claimed she'd vomit if his dick went in her mouth. It had been almost five years since anyone had given him head.

Taryn gave him a long kiss before moving off his lap so that she was kneeling between his legs. She chewed her lip as she slowly pulled his shorts and boxers completely off. He glanced over at the windows and considered closing the shades, but there was something extremely hot about keeping them open.

"Can anyone see us?" she asked as her eyes followed his gaze.

"Probably not without binoculars."

She placed both hands on the tops of his muscular legs and starting kissing his inner thighs, slowly inching upwards. Then she ran her tongue from his balls, up his shaft, to the sensitive tip. This foreplay was almost more than he could handle, and he knew she was aware of how turned on he was by his shallow breathing. Lifting herself up slightly, Taryn wrapped her right hand around him and began to pump as she took his head between her wet lips.

"Jesus Christ," he uttered as he threw his head back.

She released him from her mouth. "I want you to look at me."

His eyes locked on hers and he nodded. He'd do whatever she wanted as long as she didn't stop.

Letting go of the base of his cock, she took all of him to the point that he felt himself bump the back of her throat. No woman had ever taken him so deeply before. While her head bobbed, he grabbed onto her ponytail to slow her pace because he wanted this to last forever. Their eyes remained locked as he resisted the urge to squeeze his shut.

She seemed to like how he'd taken control, so he began thrusting his hips upward. "Fuck, baby...so good..." he praised her. She responded by humming, and the vibration sent him over the edge with a violent shudder and guttural moan.

While Taryn went to the kitchen to get a long drink of water, he pulled his shorts back up and took several deep breaths to lower his heart rate. He'd never been blown so well that he felt like he'd just had an intense cardio workout before.

"I need to get going," she said as she picked her shirt up off the ground and pulled it over her head.

He grabbed his t-shirt and put it on before going into the kitchen where he whipped up two peanut butter sandwiches. "I can drive you to the bar if you need to get there quickly."

"No need. It will only take me ten minutes to walk there."

Shawn walked her to the door. "I'll see you tonight at closing, if not earlier."

Smiling up at him, she said, "You don't have to walk me to my car every night."

"I know, but I like doing it. It gives me a purpose and will keep my mind off all the bullshit that's going on." He handed her a sandwich and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

After Taryn closed the door behind her, the smile faded from her face. She didn't want to be a little project that distracted him from his problems. Of course she appreciated his protective nature, but he wasn't obligated to her. As she walked through the small park across from his condo she questioned exactly what was going on between them. They were definitely friends, but now that they were intimate, it felt like more. What was it he'd said before they'd kissed? It was something along the lines of not being emotionally healthy enough to date her. He obviously didn't want a girlfriend.

As she walked by one of the storefronts on Adelaide, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Holy shit! Her hair was a disaster! Shawn had messed up her ponytail to the point that she looked ridiculous. She hastily redid it and hoped no one she'd passed had noticed.

"I hope you're hungry," Tricia said to her daughter as she walked through the door of the bar. "The gentleman I interviewed is in the kitchen making several items for me to test out, and I suspect it'll be more than I can handle."

"I just ate a sandwich, but I'll sample whatever he makes. I take it you like him?"

"He seems like a good lad. Moved here from Winnipeg a few weeks ago and saw our ad. He's does computer work, too, so this would be a secondary income for him."

Taryn went behind the bar and grabbed a fresh apron from the shelf. "Is he okay working nights since said he'd prefer the day shift?"

"He wants nights, actually."

The younger McAllister went to the occupied tables to check on them before busying herself with unloading clean pint glasses from one of the dishwasher crates. Then she wiped down the entire bar and straightened the empty stools.

"Let's see if this entices you," a voice rang out behind her. She turned and saw a very handsome man place two plates in front of her mom. He probably a bit older than she was and had jet black hair, tanned skin, and dark brown eyes.

"Come try this with me!" Tricia called to her.

Taryn joined them at the table and perused the selection. He'd made veggie quesadillas, bacon and pastry wrapped hot dog bites, and a hot corn dip that was served with tortilla chips. The food fit the bar menu, that was for sure.

"I'm Colin," he said as he extended his hand. "You must be Taryn."

Shaking his hand, she nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"I'll let you ladies try my food without me hovering over you. That way you can openly discuss how you feel about it." He then went back in the kitchen.

Taryn tried the dip first. It had quite a kick to it, but was delicious. "Oh wow! This is good. It's got corn, cheese, and hot peppers."

Patricia tried it and agreed it was fantastic. They then each sampled the quesadilla and the hot dog bites. All of it was outstanding.

"If you're basing the decision off the food, you should hire him," Taryn said.

"He's got talent, that's for sure. If he's free today or tomorrow, I might see if he wants to work a shift with Zack to get a feel for the place and to learn how to make our current menu items."

"We need to add this corn dip as soon as we can."

Taryn got back to work while her mom went into the kitchen to talk to Colin. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket when she felt it vibrate and saw that Shawn had texted her.

I never thanked you

You turned a shit day into a good one

She was about to reply when Tricia popped up behind her. "Texting on the job?"

Taryn closed the screen and ignored the question. "Is Colin staying?"

"Yes! He's going to train with Zack the rest of this week and on Sunday he'll take over the evening shift."

"That's great!"

"I told him about the parking garage we use, since he lives just outside the city, and how we get a discount from the owner. He's going to park there. Now Shawn won't have to come every night to walk you to your car since you and Colin will both be headed there after closing."

In a way, Taryn was relieved by this news, though she didn't appreciate her mother meddling in her life.