Mindi went silent, then muttered, “I didn’t realize.”
“Yeah, apparently he filled several storage units.” When she said nothing to that, Cannon added, “Thanks again,” and started to hang up.
“Wait.” He felt her hesitation before she finally said, “If you’re going to go through everything...” She paused for effect. “I’d be happy to lend you a hand.”
Yeah, he’d just bet she would. Her hand, her mouth... ”No, it’s not a problem, but thanks.”
“Really, Cannon, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know.”
Cannon rubbed his thumb in small circles over Yvette’s thigh. “Will do. Take care, Mindi.” He put the phone on the coffee table. “She wanted to offer up her assistance.”
Yvette snorted. “Yeah, right. She wanted to offer up herself, you mean.”
Enjoying her show of jealousy, Cannon smiled. “A little of that, yeah. But I turned her down for you.”
She bit her lip. “Just like you turned down the dancers?”
He’d have to kick Armie’s ass later. “Want me to return the movie for you tomorrow?”
“Thank you, yes.”
He leaned in to kiss her. “The women sometimes hear things going on in the neighborhood. They give info about it when they can.”
“Again,” she said, “hoping they can give you more.”
No reason to deny it. “Sometimes, yeah. But that’s not why I visit with them. As Armie could tell you, I’m picky.”
Her mouth quirked. “No topless dancers?”
He rolled a shoulder. “If I liked her and was attracted, too, I wouldn’t hold that against her.”
Tucking her chin, Yvette stared at him with disbelief. “Baloney.”
Yeah, she had him there. “Okay, so I’d probably want her to do something else if I started getting serious. No sharing the goods, ya know? But if it was in her past...” To tease her, he asked, “Why do you ask? You have some pole-dancing moves you want to share?”
“Dancing is not my forte.”
“They could probably teach you.” He looked her over, imagining it. “I’d enjoy watching the lessons.”
She lightly punched his shoulder, then rubbed the spot. “It’s getting late and I was hoping to get this over with.”
That sounded pretty damned ominous. “Okay.” Had she already decided to go back to Cali? With Heath? His eyes narrowed. “Heard from your ex again?”
Lacing her fingers together, she rolled her eyes and said, “Several times.”
“And?”
“I wrote back once just to say, again, that it was over and we had nothing to talk about.”
“Bet he took that well.”
Her mouth twisted with wry humor. “Actually, he blew up all over my Facebook, so I unfriended him.”
“Good move.”
“I talked with Vanity.”
It was weird how much he enjoyed sitting there with her, just chatting, even though part of that chat was about her ass**le ex. “Will she be able to visit?”
“I invited her, so we’ll see. But she actually called me to say that Heath is posting more nonsense. Not that I care. We don’t have the same friends, so what difference does it make?”
She said all that as if it really didn’t matter, so then why did Cannon want to find the putz and teach him a few lessons on manners? “What did he say?”
“A bunch of nasty stuff that’s not worth repeating. It’s just, well, your Facebook is open to the public, so it’s possible he might bomb it with his trash talk.”
“I’ll have him blocked, too.”
“Thanks.” With a deep breath, she scooted closer, reached out a hand to touch his forearm. “I waited up because I wanted to talk about...us.”
Yeah, he could handle that. “Go on.” He waited, but she seemed to be girding herself for—
“I’ve been so unfair to you.”
The blurted comment threw Cannon. “Come again?”
“I’ve let myself forget the truth of things when I shouldn’t have. You’re...well...” She huffed out a breath, then looked him in the eyes. “I just have to say it.”
“Yeah, do.”
“You’re a fantasy for me. You know you always have been.”
Twice Cannon started to speak, but with her looking at him so earnestly, he had no idea what to say. He settled on, “So far I don’t see the problem.”
He’d happily be her fantasy, because she was his.
“It’s true,” she said as if he hadn’t spoken, “that being away for three years didn’t change that. How I feel is the same, but now I’m different.”
“Older, more mature.” No longer off-limits.
“True, but also, I can’t...”
He waited, saw her struggling with herself, and prompted her. “You can’t what?”
She looked so damned grave, it bugged him.
“Here.” He scooped her up and onto his lap, then held her there when she automatically started to scramble off. “You’re not comfortable?”
“I am.”
“I scare you?”
“I already told you that you didn’t.”
“Then let me hear what it is you can’t do.”
She went still, but remained stiff.
“Yeah, apparently he filled several storage units.” When she said nothing to that, Cannon added, “Thanks again,” and started to hang up.
“Wait.” He felt her hesitation before she finally said, “If you’re going to go through everything...” She paused for effect. “I’d be happy to lend you a hand.”
Yeah, he’d just bet she would. Her hand, her mouth... ”No, it’s not a problem, but thanks.”
“Really, Cannon, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know.”
Cannon rubbed his thumb in small circles over Yvette’s thigh. “Will do. Take care, Mindi.” He put the phone on the coffee table. “She wanted to offer up her assistance.”
Yvette snorted. “Yeah, right. She wanted to offer up herself, you mean.”
Enjoying her show of jealousy, Cannon smiled. “A little of that, yeah. But I turned her down for you.”
She bit her lip. “Just like you turned down the dancers?”
He’d have to kick Armie’s ass later. “Want me to return the movie for you tomorrow?”
“Thank you, yes.”
He leaned in to kiss her. “The women sometimes hear things going on in the neighborhood. They give info about it when they can.”
“Again,” she said, “hoping they can give you more.”
No reason to deny it. “Sometimes, yeah. But that’s not why I visit with them. As Armie could tell you, I’m picky.”
Her mouth quirked. “No topless dancers?”
He rolled a shoulder. “If I liked her and was attracted, too, I wouldn’t hold that against her.”
Tucking her chin, Yvette stared at him with disbelief. “Baloney.”
Yeah, she had him there. “Okay, so I’d probably want her to do something else if I started getting serious. No sharing the goods, ya know? But if it was in her past...” To tease her, he asked, “Why do you ask? You have some pole-dancing moves you want to share?”
“Dancing is not my forte.”
“They could probably teach you.” He looked her over, imagining it. “I’d enjoy watching the lessons.”
She lightly punched his shoulder, then rubbed the spot. “It’s getting late and I was hoping to get this over with.”
That sounded pretty damned ominous. “Okay.” Had she already decided to go back to Cali? With Heath? His eyes narrowed. “Heard from your ex again?”
Lacing her fingers together, she rolled her eyes and said, “Several times.”
“And?”
“I wrote back once just to say, again, that it was over and we had nothing to talk about.”
“Bet he took that well.”
Her mouth twisted with wry humor. “Actually, he blew up all over my Facebook, so I unfriended him.”
“Good move.”
“I talked with Vanity.”
It was weird how much he enjoyed sitting there with her, just chatting, even though part of that chat was about her ass**le ex. “Will she be able to visit?”
“I invited her, so we’ll see. But she actually called me to say that Heath is posting more nonsense. Not that I care. We don’t have the same friends, so what difference does it make?”
She said all that as if it really didn’t matter, so then why did Cannon want to find the putz and teach him a few lessons on manners? “What did he say?”
“A bunch of nasty stuff that’s not worth repeating. It’s just, well, your Facebook is open to the public, so it’s possible he might bomb it with his trash talk.”
“I’ll have him blocked, too.”
“Thanks.” With a deep breath, she scooted closer, reached out a hand to touch his forearm. “I waited up because I wanted to talk about...us.”
Yeah, he could handle that. “Go on.” He waited, but she seemed to be girding herself for—
“I’ve been so unfair to you.”
The blurted comment threw Cannon. “Come again?”
“I’ve let myself forget the truth of things when I shouldn’t have. You’re...well...” She huffed out a breath, then looked him in the eyes. “I just have to say it.”
“Yeah, do.”
“You’re a fantasy for me. You know you always have been.”
Twice Cannon started to speak, but with her looking at him so earnestly, he had no idea what to say. He settled on, “So far I don’t see the problem.”
He’d happily be her fantasy, because she was his.
“It’s true,” she said as if he hadn’t spoken, “that being away for three years didn’t change that. How I feel is the same, but now I’m different.”
“Older, more mature.” No longer off-limits.
“True, but also, I can’t...”
He waited, saw her struggling with herself, and prompted her. “You can’t what?”
She looked so damned grave, it bugged him.
“Here.” He scooped her up and onto his lap, then held her there when she automatically started to scramble off. “You’re not comfortable?”
“I am.”
“I scare you?”
“I already told you that you didn’t.”
“Then let me hear what it is you can’t do.”
She went still, but remained stiff.
