He cupped her face and bent to her mouth for a soft kiss. “I’m sorry I rushed things again.”
The sudden change in topic had her shaking her head. “What?”
“Earlier. Before Vanity called.” Another kiss, this one a little longer but also restrained, as if he held himself in check. “I hope you’re still hungry.”
How did he mean that? “Umm...”
Smiling at her, he kissed her nose and stepped back. “My sister called this morning. She wants us over for breakfast.”
Oh. Knowing he meant hungry for actual food instead of sex left her deflated, proof that Cannon had turned her life upside down.
“I’d enjoy that.” She and Rissy had known each other through school, had been casual friends back then, but hadn’t been close enough to stay in touch.
“Good. On the drive there, you can tell me more about Heath breaking in.”
Within minutes they were on the road, but it’d be a short trip so she got right to it. Hoping her private business could stay private, she wanted to finish up this discussion before they reached his sister’s. “I’m not sure what else I can tell you, Cannon, but I’ll try.”
“You said you came home and the place was trashed. You had stuff missing.”
“Not cash or anything valuable. All of my electronics were still where I’d left them, but someone had been going through my emails and my Facebook. My, um...” Knowing how Cannon would react, she decided to just get it said. “My panty drawer had been dumped.”
His hands tightened on the wheel but he said nothing.
“I tend to buy matching bra and panties, so I realized some pieces were missing.”
“He sounds sick and desperate.”
That about covered it, which was why she refused to take his calls. “He gave everything back.”
Incredulous, Cannon glanced at her. “Are you making excuses for him?”
“No! It’s just...well, it was kind of pathetic. Desperate, like you said.” And she had to admit, to herself if not to Cannon, she’d felt guilty for hurting him so much.
“I’m guessing he didn’t do any time?”
“He was never arrested.”
More squeezing of the steering wheel. “Why not?”
“I knew when I saw the mess that it was Heath. I was so furious that I called him and set him straight.”
Cannon grunted at that, making his opinion of her tactics for handling it understood.
Defending herself and her decisions, she forged on. “He fessed up, apologized profusely, gave back my stuff and for the most part has left me alone.”
“For the most part?”
She hated how the day had gone sour, especially when it had started with that amazing kiss and the promise of more.
Against a wall.
Pinned there by Cannon’s hot, hard body.
She got tingly all over again just thinking about how urgent he’d been. She wanted to have sex. She wanted to know it all.
And instead she was stuck talking about stupid Heath.
She needed the day to improve.
She needed...Cannon.
Distractedly wrapping two fingers in a long lock of hair, she tried to defuse his mood. “As you already know, he’s started sending the occasional resentful text. I plan to ignore it. To ignore him. I hope you’ll do the same.”
Cannon pulled into the driveway of his family’s modest house, now his sister’s home, put the truck in Park and turned off the engine. The seconds ticked by in silence before he took out the keys and shifted toward her, his blue eyes impossibly bright in the morning sunshine.
“I’ll think about it.” He gently untangled her hair from her fingers, then lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. “Unless he shows up here and tries to hassle you. Then all bets are off.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ARMIE COULDN’T BELIEVE he’d been summoned to Rissy’s house. Damn and double damn, he didn’t want to see her again. Not this soon.
No matter that he’d gotten to the gym early, that he’d lifted weights, done cardio and pounded the heavy bag until he’d been drenched with sweat, he hadn’t yet recovered from that close encounter with her last night.
When he pulled up to the curb, he saw Cannon, Yvette and Rissy all standing beside Cannon’s truck. Rissy wore shorts, so his attention snagged on her until he caught himself. Never mind that the temps were nudging upward of the mid-nineties. He knew why he was suddenly too hot, and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with the weather.
When he got out, Yvette approached. “Hi.”
“Hi, Yvette.” He struggled not to look beyond her at Rissy. “What’s up?”
Pinched with worry, she gestured to the truck. “Vandalism.”
All four tires were flat.
Cannon crouched down by the back passenger tire. “Nails in all of them.”
With a long whistle, he joined Cannon on his haunches. “You drive through a damned construction site?”
“Nope.”
“Huh.” The look Cannon gave him spoke volumes—he thought someone had f**ked with his truck. Alarm took Armie back to his feet. “That happen here, or at Yvette’s?”
“I’m guessing at home.” Cannon stood, too. “If the nails were fresh, the tires wouldn’t be flat already. But we got here for breakfast around ten, so...” He shrugged.
A couple of hours ago, then, since it was now high noon. “Still,” Armie said. “I’m thinking it might be a good idea to load up on some security here.”
The sudden change in topic had her shaking her head. “What?”
“Earlier. Before Vanity called.” Another kiss, this one a little longer but also restrained, as if he held himself in check. “I hope you’re still hungry.”
How did he mean that? “Umm...”
Smiling at her, he kissed her nose and stepped back. “My sister called this morning. She wants us over for breakfast.”
Oh. Knowing he meant hungry for actual food instead of sex left her deflated, proof that Cannon had turned her life upside down.
“I’d enjoy that.” She and Rissy had known each other through school, had been casual friends back then, but hadn’t been close enough to stay in touch.
“Good. On the drive there, you can tell me more about Heath breaking in.”
Within minutes they were on the road, but it’d be a short trip so she got right to it. Hoping her private business could stay private, she wanted to finish up this discussion before they reached his sister’s. “I’m not sure what else I can tell you, Cannon, but I’ll try.”
“You said you came home and the place was trashed. You had stuff missing.”
“Not cash or anything valuable. All of my electronics were still where I’d left them, but someone had been going through my emails and my Facebook. My, um...” Knowing how Cannon would react, she decided to just get it said. “My panty drawer had been dumped.”
His hands tightened on the wheel but he said nothing.
“I tend to buy matching bra and panties, so I realized some pieces were missing.”
“He sounds sick and desperate.”
That about covered it, which was why she refused to take his calls. “He gave everything back.”
Incredulous, Cannon glanced at her. “Are you making excuses for him?”
“No! It’s just...well, it was kind of pathetic. Desperate, like you said.” And she had to admit, to herself if not to Cannon, she’d felt guilty for hurting him so much.
“I’m guessing he didn’t do any time?”
“He was never arrested.”
More squeezing of the steering wheel. “Why not?”
“I knew when I saw the mess that it was Heath. I was so furious that I called him and set him straight.”
Cannon grunted at that, making his opinion of her tactics for handling it understood.
Defending herself and her decisions, she forged on. “He fessed up, apologized profusely, gave back my stuff and for the most part has left me alone.”
“For the most part?”
She hated how the day had gone sour, especially when it had started with that amazing kiss and the promise of more.
Against a wall.
Pinned there by Cannon’s hot, hard body.
She got tingly all over again just thinking about how urgent he’d been. She wanted to have sex. She wanted to know it all.
And instead she was stuck talking about stupid Heath.
She needed the day to improve.
She needed...Cannon.
Distractedly wrapping two fingers in a long lock of hair, she tried to defuse his mood. “As you already know, he’s started sending the occasional resentful text. I plan to ignore it. To ignore him. I hope you’ll do the same.”
Cannon pulled into the driveway of his family’s modest house, now his sister’s home, put the truck in Park and turned off the engine. The seconds ticked by in silence before he took out the keys and shifted toward her, his blue eyes impossibly bright in the morning sunshine.
“I’ll think about it.” He gently untangled her hair from her fingers, then lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. “Unless he shows up here and tries to hassle you. Then all bets are off.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ARMIE COULDN’T BELIEVE he’d been summoned to Rissy’s house. Damn and double damn, he didn’t want to see her again. Not this soon.
No matter that he’d gotten to the gym early, that he’d lifted weights, done cardio and pounded the heavy bag until he’d been drenched with sweat, he hadn’t yet recovered from that close encounter with her last night.
When he pulled up to the curb, he saw Cannon, Yvette and Rissy all standing beside Cannon’s truck. Rissy wore shorts, so his attention snagged on her until he caught himself. Never mind that the temps were nudging upward of the mid-nineties. He knew why he was suddenly too hot, and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with the weather.
When he got out, Yvette approached. “Hi.”
“Hi, Yvette.” He struggled not to look beyond her at Rissy. “What’s up?”
Pinched with worry, she gestured to the truck. “Vandalism.”
All four tires were flat.
Cannon crouched down by the back passenger tire. “Nails in all of them.”
With a long whistle, he joined Cannon on his haunches. “You drive through a damned construction site?”
“Nope.”
“Huh.” The look Cannon gave him spoke volumes—he thought someone had f**ked with his truck. Alarm took Armie back to his feet. “That happen here, or at Yvette’s?”
“I’m guessing at home.” Cannon stood, too. “If the nails were fresh, the tires wouldn’t be flat already. But we got here for breakfast around ten, so...” He shrugged.
A couple of hours ago, then, since it was now high noon. “Still,” Armie said. “I’m thinking it might be a good idea to load up on some security here.”
