“Language,” Cannon cautioned without any heat.
He doffed an imaginary hat. “Apologies, ma’am.”
Yvette didn’t understand. She looked between them. “You’ll be fighting each other?”
“So he says.” Cannon knew bluster when he saw it, and Justice might want to look as though he thought it’d be an easy win, but he wasn’t a dummy. He’d have his work cut out for him. “How set is it?” he asked Justice.
“Carved in stone. Matchmaker approved. Probably three or four months off, though. You should be getting a call today.” Sotto voce, he said in an aside to Yvette, “Hope you don’t expect him to stay this pretty, ’cause I plan to mess him up a little.”
Tipping her head, she sent her long hair spilling over her shoulder. “You’re awfully big. How much will you have to lose?”
“Forty pounds, give or a take a few.”
She tipped her head the other way, studying Justice. “Are you as fast as Cannon?”
Justice tugged on one ear. “Probably.”
Her slow smile claimed “bullshit,” even though Yvette would never say it. “You look like a striker. How’s your ground game?”
“Pretty good—”
“Not great, huh?” She made a sound of regret.
Justice’s grin went crooked as he slanted a look at Cannon. “Damn, Saint. I like her.”
“Meaning he knows his ground game sucks,” Cannon said with good-natured ribbing.
“I’m workin’ on it. I’m workin’ on it.” He turned back to Armie. “So, Quick, since you look like the guard dog—”
“Quick?” Yvette raised her brows. “Is that your fight name, Armie?”
The way his ears went red had both Cannon and Justice guffawing.
“It is,” Justice confided, “but not because of his quick knockouts.”
Cannon gave her a one-armed hug. “It’s mostly a joke—”
“Completely a joke,” Armie protested. “And it’s f**king getting old.”
“—carried over from his youth when he was a little too quick on the draw with the ladies.”
“One lady, damn it.” Armie threw up his arms. “And I made it up to her later!”
Confused, Yvette looked at each man in turn. “I don’t understand.”
That only made Justice laugh so hard that he fell against the wall.
Adoring her more by the minute, Cannon leaned down to her ear. “He got off a little too fast—as in, he came before things really even got started.”
“Oh.”
Armie stared at her. “It was back in high school, for God’s sake.”
“Ah, Quick, some things are never forgotten.” After wiping his eyes, Justice grinned at him. “So am I still welcome to check out the place?”
“Stay as long as you’d like.” Armie made a show of indifference. “If Cannon can put up with you, I suppose I can, too.”
“There ya go.” He turned to Cannon. “Come show me around, Saint.”
“I’ll do it,” Armie said, already knowing Cannon wanted to stay with Yvette.
“Thanks.” And then to Justice, Cannon added, “I’ll be along soon.”
“Got some smoochin’ to do, huh? I get it. Can’t say as I blame you.”
Armie walked off, so Justice hurried to follow along. “Slow down, dawg. Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re the speedy one.”
What Armie said in return wasn’t fit for human ears.
As they disappeared, Cannon realized he was still grinning. Being home always seemed right, but never more so than now, with Yvette here.
“You do enjoy fighting, don’t you?”
He pulled her in for a taste, mouth to mouth, tongue making a fast foray. When around her, he couldn’t resist. “Love it.” But not as much as he loved... No, he couldn’t start thinking about her that way. Not yet. Way too damn soon to be rushing her like that. “I also love a challenge.”
But, damn it, Yvette was the biggest challenge he’d ever faced. A challenge to his control, his peace of mind. His heart.
Armie poked his head back in. “I gave the big ape over to Stack. Wanted to tell you, I made that call and it checks out.”
“Perfect, thanks.” Before he could leave again, Cannon said, “Armie?”
“Yeah?”
“Justice is okay. Invite him to hang around and make use of the place, okay?”
“Sure.” Armie started off again. “I was already planning to give him a proper welcome.”
Cannon laughed, and when Yvette looked at him in confusion, he said, “Armie’s going to offer to spar with him.”
“That’s nuts. Armie’s what? Six feet?”
“And one-eighty-five. I know. Big disparity in size. But believe me, he can handle himself. Might as well break Justice in right.”
Looking grateful for something else to focus on, Yvette asked, “If Armie’s that good, why doesn’t he fight for the SBC?”
“He has his reasons, but lack of talent isn’t one of them.” Cannon leaned a hip on the table. “So. Know what I think we should do?”
“Go home so you can shower?”
The way she said that, her warm gaze skipping down his body, he knew she hoped to get intimate again. And he was all for that idea. But first... “We need to go see the lieutenant.”
He doffed an imaginary hat. “Apologies, ma’am.”
Yvette didn’t understand. She looked between them. “You’ll be fighting each other?”
“So he says.” Cannon knew bluster when he saw it, and Justice might want to look as though he thought it’d be an easy win, but he wasn’t a dummy. He’d have his work cut out for him. “How set is it?” he asked Justice.
“Carved in stone. Matchmaker approved. Probably three or four months off, though. You should be getting a call today.” Sotto voce, he said in an aside to Yvette, “Hope you don’t expect him to stay this pretty, ’cause I plan to mess him up a little.”
Tipping her head, she sent her long hair spilling over her shoulder. “You’re awfully big. How much will you have to lose?”
“Forty pounds, give or a take a few.”
She tipped her head the other way, studying Justice. “Are you as fast as Cannon?”
Justice tugged on one ear. “Probably.”
Her slow smile claimed “bullshit,” even though Yvette would never say it. “You look like a striker. How’s your ground game?”
“Pretty good—”
“Not great, huh?” She made a sound of regret.
Justice’s grin went crooked as he slanted a look at Cannon. “Damn, Saint. I like her.”
“Meaning he knows his ground game sucks,” Cannon said with good-natured ribbing.
“I’m workin’ on it. I’m workin’ on it.” He turned back to Armie. “So, Quick, since you look like the guard dog—”
“Quick?” Yvette raised her brows. “Is that your fight name, Armie?”
The way his ears went red had both Cannon and Justice guffawing.
“It is,” Justice confided, “but not because of his quick knockouts.”
Cannon gave her a one-armed hug. “It’s mostly a joke—”
“Completely a joke,” Armie protested. “And it’s f**king getting old.”
“—carried over from his youth when he was a little too quick on the draw with the ladies.”
“One lady, damn it.” Armie threw up his arms. “And I made it up to her later!”
Confused, Yvette looked at each man in turn. “I don’t understand.”
That only made Justice laugh so hard that he fell against the wall.
Adoring her more by the minute, Cannon leaned down to her ear. “He got off a little too fast—as in, he came before things really even got started.”
“Oh.”
Armie stared at her. “It was back in high school, for God’s sake.”
“Ah, Quick, some things are never forgotten.” After wiping his eyes, Justice grinned at him. “So am I still welcome to check out the place?”
“Stay as long as you’d like.” Armie made a show of indifference. “If Cannon can put up with you, I suppose I can, too.”
“There ya go.” He turned to Cannon. “Come show me around, Saint.”
“I’ll do it,” Armie said, already knowing Cannon wanted to stay with Yvette.
“Thanks.” And then to Justice, Cannon added, “I’ll be along soon.”
“Got some smoochin’ to do, huh? I get it. Can’t say as I blame you.”
Armie walked off, so Justice hurried to follow along. “Slow down, dawg. Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re the speedy one.”
What Armie said in return wasn’t fit for human ears.
As they disappeared, Cannon realized he was still grinning. Being home always seemed right, but never more so than now, with Yvette here.
“You do enjoy fighting, don’t you?”
He pulled her in for a taste, mouth to mouth, tongue making a fast foray. When around her, he couldn’t resist. “Love it.” But not as much as he loved... No, he couldn’t start thinking about her that way. Not yet. Way too damn soon to be rushing her like that. “I also love a challenge.”
But, damn it, Yvette was the biggest challenge he’d ever faced. A challenge to his control, his peace of mind. His heart.
Armie poked his head back in. “I gave the big ape over to Stack. Wanted to tell you, I made that call and it checks out.”
“Perfect, thanks.” Before he could leave again, Cannon said, “Armie?”
“Yeah?”
“Justice is okay. Invite him to hang around and make use of the place, okay?”
“Sure.” Armie started off again. “I was already planning to give him a proper welcome.”
Cannon laughed, and when Yvette looked at him in confusion, he said, “Armie’s going to offer to spar with him.”
“That’s nuts. Armie’s what? Six feet?”
“And one-eighty-five. I know. Big disparity in size. But believe me, he can handle himself. Might as well break Justice in right.”
Looking grateful for something else to focus on, Yvette asked, “If Armie’s that good, why doesn’t he fight for the SBC?”
“He has his reasons, but lack of talent isn’t one of them.” Cannon leaned a hip on the table. “So. Know what I think we should do?”
“Go home so you can shower?”
The way she said that, her warm gaze skipping down his body, he knew she hoped to get intimate again. And he was all for that idea. But first... “We need to go see the lieutenant.”
