Part 18 (2/2)
She almost choked on her laugh. Seriously, Cannon was the very least of her concerns. Freeing herself from Armie's hold, feeling plenty brave now with his presence, Yvette relaxed her knotted muscles. ”So what are you doing here?”
”Buying p.o.r.n.”
Now she did choke. ”No, I meant...” She rolled her eyes. Armie was one of those s.e.xually outrageous guys that no woman could take seriously, but that every woman probably felt safe with. ”I thought you were with Cannon tonight.”
”Yeah, I am. He stopped to visit with some, ah...” He rubbed the back of his head, making his already spiky blond hair messier. ”Some local people, so I came on ahead to do my business.” Clearly trying to distract her, he gave a shameful grin. ”I'm entertaining a lady tomorrow who goes wild with a few visuals.”
Yvette crossed her arms and tapped her foot, and d.a.m.ned if Armie didn't squirm. ”So,” she said, squinting. ”Cannon is visiting some women?”
”Not the way you're saying it, no. I mean, he could visit them that way because they're all kinds of willing, you know. But he's been dodging them for years.”
Sort of the way he'd dodged her years ago? ”Who are they?”
Now that he'd partially fessed up, he jumped in with both feet. ”Topless dancers. Used to work at Rowdy's bar before he bought it. Rowdy got rid of the pole, and all but one of the gals moved on to another place so they could keep the tips they made from working their wares.”
Wow. Yvette had no words. Just...wow. Why was Cannon visiting with them if he wasn't interested? She seriously doubted they discussed the weather.
Finally, when Armie said, ”There are five of them,” she found her tongue.
Five? ”Wonderful. I'm sure they appreciate his attention.” She made a move around Armie and he, the jerk, fell into step with her.
”Ready to go, huh? No more shopping to do? Got everything you...need?”
Yvette didn't answer, but that only encouraged him.
”You check out the back room? No? It's a sight. They have toys hanging from the ceiling.”
Sheer surprise tripped her up and she stopped to stare up at him. ”Toys?”
”Yeah, you know. Different-size vibrators, some clamps, a variety of dil-”
”No!” She started walking again, a little faster this time. ”Just hush.”
Grinning, he said, ”Okay. But I'll walk you out.”
Glad for the company after getting shaken, she still said, ”Aren't you forgetting your p.o.r.n?”
”It's not going anywhere.”
Yvette could hear the snicker in his every word. She sighed.
”They have plenty to choose from.”
”I wouldn't know. I went only as far as the action section.”
”Oh, they have action. Naked action. Threesome action. Discipline-and-bondage action. Backdoor action. Doctor-and-nurse action. Every kind of action you could think of.”
He couldn't know about her past. About the animals that had forced her to watch as they'd videotaped a drugged woman. The sick cretins who had threatened her- ”It's not all like that, you know.”
Okay, given the gentleness of his tone, maybe he did know. She must've been obvious without meaning to be. Yvette wasn't sure what to say so she looked away.
He dipped his head into her line of vision. ”Sometimes,” he continued, now all teasing and silly, his eyebrows bopping, ”it's just dirty fun.”
”Armie.”
Satisfied that he had her attention again, he straightened. ”Yeah, doll?”
”This is my car.”
His grin was so big that he almost made her grin, too. ”Can't make you blush, huh?”
Cannon made her blush all the time. She gave another sigh. ”Not over something so silly.”
”So maybe I need to try harder.”
She unlocked her car door. ”And why would you want to do that?”
Going super serious, he stared down at her and spoke in a quiet, sincere voice. ”Because Cannon cares about you, and he's like a brother to me, so that means I care, too.”
Now she blushed.
And Armie loved it. ”There you go,” he said softly. ”Cannon will be along any second now if you want to wait.”
”No.” The very last thing she wanted to do was b.u.t.t in on his night out with his friends. She touched Armie's arm. ”You don't have to mention to him that I-”
”Was shopping for a movie in the legendary local p.o.r.n shop? Yeah,” he said on a laugh, ”I most definitely do. Fact, I can't wait.”
She glared, but that only amused Armie more. ”b.u.t.thead.”
The insult sent his brows high. ”Don't know why I'm surprised at the name-calling,” he muttered as he watched her get into her car. ”I mean, after catching you in the dirty-video store, nothing should be a shock, right?”
”Goodbye, Armie.”
He grinned. ”'Bye, Yvette.”
The way he said that, all sugary and teasing and full of wickedness, well, Yvette could see why the naughty ladies loved him.
But she'd be willing to bet the not-so-naughty ladies were drawn, as well. Just not her.
She'd already fallen for Cannon.
And given what Cannon had said earlier, and what Armie had just confirmed, she needed to level with him.
It was bad enough that she had to be miserable.
No reason to make Cannon that way, too.
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