Part 30 (1/2)
”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 s.e.x. 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 s.h.i.+fted toward her, his blue eyes impossibly bright in the morning suns.h.i.+ne.
”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 ha.s.sle you. Then all bets are off.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
a rmie Couldn't believe he'd been summoned to Rissy's house. d.a.m.n and double d.a.m.n, 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 d.a.m.n 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. ”Van dalism.”
All four tires were flat.
Cannon crouched down by the back pa.s.senger tire.
”Nails in all of them.”
With a long whistle, he joined Cannon on his haunches. ”You drive through a d.a.m.ned construction site?”
”Nope.”
”Huh.” The look Cannon gave him spoke volumes- he thought someone had f.u.c.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.”
Cannon strode over to the other side of the truck, away from the women.
That suited Armie perfectly. f.u.c.k if he couldn't feel Rissy right there, only a few feet away. The more distance he put between them, the easier he'd breathe. He looked at Yvette. ”Mind grabbing me something cold to drink?”
Yvette said, ”Oh, uh...” She glanced at Rissy. He did not.
”They want privacy,” Rissy said with a huff. ”He knows better than to send me off on a made-up errand, but I guess he figures you're easier to dupe.”
”Or just nicer,” he heard himself say. Then he cursed under his breath.
From the other side of the truck, Cannon tried to play referee. ”Play nice, Rissy.”
She feigned innocent confusion, making an O of her mouth and batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated way.
”But I thought you wanted Armie's help? And if I'm nice, won't that scare him into next week?”
”Rissy,” Armie warned, with no effect at all. ”He's liable to scream in terror and run away, then how can he a.s.sist you?”
”Actually,” Cannon said, saving his a.s.s from saying something he'd later regret, ”I'm thirsty, too. So how about a couple of cold ones?”
”For you, sure.” She hooked her arm through Yvette's and dragged the poor confused girl along with her. Armie watched them walk away-until Cannon gave him a shove, half knocking him into the side of the truck. He hadn't even noticed Cannon coming close again.
”What the h.e.l.l?”
”You were picturing another threesome, and s.h.i.+t like that just might get you killed.”
Appalled, Armie straightened with knotted fists. ”The h.e.l.l I was! One is your sister.” And never would he involve her in anything that sordid, not even in makebelieve. When he thought about s.e.x with Rissy-and yeah, he did-it was only the two of them. ”The other is your girlfriend. I'll admit I'm a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, but I'm not that low.”
Cannon considered him, then hitched his shoulders and rolled his head as if trying to loosen his coiled muscles. ”Sorry.”