Part 31 (2/2)
Women like Yvette could be so d.a.m.ned s.e.xy without even realizing it. He enjoyed seeing a woman fuss with her nails, reapply her lipstick, smooth a tight skirt...
Course, he never saw any of that with Rissy and he was d.a.m.n near blind with l.u.s.t for her.
”Should be at least a few months,” Yvette said, ”but so far it never seems to work out that way for him.” ”Rissy says he's quick to take every opportunity to fight.”
”And he's a fan favorite.” Yvette smiled. ”He loves the sport. But then, so do I. I started watching because of Cannon, but now I'm hooked.”
”I like the fighters, and their hot bodies,” Cherry admitted with a grin. ”But the actual sport confuses me.
The weight cla.s.ses, the rules, the moves. Sometimes it'll look as if a guy's losing and then somehow he wins. Or a guy who looks really tough isn't, and vice versa.” ”It's more heart than physique.” Yvette let out a dramatic sigh. ”Luckily Cannon has both.”
”Denver's body...” Cherry s.h.i.+vered. ”He's pretty hot, don't you think?”
”Heck, they all are.”
”I'm curious if they look that delicious all over.” ”Probably. I haven't seen a dud in the bunch.” As if in deep thought, Yvette rearranged her cold drink. ”They all seem pretty nice, too. But Cannon is special.” Cherry teased her, saying, ”You'd know, since you get the up-close-and-personal view.”
”Maybe,” Yvette teased back.
”I love Denver's shoulders. And his thighs.” Armie was about to laugh.
Then she added, ”And Armie's arms. And Stack's chest. They're all so s.e.xy.”
Poor Denver. Not quite stealing the show yet. Though he'd have loved to listen in a little longer, Armie announced himself by tapping on the wall. ”Knock, knock.” Both women swiveled around to stare at him, surprise quickly morphing into guilt.
He put on his wickedest grin. ”Caught you gossiping, didn't I? And about superficial stuff like a guy's body.”
Putting a hand over his heart, he tsked. ”I'm crushed.
I thought women were more enlightened, caring only about feelings and s.h.i.+t like that.”
Mortified heat bloomed in Cherry's face, turning her cheeks bright red.
Yvette shook a finger at him. ”You have a bad habit of showing up at inopportune times.”
”And here I thought my timing was perfect when I found you at the local po-”
”Armie!”
Grinning, he relented. Oh, he'd tease her about the p.o.r.n store from now until eternity, might even buy her a few p.o.r.nos for her birthday, but in front of others he'd curb it.
He liked to tease, but he didn't really want to embarra.s.s her.
”Next thing,” Armie teased, taking a different route, ”you'll be telling me size does matter.”
Regaining her aplomb, Cherry slowly rose from her seat. ”Oh, I dunno. Like with b.o.o.bs, bigger is better.”
She put her shoulders back, which made Armie's attention drop to her chest. ”But I say it's more about how you use it.”
”Yeah? Tell me more, and don't leave out any details.” With a strained smile, Yvette pushed back her chair and stood. ”I'm going to see if Cannon needs any help.” So the casual flirting bothered her? Armie watched her leave the kitchen, unsure what he could say to put her more at ease.
He turned back to Cherry. ”You want to see a fighter's physique up close and personal, huh?”
She faltered, her teasing used up. ”Just how long were you snooping?”
”Long enough to hear about your curiosity. And I have a solution.” Just to unsettle her, he touched the snap on his jeans.
Her reaction was priceless.
He couldn't wait to tell Denver about it.
”Relax.” Touching her chin to close her mouth, he said, ”I'm not planning to strip for you.”
”Wow.” She went limp with relief, but said, ”Truthfully, I'm a little disappointed.”
”Don't be.” Cherry had wit, he'd give her that. Wit and guts, blond hair, big brown eyes and definitely a nice rack. No wonder Denver was smitten. ”I have it on good authority that Denver would happily give you a show-and he's the best-hung one in the bunch.” He winked and headed out.
Leaving Ms. Cherry Peyton speechless behind him. When he glanced back, he saw her drop into her seat, eyes closed, one hand on her chest, the other fanning her face.
If she took the bait, Denver would owe him big time.
overall, Yvette felt like the day had gotten back on track.
She liked Cannon's sister a lot. Not once did Rissy bring up the past, though of course she was aware of everything that had happened. Her brother had played a major role in her rescue after all. But Rissy was warm and welcoming, focused on the present instead of the past and openly anxious to get to know Yvette all over again.
They talked mostly about fighting. Cannon's sister knew nearly as much about it as Cannon himself. And since Yvette understood quite a bit, she'd enjoyed every word.
Amid his protests, Rissy gave insight into Cannon's home life. Though they'd all been laughing, Yvette had to admit he seemed like the quintessential big brother. Capable and protective and loving.
They'd all agreed to get together again soon.
After Armie took them to get her car, they headed to the rec center.
Along the way, Cannon seemed distracted, alternately watching the road and...touching her. Her hand, her knee.
Other, more tantalizing places.
He was attentive to her, but not as focused as usual.
She understood that he was concerned about the damage to his truck, and she prayed that Heath hadn't had anything to do with it. When she'd mentioned paying for the damage, just in case, Cannon flatly refused, then changed the subject.
”Did you enjoy yourself?”
”Your sister is terrific.”
He smiled. ”Yeah.”
<script>