Page 20 of Unleashing Chaos

Charity dinner? Matt’s never so much as invited me out for coffee before, and after one meeting with Desi, I’m in with the bigwigs? Is this girl working some sort of witchcraft? I slide my hand into hers where it still rests on my knee.

“Sounds like a good time,” I say, looking down at Desi. “You up for it?”

She glances up at me, those green eyes twinkling with mischief as she winks. “I’m up for anything, Wilder.”

Matt claps his hand against my shoulder. “Good. Let’s see how you do with a roomful of your peers. If you can win those cocky bastards over, I have to believe there’s nothing you can’t do.” He tips his head at Desi, saying, “It was a pleasure meeting you. Cannon, keep an eye on your friend; he has his hands full with this one.”

“Will do,” Cannon responds, lifting his drink to his lips to hide his smile.

Once Matt is out of sight, all the stress disappears. I sink back in my chair like a human Jell-O formation. “Holy hell. That’s the best conversation I’ve ever had with Matt. Even during my business presentation he didn’t interact with me that much.”

Desi props her elbow on the table and rests her chin in her palm. “Yeah? I wonder what the difference was . . .” She purses her lips and looks up at the ceiling in mock thought.

She was fantastic. I’ve spent months trying to figure out an in with Matt, and she wins him over during a brief introduction. Her intuition is impeccable. I’ve never seen anyone read someone the way she did.

“Where is that confidence on your dates? If you brought that to the table, you would be irresistible,” Cannon says.

Desi tosses her hands in the air. “I’m trying, but these guys aren’t making it easy when they run off before the date starts or don’t show up at all.”

“Hey, you have a willing second date right here, just tell me when you’re available.”

My eyes dart between them, and a heavy feeling spreads through my gut. My roommates hooking up is bound to lead to issues in the house. Just the thought of them together while I’m in the next room. . . I drain the rest of my beer and slam my glass on the table.

It’s a childish move. One that draws their attention and makes me feel like an asshole. Why should I care if they get together? They’re adults and what they do is none of my business.

“Are we good to get out of here?” I ask, jumping to my feet.

Cannon stands and holds out his fist. “Yeah, man. I believe you and I have a campaign to finish tonight.”

“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” I say, bumping my knuckles with his.

It’s a lie. Every thought I had about video games and work vanished earlier tonight when Desi came downstairs in that little black dress. I couldn’t take my eyes off her during the Uber ride here, or while she sat alone waiting for her date. No matter how hard I tried to steer the conversation to one of the many hobbies Cannon and I have in common, I couldn’t stop thinking about the swing of her hips or that shade of pink on her mouth. And now I can’t stop thinking about how jealous I am that Cannon will take her out on another date.

Six

DESI

“Luke, I am your father,” Cannon drones in an exaggeratedly deep voice with his fist over his mouth.

Jace turns in his seat and his fork clatters onto his plate, then he holds his hand out toward Cannon’s throat. “Force choke!”

Cannon pretends he can’t breathe, clawing at his neck.

“Bro, did you know that’s not actually the line?”

Cannon freezes, his jaw dropping like Jace just told him his puppy died. “What? You’re lying.”

My eyes bounce back and forth between the two of them, wondering who the hell Luke is and why his father is so important.

Jace goes back to stabbing his chicken parmesan, shoveling it into his mouth. “Yeah, it’s like, the most misquoted line ever. It’s actually, ‘No, I am your father.’ Isn’t that crazy?”

Cannon shakes his head. “I am shook. I feel like my whole life is a lie.”

“I know. I felt the same way when I found out.”

“I feel like I need to . . .” Cannon jumps off his stool and grabs the baguette from the basket in the middle of the island. “Challenge you to a duel.” He makes a strange noise with his mouth and holds the piece of bread in front of him like a sword.

I scoot away from them with wide eyes. “What the—” I start, but of course, no one is paying attention.

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