Page 33 of Unleashing Chaos

“Okay, okay. So last night was the charity dinner with Jace, right?”

“Yeah, he said you two had a good time, really charmed Matt.”

“We did. Matt basically said he’d back Jace’s company if he signed this Edmonds guy, so it was a success.”

Cannon stares at me blankly with a pickle dangling between his fingers. “So . . . I’m a little lost on what the problem is.”

“Hold on, sir. Be patient.”

Cannon sits back in his seat and devours the pickle. “Yes, ma’am, please continue.”

“Jace and I had a really good time. . . we danced. A lot. And we drank. No wait, he didn’t drink, but I did. I had a little too much champagne.”

“Desi?” he says, lifting his brows in a way that tells me to get to the point.

“We were flirting, and it sort of got a little bit out of control.”

Cannon sits forward, his blue eyes lighting up. “Oh? Wait, wait. Are you about to tell me I was right? That Jace is attracted to you?”

My face reddens and I look down at the table, suddenly very interested in the place mat. “I—”

Cannon’s chuckle has a devious tone as he slides over to my side of the booth and tips my chin up with his finger. “Spill it.”

“Basically, I made it clear that I wanted to kiss someone, and I wanted it to be him. And he made it clear that would never happen. I was embarrassed, ran upstairs to my room, and went to bed. But then . . .” I take a deep breath and continue. “I noticed that when he came to bed, he didn’t follow the same routine as—”

Cannon cuts me off. “Wait. Are you saying you can see into his room?”

“Yeah,” I say with a sheepish shrug. “He can see into mine too . . . that’s what this is about, actually.”

“How so?”

“I . . . I think . . . I think Jace and I used each other to get off last night, and not just with mental images. I think we watched each other through our bedroom windows,” I blurt, all my words running together. As soon as I finish the sentence, I drop my head into my arms on the table, mortified.

“Oh!” Cannon stares straight ahead and eats another pickle.

“Oh? Oh!” I throw my hands up, catching his attention again. “Come on, Cannon. I need some help working through this. The man is acting like nothing happened. I’m starting to think something was in my drink last night, and I made it all up.”

He stays quiet for a moment and from the lines on his forehead, I can tell he’s really thinking it through. After taking a gulp of beer, he says, “What did you expect him to do this morning, come downstairs, give you a kiss, and say thanks for the peep show?”

I open my mouth to come back with a snarky remark, but snap it shut. What did I expect Jace to do? He didn’t make it awkward. He just didn’t bring it up, but neither did I. If I couldn’t find the right moment, maybe he couldn’t either.

Propping my chin in my palm, I toss another pickle in my mouth. “I don’t know. It’s just weird that he would turn me down for a kiss but want to share something so intimate with me.”

“I don’t think he planned it, Desi. The urge hit him, and you happened to be watching.”

“But he watched me too. And it was . . . it was more than just watching. It was like we were following each other’s leads. Like we were actually together. I could see his mouth moving, and I could tell what he was saying. And he was telling me what—” My voice cracks and I clench my thighs under the table. “He was telling me what to do.”

“I can’t speak for Jace. All I can say is welcome to the complexities of men.”

“But I know you would have said something to me, so it can’t just be the ‘complexities of men.’”

He nods like I’ve made a good point. “Let me rephrase. Welcome to the complexities of damaged people.”

I groan and press my fingers to my eyes. I don’t have time for complicated. Especially from a man who isn’t even in the running to be my eternal partner. What I need right now is honesty and clear signals. Jace shouldn’t be taking up space in my head.

“Why can’t these guys be more like you? You’re not damaged.”

“Trust me, I have my issues.” Cannon runs his hand back and forth over my shoulder blades. “Talk to him, Desi. I still stand by my belief that he’s reasonable. Get it off your chest and move on.”

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