Page 39 of Unleashing Chaos

“What are you doing?” Jace asks. “You didn’t have to—”

“I know,” I say softly with a glance in Cannon’s direction, hoping he meets me in the middle here. If he doesn’t, it’ll be a huge strike against him in the running for potential eternal partner.

My shoulders sag in relief when he says, “Yeah, man, I don’t want to drink too much. You ever had a cinnamon whiskey hangover?” He blows out a breath that makes his lips rattle. “No thanks.” He slides between us and throws his arms over our shoulders. “Let’s go watch this movie.”

Thirty minutes into what Jace dubs the “sexiest sci-fi film of all time,” my head is on Cannon’s shoulder and I am on the verge of falling asleep from pure boredom. This movie is terrible. The dialogue is cheesy, and I am convinced Jace chose it as a joke. I look over to tell him as much when I see him looking between me and Cannon with a pensive expression on his face.

“What are you looking at?” I hiss.

He clears his throat and crosses his arms. “I was just thinking that you two look comfortable.”

Cannon’s perfect mouth pulls into a wide grin. He puts his arm around me and says, “I’m cozy. Great movie, good friend, and a beautiful girl. It’s a good night.”

I snuggle deeper against Cannon’s arm and place my hand on his chest. His white T-shirt is soft under my cheek, and I can’t stop myself from taking a deep breath of his cologne. The scent of orange with a hint of spice reminds me of warm summer nights in Infernis.

It wouldn’t be so bad to spend those nights with him. I could give him a chance. Couldn’t I? There’s no logical reason why it felt a little bit off when Jace mentioned it. It just . . . did. And that’s not a real reason. So why not cuddle up to Cannon right now and enjoy tonight as potentially a little bit more than friends? Potentially.

“You smell good,” I whisper against his T-shirt, nervous flutters making an appearance in my belly, as if I’ve never complimented the man before now.

“You always smell like sweet fruit,” he says.

I cringe, burying my face against his chest. I’m sure he means it as a good thing, but it’s awkward, like he was struggling to find something nice to say. It’s so not like him. He normally lets the compliments roll off his tongue.

The unease is quickly swept away when he lifts a curl that has fallen across my cheek and wraps it around his finger. I watch as the red strands cover the warm brown of his skin. They complement each other so well. The slight tug on my hair sends a bolt of electricity through me.

It crosses my mind that maybe he’s nervous too. We’ve been out together for appetizers, and out with Jace, but we’ve never been quite this close in a private place before. We were in a position sort of like this at the bar that first night he took me out, but we were surrounded by people.

Not here. Tonight, we’re at home on our couch, and it’s just us.

And Jace.

My eyebrow dips as I look at Jace from the corner of my eye. He’s looking at the screen, but his fingers are drumming against the arm of the couch, as if he’s pretending to watch the movie but really, he’s waiting to see what happens next over here.

What is he thinking? Why do I care so much? He’s not the one with his arm around me. Cannon’s the one who’s showing me affection and attention. Who’s open enough to do more than lock eyes with me through an open window during a stolen moment of passion.

So I turn my attention back to Cannon and trail my fingertips from his thigh to his knee as he continues to twist my curl around his knuckle. His skin is soft, and I wonder if my touch is affecting him at all.

“What are you doing?” he asks, his leg twitching under my fingers.

“I just thought it felt nice to be touched, and you might like it too.” I continue drawing swirling patterns on his thigh. He adjusts his hips and presses his cheek against the top of my head, planting a kiss there.

“It does feel good,” he says into my hair.

I let my fingertips wander around his leg, exploring the strong muscles of his thigh and the dips on the side of his knee. Feeling a bit bolder, I inch my finger under the hem of his basketball shorts; with this innocent touch, I hope he’ll take things a little further.

But he doesn’t.

“Did Desi ever tell you that she’s never really kissed someone before?” Jace says to Cannon, leaning forward so he can see his face. “She’s hoping that one of the guys she dates will give her the kind of kiss that leaves her wanting more.”

Cannon’s fingers stop playing with my hair, and his heart beats faster under my ear. “Yeah. She might have mentioned that in passing.”

I should be irritated at Jace, but I know he’s just trying to help. Maybe reminding Cannon of that will be the push he needs to make a move. I mean, it’s not as though he hasn’t mentioned wanting to take me out and get to know me on another level. Here’s his chance. I’m literally giving him an opening to take it.

I don’t remove my hand from his leg. In fact, I amp everything up by moving my fingertips toward his inner thigh, and this time, I force myself to maintain a featherlight touch on his skin. When I hear his breath hitch, I glance up at him through my lashes to make sure he’s okay with what I’m doing as I slide my hand back down to safer territory.

Jace keeps his eyes on the television and speaks like every word out of his mouth is an afterthought as he says, “I always took Desi for the kind of girl who would melt if a guy just placed his hand on the side of her face and rubbed his thumb slowly over her bottom lip.”

My eyes widen as I lift one of my legs to the couch, pretending to readjust, kicking Jace right in the thigh while shooting him a look that screams Too much help. My nostrils flare as my friend just smiles and doesn’t break his focus on the movie as he mutters, “I’m just sayin’.”

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