Page 28 of Kingston
Cautiously, I make my way around him, hoping to sit on the far stool Archer abandoned. Pulling it out, I lower myself onto it, but the moment my ass cheek makes contact, I let out a little gasp, and the blood drains from my face. I shake my head and put my phone down on the island in front of me.
I try to concentrate on scanning through my other messages. One from my mother, wondering how I’m doing and asking if I’m rushing any sororities like she did. I huff out a laugh. How am I ever going to tell her about this? I shift the tiniest bit and end up clenching my teeth against the pain in my butt cheek. Ignoring it, I peek carefully at the messages Nick has sent. I’ve been ignoring them. He’s kinda crazy, honestly. We broke up before I left for school. I escaped him. The first messages had come in as I left for KU.
Baby, I’m sorry. Please talk to me.
It didn’t need to end like that.
And more recently, because I’ve ignored him, the messages have taken on a nasty tone I’m well-familiar with.
Fucking answer me, Ellie.
You’re such a bitch sometimes.
Closing my eyes to them, I flip my phone over. I have no intention of answering him. Why would I after what he put me through? Besides, I’m in desperate need of caffeine.
I stand with great care, trying not to make any noise. My poor butt cheek. Hopefully, moving around today will help. Or maybe massive amounts of ibuprofen and acetaminophen is the answer. Couldn’t hurt.
In the cabinet above the coffee maker, I find a mug and pour my cup, and when I glance over my shoulder, I find Cannon is still here. We make eye contact. I’m fairly certain he’s been observing my every move.
Focusing on adding some sugar to my coffee, I don’t realize he’s moved until he’s right next to me. I jump out of my skin and drop the spoonful of sugar with a clatter. Pressing a hand to my chest, I give him a side-eyed glance. “You scared me.”
He says nothing—of course—but leans his hip against the edge of the counter. He’s standing really, really close. Close enough I can smell his cologne or aftershave or whatever that is. It’s the same scent from before, though; kinda bold and fresh but slightly fruity. I can’t quite place it. His back is to the crew who remain at the dining table, effectively blocking their view of me.
When his big hand lands on the curve of my ass, I jerk, sucking in a breath, then grit my teeth against the flash of pain. I turn my head and tilt my chin up slightly. I drag in a breath, losing myself a little in his brilliant blue eyes, forgetting for a moment how it’s his bite mark I carry, and it was his suggestion that he should have spanked me harder. There’s a possessiveness in his gaze that is a match for the firmly placed hand resting on my butt.
A rush of tingles flows through me, and suddenly I’m very, very aware of how much taller he is than I am; I’m almost tiny in his presence. His hand hasn’t strayed from my ass… in fact, he kinda palms it a bit. His chest jerks, muscles bunching under his skin. I swallow hard. “Did you need something?” I whisper.
His buddy just threatened to make me suck his dick, and this is his response? Maybe it’s dumb of me to think so, but it feels an awful lot like he’s… claiming me. Waiting for me to tell him no. Which I haven’t. Because I’m a freaking idiot.
He frowns, letting his hand move lightly back and forth, touching me like I’m his.
Blood roars in my ears, and I bite my lip, studying him. Placing a careful hand on his abs, I let my hand roam, much like his is, gently exploring the ridges and dips of muscle, slowly sliding downward. His breath hitches as I move lower. And whether I understood his intentions correctly or not, I’m going to give him a little fire because I’m not over what they did last night. I grip his balls firmly in my hand. His eyes had dropped practically shut when I began to touch him, but they shoot wide open now as I squeeze. I lean close to him, hissing softly, “It fucking hurts, Cannon. Especially where you bit me. I don’t know what your intentions are, touching me like this. But maybe I’m not ready for it this morning.” My eyes follow the muscle that twitches under the skin, along his locked jaw.
He stiffly nods, his face going pale the longer I have his boys in my grasp. I could swear he’s holding his breath. He removes his hand from my body, at which point, I viciously clutch his nuts one more time for good measure. A sputtered gasp exits his mouth, his eyes bulging. I release him, pat his chest, then calmly go back to doctoring my coffee. I’m playing a dangerous game, I’m aware. He could easily lash out at me in the same way Kingston had.
Uneasy with him standing there observing me, I pivot on my heel and open the fridge. There’s half-and-half in the door, so I pull it out and add some to my coffee, then put it back.
No sooner have I shut the door, than Cannon’s hand slaps on the outside of the fridge. Then again, like he wants me to look there, so I do. He then points at my coffee cup and wags a finger at me before slapping his hand to the fridge a final time.
Confused, I shake my head. “What?”
From behind me, there’s a slight cough, and with a glance over my shoulder, I see Dane has joined us. “He thinks you should eat something.”
Huh?I grab his dangleberries, and he wants to make sure I’ve eaten? My brow draws together. “Dane, how did you know what he meant?”
Dane nudges Cannon with his elbow. “Am I right?”
Cannon gives another brief nod, tucks his ear buds into his ears, then walks away, albeit in a very gingerly fashion.
I can’t help the slow smile that curves my lips as I watch his departure. Maybe he’ll think twice before he assumes he can touch me any time he wants.
“You’ve had a morning already.”
I let out a breath through pursed lips as I study Dane’s kind chocolate-brown eyes. My forehead pinches. “Yeah, well. I guess I made Kingston angry. I’m trying not to be a pushover.” I have no idea why I let that slip. Probably dumb of me.
Dane shrugs. “It’s okay, I won’t say anything. Looks like you were dealing with another little something over here a minute ago, too.”
My eyes slam shut, and I nod before I open them. “He needed to understand I have boundaries. I think he does now.” I give a rough chuckle. “Not that what I did couldn’t backfire on me later. But thanks for clueing me in to what he was trying to tell me. It’s impressive that you figured it out.”
