Page 58 of Cannon
I want to go to him. But I have no doubt in my mind that Kingston is right. He’s probably going to be so torn up that I saw this. Do I apologize? That would imply that I did something wrong, and I didn’t. But neither did he. It’s unfortunate that he chose not to say anything to me because now it’s inevitable that we’ll have to talk about it. He can’t push me away this time, can he?
Fuck.He could.
Last night had been so perfect. I sigh, deeply unsure of what I should do. Maybe I should go. But I don’twantto.
Archer murmurs near my ear. “Please don’t take it the wrong way if he’s irrationally angry at first. Sometimes he has a real attitude problem when he wakes up.”
Kingston’s gruff voice quietly bites out, “You can fuckin’ say that again. It could just be us, and he’d still be a handful.”
I look up into Archer’s stormy gray eyes and see the truth. This could be a massive stumbling block for us.
There’s a rustling sound behind me. And suddenly, I can’t stop myself. I pull from Archer’s embrace and drop to the floor beside Kingston. I reach out, gently resting my hand on his leg. “Cannon?”
He blinks, huffing out a breath, and stares at me for a moment before looking away. His jaw tenses as he glances at Kingston, then his eyes move slowly around the room.
Archer comes over, squatting down, very matter of fact. “Everything’s okay, man. You want some help off the floor?”
Cannon gives a small shake to his head.
“Come on. We know you hate this.” Kingston rises to his feet and holds out his hand for Cannon to take, but he bats it away. Weakly. He grunts, eyes flicking to me momentarily before he shifts himself to roll onto his stomach. Situating his hands under his chest, he tries to push himself up with the goal of getting to his knees. His breath comes fast and shallow.
Archer helps me off the floor, then close to my ear, he murmurs, “Peaches, why don’t you get some coffee or something? We’ll let you know when he’s fit to be around.”
I drag in an uncertain breath before the truth falls from my lips. The words I need him to hear. “Cannon, this didn’t scare me. Just so you know.” I hesitate, my eyes flicking to Archer’s, then Kingston’s before my gaze returns to Cannon. I wet my lips. “This doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
The only response I get is a labored breath. And that scares the shit out of me.
TWENTY-SEVEN
ELLIOT
All I’d wanted wasfor Cannon to tell me the truth. Yes, I saw his medication on my own. And I get that we haven’t known each other very long, but we have a connection, one I don’t have with anyone else. I thought maybe he’d eventually tell me. But now with the seizure happening right in front of me, I’m fearful he’s going to shut down on me.
God, I’m so selfish. I’ve been less than forthcoming with him about plenty of things. Why would I expect him to bare his weaknesses like that?Selfish.A frown tugs at the corners of my mouth for the hundredth time today.
I hope I haven’t messed everything up because in my gut, I know he’s someone who would protect me to his own detriment. He’d put me first. And that’s something I’ve never had before. Not until he laid eyes on me.
The craziest part is that Cannon’s seizure has completely overshadowed what’d happened last night with me and the guys—as it should have—but that’d been a lot to take in, too. My memories are nothing more than a haze of bodies and movement and feeling things I’ve never felt before. I did things I’d never imagined doing with one guy let alone three.
I’m in so damn deep. Slowly losing myself. Losing sight of what I’m here for. My eyes crash shut. If Kingston, Cannon, and Archer weren’t involved with Will’s disappearance, then someone else is still out there.
Is Will hiding? Did he run? Is hedead?People don’t disappear into thin air, so there has to be an explanation for that, just like there has to be a logical reason why Kingston would have had Will’s phone. I keep toying with the idea of turning the damn thing on, seeing if there is something I can find that would be useful. It might be time to try, as much as it also kinda wigs me out.
How does that even work when a case goes cold? Do the police get an automatic notification if a phone comes on and pings a cell tower? If I turn it on, am I going to hear sirens in ten minutes or is it a lengthy process?
Seems like I have some more googling to do. With that thought, I thread my hands through my hair, lightly massaging my scalp.Come on, Elliot. Think.What if Kingston is somehow protecting Will by holding his phone?Shit.What if Will left it with him? Where could he be?
A light tap on the door startles me from my musings.Right.On top of everything else, The Games continue tonight—game three of five. We’re almost halfway through the insanity of this initiation.
After the way the last one ended, I think I probably have every right to be nervous. But I made the guys agree to let me participate. So, whatever happens is on me. I’ll take whatever is thrown on me, like I have from the start.
Not nervous at all.
“Elle?”
Kingston.With a sigh, I abandon my chem assignment. I can finish before class tomorrow—assuming no one bashes me over the head again during this game. With a roll of my eyes, I get up from my desk chair and hurry over to open the door.
I expel a long, slow breath as I take him in at the same time his green eyes roam over me. What’s he thinking about? Hard to say. Could be just about anything. My ex. Cannon. Last night. Those dicks over at Bainbridge Hall. The four of us.Archer.Thinking of those last two options, I begin to warm, and a burst of heat spreads outward from my center in all directions. I can’t believe that was me, Elliot Ashford, in the middle of a four-way sexcapade.
