Page 19 of Cannon
I have no idea how long I stand and stare at Archer, all while filthy, dirty thoughts fly through my head. My eyes slam shut.
His fingertips touch my chin, which makes my eyelids pop open. He cocks his head to the side. “There you are.” He studies me like I’ve come to expect, and I’m terrified he’ll see right through me. His eyes narrow. “Elliot, are you going to be okay until I get back? I think K and Cannon have some extra things to attend to on campus today, so they won’t be back for a while, but I’m done with classes by noon and can come home.”
Remaining in the good graces of these brothers is the only way I’m going to be able to get anything done, no matter who did what to Will. I draw in a heavy breath. “Yeah. I’m feeling a lot better. Just a headache. I’ll lie low for another day or so.”
Eventually I’ll return to my classes. Dane’s been great about bringing me his chem notes—though, the boy really misses a lot of the finer points when he’s jotting stuff down—and keeping up with my calculus class has been okay because my professor is excellent at posting assignments online, and I’ve been taking my time with it. But missing two English lit and history lectures has made the workload for those classes pile up. And the worst part is that I haven’t been able to read more than a tiny bit at a time to even attempt to catch up. It’s simply not cutting it.
“You sure? You’ve been… a little off still.” He tilts his head to the side, studying me hard.
And since I can’t afford for him to see what’s in my head, I peer right back at him, giving him as much sass as I can muster. “You’re telling me if you were attacked multiple times during that awful game you wouldn’t be a little off, too? Especially with a big-ass target on your back”—I lean in and poke him in the chest—“put there by people who are supposed to be helping you but can’t get it through their thick skulls that they may have done more harm than good?” The words rush from me, and I know from the expression on his face that I’ve achieved my goal. Not only is he not going to question me acting strangely, but he’s also, at least slightly, remorseful.
Archer bites down on his lip, considering me for a moment with a raised brow before he huffs out an exhale. “Aw, come on, Peaches. You know that wasn’t the intention. And they deserved it. I thought we went through this already.”
“Even so. I’m finding it easier to keep to myself, so I’m sorry if I come across as not being the Elliot that you’d gotten used to, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about that. It’s not my responsibility to manage your expectations.”
He sighs. “Understood.” But instead of backing up so I can close my door, he steps closer, first placing his hand flat on my chest between my breasts, then as my pulse begins to rise, he slides it upward and curls his fingers around my neck, then gently into the hair at the base of my head. He massages it in a comforting way before tugging me closer and tipping my head up. My heart thumps erratically as his silvery-gray eyes lock on mine. I know they’re the same eyes I sometimes see in my dreams, I’m simply unsure why. It’s like they’re there and then gone, just a hazy memory, and I’m always left wondering what the hell I’ve been dreaming about.
Cannon’s door swings open across the hall, and he steps out, pausing to eye the two of us. And like the cheeky guy I’m growing to know would definitely do, Archer dips his head down, taking my lips in a passionate kiss. With every careful stroke of his tongue and nip of my lips, he makes me ache… but in such a damn good way that I’m pissed off all over again. He seems to sense my distress and angles my head for better access, licking into my mouth with such fervor, I let myself respond for several seconds longer before I put my hands to his chest and push him away.
He gives me a faint smile, then shoots me a wink. “I’ll be back a little after noon.”
Cannon’s brows lift, and he crosses his arms over his chest.
“What’s up, man?” And I swear Archer must have given Cannon a wink as well.
Cannon shakes his head, groaning a bit. Before I see it coming, his arms dart out, and he yanks me into the solid wall of his embrace. And at this point, I’m almost used to his rough barbarian act. I’d even go so far as to say it makes me feel somewhat special, because I know that Cannon can be gentle, too. I’d wager not many people know that—or will ever know that.
And all this is completely inconsequential if Cannon has knowledge of Will. I suck in a breath as Cannon’s hands slide down to my ass and he lifts me in his arms, pushing me against the wall. Completely caught by surprise, everything I’d been chastising myself for a few minutes ago gets shoved to the side as my chest rises and falls quickly in response to the sudden change in position. All my thoughts get tangled up in my head, and my words get caught in my throat.
Come to think of it, my silence likely suits Cannon just fine. He catches my mouth with his, sweeping his tongue inside, just like Archer had only a minute ago… only it’s not the same. Their taste, the way they feel and move—all distinctly different. Archer is determinedly patient and giving. Cannon is wilder, and I can hardly ever anticipate what he’s going to do.
With me pinned to the wall, Cannon’s hands slide past my ass to the backs of my legs, urging them around him as his tongue continues to stroke into my mouth. I whimper at the back of my throat as he comes up for air, leaning his forehead against mine.
He puts his pointer finger on my lower lip, playing with it for a moment before he sighs and sets me down. He backs away slowly with a small wave. As he passes Kingston’s door, he smacks the door once, pauses, then again three times.
I smile. One more thing I definitively know about Cannon.
By the time Kingston’s door opens, Cannon’s already halfway down the hall. “I’m ready. I—” Kingston stops in place when he sees me. “Hey.”
“Morning,” I mumble, barely able to get the word out. Kingston is the hardest for me to deal with by far. How could I have trusted him with some of my darkest secrets? My heart aches, crying out for the person I thought he was.
“Elle, I’ve gotta go.” He hesitates before stepping forward, clasping behind my neck and swiftly pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Behave yourself.”
And to my surprise, the rough command makes me smile because it’s totally what I’d expect from Kingston. I release a careful breath before I nod. “Yes, sir.”
He chuckles, then walks quickly away, leaving me to contemplate what to do next.
* * *
Funny that as soon asthey left for the day, I doexactlythe opposite of what Kingston requested. I do not behave myself. Not even a little bit.
It’s not my fault, though. I’ve been on edge for the last several days with this goddamn phone hiding in the tampon box in my bathroom. Maybe that’s what the guys have been picking up on—especially Archer.
Studying the screen, I read through the information I’ve uncovered. This is huge. I’m no idiot. I knew the pouch Will’s phone had been tucked into had to have some significance. A Faraday bag blocks radio signals to wireless networks like cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth-enabled devices so no one can track it. Though I’m not sure why it would have been necessary, obviously someone had beenveryparanoid that the phone would be powered on before it finally went dead.
I draw in a deep, nervous breath. At this point, the battery has long been drained, but the tricky part is that the minute the phone is charged and turned on, it will be findable. I’m unsure how quickly that will draw the police—or if I want to summon them yet. And like an idiot, I’ve also succeeded in putting my fingerprints all over it. But how was I to know what was in that pouch?
Oh, shit.I slam my laptop closed and race to the bathroom. After no more than twenty minutes of looking at the screen, I’m nauseated, dizzy, and my head is pounding. I hit the tiled floor of the bathroom on my knees, scooping my hair out of the way before I wretch into the toilet. It’s all dry heaves and spit, though, because I haven’t eaten since last night. Not unusual for me at all, but I hadn’t even gone downstairs to get my morning coffee yet, so there’s simply nothing to bring back up.
