Page 33 of Cannon
I don’t want to think about the insane amount of strength it took for Cannon to do that. I bet they are both going to have matching goose eggs on their heads. In fact, I can already see a hint of them forming.
I slump against the wall and take a few deep breaths, my brain finally acknowledging the sweaty guy standing in front of me, clearly just back from his run. His broad chest and shoulders rise and fall rapidly, whether from his exertion outside or from putting these idiots in their place, I don’t know. But he stopped these jerks from harming me. He was here when I needed him, defended me. Protected me.
He lightly kicks both brothers with the toe of his running shoe and points determinedly toward the other stairwell. They groan, eyes widening when they see the storm brewing in Cannon’s eyes.
A bubble of laughter works its way up from my chest. I suppress it, watching as Alec and Joel get up, still whining and complaining about their heads. They take off, presumably heading for the basement. Once they’ve disappeared, I let out a full-bellied laugh. “Y-you sent them to their rooms!” I bend at the waist, unable to control myself, though suspecting perhaps this is some sort of weird trauma response.
And sure enough, when I finally am able to glance up, Cannon is staring at me like I’ve lost my goddamn mind… and maybe I have. He tips his head to the side, before reaching for me and pulling me to his chest.
Then suddenly, nothing is funny anymore. I’m pressed against all his sweat-slickened muscles, and that effectively stops all the giggles. He doesn’t even smell bad. It’s a clean sweat that does something weird to me. My nipples tighten behind my bra and my clit throbs in response.
He dips his head near my ear. “Are you okay?” His voice is so rough and growly that my thigh muscles clench, and I let out an involuntary whimper. My heart pounds hard at his question, launching me straight back to last night when he came and groaned out my name.
Slowly I ease back, lifting my chin to look at him. I get lost in the fire blazing in his blue eyes. “I’m okay,” I nod, murmuring quietly. “Cannon—”
But he cuts me off with a shake of his head, grips my chin with his thumb and forefinger, tips my face to his, and seals his mouth over mine.
SIXTEEN
CANNON
I threadmy fingers into Elliot’s hair and kiss her soundly. When her soft lips part in surprise, I don’t hesitate—my mouth takes command of hers, and I slip my tongue inside, coaxing hers to twist with mine. Her mouth is velvety soft, and she tastes like what all my dreams are made of.
My heart thuds madly in my chest as I graze my thumbs over her jawline and the kiss deepens.Fuck.Outwardly, I’m trying to show her that I’m calm, but I’m so fucking pissed I can hardly see straight. Alec and Joel thought they could get away with doing what? Intimidating Elliot? Threatening her? Right out here in the open. I haven’t decided whether thumping their fuckin’ heads together was enough, but I intend to tell every motherfucker who asks about the lumps on their heads thatIput them there and why they deserved them.
Elliot pulls my attention back to her by sliding her hands over the damp skin of my chest and abs before they land on my hips, gripping me tightly. She moans into my mouth, pulling me to her as my dick grows hard against her belly.
She makes me want to haul her over my shoulder and take her to my bed where there’s no thinking about what those two jackasses were after or whether she’s upset with me over the medication debacle bullshit this morning.
I ease back, nudging her nose with mine, and inhale deeply before I let it go, feeling myself relax as her gaze connects with mine, her dark eyes searching. I drag my teeth slowly over my lip, studying her and trying to decipher all the questions she has for me. I don’t know if I’m capable of answering all of them… or any of them yet. Can I be honest with her about my condition? It has my guts clenching just thinking about it. Maybe Kingston is right. I take a deep breath. This might be the first time I’ve ever truly contemplated sharing this part of me with any girl.
But first… I pull out the earbuds that I’d stashed in my pocket right before coming inside and my phone. I lift one brow as I hold it between us. With a tremulous smile, she nods, taking one of the earbuds for herself while she waits for me to cue up the song of my choosing. I wet my lips, glancing at her not-so-patiently waiting for me, and tuck the second earbud into my ear. I hit play, then hold my breath as the song begins to play.
Her hands slowly drift up my chest, wrapping around the back of my neck, and I lift her into my arms. The way we fit together,jesus.It’s like some sinful sort of magic.
A low groan rumbles from way down deep inside me as her legs tighten around my hips, her pussy perfectly aligned with my cock. It doesn’t take her long before she smiles, listening to the lyrics of the song. “Tell Me the Truth” by Two Feet. It’s slow and sexy and oh so right for this moment. My mouth crashes to hers again, this time more urgent and needy. We dive deeper, burn hotter than ever before. I want the breath from her lungs and every moan that rips from her throat.
It feels as if our hearts are colliding. And fuck, holding her like this feels so good I’m ready to burst through my skin. Her breath grows unsteady as one of my hands drifts up to hold the back of her neck, to keep her where I want her, and the other massages her round ass. I groan with the way even the smallest fraction of movement of her pussy over the hard ridge of my cock takes my breath away. Our chemistry is so good. So. Fucking. Good.
When I simply can’t take any more, I move away from the bottom of the steps, taking us through the house. I know where I’m going. It’s where I always go right after a run if I have time. At the patio door, I reluctantly let go of her neck and the fistful of dark, glossy hair, and open the door, stepping outside with her, our mouths still fused.
I stride across the patio to the stairs cut into the hill our house sits on, leading down to the pool deck, which is located off the side of the house with the walk-out basement. Midway down, a rough chuckle greets my ears, followed by, “Oh,shit,that’s hot as fuck.”
Archer’s exclamation alerts Kingston to what’s going on behind him, and he lets out a low, raspy, “Fuuuck.”
I eye them while Elliot shifts, kissing down my neck. I probably should have predicted where they were when they didn’t come running at the commotion inside. They’re both in the pool, forearms propped on the edge, each with a drink in one of those freezable bar glasses at their elbow. The fact that they’re watching us doesn’t seem to deter Elliot a single bit. She doesn’t stop sucking at my skin as I walk her over to the lounge chair and table. I set her down to retrieve the earbuds from her ear and mine, but she pulls back, frowning hard. “I was still listening.”
I nod, pull my phone from my pocket, and connect it to the outdoor speaker. Satisfied when we have music playing again, she smiles, and I take a second to toe off my running shoes and pull off my socks. With that done, I scoop her up and carry her around to the stairs at the far side of the pool.
Seeing where I’m headed, she reaches up to pull her hair on top of her head, tying it into a knot, trusting that I have her. There’s zero protest as I take her into the pool fully clothed. I walk down the stairs slowly, and when her ass hits the cold water, she jerks in my arms, her eyes going comically wide before she smiles up at me. “It’s cold.”
I nod, winking as I take us into deeper water with her legs wrapped around my waist and arms secured around my neck. The water temperature feels good, but not as good as the girl clinging to me. I set her on her feet so I can quickly dunk myself. Resurfacing, I note that while I was under, she’s also lowered herself into the water up to her neck, and when she stands up straight and holds her arms out to me, her white V-neck T-shirt is now completely see-through, a bright-pink lace bra visible beneath. The drenched shirt clings to her breasts, showing off her tightly pebbled nipples. I blink a few times, trying to stop from staring, but I can’t help it.
On a groan, I wrap my arm around her back, lifting her enough that I can bend and gently bite at one of her taut peaks. She whimpers, holding my head to her chest, and suddenly, it’s no longer my skin that needs cooling, but the blood inside my veins, a fiery inferno of lust. I make a low growling noise, sucking on her nipple through the wet T-shirt.
“Yes,” she breathes out, cradling me to her while her legs drift up and clamp around my waist.
The sound of my blood whooshing through my head is deafening as my heart pounds. At a muttered curse from the side of the pool, I release her breast, my gaze shifting to where Archer and Kingston have turned around. Archer’s brow is quirked, a slight smile playing on his lips as he reaches under the surface of the water to readjust himself. Kingston releases a long exhale, crossing his arms over his thickly muscled chest.
