Page 44 of Devastated

CHAPTER11

Cannon

I’m savedfrom an awkward morning after when Penelope’s phone keeps buzzing with messages from London and Holland. Mine blows up thanks to Jacobi.

My buddy has mad skills with tech, so he’s heard of the attack on Penelope.

“No, I’m fine.” Penelope has the blankets around her torso as she sits on the edge of the bed. “No, it’s safe here.”

I answer Jacobi’s call. “Yeah?”

“London’s out of her mind scared,” he says.

“Penelope’s fine.”

“London wants her living here, but I told her Penni’s an adult and she’s safe at her mom’s.”

“She is,” I agree. Penelope wants independence. Depending on family is different from depending on friends.

Penelope’s calming London behind me. Her sentences are fragmented, and she keeps repeating herself. Is Holland dialed in too?

Good. Penelope needs close friends. This is only the beginning.

“Can London at least visit her?” Jacobi asks, resigned. He’s worried about Penelope only because of his wife. He knows enough of my background to trust me.

“Yes, but why don’t we come over there?” Jacobi’s place is a fortress.

His chuckle is dry. “I can’t promise London won’t try to kidnap her.”

No one’s getting Penelope but me. I won’t let them.

I hang up with Jacobi, and Penelope makes the plans on her end to go over there as soon as we’re ready. Discussing the logistics of the visit keeps us from talking about what happened in the bathroom after she hangs up.

I’m adult enough to be grateful she’s as willing to ignore what happened as I am. I should’ve been stronger, but I’m having a hard time regretting the way her touch made me explode faster than I have in years—if ever. And the experience of her coming against my tongue is as close to heaven as I’ll get. But we shouldn’t have done it. Any of it.

Just like I shouldn’t be sleeping with her.

I roll out of bed and keep my back to her. No sense in making things more awkward. “I’ll get dressed. Knock when you’re ready.” I go into the bathroom and make damn sure to lock both doors. I don’t think I’d survive her touching my dick while I’m this hard.

I dress and park my ass on the bed I haven’t slept in for two nights until there’s a tentative knock on my door. She’s already walking down the hallway by the time I leave my room.

She’s wearing linen shorts today. I stroke my gaze up her skin to her ass. I had my face between those legs, but it wasn’t enough.

I rip my gaze off her. I’m not helping the tension between us. We can’t go back to the way we were, but I’d like to know whether she’s having regrets. Does she feel like I’ve taken advantage of her? I haven’t, but I don’t know how to tell her.

Sorry, you’re irresistibledoesn’t quite cut it.

The drive is quiet. We pull up in front of Jacobi’s aging mansion. It’s slightly newer than Brittany’s place but still has an old Hollywood charm that Jacobi couldn’t care less about changing. As long as it’s not run down, he doesn’t care about style. London likes it as is. Those two are a perfect match.

A yawning emptiness opens inside me. I had one of Brittany’s new line of smoothies, but I doubt her strawberry-pecan parfait is upsetting my stomach.

Penelope waits until I go around to let her out. I open her door, still scanning our surroundings. She’s safe. I know it. She knows it. She’s safer here than she is at her mother’s. But acting out the part is just another way we can avoid each other while being inches apart.

She murmurs “thank you” as she stands, but she doesn’t go for the door. “I think I need to quit the studio until this is over.”

I suck back the sliver of hurt pride that she wasn’t dwelling on us, but on her work. My ego has no place in this conversation.

We both knew it was coming. I wanted to wait to talk to her about it, but if it’s her idea, it’ll be easier for both of us. The studio closing might expedite whatever Roman’s planning. If he can’t get to her, then he’ll call me. The sooner he calls me, the sooner this is over. But it had to be a hard decision for her to make. “We’ll talk later.”

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