Forever You're Mine (MINE #4)(20)

I wanted to change that.

“Do you and your dad get along?”

He exhaled a heavy sigh. I could feel the weight of it filling the cab, suffocating me. Maybe his family was more f*cked up than mine?

“Yeah, we get along. Even though he can be a hard ass sometimes.”

I smiled. “Sounds like someone else I know. When is the last time you saw him?”

“Couple years,” he answered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Since you moved here?”

He nodded but didn’t offer more.

“Don’t you miss him?”

“We talk once a week. And I’ll see him when my sister gets married next month.”

“You have a sister?”

It was amazing how much I knew about him, and how much I didn’t.

His smile returned. “And a little brother too.” Gripping the steering wheel tight, he cleared his throat as he pulled into the driveway. “I was wonderin’ if you’d like to go with me to the wedding?”

“Like a date?”

Cannon eyes snapped to mine, a smile ghosting his lips. “Like you’re mine.”

Words were cheap. Honestly, I couldn’t afford them anyway. So I did what any logical person would do, I kissed him.

I climbed across the console to straddle his lap. His strong, knowing hands held my face in place as he fed from my mouth. I was no longer in control of this kiss. Shit, I wasn’t in control of anything around him.

“Is that a yes?” he whispered, his breath harsh and quick. I nodded, words still lodged between the cracks in my heart where only he could fit. He kissed me again. “Good. Now let’s get back to this kiss, because tonight…all I wanna do is worship these sweet lips.”

*

If there was anyone who could help me make sense of all this, it was Maddie. She’d become someone I confided in with most, if not all, the bullshit in my life. Katy had introduced us a few years back and from the first time I met her, I knew right away we would be lifelong friends. Her compassionate heart and take no shit attitude were both qualities I found enduring in any friend, but it was her brutal honesty I would come to need and respect.

Like right now, she was telling me all the things I needed to hear instead of what I wanted to hear. I’d poured my heart out about Cannon, the kiss, and well…everything. She’d already heard about the Alexis bullshit from Katy via Archer of course. And in good Maddie fashion, she reminded me again why Cannon and I needed to slow our roll.

While I sat on the other side of her solid oak desk in her big fancy office, she gave it to me straight. “I think if anyone can bring Cannon Jacobs to his knees, it’s you, but I just wanna make sure you have your eyes open because your heart, it’s blind as f*ck right now. And you’re just comin’ out of that shit with Dent.” she leaned forward, her manicured hands clasped in front of her.

“I know.”

“Just take your time. Don’t rush into anything.”

I nodded, grateful to have a friend like her.

“I swear, if I wasn’t a grown ass woman with babies and morals, I would find a dark alley somewhere and connect Alexis Davis with my inner ghetto.”

I laughed out loud.

“She should know better than to start shit at Archer’s. I’m glad he banned her ass for good this time. If she continues to harass you, you better let me know. We’ll slap a restraining order on her ass.”

“Wow…do you really think it’ll come to that?”

“Bitches be crazy, Cora. Especially the ones with daddy issues who have nothing to lose.” Maddie gave me a pointed look.

Word.

I’d met my fair share of crazy bitches, but Alexis Davis, she was in a league all her own. A whole other breed of crazy. She’d not only screwed Katy’s ex while they were together, but she’d also tried to sabotage Maddie and Holden’s relationship when they first met. The thought of her and Cannon together made me nauseous. What the hell did he see in her? He knew she was batshit crazy.

Shit, everyone did.

I reached for Maddie’s bowl of Jolly Ranchers. She kept them all over the office, likely to quell the nervousness people often felt when faced with life’s stressful situations. The sweet burst of watermelon definitely took away the sour taste in my mouth.

I pocketed a few extra ones for later. “So how long are you stayin’ at Cannon’s?”

I shrugged. “Until I find something else I guess.”

“Let me talk to Holden,” she said. “I’m sure we can help you find something that will work with your budget.” Before I could reply, a knock sounded at the door.

I twisted in my seat to see Barrett Shaw walk through the open frame. Barrett was Maddie’s partner and one of the most successful lawyers in the country. They’d both been helping with my brother’s case.

“You ladies start without me?” he asked, taking a seat next to me.

Tall with a lean build, he had the dirtiest blonde hair I’d ever seen on a man, but his eyes…those were his best feature. You knew just looking at them he did not f*ck around. They were sharp as a tack and hard with the promise of justice. When Barrett Shaw spoke, you listened. When he said he would do something…

He did it.

“Nope, just girl talk. I didn’t wanna tell her until you got here.”