Forever You're Mine (MINE #4)(57)
She held my face between her hands. “I love you.”
I hadn’t realized how bad I needed to hear her say those words until now.
Pressing my forehead to hers, I sighed with relief. “I love you too. So damn much.”
“Awe, how f*cking sweet.” The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I twisted my head to find a gun pointed at it.
Oh f*ck!
I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats.
I don’t intend to waste any of mine.
~Neil Armstrong
Shaking with fear, I blinked. I couldn’t breathe past the fact that Alexis was in my home, standing over us with a gun in her hand. Cannon went to pull out of me, but she quickly squatted and pushed the barrel to his temple, pulling back the hammer. “Don’t f*cking move,” she ordered.
Sweat dotted his brow and his nostrils flared as he adjusted himself to relieve me of some of his weight.
It didn’t make a damn bit of difference, I still couldn’t breathe.
The light of the fire flickered, casting shadows across her ghost white face. “Alexis, just put the gun down before someone gets hurt,” Cannon pleaded, his voice low and controlled, considering I could feel the rage rolling off of him.
“Too late for that.” She stood up with the gun still trained on us.
That’s when I found enough air to speak. “How…how’d you get in here?”
A snide grin curled her lips. “I snuck in when you left earlier. You should really lock your door when you do that.” She leaned in with a maniacal whisper. “I told you he was mine.”
Oh my God!
She’d been hiding in my house. Never mind the fact that she’d just watched Cannon and I make love, she’d been inside my home, without me knowing.
Holy shit…is that my dress she has on?
And my…
Perfume?
Panic squeezed my lungs. I began to hyperventilate. Cannon stroked my face with his hand, trying to calm me. “Why can’t you love me like that?” Alexis asked, the desperation in her voice was terrifying. “What makes her so goddamn special?”
“What?” Cannon asked.
“I want to know what made you choose her over me.”
“Alexis,” Cannon had a hint of sympathy in his voice. “Let me up so we can talk.”
It was then I noticed the bandages on her wrists with small patches of blood seeping through.
“Tell me!” she shouted.
Cannon swallowed and closed his eyes, digging for a calm breath. “She gives me what I need.”
“And I didn’t?”
Eyes open, he looked straight into mine. “You did, for a while, but it wasn’t enough.”
When that last word left his mouth, her sanity slipped completely. “Fuck her then. Show me how much you love her.”
“Alexis.”
“Do it!”
“Just let Cora go so you and I can talk about this.”
“No. If you don’t f*ck her, I’ll put a bullet in her head before I put one in yours.” She gritted through clenched teeth.
Tears poured from the corners of my eyes, pooling in my ears. “Why are you doing this?” I cried out, the fear overwhelming me.
“Because I want to see what a man looks like when he f*cks the woman he loves. I want to see what I’ve been missing. I’ve never had a man look at me with more than desire in his eyes.”
“This is f*cked, Alexis. I’m not doing this.” Cannon said.
She laughed and it sent a chill down my spine. “You don’t have a choice *.”
I began to shake uncontrollably, terror invading my body. “Shh…it’s ok baby, it’s ok,” he soothed, kissing me softly.
Nothing about this would ever be ok.
My face between his hands, he held my eyes. “Relax, nothin’ is gonna happen to you.” I nodded, trying to slow my frantic breathing.
This was so far beyond f*cked up. If we survived, I’d need therapy for the rest of my life.
“C’mon, Cannon,” Alexis hissed. “Show me who she belongs to.”
Cannon shoved from the floor in a move so swift and so well executed I questioned whether or not he was human.
Alexis retreated, holding the gun shakily between her hands. “Don’t f*cking move, Cannon. I mean it. I’ll shoot.”
He didn’t say a word.
The only sounds I could hear were the breaths I took and the heartbeats I counted as he calmly picked up his underwear and slipped them on.
“Put the gun down, Alexis.” His demeanor had changed completely, movements controlled and methodical as he finished getting dressed. I’d never seen him like this before. It was kind of scary.
Alexis stood frozen, watching him with eyes that couldn’t see. “Would you die for her?”
“Alexis, please.”
“Answer the f*ckin’ question, Cannon. Would you die for her?”
“In a heartbeat.” he said without hesitation. He collected two calculated steps. “I’m only gonna tell you one more time, put the gun down now before I hurt you. And I don’t want to do that.
It all happened so fast. My mind raced to process what was happening when she swung the gun to me and Cannon charged. Like a coward, I covered my eyes, terrified to face what was unfolding in front of me.