by Kendall Ryan
I gripped his hips, flashing him a playful smile. “Fuck me, big boy.”
“With pleasure, beautiful.” He drew back, finding the right angle, then pressed forward slowly so that the broad tip of him entered me.
I winced at the intrusion and Cannon paused, allowing me to adjust. Apparently it had been longer than I thought, and my body was all W-T-F.
Concern knitted his brow as he looked down at me. “You’re pretty tight,” he said softly.
“Sorry,” I gritted out.
“Don’t be. You’re perfect the way you are.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had told me that. I sure as hell didn’t feel perfect. I felt confused and so full—of emotion, of him—that I might fall apart so completely I’d never be put back together the same way ever again.
“You need a minute?” he whispered.
Burying my face in the warm crook of his neck, I nodded. How embarrassing!
I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I knew Cannon was primed and ready for this, knew I needed to relax and let him in. This was my idea, after all. Another deep inhale, and I parted my knees further.
Just then, a series of loud knocks rang out against my front door.
What the hell? No one ever came over unannounced. A wave of frustration seized me. Really, universe? Right goddamn now?
Cannon looked just as startled as I felt. “Are you expecting someone?”
I met his eyes and shook my head. “Of course not.”
Everything was quiet for a second, and I figured whoever it was had the wrong house and they’d moved on.
“Need to fuck you.” Cannon groaned, gripping my ass roughly in one palm. I knew his restraint was hanging by a thread, and that sent my heart racing.
“Yes,” I moaned.
He pushed in one inch more and we both held our breath, waiting for me to adjust. The pain soon ebbed, giving way to a sweet, satisfying stretch, and I parted my thighs to signal him deeper . . .
The silence evaporated as the knocking started again, louder this time. And it didn’t let up. Someone was pounding at my door like a lunatic.
My eyes widened and found Cannon’s. What a fucking awkward situation. With just the wide flared head of his cock inside me, there we lay, our limbs intertwined, our hearts pounding, like a porno left on pause.
Of all the absurd situations to find myself in—being interrupted by pounding at the door, when all I wanted was him pounding into me.
He groaned in frustration, placing his lips against my throat. “Don’t even fucking think about it.”
“I have to. Just let me see who it is, and I’ll send them away. I promise. I just don’t want my neighbors to call the police.”
He pulled out of me, achingly slowly, letting out a hiss. “Fuck.”
I patted his chest and smiled at him.
Gripping my wrist, he held me firm and met my eyes. “Hurry.”
His cock stood tall, proud, and tempting against his stomach, and I gave it one last look of longing as I threw my shirt on over my head and shimmied into my discarded jeans.
Fuck! Leaving my damp panties on the floor, I rushed from the bedroom toward the front door. The motherfucking zombie apocalypse better be here for all the racket going on at my doorstep.
Glancing through the peephole, I saw that it was Allie.
Chapter Twelve
Paige
“You better be dead or dying.” I pulled open the door with a huff.
Allie was standing at my front door, her fist still poised for pounding. If she only knew what she’d interrupted, what was going on inside the bedroom a mere twenty feet away . . .
What the hell? Hot shame burned through me at the sight of Allie’s bright red face, streaked with tears and the remnants of her mascara.
“Oh God, Al. What’s going on?” I pulled her inside, and she practically launched herself into my arms with a broken sob.
It took several minutes of coaxing the words out of her, waiting patiently as she gulped and hiccupped, to understand that she’d had a fight with James.
I led her to the couch and told her to sit while I grabbed a box of tissues. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. I sped toward Cannon’s room to tell him to get his ass dressed and presentable ASAP.
“Cannon!” I whispered, peeking in through the open door. He was still lying in the center of the bed, naked, with his hard cock jutting up on his belly. “Allie’s here,” I whisper-yelled.
“Fuck!” He jumped up from the bed, grabbing his pants from the floor and yanking them on at lightning speed.
I winced at the idea of how it must feel to stuff that huge erection back inside its tight denim prison. Eeee. Not good, I imagined.
But I had no time to linger. I rushed off to grab the tissues and met Allie back in the living room. Thankfully, she gave no indication of suspecting that her brother was just inside me not thirty seconds ago. Fucking hell! I was a terrible friend.
Handing her a wad of tissues, I sat down beside her to wait as she blew her nose and got herself under control. It took several minutes of deep breathing.
I took her hand. “What in the world happened?” Even if I wasn’t a fan, Allie loved James. Whatever it was would surely blow over in a day or two, once they both had a chance to cool down.
“He’s been cheating on me for months.”
Or maybe not. “What are you talking about?” I asked.
Cannon strolled out of the bedroom looking collected and put together. Thank God. He met my eyes quickly as he gave Allie a hug. “You okay, sis?”
She sucked in a breath and nodded once. “I will be once I get that lying, cheating sack of shit out of my life.”
“What happened?” I asked, trying to ignore my body’s response to Cannon’s proximity. Pesky pheromones. It had been way too long since I’d had any attention from the opposite sex. I would have to rectify that; otherwise I’d be jumping Cannon’s bones every chance I got. I made a mental note to sign up for that stupid dating app Allie had been hounding me about the first chance I got.
Allie took a deep breath. “James has been having an affair.” She spoke calmly, but her expression was pained and her hands were fisted in her lap. “It was all a lie—all the times he said he had to work late, or go into the office on a Sunday. He’s been carrying on with another woman for months now. A divorcée with two kids . . . not that it fucking matters.”
All the breath whooshed from my lungs. That was the last thing I’d expected to hear.
“I saw some text messages on his phone. I wasn’t snooping; it was sitting right there on the counter. And when I confronted him, he admitted everything.”
“Fuck that.” Cannon rose to his feet, heading toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Allie whined.
He pulled his shoes on and grabbed his car keys from the counter. “I’m going over there to beat his ass.”
Allie jumped up and grabbed her brother’s arm. “Stop and think for two seconds. As much as I’d love for you to deliver that beat-down, it’s not worth you getting in trouble or messing up your hands. You’re going to be a world-renowned surgeon one day. And that makes me much happier than you kicking his ass ever would.”
Cannon’s eyes narrowed on hers and he released a deep breath, his nostrils flaring.
I’d never seen him so angry. Sure, I’d seen his protective side a million times growing up, but not with this much ferocity. It was kind of fucking hot.
After a few tense moments, Allie succeeded in talking him out of his plan, and Cannon sat down beside me once again. The fun, flirty mood we’d shared earlier was gone, driven out by the angry tension that filled the room.
Over the next hour, Cannon and I took turns building Allie up, telling her she was better off without James, and bolstering her self-confidence. I wasn’t certain it was working, but at least Allie was no longer crying, and she was nodding along with what
we were saying.
I was careful not to admit that I’d never liked James. Part of me knew—with utmost disgust, but still—that it was possible he’d come crawling back, say all the right things, and they’d patch things up. If that happened, revealing my dislike for him would forever drive a wedge between Allie and me.
Cannon had no such qualms, repeatedly telling Allie that she could do better and that James was nothing more than a piece of trash. I silently cheered him on.
Soon we were drinking wine, munching on popcorn, and watching the latest horror movie that we’d rented. While Allie was still emotionally devastated, she had recovered enough to put on a brave face. She’d already texted James and told him to make sure that he and his things were gone by morning. I was immensely proud of her.
“Love you, Al,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze.
Sometime later, I woke to a large hand nudging my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open, and I found Cannon standing over me. Through my sleepy haze, I noticed the TV was off, all the snacks and drinks had been cleaned up, and Allie lay asleep on the couch with a blanket tucked around her.
“Come on,” he whispered, offering me his hand.
I accepted, letting him pull me to my feet. “I think I nodded off during that last movie.”
“You and Allie both.” Placing one arm around my waist, he smiled. “I’ve got you.”
He helped me to my bedroom but stopped at the threshold, as though he didn’t want to invade my space. A knot of worry formed inside me. Earlier he’d been so eager—we both had. But now things felt murky.
“So, what happens next?” I asked.
“Allie’s tough. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“I wasn’t talking about Allie and James. I meant us.”
“Oh, right. You mean . . .” His eyebrows jumped up flirtatiously.
“Yes.”
“That was probably the worst case of blue balls I’ve ever had, but I get it. My sister needed you. You’re a good friend.”
Oh yeah, some great friend. I was practically riding her little brother a few hours ago.
I nodded, though, and released a heavy sigh. “Maybe a rain check?”
“If that’s what you want,” he murmured, leaning down to press a soft kiss against my cheek. “But I’m working nights the next few days. You may not see much of me.”
“Okay. Good night,” I whispered, heading into my bedroom.
I had no idea how our half-finished encounter would change the atmosphere around the house, or when this rain check might be cashed in. But what happened next was totally unexpected.
Chapter Thirteen
Paige
Cannon hadn’t been lying when he’d said I wouldn’t see much of him this week. It was Thursday and our paths had crossed only twice while he was coming and going. He worked all night at the hospital, then slept all day. We occasionally left each other Post-it notes around the house, silly little things like the strict orders I gave him to stay away from my Chinese leftovers, or the note he’d left letting me know we were out of almond milk but he’d pick up more.
While I was busy not seeing Cannon, it gave me time to stew over my decision to sleep with him. My stomach had been tied in knots all week over what to do. Clearly, our failed attempt at sex was a sign from the universe. Sleeping with Allie’s little brother had been a terrible idea, after all. Horniness had clouded my judgment. I just needed to get laid, and I had a plan for how to take care of that. One that wouldn’t ruin my longest-standing friendship, or turn things weird with my new and decidedly male roommate.
It was dark outside, and Cannon was gone for the evening. As I sat with a glass of wine in one hand and my phone in the other, I scrolled through photos of guys the dating app had matched me with.
Allie had worn me down; I’d finally signed up. She’d been true to her word and had thrown James and all his shit out of her apartment, so I felt like letting her have this small victory was the right thing to do. Spending so much of this week alone, feeling lonely and sorry for myself, had only pushed me harder in that direction.
Taking another sip of chardonnay, I clicked on the envelope icon in the upper right corner of the screen. I had two unread messages—the first was an automated message welcoming me to the site, but the other was from someone named Daniel. His message was brief and playful.
Daniel: You look like trouble. ;)
I smiled and clicked on his photo to enlarge it. The brown-haired, brown-eyed man in the photo was decent-looking, I supposed. Cannon was much hotter with his messy sandy hair and huge biceps and magnetic smile. But Cannon wasn’t here right now, and he was off-limits anyway. I clicked Reply and typed a return message.
After another glass of wine and several messages back and forth, I was actually having a good time talking to Daniel. He lived one town over and worked as a financial analyst. He was thirty-two and had never been married, and his messages made me laugh. But then Daniel asked me out to dinner tomorrow night, and even though I was free, I hesitated. Part of me felt strange going out with someone else when Cannon’s cock had been this close to penetrating me only a handful of days ago. I told Daniel I would think about it and let him know tomorrow, and then went to plug my phone in to charge in the kitchen.
I hadn’t expected to be asked out on a date so quickly. Allie was right about one thing, that dating site certainly worked fast. But seriously, what was I supposed to do when a decent-looking man who seemed nice and normal suggested dinner? Say no thanks, I have a rain check to sleep with my new roommate? That would be crazy. I doubted Cannon would have turned down female attention simply because we might, or might not, be rescheduling our failed fuck session.
After filling a glass with tap water, I stood at the sink, taking small sips. It wasn’t like Cannon would even know about the date. He was working nights, and I’d probably be gone and back before he knew anything. Not that I needed to hide Daniel from him—I was perfectly in my rights to date. Wasn’t I?
I dumped the rest of the glass into the sink, then grabbed my phone and replied to Daniel, letting him know we were on for tomorrow night. Having that settled should have felt good, but instead it only left me feeling more confused.
As I went to get ready for bed, I hoped this weekend would bring me some clarity on what to do about Cannon. I had an unhealthy fascination with him, and didn’t see that ending anytime soon with us living under the same roof.
• • •
Daniel was a dud.
Okay, that wasn’t totally fair. Dinner was good and the conversation was fine, but Daniel and I simply didn’t have any chemistry. It was like talking to my cousin or a coworker. There was no spark, no electricity buzzing between us—not like my conversations with Cannon.
I removed my napkin from my lap, wiped my mouth one last time, and set it on the table beside me.
“Are you finished?” Daniel asked.
I nodded and signaled the server to bring our check. I’d been discreetly checking my phone under the table. The more wine I drank at dinner, the better idea it seemed to try to get home in time to see Cannon. And if we left now, I had twenty-three minutes before he left for his night shift at the hospital.
Daniel nabbed the check as soon as the server dropped it off. “I’ve got this. Thank you for joining me for dinner.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind splitting it,” I offered.
He nodded. “It’s my pleasure.”
I smiled at him. He really was a nice guy.
While he settled the bill, I used the restroom, checking my appearance in the mirror. Satisfied that my hair and makeup were still in place and I didn’t have any food stuck in my teeth, I met Daniel at the front of the restaurant.
He drove me home, talking to me yet again about his work as a financial analyst.
I held back a yawn. Surely two people could find more to talk about than spreadsheets and investments. But I didn’t care enough to try, so I nodded along.
“Thank you for
tonight,” I said when he stopped at the curb in front of my house.
He put his car into park and hopped out, coming around to open my door. He was a little old-fashioned, insisting on picking me up, paying for dinner, and opening doors. But I kind of liked that in a man.
“I’ll walk you up to your door,” he suggested.
I nodded, following him up the stairs to my small porch, and plastered a polite smile onto my lips while he finished his story about last quarter’s earnings statements.
Come on! Cannon’s car was still parked out front, which meant he was still inside.
But then Daniel leaned in, his garlic breath fanning over my cheek, and I did the only thing I could think of. I brought my knee up swiftly, connecting with the spot between Daniel’s legs.
“Oompf!” He doubled over, his forehead crashing into my nose.
“Ow.” My nose stung where I’d been struck.
“Why the hell did you do that?” Daniel barked.
I had no answer. Panicked, I guessed. When I pinched the bridge of my nose, my hand came away red. Shit. My nose was bleeding and Daniel was still bent in half, clutching his crotch.
“I . . . I’m so sorry,” I stammered.
The door flew open and Cannon’s gaze raked over me, then Daniel, and back to me. Specifically, the blood running from my nose. His eyes turned murderous as he set his sights back on Daniel.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” he growled, stalking closer.
Grabbing Cannon’s firm bicep, I stepped between them. “It was just a misunderstanding. He didn’t hit me. We bumped heads.”
Cannon didn’t stop glaring daggers at Daniel.
I found it hard to blame Cannon for disbelieving an unbelievable situation. Who the hell fails so hard at kissing they come away with a bloody nose? God, I was a hot mess.
“Come on, Paige. Let’s go inside.” Cannon offered me his hand and I took it, letting him draw me away from the man on my porch.
