Page 18 of Cannon (King Family Saga #3)

Queen

Three days later, and I still felt his fingerprints on my throat like a brand.

I sat alone in my office, running my fingers over the spot where Cannon’s hand had claimed me.

The memory made my skin tingle, heat rushing through my body even though the air conditioning was blasting.

I hated myself for it, for wanting something that terrified me, for craving the surrender he demanded.

“Get your head together,” I whispered to myself, shuffling papers I wasn’t really reading.

Every time we passed each other these past few days, the air between us thickened. We kept shit professional but his eyes said something different. They said he remembered how I’d melted under his grip, how I’d whispered “Yes, sir” like my mouth was made to say those words.

My pussy pulsed and I wanted him so bad.

I shifted in my chair, trying to ignore how my body betrayed me every time I thought about him.

How my nipples hardened when I caught him watching me from across the club.

How my pussy tingled when he stood too close, that raw masculine energy wrapping around me like smoke.

“It’s just physical,” I told myself, taking a sip of coffee. “Just your body responding to a fine-ass man. Don’t mean nothing.”

But the lie tasted bitter on my tongue. This wasn’t just about wanting to fuck. This was about the way he saw through my bullshit, how he’d looked at me that night like he could read every dark thought I’d ever had. Like he knew exactly what I needed even when I didn’t want to admit it.

Control. That’s what this was really about. I’d spent so long gripping the reins of my life that the thought of letting someone else take them, even for a moment, was both terrifying and intoxicating.

My phone buzzed, breaking the spell. A text from Nori: “How’s the help? ??”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face. That bitch knew me too well.

“Working,” I texted back.

“Mmhmm. On what? On his dick?”

“Girl bye.”

“And you’re avoiding the question ??”

I set the phone down without responding. Nori was right, I was avoiding. Not just her questions, but the truth crawling under my skin: I wanted Cannon Price in ways I’d never wanted anyone.

A knock at my door snapped me out of my thoughts. I was about to call out when I heard muffled voices in the hallway. One was deep and controlled, the other sharp with irritation.

“You don’t need to escort me. I know where her office is,” Javi barked.

“Club policy. All visitors go through security first,” Cannon responded.

I rose from my chair and Cannon appeared in my doorway, his massive frame nearly blocking the entrance. Behind him stood Javi, looking pissed. I couldn’t lie, I took pleasure in seeing Javi vexed by Cannon.

“Your ex-husband is here to see you,” Cannon spoke, his eyes burning into mine.

Javi pushed past him in annoyance.

“I’m the father of your child. I don’t need an escort,” Javi said, glancing back at Cannon with thinly veiled contempt.

“Actually, Mr. Price is head of security, and he’s following protocol. Nobody comes up to my office unannounced.” I turned to Cannon, softening my tone just slightly. “Thank you for escorting him up. I appreciate you following procedure.”

Cannon’s eyes flickered with something devious. A tiny smirk peeked at the corner of his mouth. I’d never seen this man smile fully, ever.

“Just doing my job,” he replied, his deep voice rumbling through me like distant thunder. “You need anything else?”

“Yes, actually. Come see me before your shift ends tonight. We need to go over some security adjustments for the weekend.”

Cannon nodded, his gaze lingering on me a second longer than necessary. “Okay.”

He turned and left, but not before giving Javi one last menacing look as if he was about to tear him to shreds. The tension between them was thick enough to cut.

Once Cannon was gone, Javi’s face changed.

His eyes narrowed, and that familiar jealous expression I’d seen a thousand times during our marriage settled over his features.

“‘Come see me before your shift ends,’” he mimicked, his voice softer than mine had been when speaking to Cannon.

“Since when do you talk to your employees like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re asking them on a date instead of giving orders.” Javi moved further into my office, uninvited.

“I’m just trying to be more professional. Why are you here?” I asked.

“I looked into Alfred Dixon,” Javi said, leaning against my desk uninvited. “Found something interesting.”

I crossed my arms, trying to keep my face neutral. “What about him?”

“Motel owner in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Small place called the Pine Ridge Inn.”

My heart skipped a beat. “And?”

“And he’s dead, Queen. Murdered thirty years ago in his own establishment, in a hotel room. They think it was a robbery gone wrong or something to do with a prostitute.” Javi watched my face carefully. “Single gunshot to the head. Case went cold. No suspects, no leads, nothing.”

I nodded slowly, relief washing through me like a wave. Thirty years. Documented as a murder with no leads. My shoulders relaxed slightly. The murder haunted me but at least he was truly dead.

“Keisha’s going to be disappointed to learn her uncle is dead,” Javi continued, his eyes narrowing. “Funny thing though…I couldn’t find any connection between Alfred Dixon and anyone named Keisha.”

“She’ll be devastated,” I said, ignoring his implied question. “Thanks for looking into it.”

“You want to tell me the real reason you’re interested in a thirty-year-old unsolved murder?”

“I told you why.”

Javi shook his head. “You always were a good liar. Too good. Is this a crime your mother committed?”

“No. Are we done here?” I asked, reaching for my phone. “I got work to do.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk about ZaZa,” he said, shifting gears. “When’s she getting released?”

“Tomorrow morning. Doctor said she’s stable enough to come home.”

“Home with you, you mean.”

“That’s right.”

Javi leaned forward. “I’ll be there. To help bring her home.”

“You don’t need…”

“She’s my daughter too, Queen. I’m going to be there.”

I sighed. “Fine. Ten o’clock in the morning. Don’t be late.”

“I won’t.” He stood up, adjusting his jacket. “And maybe you could leave your new bodyguard at home. Let this be family time.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Cannon has nothing to do with this.”

“Doesn’t he? The way you look at him says different.” Javi’s voice dropped. “The way he looks at you too.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know you, Queen. I know when you want a man.”

Something inside me snapped. “You lost the right to have any opinion about who I want when you bent that bitch over our dresser.”

“That was years…”

“And let me make something crystal clear,” I continued, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You step out of line with me, try to control who I see or what I do, and I’ll put another bullet in you. But this time, I won’t aim for your leg.”

Javi’s jaw clenched, but he backed up a step. “All I’m saying is be careful. That man looks at you like you’re his, not the other way around. And I can smell the convict on him. He’s too young for you and way too dangerous.”

“Get out of my office.”

The door slammed behind Javi, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. I barely had time to exhale before Cannon returned, filling the room with his big dick energy.

“Everything okay in here?” His deep voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“Yeah, I’m good. But for future reference, Javi doesn’t need an escort. He’s safe enough to come up on his own.”

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click that somehow sounded like a threat.

“Let me make something crystal clear.” His voice dropped an octave. “Every single person who comes to see you goes through me first. No exceptions.”

He moved closer, the space between us shrinking with each step. “You should feel lucky, I even left that nigga alone with you. You don’t get to decide who bypasses security. That’s my job. That’s what you hired me for.”

“He’s my ex-husband, Cannon. The father of my child.”

“I don’t give a fuck. He’s a cop. I clocked that shit the second I laid eyes on him. Cops can’t be trusted. Especially not around here.”

He had a point but Javi had never done anything to betray me, not even when I shot him in the leg.

“I fuckin’ hate that you were ever tied to a lame like that.” His jaw clenched.

There was nothing I could say in return. I’d always known I could do better than Javi, but I chose him because I needed stability. When we got together I was so used to handling everything on my own, I thought a cop would be responsible enough to hold me down. I was wrong.

“If you undermine my security procedures again,” Cannon’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, “I’ll make sure you remember who runs security around here.”

The threat hung in the air between us, electric and charged with something that wasn’t quite anger. His eyes held mine, demanding submission without saying a word.

And the most fucked up part? I wanted to give it to him.

“Understood,” I said, the word coming out softer than I intended. Who in the hell was I? I do not let men talk to me like this.

He studied my face for a moment longer, then nodded and turned toward the door. My heart pounded in my chest, relief and disappointment battling for dominance.

“That’s all,” I called after him, my voice cool and dismissive, desperate to regain some control over the situation.

Cannon turned back to me, his hand still on the doorknob. His lips curled into something sinister.

“That’s all?” he repeated, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble. “Nah. You want something else from me. You just won’t admit it.”

My breath caught in my throat. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He stepped back toward me, each movement deliberate, predatory. “All that attitude… it’s just a front. I see right through you, Queen.”

“You don’t know shit about me,” I snapped, but my voice betrayed me, coming out breathier than I intended.

He laughed, the sound dark and knowing. “I know more than you think. I know how your pulse jumped when I put my hand on your throat. Even your scent changed when I touched you. I know you’ve been avoiding being alone with me because you’re scared of what might happen.”

Heat rushed to my face. I hated how accurate he was, how easily he read me.

“Get out of my office.”

“Make me,” he challenged, moving closer until I could smell his energy.

I stood my ground, refusing to back up even as he invaded my space. “You work for me, remember?”

“Do I?” His eyes traced over my face, lingering on my lips. “Feels like something else is happening here.”

I tried to step around him, needing to escape the intensity building between us, but he was faster. His hand shot out, sliding up my thigh, under my dress. The heat of his palm burned through me.

“Stop,” I gasped, shoving at his chest. He didn’t move an inch, solid as a wall.

His fingers caressed the outside of my panties, rubbing right over my pulsing clit. With his other hand, he gripped my jaw, forcing me to look at him.

“Listen to me carefully,” he whispered, his lips nearly brushing mine. “When I decide I want you, and I will, I’m gonna take you. And you won’t stop me. You don’t get to decide this.”

My heart hammered against my ribs, fear and desire tangling inside me until I couldn’t tell them apart. I should have been outraged, should have slapped him, fired him on the spot. Instead, I stood frozen, my body betraying me with every rapid breath.

“You’re out of your fucking mind,” I managed to say, but there was no conviction behind it.

He smiled, a predator who knew his prey was already caught. “Maybe. But so are you for wanting it.”

Then he released me, stepping back so suddenly I almost stumbled. Without another word, he turned and walked out, closing the door with a soft click that echoed in the silence.

I collapsed into my chair, legs weak, skin burning where he’d touched me. Anger and arousal warred inside. I was going to have to fire him because this couldn’t keep happening.