Page 43 of Cannon

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 himstood 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?”