No Limits

by Lori Foster

  Although she had to admit, she would never turn down the opportunity to taste him.

  “PDAs,” Merissa griped, “especially in front of your sister, are so very uncool.”

  Cannon grinned as he let her go. “Around Yvette, I can’t help the occasional public display of affection.”

  “I like her,” Merissa said, “so you’re forgiven.”

  Yvette wondered if they both meant it. If Cannon did feel any real affection for her, would Rissy be okay with it?

  After Merissa got in the car with Yvette, Armie tried to trade places with Denver. But Cherry had decided to stay behind, so Denver wouldn’t budge.

  It was all pretty hilarious, and definitely distracting.

  At the shop, they all pitched in, and not only did they get the boxes unloaded from the truck, they got many of them emptied into the glass cases and shelves that she’d already arranged around the shop.

  Now that she’d scrubbed the floors clean and put out area rugs it all looked amazing, if she did say so herself.

  As soon as she got her business license, hopefully within the next two weeks, she’d be able to do a grand opening.

  Just as they finished up, she noticed some girls—probably high school age—staring in the big front window. When she looked behind her, Yvette saw both Stack and Armie as the girls probably saw them.

  Big, built and shirtless.

  She grinned and nudged Merissa.

  “What?” Merissa asked as she broke down an empty box.

  Yvette nodded at the window.

  Snorting a laugh, Merissa also looked at the guys. Or more specifically, at Armie. Unaware of his audience, mostly because he’d been doing his best to ignore Merissa, he reached his arms up, hands locked together and stretched.

  Merissa sighed.

  The girls outside knocked on the window and waved. When Armie glanced at them, they twittered and flirted and one looked to be adjusting her shirt to show more cleavage.

  Smiling crookedly, Armie shook his head, and as he went to look away, his gaze caught on Merissa. The smile faded under a frown.

  Merissa tucked her hands under her chin and mocked the girls, giggling as they had, batting her eyelashes, all in all acting foolish.

  Yvette and Stack both laughed.

  Even Armie cracked a smile.

  “Our adoring fan club,” Stack said. “Too bad they aren’t twenty-one-year-old hotties instead of jailbait.”

  Yvette remembered a time when she’d been jailbait, shamelessly coming on to Cannon.

  Dropping the act, crossing her arms and aiming her ire at Armie, Rissy said, “Or what? You’d mosey out there and offer yourself up?”

  “Something like that,” Armie replied with identical challenge.

  Stack raised a hand. “I would, yeah.” He glanced again at the girls, a brow lifted in speculation. “Hell, if I knew for certain they were eighteen—”

  Gasping, Merissa threw up her hands. “You guys are shameless!”

  In an aside to Armie, Stack asked, “Does she believe her brother really is a saint?”

  Not wanting to hear about any of Cannon’s escapades, Yvette interrupted. “I can’t thank all of you enough. Just look at this place now.” She turned a circle, giddy with exuberance. “It’s almost full and I still have more boxes.”

  “What else will you need to do?” Stack asked.

  “Nothing more today.” A glance at the time on her phone told her she needed to get home and get ready.

  “Well, if you need me, just let me know.”

  She smiled at Stack.

  “Same here,” Armie said.

  Marveling at their generosity, Yvette nodded. “You’re all…wonderful.”

  “It’s how it works,” Armie told her. “Cannon’s saved my ass more times than I can count.”

  “Me, too,” Stack said.

  “I know about you,” Rissy told Stack before she turned to Armie. “What’d he do for you?”

  “Not your business, Stretch.” He pulled on his shirt. “Let’s just say we’re family, okay?”

  “Not you and me,” Rissy said.

  He scowled at her. “I was talking about Cannon and me.”

  “I’m his sister.”

  “Is that a news flash?”

  Speaking over them, Stack said, “They squabble like siblings, don’t they?” With an arm around Yvette, he said, “If we’re all done here, I need to get back to the rec center.”

  Armie said, “Merissa is heading that way. She can take you and I’ll go with Yvette.”

  Merissa opened her mouth to argue, but must have changed her mind. “Sure. Come on, Stack. We’ll talk. About things.” She shot a look at Armie so he’d know exactly what she wanted to discuss.

  Smirking, Stack murmured, “Oh, the stories I can tell….”

  As they disappeared out the door, Yvette expected Armie to blow, but instead he laughed.

  “You aren’t worried?” Turning out lights, then digging the keys from her purse, Yvette rejoined him.

  “No.” He took the keys from her and, after they stepped out, locked up everything. “Stack enjoys needling me, but he’d never tell anything he shouldn’t. He’s as dependable as they come.”

  “Such a big secret,” Yvette mused. “Now I’m dying of curiosity.”

  Not taking the bait, he opened the truck door for her. “Gotta know, huh?”

  “Oh.” Surprised at how he’d said that, she shook her head. “No, I was just—” He closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side.

  “You realize what a great guy Cannon is, right?”

  “Absolutely.” Reaching out, Yvette put her hand on his forearm. “But, Armie, really, I wasn’t prying. It was a bad joke.”

  “It’s all right.” He started the truck, but didn’t yet pull away. Staring straight ahead, he said, “I was once accused of something…pretty bad. The sort of thing no up-front guy wants to be accused of.”

  Feeling his emotional distance, Yvette retreated. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  He chewed his lip, then shook his head and put the truck in gear. After a quick glance at the road, he pulled away from the curb. “I hadn’t done it, just so you know.”

  She had no idea what “it” might be, but she nodded. “Okay.”

  “Cannon knew it, too. No questions asked. No doubt. He believed in me one hundred percent.”

  Sounded like Cannon. He was a man of very strong convictions, and obviously a great judge of character. “I’m glad he was there for you.”

  “If he hadn’t been… I dunno. It would have gotten pretty ugly. But Cannon did what he always does. He got involved. Found the right people who could clear me, stood up for me even when others didn’t.” He flexed his shoulders, cracking his neck. “Feel free to ask him about it if you want.”

  “I don’t need to.” She could tell it was a very private, still-painful incident for him. “I trust Cannon, and if he trusts you, that’s good enough for me.”

  Armie relaxed enough to wink at her. “See, this is why you fit right in.”

  Did she? She hoped so. Around Cannon’s friends, she felt more at home than she had since moving to California. “The thing is, that’s between you and Cannon. It doesn’t obligate you to me by extension.”

  “Sure, it does.”

  “No—”

  “If Rissy needed something, you’d try to help her out, right?”

  Without thinking about it, she said, “Of course.”

  Satisfaction curled his mouth. “Because she’s Cannon’s baby sis, and you care about Cannon.”

  God help her, she loved Cannon. Always had and probably always would. There wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for him.

  Clearing the melon-size lump out of her throat, she squeaked, “Yes.”

  “There you go. Accept the helping hand when any of us offers, okay? We’ll be offended otherwise. And seriously, we’re all annoying as shit when we’re offended.”

  He spoke of “us”
and “we” as if the fighters who utilized the rec center were always of one mind. And maybe, when it came to certain things—like Cannon—they were. She didn’t really know what to say, so she said simply, “It’s very much appreciated.”

  “And fun, right? Everyone enjoys hanging out together. It’s not as though hanging a door or moving a few boxes takes all that much effort.”

  “I had fun.”

  “Good.”

  He turned down the street toward her house. They saw that the door was up, and it looked terrific. Better than the old door. Probably more secure, as well.

  “Dirtbag.”

  Yvette had been occupied watching Cannon replace tools in the garage, but at that growled sentiment, she looked at Armie. “What?”

  “The coward who dicked with your door. I hate that sneaky crap.”

  She pretty much hated it, too. “It bothers me a lot that my problems are spilling over and affecting Cannon. If I could, I’d keep him totally uninvolved.”

  Armie snorted. “Some friendly advice—don’t say that to Cannon. No involved guy would want to hear it, but Cannon gets more involved than most.”

  Knowing he was probably right, she said in a smaller voice, “I only meant uninvolved with the trouble.” And before he made her feel even worse, she explained, “I wanted him to see me differently this time.”

  At that, Armie laughed outright.

  Insulted, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Why is that funny?”

  “How the hell did you want him to see you? The poor guy is upside down over you.” He lifted a brow. “Majorly in lust.”

  “Armie,” she warned.

  But he’d already moved on. “He likes you, too, though. Wouldn’t have brought you around the rec center otherwise. And clearly he enjoys you. Don’t think I’ve ever seen the guy so touchy-feely, and always smiling.” Shaking his head, he asked, “Did you want him to be oblivious?”

  “Of course not.” She wanted him to be…well, impressed. And didn’t that just make her sound shallow?

  “Then I’d say he’s seeing you exactly as he should.” Softening, going more serious, he said, “But, hon, I get what you’re saying. You wanted to show him that you were free of the past.”

  Exactly! “Yes, that’s what I meant.”

  “Only no one ever is. Not me, not Cannon.” He glanced at her. “Not you. Some shit digs in, gets under our skin, and while we might get used to it, we can’t get rid of it. It takes part in everything we do, every decision we make.”

  Did Armie’s past play into his outrageousness? Most likely. She rubbed a smudge of dirt on her jeans. “The thing is, Cannon got pulled into all my mayhem before I moved away. Then, as soon as I get home, I find out my grandfather has more or less saddled him with me. I was dealing with that, but now Heath is here, causing more trouble.” The spot of dirt remained—much like her problems.

  “I say you just go with it.”

  She gave up on her messy clothes and instead stared at Armie. “Go with it how?”

  “Stop fighting fate. Stop fighting Cannon.”

  “I haven’t been!”

  “Bull. I see it, so I guarantee you that he sees it.” He pulled into the driveway, and Cannon started out of the open garage to greet them.

  “You’re here,” Armie added. “Looks to me as if you’re staying. So jump in with both feet. Tiptoeing around never got anything accomplished.”

  She didn’t have time to assimilate that before Cannon opened her door, tugged her out and greeted her with his mouth on hers.

  “Way to make me feel like a third wheel,” Armie complained.

  Cannon kept his arm around her waist. “Everyone knows you like things in threes.”

  “Not when I’m just a bystander.” Grinning at Yvette’s blush, Armie added, “Got everything moved in and locked up again before we left.”

  “Great. Drinks are on me tonight.”

  When they both laughed, Yvette said, “Why is that a joke?”

  “Because neither of us will be drinking.” He stole another kiss, took her hand and started for the garage. “I have to show you what we found.” He looked back. “Come on, Armie. You’ll want to see this, too.”

  In the middle of the floor was a medium-size safe. Yvette looked up and saw a panel missing in the ceiling. “It was up there?”

  “Yeah. Centered on two-by-fours across the rafters. Damn thing weighs around a hundred pounds. We had a heck of a time getting it down.”

  “We?” Armie asked, walking around the safe.

  “Denver helped. It barely fits through the opening, so it was pretty awkward.”

  “And if you misstepped, you and the safe both would have come through the ceiling.”

  Yvette knelt down to look at the locks. “Why would Grandpa have that up there?”

  “No idea,” Cannon said. “But with the double locks, we’ll need both the key and the pass code to open it.” He crouched down beside her. “You run across anything like that?”

  “Not so far, no. But I can keep an eye out.”

  “Until then, I think I’ll bring it inside, just in case he has anything valuable in there. Doubtful, given where he had it stored, but…” Cannon shrugged. “Could be whatever is in there is so important that he didn’t want to leave it in the obvious places.”

  “A mystery.” Armie rubbed his hands together. “Now you have me interested.”

  “Where do you want me to put it?” Cannon asked.

  “Our…” She glanced at Armie and amended, “My bedroom, I guess.”

  Though Armie said nothing at her near slip, he had to pinch his mouth to keep from grinning. “Guess I should get going. I’ll see you both at Rowdy’s.”

  After he’d left, Cannon hefted the safe to carry it in, and Yvette held the door open. He set it inside her closet for safekeeping.

  Yvette double-checked the various keys and papers that they’d gotten from Whitaker, but there wasn’t anything for the safe. She glanced at the clock and knew she had to hustle to get ready.

  Tonight, when they returned from Rowdy’s, she’d do a search to see if she could find a way to access the safe.

  She watched Cannon peel off his shirt as he headed into the hall shower and decided the safe could wait. As soon as they got home, she’d let him know she was ready. Past ready.

  She’d waited long enough.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  THE BAR WAS insanely packed. Every table, booth and bar stool was taken with standing room only. Denver, Armie, Stack and a few others had tables toward the back—leaving the up-front tables for Cannon’s fans—and luckily they’d saved her a seat.

  After seeing her to their table, Cannon cupped her face. “I might be busy for a few hours, but I’ll keep checking back here.”

  For what? If Heath was still around, he couldn’t bother her in a place this congested with onlookers. “I’ll be fine,” she promised him. “Go and have fun.”

  Customers started chanting his name, leaving him chagrined. He touched her mouth with his fingertips, leaned in for a demonstrative kiss that made it clear they were together, then turned and headed up front.

  All along the way, male fans greeted him with fist bumps, high fives and the occasional clap on the shoulder.

  Female fans were more outrageous, running their fingers along his shoulders or arm as he passed, blowing him kisses, doing what they could to gain attention.

  Totally in his element, Cannon reciprocated to the crowd and mugged for pictures.

  Rowdy and his wife, Avery, stayed busy filling drinks from behind the bar, with Ella and two other waitresses wending repeatedly through the crowd with trays.

  When Cannon reached the front, Rowdy paused to shake out a Rowdy’s bar T-shirt and, with the women wolf whistling and cheering him on, handed it over to Cannon.

  Yvette could barely see, but when she heard the new roar, she went on tiptoe to peek.

  At ease, Cannon stood there in jeans only.

  Her heart
tripped, especially when she saw Mary right up front, toasting him with a beer.

  He pulled on the black shirt that served as a uniform for the bar and the cheers turned to mournful protests. Grinning, Cannon wagged his finger at the crowd.

  Bending to her ear, Armie murmured, “Better get used to it. At a fight preview it’ll be even worse. Or an after-party? Forget it. The women try to molest him.”

  Yvette lightly elbowed him, which only made him laugh.

  The night rolled on pleasantly enough. The women who weren’t flirting with Cannon flirted with Armie and Denver and Stack.

  Armie seemed resistant, which told her he was her watchdog for the night. “Raining on your parade, aren’t I?”

  “Naw. I needed a break anyway.”

  She laughed with him.

  Cannon came around, bringing her a glass of wine, beer for Denver and Stack, water with lime for Armie.

  And again he kissed her. “Having fun?”

  “It’s terrific,” she told him. One hand to his chest, smoothing over the Getting Rowdy logo, she asked, “How are you holding up?”

  His hand curled over her nape. He put his mouth to her throat, her jaw, up to her ear, where he whispered, “I miss you.”

  She felt herself flushing. Everyone looked at them. “You’re going to break so many hearts tonight.”

  His teeth caught her earlobe, his tongue touched and he breathed, “I’m discouraging all the guys who are looking your way.”

  A surprised laugh burst out, and she hugged him. “Don’t be silly.”

  “Silly, huh?”

  “You are the center of attention,” she told him. “No one is paying any attention to me.”

  As if perplexed, he studied her face, his blue eyes dark in the dim light, his lashes leaving exaggerated shadows over his gorgeous face. “Amazing.”

  “What?”

  “You really don’t realize.” He shook his head, went back to her ear and whispered, “I love your modesty. It’s as sexy as the rest of you.”

  Heart thumping, lips parted, Yvette watched him finish circulating the room.

  She jumped when Armie nudged her.

  “Penny for your thoughts.”