Once he got a hold of himself, he turned to me and said, “It’s a good name, baby,” and my grin pulled even bigger.
As ridiculous as it was, for some reason his approval of something as stupid as a cat’s name settled in my chest and felt . . . well, really good. “Thanks.”
I settled in as he started the truck up and pulled out of the forecourt, feeling a bit more at ease as the rumble of the engine vibrated through me, lulling me into a sense of comfort.
As I watched through the window at the scenery passing by, I couldn’t help but think about just how beautiful my new town was. Redemption was a biker town, no doubt about it. There were several stores that catered heavily to the motorcycle enthusiasts, and even the cutesy little boutiques sold clothing I imagined would be comfortable for a woman riding with her man. A lot of the buildings along the main strip had that old, retro saloon feel to them. The downtown area kind of reminded me of a modern-day Tombstone, nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
Even with all the bad memories that plagued me from my upbringing, I couldn’t deny that Connecticut held plenty of beauty of its own, but it was nothing compared to Redemption, Tennessee.
I’d known for weeks just how amazing this place was, but I’d always been the one behind the wheel whenever I drove through, so I hadn’t been able to get the full effect until just now.
I was so lost in soaking everything in, I hadn’t realized we weren’t at the inn until Cannon killed the engine and I looked out the windshield to see we’d parked in front of a pet store.
“What are we doing here?”
He pulled the keys from the ignition and shifted to shove them in the pocket of his jeans before tilting his chin down at Crash. “You plannin’ on keepin’ him?”
“I was hoping to. If Poppy’ll allow it.” I reached across the seat, giving my new cat a scratch behind his ear. “I’ve never had a pet of my own before.”
“Poppy’s good people. She’ll allow it, Hummingbird.”
Hope swelled in my chest and came through my voice as I asked, “You really think so?”
“Know so, darlin’. And since that’s the case, you’re gonna need some supplies for this little guy, yeah?”
“I—” Any other words I could have possibly thought of died on my tongue as I stared across the truck, my eyes suddenly stinging with impending tears. I’d been with Lance for years, and never once had he done something so thoughtful that it put me on the verge of crying. I’d grown up not realizing a woman should want more from her man. At best, my father treated my mom with cold indifference, so when Lance started showing those same traits even before his ring was on my finger, I thought nothing of it.
But after weeks in this new town, I’d witnessed Buck bend over backward for Darla. I’d seen male customers pull out their wives’ chairs. I’d watched couples in love slow dance to country ballads playing on the jukebox at the bar.
And now this.
It took several seconds to compose myself, and as I fought to keep the tears at bay, Cannon sat in silence, patiently waiting to follow my lead.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“One thing you need to learn about me, baby; I never do anything I don’t wanna do. Now say ‘thank you,’ and let’s get this shit done, yeah?”
My tongue peeked out to wet my bottom lip just before my mouth pulled up into a smile. I wasn’t sure why, but I found his bossiness amusing. “Thank you, Cannon.”
“Any time, Hummingbird.” With that, he shot me a wink while pushing the driver side door open.
And as dangerous as it was, I might have swooned just a little bit.
Chapter 8
Farah
As we walked through the aisles of the local pet store, I held Crash against my chest tightly, like he was my own personal shield against all the curious glances Cannon and I had received since stepping through the automatic doors.
“All right, baby,” he spoke in that whiskey smooth voice of his as he brought the cart he was pushing to a stop in an aisle loaded with cat stuff. “Where you wanna start?”
“Uh . . .” I glanced at the myriad of items lining the shelves. “Maybe . . . food?”
Those beautiful hazel eyes sparkled with amusement as he stared down at me. “That a question?”
“Um, I don’t . . .” I chewed on my bottom lip for a second. “I’ve never had a pet before. I’m not really sure what’s needed to take care of a cat.”
I watched in fascination as his chiseled features grew soft right before my very eyes. It was an incredible look on him. “That’s okay. Between the two of us, I’m sure we can figure it out. First, let’s think about what’s needed to keep that little guy alive, then we’ll take it from there.”
I let out a small laugh and followed him as he started down the aisle.
Things had gone smoothly for a while. We’d gotten a litter box, a couple toys, a small bag of dry cat food as well as a few cans of wet in case Crash preferred variety, but now I was at a standstill in front of all the litter options, trying to decide between all the different boxes.
“Not that hard a decision, Hummingbird,” Cannon said, the laughter evident in his voice as he came to a stop beside me.
“You’d think,” I replied flatly as I studied the different labels. “But you’ve got easy clumping, then there’s odor eliminating. What I can’t figure out is why the hell there isn’t an option for both! I mean, you’d that would be common sense, right?”
I saw his body shake with silent laughter from the corner of my eye. “Odds are, that is an option. But this is a small shop in a small town. My guess, they don’t carry a lot of the stuff you’d find in a bigger store.”
My shoulder slumped on a sigh. “Well, hell.”
“Go with odor eliminatin’, darlin’,” he offered. “Just my opinion here, but since you’re stayin’ at the inn for the time bein’, stink would be the bigger of the two issues.”
I gave that some thought as I chewed on my bottom lip again. “That makes sense.”
I reached for the big box of odor eliminating litter only to have him grab hold of my wrist to stop me. That simple touch sent an electric pulse up my arm and caused me to suck in a sharp inhale.
“That’s heavy, baby. I got it.”
“It’s okay. I can—”
“I’m sure you can. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna let you. You’re already carryin’ the cat. I got this.”
Since we’d left the garage I’d noticed countless times that he’d opened my door or place his hand on my back so I could enter first. He manned the cart as soon as we entered the store. He’d even gone as far as getting all the items on the higher shelves so I didn’t have to reach up.
“Um, wow. Th-thank you. That’s really sweet.”
He dropped the box into the cart, the bulk of it making all the other items inside jostle before turning back to me, his features having gone hard again. “It’s common courtesy. No need to look so surprised. A guy with tattoos can have manners also, you know. It’s not unheard of.”
My eyes went round as I spoke quickly. “Oh, no! I didn’t mean—it’s not that. I’m just not used to it, is all. I’m surprised, but it’s a pleasant surprise. The guys I grew up around . . .” Were spoiled, self-centered, insensitive assholes, “weren’t really known for being thoughtful. Hell, I don’t think a single one of my exes would’ve even offered to pump gas for me. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
The tension melted from his frame, and I followed beside him as he started walking at a slow trek down the aisle once more. “Sounds like you grew up around a bunch of pricks.”
I let out an indelicate snort as I paused and reached out to run my fingers along a leopard print collar. “That’s a serious understatement.”
“That why you packed up and moved down here?”
Deciding against the leopard print, I reached for the nice brown leather one hanging beside it and pulled it from the holder as I tossed it in the cart and muttere
d, “One of the reasons.”
We started walking again as Cannon spoke. “Well, then I guess you made a good choice pickin’ Redemption. That kinda behavior is just how we do it down here.”
I couldn’t help but give Cannon a small grin as I looked up at him. That warmth I hadn’t been used to was becoming more and more commonplace with each day I woke up in this town, and I knew down to my bones that I’d been right in following my gut. “I definitely made a good choice.”
All of a sudden, Cannon’s hand came up to brush a strand of hair from my forehead as he returned my grin with one of his own that made my belly melt. “Glad you think so, Hummingbird.”
The softness in his tone coupled with that gentle touch and tender was enough to expel the air from my lungs, and I suddenly understood just what Shane was talking about when she explained the Cannon Effect to me, because I was dangerously close to falling into its snare.
And I feared if that happened, I wouldn’t be able to pull myself out.
* * *
Cannon
She was pulling away.
I thought I was making progress. I’d seen Farah smile a thousand times during the nights I watched her at Bad Alibi, but that smile had never been directed at me, at least not until today. And while the ones I’d gotten weren’t anywhere near as big and beautiful as the ones she gave her customers on a regular basis, I still felt it in my dick each time I earned myself one in the short time we’d been together.
But now she was back to freezing me out.
As I pulled into the parking lot of the inn, I chanced a quick glance in Farah’s direction. Where she’d been relaxed and loose on the way to the pet store, she was now holding herself stiff as a board, pressed up against the side of the truck in an effort to keep as much distance between us as possible.
That pulse in her neck was pounding like crazy. I had no doubt that if I were to place my hand on her chest, I would have been able to feel her heart beating like a drum, and I would’ve been lying if I said I didn’t get off on the fact I had such a strong effect on her.
It was clear as fucking day she wanted me. But her hardcore resolve at fighting the attraction was frustrating as hell.
The moment I pulled into the spot in front of her room, her hand was on the door handle, jerking it open in an attempt to escape quickly. “Thanks so much for your help today,” she mumbled, her eyes averted as she reached for the plastic bags full of shit for her cat that she’d kept between us the whole ride back. But I wasn’t letting her off so easy.
I moved faster, killing the engine and scooping the bags up before she had a chance. “I got it.”
“You don’t have—”
I shot her a look that shut her up as I threw my door open. “Said, I got it, Hummingbird.”
She pulled that plump bottom lip between her teeth, a move that drove me out of my goddamn mind, and nodded, looking resigned to letting me help. Not exactly the reaction I’d been hoping for, but I’d work with what I got.
With Crash in her arms, she climbed out of the truck and headed for her room. I waited behind her while she unlocked the door, and as soon as it was open, I made my way inside.
“Well, um . . .” She dropped the cat on the ground and began fidgeting with her hands as a blush spread up from her neck. “Thanks again for everything,” she repeated, staring anywhere but at me.
Ignoring her obvious attempt to push me out, I stepped farther into the room, dropping the bags on her bed and taking a long look around. “How long are you plannin’ on living out of a hotel?”
She surprised me by answering instead of kicking my ass out. “Hopefully not much longer. It depends on when the work on my house is done.”
I stopped my perusal to look back at her in surprise. “You got a house?”
The topic of her house seemed to perk her up. That iciness in her demeanor melted a bit, just as it had back at the store, and the small grin that pulled at her pink lips made my dick stir behind my jeans. “Yeah. This amazing old Victorian on Windmill Road.”
My eyebrows slammed down in a deep frown. “Jesus Christ. Please tell me that’s a fuckin’ joke.”
Her forehead pinched and her head tilted to the side in confusion. “No. I’m serious.”
“Farah, baby, that place is a goddamn pit. There’s a reason it’s been sittin’ empty for more than two decades now. It’s a fuckin’ death trap.”
For some reason, that statement filled her with excitement, and her face grew animated in a way I’d never seen before, and damn if it wasn’t fucking stunning. “Oh, I know! It was a disaster! The place had to be ripped down to the studs.”
“Who’d you get to work construction?” I asked. She was a single woman, living in a new town, and there were assholes everywhere that wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of her.
“Clay Morrison. So far, he and his guys have done an incredible job. I swear, Cannon, if you saw it today, you wouldn’t even recognize the place!”
She did a little hop and clapped her hands together, and I felt my frown fade away. “I’m glad, baby. Clay’s a good guy and does incredible work. You chose well.”
“I went with my gut.”
I arched a brow and looked at her curiously. “Huh?”
She began moving around the room, her voice full of life as she paced and explained, “All my life other people made decisions for me, and most of the time I hated those decisions. I mean, you saw my car. How ridiculous is that car?” Just like back in the office at the garage, she’d gone off on another tangent, asking questions she gave me no chance of answering. “When I moved here I promised myself I wasn’t going to let anyone else influence my decisions, I was going with my gut. That Victorian might’ve been an eyesore, but as soon as I saw it, I just knew, you know? I knew that was supposed to be where I lived. And then your mom told me the history of the house earlier today, and it made me even more sure that I’d picked right. It was the same with the bar. I was just driving by and saw the help wanted sign. So when I had to hire a contractor to restore it, I went with my gut. I’m just glad to know I made the right choice.”
The woman was hot enough to make me hard with a single look, but when she got like this she was something else entirely. Something so much more.
When she finally stopped talking, she sucked in a much-needed breath and turned to look at me with a shy, nervous grin. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“When you ramble like that, all I can think about is how much I wanna kiss you.”
* * *
Farah
My brain malfunctioned and my lungs stopped working and began to burn with the need to exhale. I couldn’t seem to get anything to work right as his words played on a continuous loop in my head.
“Wh-what?” was all I managed to get out once I was able to speak.
The room suddenly felt far too small. He was so . . . so . . . big, his presence so consuming that it took up all the space.
The smell of clean cotton and motor oil filled my nose as he moved toward me. He was so close his gorgeous face was all I could see, and with each second that passed, I felt myself drowning in those golden hazel eyes. “I said I wanna kiss you.” The heavy rasp of his voice made my toes curl at the same time anxiety gripped at my chest. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, letting his fingers linger on my skin, slipping down until they caressed the pulse in my neck. “Your pulse is racin’ again, Hummingbird. Wonder why that is.”
For a second, I was convinced he was about to kiss me, and as much as that thought terrified me, I found I was also excited. But instead of lowering his head toward mine, he dropped his hand and took a step back.
“I’ll be here tomorrow to pick you up.”
My eyelids fell in a slow blink. “Huh?”
“Tomorrow, baby. I’ll swing by around ten to pick you up.”
Now that the fog of his closeness had worn off, I felt a chill slide against my skin. “But . . . why?”
“Heard Ma sa
y your phone’s broken. I’ll take you to get a new one. And I’ll be on my bike, so even though the sight of your legs in shorts is a goddamn wet dream, need you to wear jeans, yeah?”
Oh God. He remembered what my legs looked like in shorts. And more to the point, he really enjoyed the way they looked. I shouldn’t have liked that, but I did.
Not smart, Farah.
“Cannon, you don’t—”
“Ten, Farah. Be ready.”
With that, he walked out of my room, leaving me completely flustered. I stood rooted to the spot as I listened to the rumble of the truck coming to life, and it was only once the sound faded into the distance that was finally able to move, heading over to lock the door.
Once that was done, I spun around and collapsed back against it, pulling in my first full breath in the past few minutes.
My hands shook as I reached up to rake them through my hair. One touch, one almost kiss, and I was a goddamn wreck.
No doubt about it, there was no way I was getting on the back of his motorcycle tomorrow. Even though there was a part of me that really wanted to. I couldn’t handle it. My mind was a swirling disaster after one encounter.
The only thing left to do was go back to my original plan.
I was going to avoid Cannon Banks like my life depended on it. I had to . . . for the sake of my sanity
* * *
I spent the rest of the evening trying to decompress. I took a long, hot soak in the tub. I poured some essential oils in the water, hoping they would help me de-stress, lit a couple of candles I’d gotten from Poppy—who, by the way, was totally okay with me keeping Crash, and might have fallen even more in love with him than I had—and placed a damp cloth over my eyes to block out the light. I stayed in there until the water turned cold and the rumble of my hungry stomach would no longer be ignored.
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