Page 6 of Cannon

Leaving Jamie to it, I return to my office and see that it’s almost time to call it a day. Taking two seconds to tidy my already tidy desk, I grab my purse. Just as I reach the door, Breaker appears, grabs me and plants a fierce kiss on my lips. I almost give in to his passion when I remember where we are and push him away.

Shouting goodbye to Jamie, she appears from her office and gives us a wave. “I won’t be far behind you. See you tomorrow.” With that, she disappears back into her office.

Barbara is standing by the main door, and I have to say she looks like she is just as excited to leave as she was to arrive. She looks like she’s going on a date, too, all smart and lipsticked up to boot.

“Ready to go, Barbara?” Breaker asks her to my surprise.

“Oh boy, am I ever,” she replies all girly and giggly.

“Come on then. We’ll drop you off on our way,” Breaker tells her.

“Oh no. Cannon is picking me up. We arranged it this morning.” She beams at the pair of us.

“No. He’s not coming. I said we would drop you off as we’d be here anyway and save him the journey.” Breaker smiles back at her.

I watch her face as he tells her this, and the look she gives him makes me flinch. If men weren’t so stupid, Breaker would have run for the hills.

Letting fly with a series of curses that turn the air blue and has Jamie rushing out of her office to see what has happened, Barbara stamps her foot so hard, I think she cracks the building foundations. She storms out the door and straight to her Toyota. Tires squealing, she leaves a cloud of smoke as she peels out of the parking lot and into traffic without slowing.

Jamie and I look at each other and then at Breaker.

“What did I say?” He looks blankly at the pair of us, and we shake our heads at him.

“Next time Cannon is supposed to come to the practice, for any reason whatsoever, I suggest you keep your meddling nose out of it. Otherwise, you may find yourself needing the practice's professional services.” Jamie blows the breath from her lungs in a long breath and walks away.

“Come on, husband of mine. Let me explain what you just did while we’re on the way home.”

“We’re not going home. I have other plans for us tonight,” he tells me with a smirk, as though it’s some mysterious surprise.

“You have so much to learn, my husband, so much to learn.” Putting my arm through his, I lead him out to the waiting hog and let out my own breath of resignation.

Chapter 4

*~* Cannon *~*

Breaker offering to drop Barbara at her home yesterday saved me a job, but I wouldn’t have minded the task. She’s a good-looking woman and what I would call capable. I get the feeling that she’d have her man's back in any situation. I’ve seen her handle some assholes at the practice and she sorts them out without raising her voice or breaking a sweat. The kind of woman a man would want by his side.

Listen to me! I don’t have a damn thing to offer a woman, never mind one as classy as Barbara. I’m not saying she’s out of my league or that I’m not good enough for her, far from it. I just have fuck all to offer. Maybe I should get a house built on the compound before any of the others start filling in the plot map in Whack’s office. I could take my pick and get a huge plot so I could have a pool and play area for the kids. Oh hell, kids now and I still don’t have a woman.

Pulling up at the lights, I hear a bike revving behind me. Not a nice, deep, throaty rev. The high-pitched squeal of a foreign sports bike. Why anyone wants to ride something capable of nearly two hundred miles per hour when the highest speed limit in the country is eighty-five, and that’s only in Texas, for Christ’s sake, I just don’t know.

Pulling off from the lights, I’m surprised when the bike stays tucked in behind me and doesn’t take off like a jackrabbit. I wave him past, but he just sits there. Interesting. Checking the glove box, I see my Glock but leave it there for now.

Pulling up at the next set of lights, they’re all against me today, the bike pulls alongside. The biker has a full-face helmet on and pops open his dark visor.

“Nice truck, man. Got a minute to stop and talk about it?”

“Sure thing. There’s a mall just up ahead. Pull into the parking lot, and I’ll follow you in.” I don’t mind showing off my truck, and he’s hardly going to carjack me on his own with his bike in tow.

Pulling up beside him in the lot, I slip out of the truck, and he offers me his hand. I take it, and he has a good firm grip. Firmer than I expected so there must be some decent muscle hidden beneath those leathers he’s wearing.

“Hi, I’m Santos. I haven’t seen a truck like that before. It’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time, and I see a lot of cool stuff. My boss is buying stuff all the time. He’s one of those ‘sees it, wants it, has to have it’ kinda guys.”

“I’m Cannon. We should all be so lucky to be able to do that,” I reply, thinking actually, he sounds like an asshole. The type that was a spoiled kid and hasn’t yet learned to be a grown-up.

We spend a few minutes going over my truck, and he sounds knowledgeable and genuine in his interest. Closing the tailgate after we’d just inspected the bed, he then surprises me with his next question.

“How much would you take for it?”