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9
CANNON
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I slowly turned my head to find Shaw storming on to the bus. Her phone was already out, and of course, one of the pictures I’d posted from my date with Piper the night before was on the screen. The blue flames in my sister’s eyes reminded me of Hades from the old, animated Disney Hercules movie, when Hades’s head basically flamed like a pyre.
It would have been amusing if I didn’t already know how scary Shaw could be when she was that pissed off. I carefully set down my cup of coffee and pushed it as far out of her reach as I could manage without being obvious, just in case she decided to throw the still-hot contents in my face.
“Morning, sis. Where’s Grier?”
“Her daddy took her for a walk to the park nearby,” she said dismissively. “Now tell me what the hell you were thinking.”
“I won the auction for a date with Piper.”
“No shit! What I want to know is why?” she half screeched.
“Because it was for a good cause,” I told her, and I noticed that some of her tension eased from her shoulders. Until I added, “And I wanted to go on a date with her.”
“I swear to God, Cannon.” She bent until her eyes were level with mine. “Do not fuck with her, or Mom and Dad will have to plan your funeral.”
“That’s fair.”
Her eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
“I said that it’s fair.” She frowned at how laid-back I was with her breathing white-hot flames in my direction.
“Is this a trick?” she muttered half under her breath.
“No. I’m not playing any games or trying to trick anyone.” I nodded to the chair across from me at the little kitchenette table. “Want something to drink?”
“Um, yeah, sure.” The confusion still lingered on her face, making her look like the typical dumb-blond supermodel. Except she was anything but dumb. Shaw was so damn smart it was freakishly scary at times. “Coffee, if there is any.”
I grabbed the pot off the counter behind me and a mug from the cabinet above my head. After I poured her a cup, I pushed the cream and sugar her way before picking up my own cup that was rapidly cooling. Once she had it fixed to her liking, she leaned back in her chair to sip it with a sigh.
“You good now?” I asked cautiously. My little sister didn’t just look like our mother—she had her temper as well. Both of them were unpredictable when they were pissed, and my dad and I knew to duck and cover when their eyes started shooting sparks. Shaw had calmed down a little since having a baby, but that really didn’t mean much. It was like saying a Category 5 hurricane had calmed down a little and become a Category 4. It was still dangerous as fuck.
Her blue eyes glittered at me over the top of her mug. “The tabloids are saying you paid fifty grand for that date.”
“I did,” I confirmed.
“For a date. With the girl you once—”
“Don’t remind me,” I snapped. “I remember everything I’ve ever done to her, Shaw. And I regret it all.”
“If you’re not playing some fucked-up game, then what the hell are you doing, Can?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” I downed the last of my coffee and pushed my cup away. “I need to get going. Trinity texted to let me know I need to get into the stadium to practice with Pipes before the show tonight.”
“Practice for the…” She trailed off, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. “You’re going to be performing with her? What the fuck is going on?”
“I told you. Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I call bullshit,” she growled. “I’m watching you, Cannon. I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’m going to be one step behind you from here on out.”
“Don’t trip over your feet trying to keep up,” I bit out as I stood up and left her sitting there.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand why she was so uneasy about my intentions. I’d fucked up a lot, and she’d been witness to the majority of it. But I’d learned my lesson—fuck, had I ever—and I was never going to do anything to hurt those I cared about again.
The roadies had set the stage with Piper’s gear. Charlie and Hymn were already in place. It was just a practice, so nothing was going to be connected to the amps, which meant Hymn’s service dog was able to be with her without hurting her ears.
I paused at the bottom of the stairs to scratch Nala’s head.
“You’re late.”
I straightened to find Piper standing over me on the stage. When I saw what she was wearing, I nearly swallowed my tongue. A see-through white skirt over top of black bikini bottoms. Her crop top was just as sheer, showing off the matching bra beneath. A push-up bra that made her tits look so damn lickable, it hurt to breathe for a moment. Her hair was down but had been styled in a wildly curly kind of way that made me want to rumple it so damn bad, my fingers actually ached to touch those silky locks.
The memory of how good she’d tasted in the early hours of the morning came back to haunt me, and my gaze zeroed in on her lips. They were coated in a shimmery gloss, and I knew every fucker who saw them would instantly start imagining her sucking their cocks, marking them with that shiny glitter as they burst down her throat.
Jealous rage began to boil in my veins. “Are you planning on wearing that at the show?”
She glanced down at herself. “This?” She touched her hand to her bare belly, her fingers unconsciously teasing around her navel. “Yes, I’m wearing this tonight. It’s so hot out, and the lights will only make it worse. This will keep me cool while I’m running around.”
“Goddamn it,” I muttered to myself.
“Hurry up,” she said, nodding to where one of the roadies was bringing me my bass guitar. “I have two Zoom appointments I have to get to after this. Neither of which I’m looking forward to.”
“What are they about?” I asked, hoping to distract myself so my dick would soften enough that I didn’t permanently hurt myself when I walked.
“One is about doing a few tracks for some TV drama. The other is with a Petrova producer who wants to talk about that Christmas album all their signed artists have to participate in.” She made a face that said loud and clear that she wasn’t looking forward to that call most of all. “Emmie has vetted the team about the drama already, but she wants me to listen to what they have to say before I give them an answer. I’m not a fan of the producer working on the holiday album, but it’s part of my contract, so what am I going to do?”
I grimaced. I knew what she was talking about. The producer was new to the scene but had been handed the holiday album project. Jagger and I were both under contract with Petrova, as were her parents and my dad. Fuck, as were the majority of Emmie’s clients. Jagger had already taken a meeting with the guy a few days before the tour started, and I was expected to as well, but I had been putting it off.
“I need to have a sit-down with him too,” I told her as I started up the steps to the stage. “How about I join you for the Zoom, and we can get that out of the way together? That way, if either of us starts running our mouth, the other can redirect the conversation, and we don’t start some war with Petrova’s new favorite cocksucker.”
Her lips twitched as she fought a grin, but it didn’t take long before she lost the battle and laughed. “Yeah, okay. I like that idea.” I took the guitar from the roadie and turned to find that she had stepped closer. “Thanks,” she murmured softly.
I lowered my head until my lips were close to her ear. “Are you thankful enough to give me another kiss?”
I heard her sharp inhale before she caught my gaze. “Maybe,” she whispered before turning away. “Okay, everyone!” she called out, grabbing Hymn’s and Charlie’s attention. “Let’s do a quick run-through of tonight’s playlist. I’m not looking for perfection this first time around. We just want to let Cannon get used to our set. He can work on getting the songs down on his own time.”
I bit back a laugh. She had no clue, but I knew every single song she’d ever performed. Even if she’d only done it once. Like that song she did at some competition bullshit that she’d come in second for. That damn thing had been rigged, for sure, because there was no way she shouldn’t have won.
Would it show her how gone I was for her, or that I was seriously sick in the head? Either way, she was about to find out.
