Page 24 of Late Nights

My teeth clenched as I watched them, jealousy swirling irrationally through my veins. I had to fight against the need to go down there and pretend to see if they wanted another drink just so I could break up whatever moment they were having. Their drinks were both still half-full, so I would only look like an idiot if I checked on them. It wasn’t their fault I was jealous, wishing my hand was the one trailing along his finely sculpted body.

His hands hadn’t made their way to the blonde, at least from what I’d seen. And embarrassingly enough, I’d hardly taken my eyes off them. I could still remember the feel of his hands on me last night as he’d tickled me, the large pads of his fingers pushing into my sides, barely skimming the bare skin where my sweatshirt had raised. It had been torturously amazing.

“Excuse me, miss?” a voice broke through my misplaced thoughts.

“Oh, sorry, yes.” I blinked at the woman in front of me, remembering I was at work and had a job to do. “What can I get you?”

I began working on her drink, grateful for the distraction. This job would be miserable if I couldn’t get a hold of my emotions when it came to Cannon. Especially since it looked like he intended to be here every night I worked. Thankfully, he hadn’t intervened with any more of my flirty male customers. Although I didn’t know if I was happy or annoyed about that, which was just as frustrating as having to watch him flirt with women.

When it came to Cannon James, my mind and feelings were a mess.

8

Cannon

Before I’d headed to the bar tonight, I’d stopped and picked up Mario Kart so I could surprise Demi with a game after she got home from work. I’d also picked up a few snacks for us and was now putting all the food out on the ottoman.

I stood looking over the spread of food, consisting of chips, veggies, popcorn, and chocolate, and hoped that she would like what I’d chosen. I knew she would be home any minute. I was feeling ridiculously nervous. This wasn’t a date. I was just excited to hang out with a friend and play video games. The extra thought I’d put into it had nothing to do with my not so friendly feelings toward Demi.

The door opened, and when Demi walked in, I had to remind myself not to let my eyes ogle her because friends didn’t do that. But damn if she didn’t look extremely hot tonight. The black denim mini skirt made her legs look long even though she was only 5’3”, and the red tank top hugged her upper body, matching the shade of lipstick she wore. Red was officially my new favorite color. Her hair was up tonight, exposing her slender neck, and I hurried to stop my thoughts from thinking about how it would feel to pull her close, dropping my head to place a soft kiss in the bend where her neck meets her shoulder.

She walked in, her smile brightening as she took in the food and the gaming controllers out on the couch. “Are we playing Call of Duty together again tonight?”

“I thought we’d play a different game.” I reached for the remote and turned on the TV, and the screen lit up with the logo for Mario Kart.

Her eyes lit up, her mouth opening in a wide grin. “Cannon,” she exclaimed, rushing to throw her arms around me.

I hadn’t been expecting that kind of response, but I quickly wrapped my arms around her.

Had we ever hugged before? I didn’t think so. I was pretty sure I would have remembered how amazing it felt to have her in my arms.

She pulled back too soon. “Oh, my gosh, I probably stink, sorry. Let me go take a quick shower, and then I can beat you in Mario Kart.” She twirled and was down the hall before I could blink twice.

Her excitement was contagious, and I smiled, knowing that I’d been the one to make her that happy.

I sat back on the couch and waited for her to join me, surprised at how much I was looking forward to spending the next couple of hours playing Mario Kart. I didn’t care that it was one in the morning or that I’d probably be exhausted tomorrow. Staying up late with Demi would be much more fun than going to sleep.

Thirty minutes later, the food was half gone, and I’d beaten her at every race we’d played. She’d always been close behind, but I wasn’t ready to let her win yet. I loved watching the crease between her brows get deeper the more she concentrated, the way she nibbled on her lip while she worked to collect the item boxes, and how she would move the controller like it was a steering wheel.

“Don’t you dare banana peel me!” she threatened.

I smiled and pressed the button to release the banana peel. I watched as her character spun out on the screen.

“Cannon!” she shouted, pushing my shoulder playfully.

I laughed and raced closer to the finish line.

Oh, did I mention how much I loved how she kept touching me while we played? Her shoulder nudging me, the back of her hand smacking me in the chest, the playful shoves, and the way her small hand would hit against my leg, might have been another reason why I kept up my winning streak. This was by far the most fun I’d ever had playing video games.

“Let’s go again.” Her voice was determined. “I have to beat you before we go to sleep.”

“We’re going to be here all night,” I teased.

Another smack to the chest, but it only made me laugh.

“Watch it, James,” she challenged. “I’ll come behind and beat you when you least expect it.” If I knew one thing about the Vanderhalls, it was that they were competitive.

“I doubt it, but I’m up for getting another win under my belt,” I said, starting up another race.

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