“I really, really like you, Cannon Jennings from Indiana,” I say, repeating my words from before. The hoarse tone of my voice carries a different vulnerability to it this time, though, and I think Cannon knows. Pushing away the sweat-strewn locks of hair from my cheek and forehead, he lifts his chin and presses a long, tender kiss against it. He’s quiet, leaving his lips against my skin for several long seconds before finally replying to my raw and honest declaration.
“I like you more, Hollis. I like you a whole lot more,” he whispers, and in this very moment, dare I say, I believe maybe he does.
17
Cannon
I left home early, before the sun was up in fact, and drove to the same corner where Hollis and I gave in to everything last night. Well, not everything. I didn’t need it, though, my God, did I want it. I wanted every inch of her, to touch and taste her body in all the places, and mark her as mine in every place I’d been.
I’m attracted to every trait she possesses, from her physical form to the confidence that radiates from her. Her raspy voice, her shortened words coated in her native New York roots, her feistiness.
I managed to avoid talking to Zack when I came home after dropping her off. He was locked in his room with the music up annoyingly loud. I gave my dad what’s been serving as my room for the night and slept on the couch. I have to take my father to the airport after school today, and I hate letting him go, though he’ll be back in a few days. I’m done being here, in this house. I’m ready for our own walls, my own rules. This constant air of suspicion I have for Zack and his motives makes my stomach hurt nonstop. There are moments it’s downright hard to breathe.
I can’t lie. There have been moments when begging my dad to move back home have crossed my mind. We’re here for more than just me playing my senior year with my cousin, though.
My dad misses family. My grandparents are dead, and he and my uncle are all each other has. Despite how different they are, there’s a bond between them that’s unbreakable, forged from memories and time. One day, Zack will be all I have, at least in blood. And now that I have Hollis, well, leaving has lost its appeal.
Ready?
I send her the text then pull my truck up closer to her house, but still not directly in front of it. My hands still buzz with the feel of her, and the thought of making eye contact with her father right now is a torture I don’t have the balls for. The man is intimidating, and he still holds my future in his hands.
Yes. Be right out. Also, uhm. Need a favor.
I cock my head and stare at her message for a full breath. It’s that uhm part that’s got me a little nervous. I type back ok, but two full minutes pass without a response.
Rolling up to her driveway, I brace myself for a lecture from her dad as the garage door rolls up. When I see her legs, tight black jeans and bright white Nikes on her feet, I grin. Then there’s a matching version, only shorter and topped with a New York Islanders sweatshirt that’s about two sizes too big.
I roll the window down so I can talk to her and her brother.
“So, uhm,” she says, a continuation of her message. “Can we give Ben a lift to school? My dad has a meeting, and my mom is already holding office hours online.”
“What’s up, Cannon?” her brother says, giving me a nod but not a glance as he rolls an over-stuffed hockey bag toward the back of my truck. I’ve never officially met the kid, but he’s immediately made us bros. I laugh and have to admire him.
“What’s up, Ben?”
Shit, I hope I remembered his name right. He doesn’t flinch, so I feel more certain than not that I nailed it. I hop out of the truck when the latch releases in the back. He’s hoisting the bag by the time I join him, but he’s struggling. I slide it the rest of the way in and pull up the tailgate, locking it in place. I’m about to jog around to the driver’s side again when Ben reaches up and squeezes my bicep with his much smaller hand.
“Whoa, serious guns there. A’right, a’right. I feel ya, Cannon. I feel ya.” He winks and backs away, leaving me there speechless with the dumbest smile on my face. I think I’m actually flattered by his compliment.
Ben climbs in the back seat of the full cab and Hollis slides into the passenger seat. Our eyes meet briefly and her cheeks blush, likely remembering what we did in here just a few hours ago. Awkward thought now that her baby brother is buckling up in the back.
“Sorry,” she apologizes for her brother.
“Dude, no problem. Ben and I are buddies now. Aren’t we, Ben?” I look into the rearview and wait for him to lift himself enough to make eye contact with me. The kid twists his lips, considering my offer, then reaches forward, patting my shoulder with three heavy slaps.
“Let’s take things slow, Cannon. That’s my sister, after all. I’m watching you,” he says, pointing with one hand at his eyes then flipping his fingers to point at me in the mirror. This kid is unreal!
“Got it.” I agree to his test. “Slow it is.”
My
