My lip curls. It’s a long shot, but I ask, “How well do you know Cannon Davis?” It’s dark out, but I don’t miss the flinch. I tilt my head. “So you do know him?”
“Makayla?” I look over to see Jesse jogging toward the gate.
“Hey, Jesse.”
He opens the gate and steps out onto the sidewalk. His gaze bounces between Victor and me. “You okay?” he asks, but his gaze is narrowed on Victor.
I nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“All right. I’ll leave this open.” He jerks his chin at Victor before heading back to his apartment.
Turning my attention back to Victor, I cross my arms over my chest. My phone vibrates inside my clutch, but I ignore it.
“How are you connected to all this?”
Victor shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Cannon and I are old frenemies. I owed him a favor.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He traded you,” Cannon says from behind me, and I whirl around to face him.
“What?”
“He saw you at the graduation,” Victor interjects. “He wanted you, and I wanted someone else.”
I turn so I can see them both and focus on Victor. “So, you used me. Then you left me,” I yell. “Sitting in that fucking hotel. By myself. On one of the most monumental days of my life. Because… because—”
“Because he’s in love with Desiree,” Cannon answers, and I feel like I’ve just been kicked in the stomach.
My chest tightens as I gasp for breath.
“I didn’t leave you completely alone that night,” he admits. “I followed you to that martini bar.”
I blink at him. “You sent those drinks and paid our bill?”
“He’s stalking you,” Cannon adds.
I swivel my head toward Cannon. “Seriously?”
“Heather told me about the roses and that you saw someone outside. I checked the camera recordings. He’s been here a few times.”
“What about the gifts and the flower delivery?”
Victor nods once. “I sent the flowers.”
“You signed them, X.”
Victor’s eyes flick to Cannon, then to me, but he remains silent.
My gaze bounces between them. “I want you both to leave.” I point to Victor. “Go back to Desiree and leave me alone or I’ll file a restraining order against you.” Then I point to Cannon. “I have nothing to say to you.”
With that, I turn on my heels and march inside.
I’m not sure what stirs me awake, but when I open my eyes, I’m acutely aware of two things: the woodsy scent lingering in the air and the man sitting in the corner.
I suck in a sharp breath but don’t scream. “What are you doing, Cannon?”
“Thinking.”
“And you couldn’t do that in your own bedroom?”
“I couldn’t leave you.” He sighs. “I went to Heather’s place. She’s devastated, and angry with me for dragging her into this.”
“She’s not the only one who’s angry with you.”
“I know.”
“Did you force her to be friends with me?”
“No.” He sighs. “I only asked Heather to get your number. In fact, she told me to ask you out like a normal person.” He chuckles softly.
“Why didn’t you?” I ask.
“I was working on it.” Standing from the chair, he moves to my side of the bed, turning on the lamp before sitting on the edge of the mattress. “When I saw you at graduation, my first thought was to throw you over my shoulder and run.”
I laugh. “How very caveman of you.”
“I hadn’t felt so drawn to a person in my entire life. I told Heather to congratulate you and get your number. I needed a way to connect with you, to find out more about you. I wasn’t going to get that from Victor. In exchange for Desiree, he was supposed to wait a day and get you a nice apartment, make it an easier transition for you. Then I was going to offer you a job and gradually get to know you. But then the asshole dumped you at the hotel, and you called Heather upset. She asked me what she should do, and I told her to be whatever you needed. Heather cares about you, so naturally she did what friends do. She invited you to Veil knowing there was no way I’d let anyone else touch you.”
“So, you do own Veil?”
“Yes. But Heather is not nor was she ever a member. Honestly, I wasn’t mad about it, and I think it worked out for both of us. You needed a place to live and conveniently, I’d just given her this apartment building. The job was my idea from day one, but Heather was on board with it. You should know, you got the job on your own. I monitored the entire interview process, and if necessary, I would’ve forced their hands, but I didn’t have to.”
“Why did you let it go on for so long?”
“Because we were enjoying ourselves, and the anonymity took the pressure off both of us.” He pauses. “How did you figure it out?”
“There were certain things that didn’t make sense. Like how did my fantasy guide have my home address? But mostly, my body told me. Your voice. Your smell. My body knew yours.” A sudden bark of laughter slips past my lips.
“What’s so funny?” he asks, though there’s a slight grin on his face.
“I can’t believe I said all that stuff. Then fucked you while I was pretending to fantasize about you.”
He chuckles. “I’m glad it was me and not Spencer from the eighth floor.”
My mouth falls open in shock and amusement. “How did you—” I roll my eyes. “Heather. That little spy.”
“It wasn’t Heather. I saw you talking to him that morning at the coffee bar, and I almost lost my fuckin’ mind. Then I almost lost my hand trying to stop the elevator.”
I shake my head. “So what happens now?”
He leans over, planting his hands on either side of my hips and lowering his face to mine. “The fantasy is over, Makayla.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Makayla
Since the night Cannon snuck into my apartment a week ago, we’ve been inseparable. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sleepovers. Heather and I are good.
