Cannon’s expression hardened at once. “I’m not here to help you get a story. I’m here to keep you safe.”
Nahla tossed the notebook to the side and huffed, as Cannon added, “Which would be a lot easier if you would just let the story go.”
“That’s not happening. People are depending on me to follow this through.”
He approached her silently. Once he was inches away from where she sat, he said, “Then you’ll investigate within the boundaries I’ve set for you.”
Nahla raised a brow. “Or?”
He remained stoic. “Ain’t no or.”
Slumping in her seat slightly, Nahla sighed. “You don’t know me from a can of paint, and you owe me nothing. Why would you commit to protecting me for free, when I’m sure you could be making real money being someone else’s bodyguard?”
“I was asked to do a job, and the job ain’t done. I’ma be here till it is.”
For a minute or two, they stared each other down silently, wondering what the other was thinking. Eventually, Cannon spoke up again.
“I’m sending someone to change your locks, and I’ll be back to take you to work. Until then, close them damn curtains.”
“I don’t want?—”
“I wasn’t askin’.”
With that, he left.
That night, Nahla sat cross-legged on her bed with her laptop. She was trying to organize her notes, but her mind was all over the place. Well, notall over. Her mind was on one individual: Cannon Porter.
They hadn’t interacted much that day, but he kept his word and changed her locks, upgraded her security cameras, and stayed close for most of the day. He was currently in her living room. Because it was her first night back from Lyle, Cannon seemed to believe that if the deputy and his people were willing to cross city limits to harass her, they would try something tonight.
He seemed sure that Deputy Miller wouldn’t be able to sit still once he learned about last night’s events, but Nahla still wasn’t convinced. Bothering her in their little town was one thing, but Jasona wasn’t just some small prejudiced city. It was large and urban. In her opinion, they would be crazy to try something in a place where they might actually have to endure legal consequences. She was also sure they didn’t know where she lived.
It was cool, though. Nahla would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy having Cannon in her space all day. After talking to Mr. Hill about everything that happened on her trip and about his hiring Cannon without her knowing, he told her to take the day off.
Cannon had spent most of the day in her living room, except to install the cameras he’d purchased and to micro-manage the people he hired to change her locks. He barely said anything as he chilled in her living room, but his presence was enough to keep a subtle smile on her face. She couldn’t explain why, but this man made her feel giddy every time their eyes connected.
She had caught him staring at her a few times during the day, and she wanted to know if it was because he was as attracted to her as she was to him. It wasn’t just his looks either. It was the quiet authority in his voice when he spoke, the way he moved, and the sheer weight of his presence whenever he was near. Cannon Porter was quite literallyeverything, and Nahla didn’t know how to feel about it.
She was way too real to try and deny her attraction, but men were not a priority of hers at the moment. She moved home to take care of her father and build on her career. Although she had accomplished a lot, she was far from where she wanted to be, and she promised herself that she wouldn’t allow a man to come into her life and distract her from her goals. She wanted to settle downone day, but not one day soon.
That reality didn’t change the fact that Cannon had been living rent-free in her mind since the moment she laid eyes on him, though. She sighed and placed her computer on the bed beside her. Work was the furthest thing from her thoughts, and she hadn’t been able to make herself focus, so instead, she decided to do the thing she’d wanted to do for the last hour: inhale Cannon’s heavenly scent.
She swung her feet over the side of the bed and slid her feet into her slippers. As she passed the full-length mirror in her bedroom, she checked herself out. She currently wore an oversized sweatshirt, sweatpants, and her glasses. Her messy bun was a little more unkempt than usual, but she was still cute.
She started down the hallway and smiled when she smelled his cologne as she passed her guest bathroom. Once she made it into the living room, her smile stretched wider at the sight before her.
Cannon was lying on the sofa, with his legs crossed at the ankles, and his fingers were laced together and resting on his stomach. His shoes were placed neatly by the door. She could only imagine how tired he must have been. He couldn’t have slept much in the last two days, because he had been busy following her. He woke up early that morning, so he may not have rested when they got back to Jasona. She decided to tiptoe into the kitchen, grab a bottle of water, then head back to her room so that Cannon could rest peacefully.
Just as she stepped into her kitchen, a large object flew through the window. Nahla ducked just in time for it to miss her face, and by the time the second object crashed through the window, Cannon was in the room with his gun out.
With her heart pounding, Nahla stayed crouched down while Cannon rushed to her front door. She wasn’t sure how long he was out of the room, but when he returned, he helped her to a standing position. Holding her arms, he gave her a thorough once-over.
“You aight?”
Nahla could barely hear his question over the thumping in her ears. She looked down to see that both objects were large bricks. Noticing something on the other side, she turned it over to find a simple message painted in red and white letters:STOP!
Cannon had apparently read it, too, because his next words were, “Pack a bag.”
Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the present moment because she was sure she hadn’t heard him correctly.
