He allowed his eyes to slowly graze her face and body before clearing his throat. In a tone that was gentler than usual, he said, “Nahla.”
She didn’t budge. Shaking his head, Cannon tried again. “Nahla, we’re here.”
Still nothing.
With a sigh, he lifted his right hand and extended it toward her. Tucking his bottom lip between his teeth, he gently brushed her hair away from her face, causing her to stir. Leaning closer to her, Cannon repeated the gesture. After a few moments, Nahla’s eyes fluttered open and met his. Cannon had to pause.
He thought her eyes were beautiful before, but being this close made him realize that beautiful just wasn’t good enough. They were dark brown and piercing, but there was a gold fleck inthem that he hadn’t noticed. They were also very telling. When the brick barely missed her face earlier, there was apparent fear and alarm in them, but now, they were relaxed and trusting.
“We’re here?” she asked softly. The question prompted Cannon to shift his gaze to her slightly parted lips. He wanted to kiss them, and that urge snapped him back to reality at once. Removing himself from her personal space, he nodded. “We are,” he said, before getting out of the car.
He walked around to the passenger side of his vehicle, opened the door, and helped her out. As he retrieved Nahla’s bags, he heard her say, “This garage is huge.”
He didn’t respond until he pressed the button to lower the trunk.
“It is. Come on.”
Cannon began walking toward the door, and she followed silently. He placed a finger on the pad beside the door, and after a couple of seconds, the pad beeped, then they heard a soft click. Cannon opened the door and allowed Nahla to enter the home first.
Once he was inside and had the door locked, he continued through the large home. He turned down two hallways before he made it to his destination. It was the third door on the right side of that hall, and he opened it to reveal a spacious bedroom.
“You’ll sleep in here.”
He set her bags close to the door and felt Nahla’s body brush against his as she slid past him to enter the room. Cannon straightened himself and watched her as she observed the room.
After walking around for a minute or two, Nahla glanced at him. “Did you decorate this room?”
He chuckled. “Nah. My sister did.”
Nodding, Nahla said, “Makes sense. It’s beautiful.”
The room was fully furnished and designed with cream and gold elements. It was the most feminine-looking bedroom in the house, so Cannon figured she’d like it.
“I’ll let her know you think so. Come on.”
Because she liked to debate him on almost everything, he expected her to make a fuss about them leaving the room he just told her she’d be staying in, but to his surprise, she set her purse on the bed and approached him silently.
“Lead the way,” she said.
He took her back through the home, and this time, they stopped in the living room. There were two sofas, a love seat, and two large recliners in the room. He relaxed on one end of the large sofa and placed his arms on the back of it. Briefly, he allowed his head to fall to the back of the couch, and he closed his eyes.
He had been worried about getting restless and bored after finishing up his last job, but Nahla Avery had had him on go since the moment he laid eyes on her. For the first time in days, he felt tired.
He heard movement beside him and opened his eyes to find that Nahla had elected to sit in the middle of the same sofa as him. Her shoes were off, and she was tucking one leg under the other. Cannon licked his lips as she turned her body toward him.
They stared at each other for a while, but Nahla was the first to break the silence.
“Do you live here?”
“Nah. It is mine, though.”
He watched as she gave the room a once-over. “It’s quiet here.”
Cannon nodded. “Intentionally so.”
“So, . . . why did you bring me here?”
“To keep you safe. I already told you that.”
