“What about me, Nahla?”
“Your grandmother seems to think you care about me.”
“Mhmm.”
“Youareprotecting me ‘pro bono’,” she said, pairing the last part of her statement with air quotes.
“Because you need protecting,” he said.
“Because you think I’m worth protecting,” she said softly.
He chuckled. “Prolly.”
“Doing this for free seems like something you’d do for someone who mattered to you.”
He quietly observed her for a minute. Nahla was something else. She didn’t seem timid about what she was saying or afraid of what his reaction might be. She seemedsure. Her confidence had his dick hard.
“I ain’t say all that,” Cannon replied, trying to control his face. Nahla had him wanting to smile for about the fifth time that day.
She shrugged. “You didn’t have to.”
She held his gaze for a minute longer, their eyes communicating things that neither of them was ready to say.
Eventually, Nahla pulled away from him. “I’m gonna try to get some sleep. Good night, Cannon.”
She left the kitchen as gracefully as she had entered it, and Cannon sat there for the next thirty minutes with his thoughts racing.
Even if he didn’t want to admit it to her, Cannon knew that Nahla’s bold statements had truth to them. He felt a pull toward her that was undeniable yet confusing. All he knew for sure was that he would stay on this job for the rest of his life if it took that to keep her safe.
The woman had him feeling things, and oddly enough, he wasn’t trying to stop it.
“Mmm.”Nahla let out an elongated moan as she snuggled up to her pillow a bit more. Although she had come to consciousness minutes ago, she was way too comfortable to open her eyes. As she continued to lie there, she became increasingly confused as she registered the silence around her. Although Jasona wasn’t as big or as busy as Atlanta, it was still a decent-sized city with a lot going on. Nahla bought a home in the middle of everything because she enjoyed city life, but this morning she heard . . . nothing.
There wasn’t the sound of traffic, police sirens, or the distant chatter of her neighbors greeting her that morning. It was dead silence. When she finally opened her eyes, she frowned as a wave of panic washed over her. For a moment, she had forgottenwhere she was, but almost as soon as she quickly sat up, the memories of the day before hit her all at once.
From Cannon showing up at her house early that morning, to him pulling her closer to him just before bed. The way he looked at her as she boldly pressed him about his feelings for her had her squeezing her cheeks together as she fell back on the bed.
She’d be lying if she said she didn’t have a crush on her protector, and at some point last night, she decided to stop trying to hide it. She was pleased to know that she wasn’t alone too. Cannon’s grip on her and his eyes said what his words didn’t. He was feeling her, just like she was feeling him. She wondered what that meant for them moving forward. She had a feeling he would act like their little moment never happened and try to get them back on track professionally. If that were where he decided to take this, Nahla would let him. Her priorities hadn’t changed just because she was attracted to the man who insisted on being her security.
She had work to do, and Cannon had the potential to take all her focus. She couldn’t afford that. Not when so many people were depending on her to expose Lyle PD and whoever else was wrapped up in this scandal.
She sat up again and was about to head to the bathroom when her phone rang. Reaching over to the nightstand beside the bed, she unplugged her phone and checked the caller ID. It was her older brother, Jackson II. She contemplated not answering, but decided to get it over with. If she ignored him now, he was bound to bother her for the rest of the day.
“Hey, J,” she said.
“Wassup, Nahla.”
“Hey, Nahla!”
Nahla removed the phone from her ear long enough to glance at it and roll her eyes. She hated when her siblings had her on three-way calls. Although she didn’t think they meant to, theyhad a way of making her feel like the black sheep of the family. It was probably because they both worked for the Jasona County School System and because she was the only one who ever moved away from home.
This wasn’t her first three-way call with them since she had moved home, so she already knew what was up. They had discussed something together—without her. It more than likely had something to do with their father, and this was a courtesy call to let Nahla know what decision they had made.
“Hey, y’all,” Nahla said dryly.
“Look, we’re calling because it was my turn to take dad to Lyle for his doctor’s appointment today, but J and I have professional development trainings. Since we’ll be tied up with that all day, and your schedule is loose, we figured you could take today for me?” her little sister, Nia, said in a bright tone.
Nahla chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. They always did this. Nahla would never try to downplay the importance of the education field. She knew they worked hard, and their commitment to the youth in their city was admirable.
