“It’s time to wash the filth off your ass. I can’t believe you were in the back ofapolice car.”
Kannon rested her head against my back as I turned on the shower. “I know. I’m sorry for showing out earlier. You asked me to chill, and I still lost my cool. I guess I’m used to pushing the rules, mostly because I don’t trust the leader.”
“Haven’t I shown you different?”
“So far, so good.”
“Then kill the doubt, and stop trying to fuck this up.”
Kannon posed like a mannequin as I stripped her out of her clothes. I was thirty years old, and I couldn’t recall being close to a naked woman and not fucking her. Something about the way Kannon moaned when I cleaned her body was all the pleasure I needed for the moment. Once we were fresh and clean, I gave Kannon clothes to wear, but she only put on the tank top and black socks that stopped at the top of her calves. Though hesitant to complete my nightly routine with Kannon around, I went into my nightstand and retrieved my pouch. Since the day she told me about her seizures, I had contemplated telling Kannon about my heart condition. However, every time Ithought about bringing it up, my ego got in the way.
“What’s that?” Kannon asked, pointing to the pill bottle in my hand.
“Medicine.”
“No shit. Why are you taking it?”
“For my heart.”
She snickered. “Oh, I didn’t know you had one of those. Are you going to tell me more, or do I have to fuck it out of you?”
For a second, I stared into space, struggling to find the words to share my biggest flaw. I didn’t know how to tell a woman who looked at me with such high regard that Iwasbroken. However,the way her eyes glimmered with love made me believe my truth wasn’t a dealbreaker.
“I was born with Isolated Dextrocardia.”
She narrowedher eyes as if trying to dissect my declaration.
“I was born with my heart on the right side instead of the left,” I explained.
“Does it hurt?”
“When you don’t do what I tell you, yeah, it makes my heart hurt,” I joked.
“Ha. Ha. I’m not that bad. I’m just not that good.”
My eyes found her soft gaze. “You’re perfect. I always tell you that.”
“Get back on topic. What else do I need to know about your condition? I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never done research.”
“I have to take medicine for the rest of my life. There’s a slim chance my kids will have it, but it’s not likely. I can’t say how long I’ll live before I run into heart problems, but for now, I’m here.”
Kannon maneuvered her way into my lap, then roped her arms round my neck. “Your heart is screwedup, and my mind is weak.”
“Sounds like balance to me, baby.” I tapped her thigh. “Get up. I want to show you something.”
Hand in hand, we left my room and went to the one next door. The room had little furniture except for a few LEGO sets settled on floating wall mounts, an oversized glass chair, and a glass table near the window. Kannon’s slanted gaze snaked along the wall, taking a moment with every piece.
“These are amazing. Some of them look like paintings.” She looked at me. “How long have you been into puzzles?”
“Years. When I was younger, doctors encouraged me to exercise my mind and not just my body, so I started puttingpuzzles together. Big, small. Some were only a couple hundred pieces, while others were in the high thousands.”
She wandered over to the latest piece I had been working on and stroked the corners.
“Some of these had to take you months to complete. Do you frame them all?”
“Nah, just the ones that give me the most trouble. I hang them as a reminder that I can conquer anything. You’re the first person I’ve allowed in here besides Easy.”
She spun around on her tippy toes. “Hm. That must mean you like me.”
