At first Yvette didn’t understand. “Who?” Then she caught his meaning. “You’re talking about Margaret—”
“And Dash. Rowdy, Avery, Logan, Reese...” Steering with one hand, he wrapped his right hand over her knee. “I’ve relied on all of them plenty of times, and vice versa.”
Never would she go crying to his friends, looking for help. If it came to that she’d go back to California. But she was an optimist, so she had to believe it’d all work out somehow.
Now that he’d sort of brought it up, she turned in her seat and gave way to her curiosity. “When you take those long walks at night with your friends, the pole dancers you talk with, all the business people, it’s because you’re checking up on your neighborhood.”
“Something like that.”
“An older couple told me that you ran drug dealers away from their shop.”
Modest in the extreme, Cannon lifted a shoulder. “I strongly suggested they move along.”
“Right. I’m sure that’s all you did. A nice, friendly chat.”
He flashed a quick grin. “Before meeting Rowdy and his whole entourage, we made things happen by backing up what we said. And yeah, before you ask, that means I got into a lot of fights. Came to the point where it was easier for the street thugs to avoid us than to engage.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“It was a few times.” His fingers teased over her knee, then behind it. He blew out a breath. “Long ago, my dad died resisting extortion from a local group.”
Yvette’s heart sank. “I’m so sorry.”
“Like I said, it was long ago.”
Covering his hand with hers, knowing there was more, she waited.
“After that, some punks tried to give Merissa a hard time. I decided that wasn’t going to happen.” His brows pinched together a little as he recalled those long-ago days. Only seconds later, he shook off the mood. “That’s when I learned I could fight.” He glanced at her with a quick grin. “And that there was room for improvement. I started training, got involved in some small venues and kept up with the neighborhood network.”
Yvette laced her fingers with his. “You’re pretty amazing. You know that, right?”
He lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. “Not amazing, honey. Just appreciative of what I have and the people I know. Including you. And that brings us full circle.”
“Should I be dizzy?”
“If for any reason you can’t ever reach me, well, Rowdy is the most honorable tough guy I’ve ever known, followed closely by the lieutenant.”
Laughing at that, Yvette said, “A tough guy, huh?”
“Or just tough. And definitely honorable. Dash and the detectives...they’re really good men.” He let her go and returned both hands to the steering wheel. “But you can always go to Armie, too, or Denver or Stack or—”
“Wow.” Mustering a laugh, Yvette dropped back in her seat. “Are you expecting me to rouse up major chaos at every turn? Because seriously, Cannon, I’m hoping Heath takes off and it all just disappears, in which case, why would I need all this excellent backup?”
“I’m expecting you to be beautiful and hot and to keep me crazy with lust.”
Wow again. She had nothing to say to that, except that maybe it’d be better if she appeased his lust. Like...tonight.
“But I’m the cautious sort,” he said, “and I believe in being prepared. So humor me, okay?”
It took her a minute to get her thoughts in order, then she leaned in and stroked his shoulder. His body was so incredibly honed. She loved the feel of him under the soft cotton T-shirt. But she loved to touch his hot skin even more, so she slipped her fingers underneath his sleeve.
He went alert in a very masculine way.
“I don’t want you to worry, Cannon. I’m not going to let Heath dictate my decisions, but I’m not going to do anything foolish either.” He started to say something, but she wasn’t done yet. “The thing is, I really don’t want this to become your problem. Yes, we’re in the same house. And yes, I want...” How to put it? “You.” That seemed clear enough. But just to be sure, she added, “In every way.”
“Damn, honey.” He shifted, straightening one leg, tugging at his jeans.
“I appreciate how you handled Heath today. He took me by surprise and I was embarrassed. But no matter what he said or did, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere alone with him. It might have gotten even more embarrassing, but I could have handled it.”
That only made Cannon look more determined. “Glad to hear it.”
In no way did he sound convinced, and that concerned her. “I hope you listened to what Margaret said. You don’t need to seek Heath out. You don’t need to defend my honor.”
“I don’t, huh?”
Now he almost sounded annoyed. She eyed him. “I’m not saying you have to ignore Heath’s insults if we run into him.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“But you can try letting me deal with him before you get in the middle of it.”
He grunted over that.
“Mostly,” she said, “I want to thank you.”
That got his attention. “For what?”
“For offering to back me up.” Again. “For caring.” God, she hoped he did. “For...everything.” Mostly, for being you.