Her lips parted.
Then I reached around her and grabbed a banana from the fruit basket. “I’ll see you later, Princess.” Then I pressed a kiss to her forehead because I had to. Those tiny touches were what kept me from losing my fucking mind around her.
“Bye, Cannon,” she whispered.
As I grabbed my gear bag from the mudroom, I turned, popping my head back into the kitchen, where she still stood, stirring sugar into her coffee. “By the way, I picked you up a little something at the store.” I motioned toward the fruit basket and headed toward the door.
“Oh my God. Cannon! Is this a freaking pomegranate!” she shouted at me.
“Well, I mean, you did call me Hades the other night,” I teased, my hand on the doorknob.
“Ugh!” She moaned loudly. “You swore you wouldn’t hold my drunken words against me!”
I couldn’t help it, I turned around and leaned into the kitchen again. “Yeah. Well. I guess I lied.” I grinned. “Now seriously, you have to change before I get back. You’re killing me in that.”
Her smile spread slowly as she gripped the hem of her slip, then pulled the damn thing completely off, leaving her in only a pair of white panties. “There, now it’s off.”
I looked my fill, taking in her high breasts, narrow waist, and the curve of her hips. “You know, people think I’m the devil in this relationship, but compared to you, I have a fucking halo over my head.”
“Want to see just how bad I can be?”
Yes.
“Nope. Gotta go. Enjoy your baking!” I fucking ran out of there before she learned exactly how reckless with her body I could be.
Three hours later, I sat on the bench in front of my locker, freshly showered, and tying my shoes.
“I think you might be even faster than last year,” Connell grumbled as he sat across from me. “I was kind of hoping I’d catch you.”
I lifted an eyebrow but didn’t respond. I’d been running and skating my ass off since I married Persephone, channeling that sexual frustration in any way that might help relieve the pressure. Nothing worked in that department, but I’d never been in better shape.
“Cannon,” Sterling asked from the corner of the locker room as he pinned something to the bulletin board. “Settle an argument for me.”
“What?” I finished tying my other shoe and sat up.
“You see, I think I’m your best man, but Briggs over there thinks he is.” He motioned to the new defenseman we’d just gotten on trade from Calgary. Rumor was the guy fucked the wrong woman and ended up losing his jersey, but their loss was our gain. Briggs had puck-handling skills that even I envied.
Briggs shook his head, rolling his eyes at Sterling.
“Logan is my best man.” I nodded to where Ward sat at my right.
“What? I was there. I drove you to the chapel!” Sterling’s jaw dropped. “Where is the love?”
“Right, and if Logan had been there…” I cut myself off before I finished that sentence. Logan wouldn’t have taken me to the chapel. He would have handcuffed me to a fucking radiator before he would have let me marry Persephone while we were both delirious.
Logan shot me a look that said he’d followed my line of thinking. “Right, and if I’d been there, I would have gotten way better camera footage.” He grinned at Sterling.
“So it’s official? You guys are making this thing real?” Axel asked from where he stood next to Lukas.
“Yep. Fancy ass venue and everything,” I answered.
Logan was the only person who knew the why of it. Well, and Delaney of course. He’d learned his lessons about keeping secrets from his woman. That had been a promise I’d given Persephone. To the rest of the world, especially her mother, this looked legit.
Problem was, it was starting to feel legit.
“Good! I’m happy for you!” Our captain gave me the nod of approval.
“Have to admit, you’re pretty cute together,” Lukas agreed.
“Cute?” I challenged.
“Well, it seemed better than total-opposites-who-are-hot-for-each-other, so I went with it.” He shrugged.
“You should have seen the douchebag crowd she used to run with,” Sawyer interjected. “That woman is way better off with you than turning into a Charleston Stepford Wife.”
“She still runs with that crowd, so let’s keep the douchebag comments to a minimum,” Logan reminded him.
That was true. She still had her lunches. Still met up with her friends to shop every few weeks. Still sat on the board for two of her mother’s charities, which included meetings with the same people who had been at our engagement party. She might be stepping into my life, but she still had a foot firmly planted in hers.
Good. That was good, right? It would be easier for her when this all went to shit. Her snotty ass friends would forgive her indiscretion, and she’d fall right back in where she belonged, in that untouchable sphere of manners and money…and Michael.