“I should go,” he said and stood, but was unsteady on his feet. Yeah, he’d had way more to drink than maybe I assumed.
“Hey,” I said softly and walked over to him, grabbing his thick arm to steady him.
He sat back on the bed and a deep sound left him on impact. Thankfully my mom’s room was at the end of the hall, a good chunk of length from where my room was, so hopefully she couldn’t hear us.
“You’re not going anywhere.” I sat beside him. “How much did you drink anyway?”
He looked at me and lifted his hand, rubbing it over his jaw. “I’m starting to think those shots the guys were handing me might have been too much.”
I smiled, but I knew it didn’t quite reach my eyes. I wasn’t surprised I hadn’t paid attention to how much he’d been drinking. I’d been so out of place, like a fish flopping around on dry land surrounded by all the people who ignored me on a daily basis at school.
“Just stay here tonight,” I whispered. He stared in my eyes, not moving, not speaking. And then he lifted his hand and cupped my cheek, causing everything in me to freeze. I felt my mouth part as I stared into his eyes, as he stared into mine.
“Your mom will be pissed if she knows I’m here, staying the night in your bed.”
I wanted to reach out and run my fingers through his hair.
“She won’t find out. We’ll just be quiet and I’ll have you out before she even wakes up.” I smelled his cologne, a spicy scent that had desire coursing through me. I was wet, my nipples hardening, this tingling sensation moving through me so fast I couldn’t handle it.
He opened his eyes and glanced over at me, our gazes holding once more. I felt the air growing so thick it wrapped around my body. Beads of sweat started to cover my temples, droplets lining the area between my breasts.
I didn’t know how long we stared at each other, but then I found myself lifting my hand and placing it over his, feeling the warmth of his skin, wanting to open myself up.
“Your birthday’s tomorrow,” he finally said softly and let go of my face, placing his hand back on his lap. “Eighteen,” he said even softer, his gaze going down to my lips, causing my heart to jump in my throat. He cleared his throat and lay back.
“Yeah,” I said, my throat thick. “But it’s not a big deal.”
“It is though,” he said, this little slur in his voice. “I want to spend time with you. I want to make it special.”
I smiled and before I knew it, he had his hand on mine, twining our fingers together. We didn’t speak for long seconds. “What did that guy say to you that made you so angry?”
Cannon exhaled and removed his hand from mine to rub his eyes. “It’s nothing.”
I knew that was a lie.
“Cannon?”
He opened his eyes so he was looking at me again. “First he asked why I’d brought you. Then he said it was obvious.”
“What was obvious?” I said right away.
Long moments passed before he finally spoke again. “He asked why I wanted you.”
Everything around me froze.
“Why you wanted me?” My voice was barely audible, and my breath hitched. He watched me intently, his gaze clear despite the alcohol flowing through his veins. I found myself leaning forward, not really sure what I was doing, if I could stop myself.
“Stella?” His voice was soft.
I went to reach out and touch him, but stopped myself at the last minute. But it was clear he didn’t like that because he grabbed my wrist gently, smoothing his thumb over my pulse point.
“Cannon.” I said his name softly, having no idea how to respond, how to be honest about how I felt.
But now seemed like the perfect time.
He pushed himself up until he was resting his upper body on his elbow, causing his muscles to tense. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe. I stared into his eyes and felt something shift in the air. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the heat that suddenly seemed to fill the room, but I felt myself leaning forward.
Cannon let go of my wrist and cupped the side of my face at the same time he leaned in. Time seemed to stand still as I watched him come closer, as I felt the sweet liquor-laced scent of his breath move along my lips.
When our mouths were just inches apart, I closed my eyes and moved that bit of space that separated us. It was like I was on auto pilot. Everything inside of me yearned for this.
That first touch of my lips against his was like pouring gasoline on a fire. Sparks shot from my mouth, all the way through my body, and settled right between my thighs. The feelings moving through me were intense and potent.