Chapter 13 #2
“Today was a lot, and we haven’t had much quality time since we started working on your story again. I know how much you love stories and visuals, so I figured we’d indulge in your favorite things with a movie night.”
Nahla looked at him and puckered her lips. He met them with his in a soft kiss.
“This is amazing, Cannon. I love the way you pay attention to me.”
“I love you,” he said without thinking. He saw the shock on her face at his admission.
To be honest, he was shocked himself. He hadn’t meant for that to come out, but he meant it, and he wasn’t about to take it back.
Instead, he kissed her again and said, “Come on. Let’s go see what all Capri’s extra ass did. ”
Nahla sipped the wine, and Cannon drank water as the second movie played in front of them. It had started raining about halfway into the first movie, but the large patio was screened in, so instead of hindering their date night, the rain just added to the vibe.
Once Cannon told Nahla that everything they’d be watching was his favorite movies, she locked in. She asked him questions throughout the film, like, “When was the first time you watched this movie?” “Which parts do you know by heart?” and “What made this movie special for you?”
The questions made Cannon laugh, because she was truly a journalist at heart, but they also had him falling for her a little more, because he could tell she was just trying to understand him better.
He wasn’t sure anyone had ever truly desired to understand him. It was different, and he was loving it.
Nahla was tucked against his side now, watching the last scene of the movie intently. Once the credits started to roll, she said, “I had never seen that movie before. I love it.”
Cannon chuckled. “I know you do. It’s good as hell.”
Nahla kissed her teeth. “Cocky ass.”
They were silent for a few minutes, until she spoke up again.
“Cannon, . . . why did you do all this?”
“I already told you. I wanted you to have a worry-free night. We’ve been on go for almost forty-eight hours. I just wanted to take care of you tonight.”
She looked up at him. “You’re really good at that.”
“At what?”
“Taking care of me.”
Cannon smirked. “I agree.”
Nahla rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna ruin me, Cannon Porter.”
Cannon shook his head. “I’ll be doin’ no such thing. I’on plan to do anything except love and protect you the way you deserve.” Nahla sat up and set her wine glass on the picnic table. She then straddled Cannon’s lap.
“I appreciate that,” she said and kissed him. “And I love you too.”
Nahla placed her hands on the sides of his face and pressed her lips to his again. Their kiss was warm and tasted of cabernet. Cannon deepened it, placing his hands on her hips and pressing her body closer to his.
Nahla began rocking her hips gently as her hands slid around his neck. The next movie started, but neither of them noticed, as they got lost in each other.
She began winding her hips slowly, and they moaned simultaneously. His fingers dug into her hips as she rotated them slowly. Every time her hips moved back, she rose, and when they curled forward, she descended powerfully.
“Why you always feel this good, La?”
He didn’t know if it was possible, but Nahla seemed to be getting wetter with every movement. Feeling her warmth and hearing her sexy-ass moan did it for him every time. He couldn’t get enough of how her body molded to his perfectly. Their perfect fit was driving him insane.
Cannon lifted his hands and slid his hands under her shirt, exposing her stomach as he began to massage her breasts, just so he could have something else to focus on. Nahla was constantly testing his ability to last, because she had become such an expert at pleasing him.
Everything she was doing as she rode him felt so damn good, but she was torturing him with her slow movements, so he decided to take control. He took her by surprise when he lifted her off him then slammed her back down hard. He did it again and again before he stilled and held her in place.
“Ah!” Nahla screamed out as Cannon began grinding his pelvis into her. He thrust upward repeatedly. She moved her hands from around Cannon’s neck to her breasts as they bounced up and down wildly.
“Oh my, . . . Cannon!”
He kissed her neck then, without warning, flipped her on her back. He pressed her knees toward her ears.
“Wassup, baby?” he asked.
Just as Nahla was about to reply, Cannon delivered a series of hard thrusts that had both of them unraveling. Seconds later, Nahla was shaking uncontrollably, and Cannon was pulling out of her as his body shook hard.
With the last ounce of energy Cannon had, he lay back on the pillows and brought Nahla’s body down beside him.
His chest rose and fell beneath Nahla’s cheek. They were still wrapped in their blankets and surrounded by pillows as they strived to steady their breathing and muster up enough energy to go inside. It had started raining harder, but neither of them seemed to care.
Nahla dragged her fingers lazily along Cannon’s abdomen, tracing faint lines of his muscles.
As sensitive as he usually was to her touch, he didn’t even have the energy to react.
Nahla had worn him out. She began to caress his arm next, and Cannon’s eyes closed because her soft touch was lulling him to sleep.
After a few minutes had passed, Nahla called his name, prompting him to open his eyes.
“Wassup, baby?” Cannon asked, lazily.
“Can you please tell me about your time in the Marines now?”
Cannon paused. He looked down and realized her eyes and her hand were on his Marine tattoo. Not wanting to kill the vibe, but not wanting to go there after having such a good night, he said, “Not tonight, Nahla.”
In a soft voice, she asked, “Not tonight, or not ever?”
“Nahla Avery,” Cannon said. “We’ve been havin’ a good ass night. Can we keep doin’ that?”
Talking about that shit was sure to put him in a messed-up headspace. He hadn’t avoided the topic altogether all these years for no reason.
She sat up a little. “I don’t want to ruin our night.
I feel like you know everything important about me, but I only find out small pieces of you, and it’s not because you open up to me.
I know you were in the Marines because I noticed your tattoo.
I know you had a best friend who was apparently a big part of your life because he popped up on you.
“I feel like I make it so easy for you to know me, Cannon. I just want to know you too.”
Cannon sat up, causing Nahla to straighten up completely.
“You can know me, Nahla. But I just said I didn’t want to go there tonight.”
“Which is what you said the last time I asked.”
Cannon chuckled.
“Why do you always have to push, Nahla? I ain’t one of your stories, man.”
“Why do you always have to shut me out?” she clapped back, ignoring the second part of his statement.
“I’m not shutting you out, but you don’t listen.
I’ve been cool talkin’ about everything under the sun with you, Nahla.
I just asked you to give me some time with this one part of my past. Nobody wants to be out here arguin’ with your nosy ass right now, but you just can’t help pushin’ niggas.
You can’t help but push till you get your damn story, and I ain’t fuckin’ with that at all.
” Cannon stood. “I ain’t your fuckin’ story, Nahla,” he repeated before going inside. He needed a minute to himself.
He didn’t even bother lingering in the house. He needed distance, so he headed straight for the garage, grabbed his toolbox and the new camera he purchased for a blind spot he had noticed in the front yard. He grabbed one of his step ladders and headed out the door.
It was raining hard, but he didn’t let it stop him from getting to work on setting up the camera. Once he began, he realized he didn’t need the step ladder to reach the installation area. Setting it aside, he got to work.
Cannon was annoyed beyond belief. He loved Nahla more than a little bit, but he didn’t like the way her continuous probing of him about his past made him feel.
In his mind, it was simple. That was a tough subject for him.
His family didn’t even press him for details about his discharge.
What happened overseas had nothing to do with the relationship he was building with Nahla, so why couldn’t she just leave that alone?
Cannon wiped rain out of his eyes and kept working.
Just as he was about to drill his first hole, he heard the door open.
Refusing to look toward the door, he started to drill.
He saw Nahla in his peripheral vision, opening the step ladder.
She stepped up to the highest rung on the small ladder, and seconds later, there was no more rain pouring down on Cannon’s head.
He looked up to see a large umbrella covering both of their heads then looked at her. Her expression was full of emotion that he couldn’t quite decipher, but he could see by the red in her eyes that she had at least shed a few tears.
Fuck.
Sighing, he said, “I don’t want you getting sick out here, La. Go inside.”
She shook her head. With a shaky voice, she said, “Not without you.”
Cannon glanced at the hole he had just drilled in the front of the house. Knowing he had no business trying to install a camera in the rain anyway, he said, “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”
He used his free hand to help Nahla off the ladder then took the umbrella from her.
Cannon left the umbrella in the garage, and they went inside quietly.
He set the tools and camera box on the counter inside and focused on Nahla.
She had walked to the kitchen door that led to the bedrooms, but was standing there, waiting for him.
Cannon approached her, grasped her hand, and they went to his bedroom. They didn’t have any more dialogue, but Nahla joined him in his shower, and when they were finally in bed, he pulled her body close to his and kissed her forehead. It didn’t take her long to doze off.