Chapter 16
Nahla frowned as Cannon turned on Jefferson Street.
“Cannon, I thought your house was on North Jackson.”
“It is.”
“But you should’ve turned the other way to get there,” she said, pointing behind them.
“Just ride, baby.”
“I am riding, but I thought I was about to see your house for the first time.”
It had been a week since her article was published, and she spent that time at home. As nice as the safe house was, Nahla missed her home and was happy to get back to it.
Today, Cannon brought up the fact that she still hadn’t seen where he lived. The plan—or so she thought—was to see his home this morning, but it looked like Cannon was up to something else.
Cannon smirked and looked at her. “How do you even know what street I live on?”
Nahla rolled her eyes. “You told me weeks ago.”
He chuckled. “You can’t be surprised for shit, can you, La?”
She smiled immediately. “So, you have a surprise for me?”
Shaking his head, Cannon said, “I ain’t responding to you no more, man.”
She shrugged and turned toward the window. “Fine.”
Nahla knew Jasona well, so as they drove through the city, she tried to figure out where he might be taking her.
They were headed in the direction of several restaurants, but it was nine o’clock in the morning, and Nahla had already made Cannon breakfast. She looked out the window again.
There was no way they could be going to a bar this early, and she couldn’t think of any activity spots where they were headed.
He turned down Lincoln Road, and she really got confused then, because there was nothing major in that direction other than . . .
“We’re going to the airport?” Nahla asked suddenly.
Cannon glanced at her for a minute but then focused on the road again. Nahla grinned. The look he gave her told her everything she needed to know, and the fact that she figured out where they were headed gave her such satisfaction.
“But wait,” she said, after thinking a little more.
“I don’t have any clothes or anything, Cannon. I didn’t pack my laptop or tell Mr. Hill that I’m going anywhere. I—”
“Nahla,” Cannon said, cutting her off. His voice was the calm to her frenzy.
“You trust me?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said quickly. She did.
“Then sit back and ride, baby.” She wanted to tell him that trust had nothing to do with her nosiness, but decided to let it go.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she sat back and rode.
Jasona’s airport wasn’t as large as Jai City’s, but it was decent-sized and looked busy. Nahla assumed their flight was in a few hours because, with all the traffic, it would surely take them a while to park and check in.
When he drove past the main parking deck, she opened her mouth to point it out but shut it immediately. She was trying to be in the moment and relax, as her man asked her to.
After passing the parking deck, he turned left. According to the guide signs, they were headed to the private airstrip. Nahla sat up straighter. She felt a surge of excitement run through her as he parked the car near one of the smaller hangars and killed the engine.
Nahla turned to face him. She was trying to contain her smile so that he could tell her where they were going, but he was just sitting there smirking at her, and it was killing her to keep quiet.
When he finally did speak, all he said was, “Come on.”
He got out of the car, rounded it, and helped her out.
“Cannon, where are we—”
“Hurry up, y’all! You’re late.”
Nahla turned to see Capri approaching them, smiling.
Cannon shook his head at her. “I told you to drop them bags off and get the hell on.”
Capri flipped her brother a bird and turned to Nahla. “I packed you some cute stuff that I think is very you, if I do say so myself. I also packed a small bag with your computer, tablet, and all your chargers. It’s on the jet. Have fun, sis,” Capri said, hugging Nahla.
Nahla hugged her back. “Thanks, sis.”
Capri rolled her eyes at her brother one more time then turned around and headed to her car without telling him goodbye.
Once they were alone again, Nahla turned toward him.
“So . . .” she said.
Cannon laughed and wrapped a hand around her waist. Pulling her close, he said, “La, we’ve been on a mission since we met.
Ever since I knocked on your door, it’s been survival and protection mode for us.
” He brushed a thumb across her cheek. “I just wanna slow this whole thing down for a minute and get to know the love of my life better.”
She felt her eyes water at his perfect words.
“Cannon,” she said softly.
Instead of letting her continue, he dipped his head and kissed her slowly. Once he finally pulled away, he said, “Capri is efficient at everything she does, so I’m sure she packed everything you need and more. If not, though, we’ll get it when we get there. Cool?”
She nodded silently, still in awe of the man in front of her.
Nahla slipped her hand into Cannon’s and followed him across the tarmac.
She had been on a private jet before, but even then, she had to walk through the airport.
This was something different. He led her to a booth where she had to show her license.
Cannon surprised her, yet again, when he pulled out her passport.
Nahla shook her head because there was no telling when he found that in her house.
The check-in process took about five minutes then Cannon led her onto the jet.
Once they were seated, Nahla rested her head on his shoulder and asked, “Are you gonna tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope. Now come on.”
Cannon had been watching Nahla sleep for the last half hour of their nine-hour flight.
She tried to stay up the entire time but was now curled up under the soft throw blanket.
Her head was in his lap, her hair was covering half of her face, and her lips parted just a little.
She looked peaceful, and that had Cannon feeling accomplished.
He wanted Nahla to be at peace. He wanted Nahla to be happy.
When the wheels touched the runway, she stirred, blinking up at him with a lazy, half-away smile.
He thought for sure she would have sat up quickly, trying to look out of the window, and guess where they were before he had the chance to tell her.
Instead, though, she asked him in a slightly raspy voice, “Where are we?”
He couldn’t help but smile at her. “Venice.”
That was when she shot up. Rushing to the window, she asked, “Venice, as in Italy?”
“Yeah, that one.” She turned around and rolled her eyes at him but dove into his chest immediately after.
“How in the world did you make this happen so fast? You didn’t have to do all this. I can’t believe I’m here—”
Cannon cut her off with a kiss. “Don’t be tellin’ me what I don’t have to do.
I’m doin’ what I want, La, and that’s lovin’ you out loud.
I told you I wanna slow us down for a minute.
I want to get to know all the parts of you that got lost in the chaos.
According to Cap, this is one of the best places for that. ”
He kissed her again. “You deserve this and so much more. Shid, we deserve more. We deserve memories that aren’t attached to danger and fear. We deserve time together, so I’on wanna hear nothing about what I don’t have to do for you. Just relax, baby. Relax, and let me date you.”
Her eyes got misty, and he kissed her forehead.
“Nah, don’t start that cryin’. We got things to do.
Let’s go.” Cannon grabbed their things and led Nahla off the plane.
An attendant was waiting when they stepped off.
His name was Gabriele, and he explained that he would be with them for their entire stay.
After assuring them that their bags were already being transported to their resort, Gabriele led them to a golf cart.
It was about a ten-minute ride to a dock with small brown boats lining the shore. Gabriele explained that these were boat taxis and that was how they would travel to their resort. Cannon could feel the excitement radiating off Nahla as they loaded into the taxi.
Within minutes, they were gliding through the Grand Canal. It was early evening, and the sun’s position made the water shimmer in a way that had him appreciating nature a little bit. He glanced at Nahla because he was sure she was loving this.
He watched her take in their surroundings. She continuously turned in her seat, trying to look at the stone bridges arching over them, the pastel buildings all around, and the gondolas drifting by.
She looked mesmerized by it all.
“Cannon,” she said after a while.
“Yeah, La?”
“This is amazing.”
“It is.”
It really was. Cannon had been to several places, but only with the Marines. He had never traveled overseas for pleasure, so this was a first for him, with Nahla.
After about twenty minutes, they approached a private dock. It was lined with candles that flickered in the breeze, and Cannon heard Nahla’s breath hitch.
“This is so beautiful,” she whispered. Cannon helped her to her feet, and they stepped onto the dock. Their path was lined with flower petals, and as they followed Gabriele, Cannon realized the petals led them to the front of the resort.
Right outside the entrance was a woman playing a harp and a sign that read: Cannon and Nahla, Welcome to Paradise.
It was dope.
Once the guy finished playing the song, a woman came out with a tray holding two champagne flutes. They both took one and allowed Gabriele to lead them inside.
The resort was insane, and once they got to their villa, it was even crazier. Cannon followed Nahla around as she toured every inch of the place.
There were two bedrooms, a living area, and a kitchen. They had a private vanishing-edge pool, a Jacuzzi, and a humongous slide attached that led to the ocean.
She ended their tour on the balcony. As she looked over the railing at their incredible view, Cannon hugged her from behind.
“You ready to start vacation, La?”
She turned and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m ready for everything you have for me.”
Cannon smirked. “I’ma hold you to that.”
And he planned to.
“Cannon, we’re gonna be late,” Nahla said through a moan.
Cannon kissed her neck as he slid into her again. “If you lock in, we won’t be.”
He had scheduled a cooking class for them, and it was about to start in thirty minutes. They had gotten dressed and ready to go, but when Nahla came out of the closet looking sexy in a two-piece orange outfit, he promptly led her back to their bedroom.
The class was at their resort, so he felt like they had a good chance of making it on time.
He pinned her arms above her head and sped up his strokes.
Nahla—who must have decided to give up on arguing about being late—closed her eyes and bit her lip.
One of Cannon’s favorite things to do was to admire his woman as they made love.
The faces she made always did something to him, and at this point, he was using her beauty to push him over the edge.
“That feels so good,” she said as he switched gears and ran his tongue along the side of her neck. He gripped her thighs and lifted them until she bent her knees, then he began pounding into her mercilessly.
“Come on, baby,” he said. “I’m waitin’ on you.”
His words must have been a trigger because, almost immediately, she began convulsing as she let out an elongated moan. Cannon was right there with her.
He kissed her neck and tried to lie down with her in his arms, but Nahla pushed away from him, shaking her head.
“No, Cannon. We’re going to whatever you have planned. So get up.”
She stood, but he stayed on the bed. “Man, I’m tired, La.”
“That’s your fault. I told you to leave me alone. Now let’s go.”
She disappeared into the bathroom, and Cannon closed his eyes. Not even five minutes later, she emerged, fully dressed, holding a warm towel. She climbed onto the bed, and Cannon opened one eye. As she wiped him clean, she gazed at him lovingly.
“If you tryna go to the class, you need to stop lookin’ at me like that, La. I can do this all day, and you know that.”
He could already feel his member rising at her touch.
Laughing, Nahla backed away. She grabbed his clothes and threw them at him.
“I’m going to the living room. We’re leaving in five minutes, Cannon. Get up.”
He chuckled and waited until she was gone to get up. He knew his woman liked to do shit, so their time had been stacked for the last three days, thanks to Capri.
Cannon told his sister the things Nahla liked to do, and she had created an itinerary that Nahla had been in love with so far. If he didn’t think this next activity would be her favorite yet, he really would have told her they had to skip it, because she had just worn him out.
He sighed as he began to get dressed.