“Paige?” Cannon asked, suddenly stopping.

“Not like this,” I murmured. “Not now. Not here.”

His knitted brow betrayed his confusion. “You don’t want this?”

Strange, considering he was the one who’d said we couldn’t do this anymore.

Just then the door to the house opened and Allie stuck her head out, her gaze landing on us. Thank God my legs were hidden behind the car, and she couldn’t see the panties resting at my feet. Thank God we weren’t kissing when the door opened.

“What’s going on?” she asked, taking a step out into the garage, her eyes narrowing as she appraised us.

Cannon’s hand came to rest against my lower back, as if he sensed my rising level of panic. The small gesture was meant to calm me, to keep me in place and prevent me from freaking out.

“We were just getting some air. We’ll be right in.” His tone was sure and steady.

A moment of tense silence followed, and my heart thundered in my chest.

Then Allie’s mouth lifted in an understanding smile. “Okay. See you in a minute.”

The moment the door closed, I sucked in a deep breath. Cannon dropped to one knee in front of me, sliding my panties back up my legs and securing them in place.

“I’m sorry,” he said simply as he rose to stand again before me.

I shook my head. “I said not here; I didn’t say not ever.” Part of me hated myself for caving, but the other part of me was giddy with the promise of having Cannon in my bed yet again.

He nodded once, looking almost relieved.

“Are you okay?” I asked. It had been a rocky couple of days, losing his first patient and then his stepfather, all within a matter of twenty-four hours.

Cannon stroked my cheek with his thumb. “I will be.”

“We better get back inside.”

He nodded and led the way to the door.

That was way too close a call. But nothing could have prepared me for what happened later.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Paige

After helping Allie and Susanne see all the guests out and clean up, we ordered a pizza, unable to stomach another casserole. The fridge was filled with the well-meaning intentions of friends and family, but we’d eaten nothing but broccoli-rice casserole and tuna noodle for two days straight. We needed a break, and as we sat huddled around the small round kitchen table, a large pie in front of us, a moment of calm settled around us.

“You all right, Mom?” Allie asked, wiping her hands on a paper towel.

Susanne nodded. “Yeah, sweetie. We’ll get through somehow, right?” She squeezed her daughter’s hand.

“We always do,” Allie agreed.

“Where’s Cannon?” Susanne asked. “He should eat while the food is still hot.”

I hadn’t seen him in hours—not since our encounter in the garage. For all I knew, he was avoiding me. Maybe he regretted how he’d acted; I wasn’t sure. I focused on the warm slice of pizza in front of me and tried to forget the rest.

Allie nodded. “I’ll go find him.” She marched upstairs while Susanne and I continued eating in silence.

Susanne’s doctor, a longtime friend of the family, had stopped by earlier with a package of antianxiety medication. It was a sample pack with only a few doses, and Susanne had taken one earlier with a glass of water. I knew it wasn’t the answer long term, but was happy to see that she seemed a little calmer now. She was resilient and strong. I believed she would undoubtedly find a way through this nightmare.

When Allie came back, she announced that Cannon was drunk and would be down to eat later. It wasn’t like him to drink heavily, and the pizza I’d just consumed sat like a stone in my stomach.

As far as him coming downstairs, I never got to see that happen. I cleaned up the kitchen and left about thirty minutes later for home.

• • •

It was just after midnight when I heard the key turn in the lock. Sleep had eluded me. Even though my body was tired, my mind had continued to race.

I sat upright in bed. Cannon was home.

My heart rate picked up speed as he moved around the house. When he kicked off his shoes at the front door and moved toward the hall, I followed the less-than-graceful sounds of his footsteps. Then there was a loud thunk, followed by him cursing under his breath. Maybe he’d stubbed his toe? I almost giggled, but then the shadow of his tall form was filling my door frame.

“Paige?” He wasn’t quiet, clearly wasn’t afraid of waking me. There was a rough edge of need to his voice, and it called to something inside me. My chest tightened violently.

Cannon blinked as if his eyes were adjusting to the darkness, then stepped inside my room. I expected him to ask to join me like he had the other night, when we’d fallen asleep, seeking solace in each other’s arms. My first clue that this was not going to resemble that was when Cannon crossed the room and leaned over the foot of my bed, grasping my ankles to tug me down the bed.

“Paige.” He said my name again, his voice breaking.

“Yes?” I whispered.

“I need you.” The plea was so simple, and yet so visceral.

“Yes.” I moaned as his hands slid up my bare legs.

I’d gone to bed dressed in an oversized T-shirt and a pair of panties. And in about three seconds flat, he had stripped me of those. Then his hot mouth fused over mine, kissing me deeply. He tasted of whiskey and desire.

“Are you drunk?” I asked, panting as I pulled away.