Taivon: Book Three of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Thirty-One

Something poked her in the side. “Alix.”

She rolled over, covering her face with a pillow. Waking up wasn't usually a thing she did well, and waking up early, that just wasn't possible. Snuggling closer to the body pressed against her, she squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to go back to sleep.

“Someone's at th-th-the door,” Taivon said.

She put her hands to her ears.

“Alix.” He poked her back. “Alix.” He ripped the pillow off her head. “Th-The door.”

“Just answer it,” she grumbled.

“Wuh-What?” Taivon squeaked. “I c-c-c-can't ju-just answer. Yuh-You're th-the one who lives here.”

A sharp knock knock knock echoed from the door and down the hall. She felt as Taivon's body stilled beside her. The fact that Taivon was too chicken to open the door coupled with the fact that she now couldn't sleep in had her blowing out a breath to calm herself.

Cracking one eye open, she saw Taivon looking at her with uncertainty in his gaze. With his head propped up on his elbow and face littered with sleep wrinkles, he shouldn't look as good as he did now. But he did, and Alix just wanted to stay here and look at him.

Knock knock knock.

She sighed. “What the hell?”

Taivon stayed right where he was as she got out of bed and looked for something to cover herself. His park ranger shirt was the first thing she saw. It fell down to mid-thigh, a little coarse and stiff, but when she lifted the collar to her nose, it smelt just like Taivon.

She inhaled one more time before going to the door, not even caring how she looked as it opened. A large, tall figure was on the other side. His arms were heavy with grocery bags, and he shouldered his way right past her. Leon.

She followed him and said for the second time in under five minutes, “What the hell?”

“Good morning, sis.”

Leon set the bags onto the countertop, opened the fridge, some cupboards, and looked up at her expectantly. His eyes scanned over her shirt-covered body, and he frowned but didn't say anything as they put the groceries away.

“Alix,” Leon said, taking a drag from his cigarette.

“What?”

He smirked. “Big boy, huh?”

She played with the collar of Taivon's shirt. “He's not fat, if that's what you're trying to say.”
“Look at the size of that thing.”

Alix didn't have anything to say to that, because Taivon was just that. Big. Not the so-big-he-has-man-tits big, but the hot-damn-those-arms-must-work big. Leon had called her after she'd practically put Taivon to bed, and he'd asked about Taiv, but she hadn't really said anything.

He'd see Taiv soon enough, probably for their family's Thanksgiving. The thought of Thanksgiving had her getting that choked up feeling again. She'd be meeting all of his family this Thanksgiving and then Christmas, too. Which scared the living shit out of her. Not that she would be telling him that any time soon.

“Can I go wake him up?” Leon whispered.

She looked down the hall, to where her bedroom door was wide open. Just the barest hint of Taivon's arm could be seen, amongst the tangle of sheets. Their clothes were laying all over the floor from the night before.

Alix shook her head. “No. I'll go get him. Just...be nice, okay?”

“I'm always nice.”

“That's bullshit, and we both know it.”