by E. M. Snow
“I’m not going to bite,” he calls out. “Not hard, anyway.”
My lips twitch. Look at that, he’s capable of jokes, too. At least, I think it’s a joke. My cheeks heat at the thought that maybe it’s not. Still, it would be weird to just blatantly ignore him, so I shrug and make my way over to him. I kick off my flip-flops and sit down next to him, dipping my feet in the water alongside his. We don’t say anything for several moments, but it’s a strangely comfortable silence.
At length, though, I bump his shoulder with mine and say, “Thanks for earlier today. I know I said it before, but I really mean it. You and Reina and Phoenix didn’t have to stick up for me like that.”
He doesn’t look at me, but he replies, “It’s no big deal.”
But it is, and we both know it.
After some length of time, he asks, “Why do they hate you so much?”
I glance at him with an arched brow. “Seriously?”
“Best guess.”
Sighing, I roll my head on my shoulders before answering, “I’m an outsider. I don’t belong in their world, and yet I’ve managed to not only attend their school, but I’m tangled up with their most elite peers. In their eyes, I don’t deserve the attention. Maybe they think if they cut me down, the rest of you will see me for the nobody they think I am.”
He arches a light brown eyebrow, looking almost impressed. “And here you said you didn’t know.”
Chuckling, I lean back on my hands and tilt my head back to gaze up at the darkening sky. “I never said I didn’t know, did I?”
“Touché.”
I grin, and that comfortable silence falls between us again. It gives me time to think, and my mind can’t seem to help but turn to the awkward elephant still looming between us. For a moment, I debate saying anything about it, but I know I should address it, or it’ll probably come back to bite me in the ass again.
“I’m sorry that I used you to lie to Margaret. I just really wanted her to leave it alone, and I knew she wouldn’t if I didn’t give her something juicy, you know?”
He arches an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth curled into an amused smirk.
“You know, I’m not really pissed you told that stupid bitch that we hooked up. I mean, fuck, I kind of wish it were true.”
My lips part in shock. I’m somewhat used to Alaric’s strange way of flirting with me, but such a blunt response catches me off guard. My mind begins to race as we stare at each other, the air thick and heavy with tension. Memories of our brief encounter at the music store flood my mind. His hands on me. That kiss.
I don’t realize we’re leaning closer to each other until his lips are just a breath away from mine, and there’s a growl behind us.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
I jump and jerk away from Alaric at the sound of the angry voice cracking through the air. Wide-eyed, I turn and feel the blood drain from my face as I watch Phoenix stalking toward us from the direction of his cottage. His expression is furious, and I actual feel a fissure of fear shoot up my spine. I glance back over at Alaric, and his jaw is tense, but he doesn’t look intimidated. He looks irritated. Pissed.
He drags his feet from the pool and stands so he can face down his cousin at eye-level. I scramble to stand just as Phoenix storms right up to Alaric and shoves him in the chest.
Hard.
“Fucking answer me.” Fury blazes behind his green irises. “What the hell are you doing messing with what doesn’t belong to you?”
“She’s not an object, you primal asshole,” Alaric snaps back, backpedaling so he can shove Phoenix in turn.
I have a fleeting, ridiculous thought that I should step between the two to stop them before they get into a full-on fight, but then I pause and recognize how stupid that would be. It would be the equivalent of getting in the middle of two battling lions. I’ll likely end up torn to shreds myself rather than bringing about any kind of peace.
“This is how you repay me for taking your ass in?” Phoenix snarls.
“You didn’t take us in,” his cousin retorts, dragging a hand angrily through his blond hair. “But if you want to go there, fine. At least my folks didn’t take off because they couldn’t stand to be around me. How long’s it been, Phoenix? Four months now? Do your parents really hate you that much? Or did you decide they just weren’t necessary features in your life anymore and you got rid of them yourself?”
I gape at Alaric, shocked. Phoenix’s parents haven’t been around since June? Holy shit. And what’s more, did he just accuse Phoenix of murdering his parents? That has to be a joke, right? Just a cruel jab to get under Phoenix’s skin. It couldn’t be true, but that does still leave the question I’ve been asking since I came to live with them two months ago: where the hell are Royce and Sabrina Townsend?
Phoenix lets out a cruel bark of laughter that’s devoid of humor. “Interesting that you bring up murder, considering your mom offed your dad and your sister’s dirty whore best friend. You’d probably be the one to follow mommy’s footsteps, my guy. The only question would be if you’d take the cowards way out like she did and kill yourself along with your victims. You should be more grateful.”
Jesus Christ, what is happening right now? This is getting way out of hand. I’ve learned way more about the Townsends and the Hartley twins in the last few moments than in all the months I’ve lived with them, which is really problematic. Phoenix’s words seem to trigger something in Alaric. His hazel eyes flash with rage and his usual cool and nonchalant demeanor melts away as he charges his cousin. He shoves Phoenix again and grabs his collar before he has a chance to fully regain his balance.
“Don’t fuck with me,” he hisses viciously. “I could ruin you so easily. I know everything, and I don’t give a shit about letting it all spill.”
“You don’t know shit.” Phoenix breaks Alaric’s hold on him and pushes him away. “You don’t scare me, you bitch.”
All I can do is stare between them, my heart beating wildly as I watch this train wreck happen.
“Is that so?” Alaric’s hands ball into fists at his sides, and for a moment I think he’s going to throw a punch. Instead, he continues, “I know that the week before Saint Angelle’s death, his father showed up on your family’s doorstep.”
I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what any of this means, but Phoenix’s expression turns deadly. There’s a moment where no one says anything, and I feel like I can’t breathe as I wait to see what either of them might do. Suddenly, Phoenix dives at Alaric, and it’s the fight I was afraid was going to happen from the start. Fists start flying, and I let out a shout.
“Knock it off!” I command them sharply, but I may as well have been talking to two brick walls. They both ignore me as they continue to exchange blows with each other. I try to think of a way to stop them before they kill each other, but there isn’t much I can do without risking my own neck.
Then, as if he was sent to answer my please, Gideon comes running out of the house with a startled expression. He charges right into the melee, getting between his brother and his cousin, and shoves them both away from each other before shouting, “What the fuck is the matter with you two?”
Phoenix looked as though he wants to ignore his brother and go after Alaric again, so I quickly run forward and stand next to Gideon to add an extra barrier between the two idiots. Phoenix turns his vicious glare to me, and I can almost see that fucked-up mind of his whirling. I just don’t know what it is he’s trying to decide.
The tension becomes suffocating before he finally hisses, “I don’t fucking need this. I don’t need any of you.”
Before any of us can respond, he turns and makes his way toward the main house instead of his guest cottage, his movements tight with rage.
Puffing out a sharp breath, Gideon turns to Alaric and demands, “What happened?”
I glance toward Alaric as well, and his eyes latch onto mine as he snarls, “Nothing. Not a fucking thing.”
I don’t know why he seems angry with me all of a sudden. He turns and stomps in the opposite direction of the house. I don’t know where he’s going, but I don’t try to stop him. It’s probably for the best that he and Phoenix have some distance between them right now.
With an exasperated sigh, Gideon turns to me, his expression pleading. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Not really, if I’m being honest. Plus, I don’t know that it really matters right now. The fight is over, and knowing those two, they’ll cool down for a while and then find some other reason to go at each other’s throats.
At least, that’s what I tell myself to push back the guilt that’s bubbling in my belly.
Giving him a shrug, I calmly answer, “Who knows. One minute I’m talking to Alaric, the next, Phoenix is trying to rip his head off. They’re both psycho.”
Reina was definitely right when she called them that earlier today.
He gives me a long look before slowly bobbing his head. “Right. Sure. That’s true, I guess.”
I can see he wants to push for more, but I don’t give him a chance. I turn from him. It doesn’t occur to me until I take my first step that I could have just as easily gone in the same direction as Alaric, and yet, here I am. Following Phoenix’s deceitful trail.
What a fool I am.
26
I’m reeling as I make my way through the house. Everything that was revealed during that fight is rushing through my head, and my mind keeps settling on the fact that Phoenix and Gideon’s parents have been MIA for months now. Far longer than I’ve been living here. Every time I asked him when I would see his parents, when I could speak with them, he’d blown me off or given me the business trip excuse, never once telling me his parents were just … gone. I want an explanation, and I think I deserve one after all the shit he’s put me through.
After searching a bit, I finally end up outside the library. The door is closed, but I don’t bother to knock and storm inside. To my relief, he’s there, lounging in one of the leather armchairs in front of the fireplace, a crystal glass of amber liquor dangling from his fingers. He casts me an almost bored expression as I shut the door behind me and cross the room to stand in front of him with my arms crossed. I glare down at him.
“Where are your parents?” I demand to know without preamble.
“Hello to you too, Luna,” he drawls, taking a long sip of his drink. “I figured you’d be with Aric, but I guess you’re full of surprises tonight.”
“If you know where they are, why haven’t you told me?” I demand, not willing to let the topic go. “Why all the lies?”
He heaves an annoyed sigh. “Don’t pay attention to what Alaric says. He’s full of shit.”
“No, that’s definitely you.” I drag my hands through my hair and let out a harsh cry. “You’re avoiding answering me, Phoenix. Just tell me where they are.”
He pushes to his feet so he’s towering over me. His brilliant green eyes flash with irritation, but his tone is cool, calm, and collected when he opens his full lips to speak. “Don’t you have more important things to worry about? Like your brother and his whereabouts? The fact that he only has weeks left and he hasn’t produced a fucking thing? I would think you’d be putting more focus into finding him and getting him to save your ass.”
“No.” At that, he walks away from me toward the liquor cart in the corner to pour himself another drink. I follow him, not willing to let him distract me. “We’re not talking about Jasper. And it would actually be much easier if I could explain everything to your father and get him to let me go than to try and hunt down my brother.”
“I doubt it,” he snorts.
“Why?” I demand. “Because Aric is right, and your parents are really gone?”
The brutal look he shoots my way makes me swallow hard. “You really need to learn to keep your mouth shut, you know that? You’re going to get yourself into trouble someday.”
“Is that a threat?”
“More of a promise,” he rumbles. “Now, get out of here before I make you.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
I don’t know why I insist on challenging like this. In my head, I know it’s only going to lead to trouble for me, but I just can’t seem to help myself. I think a part of me wants him to know that he can’t just push me around anymore. That I’m not his toy or plaything, no matter what he likes to think.
He glares at me for several long moments before he finally churns out, “Do not fuck with me, Luna. Not unless you’re ready to face the consequences.”
“I’m not scared of you,” I respond in a firm tone. “All I want is for you to tell me what I want to know. Where are your parents?”
He closes the distance between us before I realize he’s moved. He grabs the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my black hair, and yanks me in for a brutal kiss. I gasp and grab onto the front of his shirt as his tongue sweeps into my mouth to dominate mine. As if my body has just been waiting for this, I sag against him in what seems like relief as he devours my lips.
Grabbing my waist, he pulls me back with him toward the chair he was just sitting in. He drops down in the seat and then drags me with him so I’m straddling his lap. His hands drop to my ass, and he presses me down so I’m flush against his growing erection.
“Phoenix, don’t—” I murmur against his mouth, but he tugs my bottom lip between his teeth to stop me.
“Your pussy is already wet for me,” he husks when he releases my flesh, and a thrill shoots through me. “Is that what you get off on?”
Before I can respond, before I can even think of a response, his mouth is on mine again.
Everything we were just fighting about leaves my head as I grow drunk on his kiss. How does he have this power over me? Why can’t I seem to feel this way with anyone else? Even that feeling I’d had as I almost kissed Alaric again doesn’t come anywhere close to the mind-numbing intensity of what I experience with Phoenix.
He grabs the bottom of my t-shirt and then begins to yank it up, but suddenly stops half-way through.
“Your bedroom,” he growls.
“No one will come in here,” I manage, surprising myself with my words and my breathy tone. I grip my shirt myself and yank it up and over my head, leaving me topless except for my bra.
His eyes land on my breasts and his jaw clenches. As if he can’t help himself, he raises his hands and cups them, squeezing and molding them until I throw back my head and groan.
“You’re so fucking soft,” he murmurs, though I don’t know that he’s necessarily talking to me as much as he’s talking to himself.
“Phoenix,” I whimper, my fingers playing at the waistband of his pants before I slide one palm down to grip his dick through his clothes. A hiss escapes his lips, and his hips buck involuntarily.
“Fuck,” he snarls. “Your room, Luna, and then you can suck me off.”
“Here.” Before he can respond, I slide off his lap and onto the floor in front of him. Gripping his knees, I push them apart and then begin taking off his pants. When he doesn’t immediately move to help me, I glance up at him with a small frown. He’s gazing down at me with this torn expression, and for a moment I wonder if he’s going to tell me to stop. I don’t know why he would, though, just like I don’t fully understand why I’m so willingly on my knees before him without him cajoling me at all. I’m not really in the mood to fight this, though.
At length, however, he lets out a growl and lifts himself so I can pull down his pants. His erection springs free and I reach out to wrap my fingers around his base. I stroke him once, twice, and then I lean forward and lick at his head. He releases a low groan and then I take him into my mouth completely. He grasps my head in both his hands, but he doesn’t try to force the pace, but lets me set it. Whatever objections he might have had before disappear as I bob my head up and down on his cock, reveling in the sounds he’s making that I know he’s trying to hold back.
He doesn�
�t let me go on for long. Gripping my hair, he pulls me off him and leans down to kiss me fiercely before grabbing my arms and pulling me to my feet as he stands. I can tell that he’s lost in the moment, and I’m really no better. I don’t put up any resistance as he guides me over to a decorative couch next to the wall by one of the windows. He guides me down so I’m lying on my back on the cushions.
He strips off his shirt and then bends down to grab my shorts and yank them down and off my legs. Naked, he lowers himself over me and the next thing I know, we’re kissing again and he’s resting between my parted legs that I have wrapped around his waist. Things are escalating quickly, and so I really shouldn’t have been surprised when he slips his fingers in my panties and begin pulling them down my thighs.
We’re about to have sex. That’s what’s happening right now. Obviously, that would be where this was heading, but I feel as though my head is spinning and I’m suddenly playing catch-up with the moment.
“Wait,” I gasp, reaching down to grab one of his wrists.
He pauses, but I can see that he doesn’t want to. Still, he’s holding himself back, waiting for me to say whatever it is I need to say.
Suddenly, I feel nervous. A small part of me just wants to keep going and say screw it to telling him the truth, but I know enough that I understand sex probably won’t be great if he’s not made aware.
“What is it?” he growls when I don’t speak up right away.
“I…” I take a deep breath and just let it out. “I’m a virgin.”
27
Phoenix stares down at me as though in horror. I furrow my brow in confusion and feel a bubbling of self-consciousness deep in my belly. My bra straps are slipping down my arms, the cups dipping and exposing my breasts. I throw my arms over my chest, feeling suddenly exposed under his strange gaze.
