More butterflies began a flurry of activity inside her belly. Her thoughts drifted to the information she’d pulled up online. The interesting stuff. Not the articles that went on and on about hockey and the Arrows organization, or even those that talked about Phoenix’s other company. No, Mia was thinking about the stories that had alluded to the two of them involved in certain sexual encounters. Things that Mia hadn’t thought really happened. Well, except for in the erotic novels she had stumbled upon a few short months ago.
“How was your day?” Phoenix asked, his tone friendly but loud enough to catch her off guard, causing her to jump.
“Sorry.” Smiling through her nervousness, Mia added, “Good.” Looking over at him again, she tried her best to ignore the intimidating man glancing back at her in the rearview mirror, all while avoiding the curiosity regarding what these two actually did behind closed doors.
She could feel her cheeks heat when she saw that Phoenix was looking at her, as well. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous, but the more she’d thought about him that day, the more anxious she’d been to see him. Adding Tarik to the mix didn’t make it any easier.
There had even been a point in the day — a brief half hour between classes when she had grabbed food in the cafeteria — that she had pondered the idea of actually seeing where things might lead with this man. Well, more accurately, her thoughts had bordered on the lascivious until she’d had no choice but to toss her food in the trash and sneak off to the restroom to run cold water over her wrists in an attempt to cool herself off.
Absurd, she knew, but she hadn’t been able to shake the thought. And as the day had passed, she’d secretly wished that he would make a move. What kind of move, she didn’t know, but she felt significantly more educated after reading the information she’d found about him online.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
Glancing down at her jeans and sweatshirt, Mia realized that she wasn’t dressed to go anywhere with him. By comparison, she looked as though he had picked her up at a homeless shelter, and that certainly wouldn’t do for going out in public with him dressed like that, so she answered with, “No, I’m good.”
“You sure? I could change. There’s a fantastic Japanese restaurant around the corner.”
Mia met his green gaze and hesitated. She wanted to say yes, but she didn’t know how.
When Phoenix smiled, she knew he had figured her out.
“All right. We’ll drop your stuff off, I’ll go to my place and change, and I’ll meet you in the lobby in … say … twenty minutes.”
“Okay,” she said instantly. His smile grew even wider, and Mia’s insides lit up like a bonfire.
Half an hour later, Mia stepped off the elevator back in the lobby and came face-to-face with Phoenix. She had to admit, she was a little disappointed to see that he was alone. Part of her had hoped that Tarik would accompany them tonight, but she shoved the thought away. She was getting too carried away with herself.
Phoenix looked incredibly handsome, which didn’t help all that much in pulling her mind out of the gutter. He had abandoned the suit in lieu of a pair of distressed jeans and a forest-green polo coupled with a sexy brown leather jacket. Mia felt her mouth begin to water. She’d seen him in his running gear, she’d seen him in immaculate suits, and she’d even seen him in a tuxedo, but this… She’d never seen him look as good as he did right then. Casual. Sexy.
“We’ll walk, if you don’t mind,” Phoenix said, coming to stand directly in front of her.
“Sounds good to me.” Kicking out her foot, Mia showed him that she hadn’t changed out of her athletic shoes. She’d considered putting on something nicer but then refused. It was one thing for her to give in to the pleasure of his company; it was something else to put forth more effort than she should simply to get his attention.
Phoenix placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her toward the door. When they stepped outside, the lingering January chill filled her lungs and made Mia long for spring. As much as she loved this time of year, she was ready to be rid of the blustering winds and the biting chill in the air. There was still the possibility of snow — something she would love to see — between now and spring, but even with that chance, she longed for warmer temperatures.
By the time they reached the restaurant, Mia was shivering and her fingers were numb. She tried to pretend not to be cold as she smiled at Phoenix.
The hostess greeted Phoenix by name, which wasn’t all that surprising. Considering he lived around the corner and had rattled off the place as his first suggestion, it wasn’t shocking that he frequented the establishment enough for them to know him. The woman gathered two menus and then led them through the restaurant to a small table in the back.
Once they were seated, the pleasant hostess left them alone for a few minutes, and Mia took the time to study the menu.
“What do you suggest?” she asked Phoenix, primarily to make conversation. When she looked up at him, she saw that he was watching her, his hands resting over the closed menu, a mischievous gleam in his eyes, only highlighted by the flicker of candlelight from the table.
“Do you like sushi?”
“Yes,” she replied, holding his gaze.
“Then I say we load up on it.”
“I’m game if you are,” she said softly, her mind drifting to other things she’d be willing to load up on. Namely him.
As though the waiter had been listening in, he appeared at their side, a pad of paper and pen at the ready. Mia allowed Phoenix to order for her, and he didn’t hesitate, rattling off what sounded like half the menu.
“Tell me about you,” Phoenix suggested when they were alone once again.
“What do you want to know?”
“Did you grow up here?”
“In Austin, yes,” she admitted. “My mother lives in Circle C. She’s a pediatric surgeon.”
“And your father?”
“He was a professor at UT. He died when I was ten,” Mia told him sadly.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Health problems?”
Mia’s eyes dropped to the table. “No, he committed suicide. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his early twenties. He battled with long bouts of severe depression his entire life.”
“Which explains why you’re an advocate for suicide prevention,” he stated. There wasn’t an ounce of judgment in his tone. “My reason for supporting is similar, although the person I lost wasn’t a family member. He was a player.”
Mia nodded, saddened by the thought.
“My father passed away nine months ago,” he stated. “I don’t think it’s easy to lose someone you’re close to at any age. For any reason.”
“No, it’s not.” All her memories of her father were good ones, and she could spend hours going through the photo albums she had of them when she was younger. It was still difficult to talk about him, though, but only because she missed him terribly. She didn’t hold it against him that he’d felt life had become unbearable enough that he had taken his own life, but she wished she’d have been able to do something to prevent it. “What about you? Are you from here?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Born and raised. I went to UT, got my MBA from McCombs School of Business.”
“And you own a hockey team?”
She’d apparently surprised him with that information, because his eyebrows rose slightly as he said, “Among other things.”
“Pierce Industries?” Mia asked.
His smirk said he caught what she’d said. “So you did a little investigating, did you?”
“Just a little,” she answered, her face heating.
She’d actually spent her entire first class period devouring every bit of information she could pull up in the Google search engine. There was enough detail on the Internet on Phoenix to write a book. In the hockey world, he was a celebrity. On the business side, he’d taken the world by storm, making millions by investing in some well-known companies long befo
re they were well-known.
It wasn’t until her second class that she had encountered some of the most interesting articles about him.
“What else did you find out?”
She opted to go with the safe things she’d learned. “Your father bought the expansion team nearly a decade ago.”
“Correct,” Phoenix confirmed. “I think he did it more for me. His father was a venture capitalist, made millions investing in people with ideas that he knew would make them both rich.”
“Sort of like Shark Tank?” she asked, referring to the television show she’d watched a time or two.
Phoenix’s smile lit up his entire face. “Exactly. My father followed suit, taking over when my grandfather passed away. I don’t think it was ever really his thing, although he was certainly good at making a buck. Since I was such a hockey fanatic as a kid, I think he bought into my passion.”
“But hockey wasn’t your first love?” she asked, enjoying his enthusiasm.
“It warred with my analytical side, I think. I didn’t dream of being a hockey star. I wanted to be like my grandfather. Investing in other people’s dreams and seeing them through does something for me.”
Mia could understand that. Especially when he explained it with so much light in his eyes.
“What else did you learn?” he asked after the waiter brought their drinks.
“At twenty-nine, you were named one of Austin’s most eligible bachelors. And just a couple of months ago, you were called one of the sexiest businessmen in Texas. Hmmm… What else did I read? Oh. You’ve never been married, have lived in the building you also own for the last seven years.”
She wasn’t about to tell him that she’d read a story about a threesome he’d been involved in, one that had included him and Tarik in a precarious situation. Obviously the woman who’d told the story had either been looking for her fifteen minutes of fame because she’d been involved with the infamous playboys — as they’d been called — or she was after the money. Mia wasn’t sure.
“Impressive. And what will I find if I Google you?”
Smiling, Mia said, “Are you trying to tell me you haven’t Googled me yet?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But even if I have, I’d much rather hear your version of things. So, what’s the most newsworthy thing about Mia Cantrell?”
Mia looked down at the table. She could easily answer that question, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to. There were so many articles written, some before and during her marriage to Damien, but quite a bit afterward. Mostly afterward. It seemed that the media didn’t have any issues reporting on mere speculation, and some of the things they’d said about her didn’t paint her in a very flattering light.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. Mia had stumbled across an article that mentioned Damien and Phoenix together, so of course, she’d been curious. As it turned out, Damien was currently suing Phoenix. Mia had no idea what was going on, nor did she want to get in the middle of that, but she couldn’t help but think Phoenix would believe otherwise if she brought it up.
“Just say pass,” Phoenix said softly, reaching out and touching her hand, the warmth of his touch sending a zing of pleasure coursing down her arm. “If you don’t want to answer, I won’t press you.”
“No, it’s…” Mia briefly glanced around to see who else might be in hearing distance. She was happy to see they were alone at the back of the restaurant. “I’m divorced. The man I was married to is in the public eye. And as you know, since you’ve got experience with the media, they can be brutal. There’re plenty of stories about me, some not so nice.”
“Trust me, I’m sure you’ve read some not-so-pleasant things about me,” he offered. “I don’t believe everything I read, so we’re good.”
Mia nodded, giving him a small smile. She really hoped he meant that, because, should he decide to look up information on her if he hadn’t already, he’d see that she’d been called a gold digger, a whore, and plenty more colorful words. It didn’t matter that she’d never once said anything negative about Damien publicly; they still attacked her. As did Damien. There wasn’t anything to substantiate the fodder, but she’d learned there was nothing she could do to stop the press, either. They were relentless when they wanted a story.
“I’m sure by tomorrow morning, there will be pictures of you and me floating out in cyberspace,” Phoenix said.
Mia blushed. After reading what she had, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what they would speculate on. The one thing she was grateful for, although she’d initially been disappointed, was that Tarik hadn’t come along. Who knew what those rumors might be.
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” she told him. “I can’t seem to escape the paparazzi. They’ve camped out in front of the building a time or two.” Although now that she knew who Phoenix was, she had to wonder whether they were really there to catch a glimpse of him. That made more sense. “Things seem to have escalated somewhat, and I’m pretty sure that’s because my ex recently got engaged. Why they think I’d have anything to say about that, I don’t know.”
That was another thing Mia had had to endure during her Internet search. She’d been both angry and relieved at the same time. Considering Teresa Somerhaus was the new woman in Damien’s life, Mia was angry all over again at the fact that Damien had cheated with her, but relieved at the same time because she’d seen Phoenix talking to her at the charity ball. If Teresa was marrying Damien, then that meant she would have to keep her claws off Phoenix. At least she hoped.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Phoenix said, his eyes seemingly searching hers.
“I’m not,” she stated affirmatively. “I don’t care what he does or who he does it with. I wish they’d leave me out of it entirely. Now that he’s making news with someone else, I’m relieved. Maybe they’ll leave me alone.”
“I can’t promise that’ll be the case once someone sees the two of us together,” Phoenix told her, his hand still resting on hers. “I’ve been known to incite the press to write some rather thought-provoking things.”
Mia wanted to ask him to elaborate, but she held back the words. She wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the details. She’d read enough; hearing about it would likely make her ears catch fire.
It was another tick mark in the con column on Mia’s list of reasons she’d started for staying away from Phoenix. The pro column seemed to be lust driven; the con column was riddled with all the things she’d learned from being with Damien.
But she’d told herself that she wasn’t going to let her fears drive her anymore. Simply wanting to get to know this man didn’t mean she had to get involved with him.
Now if her hormones would only listen to reason, she might stand half a chance.
Chapter Fourteen
PHOENIX HAD ENJOYED the evening far more than he’d thought possible. Especially considering sex hadn’t been on the agenda. It was new for him, something he didn’t often do. Getting to know a woman past what she felt like beneath him wasn’t high on his list of priorities these days.
With Mia, he found that taking her to bed wasn’t the only thing on his mind. He couldn’t deny the fact that he’d had some salacious thoughts about her, because … well, because, hell, he’d pictured her naked plenty of times throughout dinner. He’d thought about what it would be like to lay her on the table, right there in the restaurant, and devour her, licking her from her sexy little nose all the way down to her toes. Slowly.
More than that, though, he’d enjoyed the conversation. She was extremely easy to talk to. There hadn’t been a single giggle that had escaped her, which he found to be one of the things he liked most about her. She was incredibly smart and articulate, and never once had she just nodded her head and agreed with what he’d said.
And now, as they walked back to their building, Phoenix had pinpointed the highlight of the evening. As they had exited the restaurant, when he had reached for her hand, Mia hadn’t balked at sliding her silky smooth fingers in his. He was to
rn between wanting to hold her hand for the rest of the evening and wanting to pull her into his arms so he could feel her soft body against his.
Not that he would do the latter, because he knew Mia would run. Fast and far. Which would ultimately undermine all the progress they’d made tonight. As it was, he was happy that she’d agreed to dinner, and he hoped when he asked her out again, she’d be equally willing.
When they made it into the elevator, Phoenix knew that the night was ending for them, much as it had on Friday. However, unlike then, he didn’t want to simply walk away. Not that he was ready to invite her to his place or try and coax his way into hers. No, he knew with a woman like Mia, he would have to take things slow.
He could do slow.
It might kill him, but he could do slow.
His thoughts immediately drifted to Tarik. More specifically, the kiss they’d shared. Whatever was going on between him and Tarik had redefined the word slow in his book. It’d taken nearly two years for them to progress to that kiss. Not counting that night so long ago, the one that had confirmed for Phoenix just how much he wanted the man. But Phoenix had been able to attribute that to the overabundance of alcohol he’d consumed that night. Didn’t matter that he would’ve done it stone-cold sober.
What was worse, Phoenix was so fucking confused between his apparent infatuation with Mia and his desire for Tarik that he wasn’t even sure what he was doing.
“Thank you for dinner. And for walking me to school. Oh, and for the ride home,” Mia rambled as they made their way to her front door, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for accompanying me. I had a great time.”
After she retrieved her keys from her purse, Mia looked up at him. She was standing so close he could smell the sweet strawberry scent of her shampoo, see the silver flecks in her crystal-blue eyes, hear her slightly irregular breathing.
So she felt it, too?
Phoenix reached out and slid the back of his finger along her smooth cheek, his eyes locked with hers. Seconds passed, and neither of them moved, seemingly stuck there in that single moment of time, nothing else in the world existing except the two of them.
A Million Tiny Pieces Page 14
