Wild Hunger (The Phoenix Pack #7)(47)

Face softening, Frankie uncrossed her arms. “Trick, I’m not going to get upset because my boyfriend stood up for me.” She wasn’t convinced that anything he’d said to Geoffrey had done any good, but Trick was right—her grandfather had needed to hear it.

Trick crossed to her and cupped her face. “I’m not your boyfriend. I’m a fuck of a lot more than that.”

She laid a hand on his chest. “It doesn’t seem fair of me to call you my mate when I haven’t let you claim me. I can’t have it both ways, can I?”

He gave her a slow grin and whispered, “Sure you can.” He kissed her, lashing her tongue with his, sipping from her mouth. He slid his hands over her, soothing and gentling her. “I’m guessing that Vance told your grandparents about us.”

“Yep. But we’d expected that.”

“Did Vance know what kind of trouble his news would cause?”

“He knew they’d be upset, but not like that.”

Maybe not, thought Trick, but still . . . “He had to know that they’d expect you to end it. And I’ll bet that’s exactly what the bastard wanted.”

“It might seem like he wants me back, Trick, but he doesn’t. What he wants is to keep his options open, to have me waiting on the sidelines in case things mess up with Layla.”

Trick clenched his jaw. “He needs to get it out of his head that you’re an option. And he should know that you have more self-respect than to pause your love life on the off chance that he might come knocking on your door.”

Liking that comment, Frankie melted against him and smoothed her hands up his back. “No one’s ever gone to bat for me before. Not that I needed them to, but still . . .” It had been kind of nice.

Trick kissed her. “Get used to it. No one gets to harm you by word or deed.”

The protective growl made her skin tingle. “My agent will like you.”

His mouth curled on one side. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Abigail was protective and constantly tried to set Frankie up with “good guys.” She’d very much approve of how well Trick treated Frankie.

“You know what I think would be good right now?” he asked.

“What?”

“A dip in the hot tub.”

Frankie smiled. “I like that idea. But I have a delivery coming soon.”

He tucked a loose strand of her hair around her ear. “We’ll hear it arrive.”

“Okay then.” Upstairs, she quickly changed into a neon-orange bikini and scooped her hair up into a high ponytail. Walking into the backyard a few minutes later, she was surprised to find him wearing trunks.

Seeing the question in her eyes, Trick said, “I stuffed them in my overnight bag in case we used the tub.” He drew her to him, skimming his hands down her body, shaping and caressing. Possessiveness pounded through his veins. She was his. All fucking his. He tugged on her lower lip with his teeth and bit down. “It’s tempting to forget the tub and strip you naked so I can have my way with you now.”

“Later,” she promised with a wicked smile.

It didn’t take long to get the tub ready. As she sank into the curved seat, she let out a contented sigh. Trick sat opposite her, bracketing her legs with his, and curled his hands possessively around her calves. The tub was big enough for four people, so they had plenty of room to stretch out.

Goosebumps rose on her arms as she draped them over the back of the tub. The bubbling pressure from the jets deliciously hammered at her muscles. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back as she listened to the splosh and burble of the water and enjoyed the rising of the steam as it warmed her face.

Trick gave her calf a light squeeze. “Listen, I’m going to tell you something that I should have told you before. I wasn’t deliberately keeping it from you, but it occurred to me earlier that you might want to know.”

Unease crept over Frankie. Lifting her head, she opened her eyes. “Okay.”

“I told you I’ve never been in a relationship. That’s true. My past has been nothing but flings and one-night stands.” He paused. “I had the occasional one-nighter with Marcus.”

All right, well, that was a shocker. Frankie sat up straighter. “Just to be clear, you mean your pack mate, Marcus? The enforcer who’s mated to Roni?”

He nodded. “We’re close friends, but we were never close as partners. We didn’t have a fling. We just scratched each other’s itches from time to time.”

Frankie’s brow furrowed. It was just hard to imagine them together, since she’d never detected any attraction there. “So you’re bisexual.”

He grimaced. “I’m not really into labels. For me it’s not about gender. It’s about the person.”

Maybe so, but it occurred to her that he likely enjoyed the kind of fun she couldn’t physically provide, considering she didn’t have a cock. Was that going to be an issue? Would he miss that kind of fun? If so, it was possible that she wouldn’t be enough for him sexually, that she couldn’t fully satisfy him.

Trick growled. “Get it out of your head that this could mean you won’t be enough for me.”

Frankie gaped. “How did you—?”

“I know how your brain works. I knew your mind would go there. It’s a whacked place to go. Look, I get that your maternal family made you feel that you’re not enough. That’s bullshit. I don’t have needs that you can’t fulfill or anything stupid like that. The only thing I need is you.”