Midnight Moonrising (Moonrising #2)(38)

I linked my fingers together in front of me to keep from fidgeting. "Well, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to look at everything, since Phoenix and my wolf are keeping me hostage here during the night."

Jaxon's expression turned somber. "Don't be too hard on him, okay? He just doesn't want to lose you, Mena. I've never seen him act this way about anyone, and that makes you special. Phoenix doesn't have many special things in his life."


Well, damn! "Did he tell you to talk to me?" I accused.

Jaxon snorted. "About his love life? No. He would castrate me if he knew I was. I just know you make him happy, and I haven't seen him like that in a very long time," he chuckled, "if ever. I was actually going to check on Lea, and noticed you debating on which poison to drink first. Or maybe you were thinking of hitting him over the head with one of the bottles, eh?"

"Either option sounds plausible," I said, and then sighed. "Lea is asleep. I think she will be fine, given she grieves for her brother and doesn't hold onto her anger."

He nodded. "I'm really glad you're here, Mena. Thanks for saving my ass earlier. I owe you one."

"No, you don't. If I recall, you saved mine about a week ago."

"I didn't save you. Your husband bit you—"

"We're even, Jaxon. I don't even want to think about what might have happened if you hadn't been there to get me away from him. We're even," I said flatly, and he nodded once.

The bathroom door opened and Phoenix walked out running a towel over his wet hair. My eyes traveled down his beautifully sculpted torso to the thin strip of hair that ran from just under his navel to somewhere on the other side of the terrycloth wrapped around his hips.

"I have to admit, we have great taste in men, Mena," my wolf said.

"Shut up and close your eyes."

She giggled, but didn't comment further.

Phoenix's eyes shifted from Jaxon to me. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I said, a little too quickly, and the tone was about two octaves higher than my voice normally was.

Jaxon snickered. "Mena was going through your end-of-the-world alcohol stash. I startled her on my way to check up on Lea."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow as he looked back to me. "Why do you look guilty about something? Checking out my alcohol collection doesn't seem like something you would care to hide, but your heart is pounding at an alarming rate. Why?"

Jaxon laughed as I let my head fall.

"What?" Phoenix demanded.

Jaxon threw out one of his hands toward him. "You're half naked, Phoenix. She's not embarrassed to have been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She is turned on. Can't you smell her arousal?"

I gasped and covered my hot face with my hands, desperately wanting to run from the room, but Jaxon was standing in the doorway, and looking at him right now would almost be worse than looking at Phoenix.

Seconds, minutes, maybe even days passed before I looked back up, and when I did, Phoenix was staring at me with his brow furrowed and his lips puckered. Thinking. Of course, the man was thinking at a time like this.

"She's only thirty, Phoenix. Just a baby, still. I just stopped by to let you know that I just saw your text. We still going out?"

Without taking his eyes from me, Phoenix nodded. "Shut the door and leave us, Jaxon."

Oh, God! I don't want to be alone with him anymore! I screamed inside my head. Where was the anger I felt for him earlier? I needed that back! Now!

Jaxon chuckled lightly. "Have fun, you two."

The door clicked shut.





Chapter 23



Mena





With his eyes on me, I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything, especially bringing back the anger I had felt toward him earlier.

Why was I upset with him again?

Heat rushed up my neck when he took another step in my direction, and my eyes fell to stare at his feet as they moved.

"Look at me," he whispered, and without thinking, my eyes began to travel slowly from his feet up his long legs. The end of the towel was about an inch above his knees, and my eyes roamed farther up the dark green of the towel until they fixated on his hips and the large bulge that hadn't been there when he'd issued from the bathroom.

I looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring at his erection.

Warm fingers caressed the skin under my chin. I didn't jerk away from him. I had never been afraid of Phoenix. He was possibly the only thing in the world that I wasn't afraid of.

Safe. Yes, he made me feel safe.

His fingers moved lightly over my neck and up to my ear where he tucked the hair that was curtaining my face. I was exposed to him now.

I felt his breath, warm against my skin as he whispered softly by my ear. "I love when you look at me, Mena." I shivered. "When you look at me, I know that I am the only thing you are thinking about. Want to know a secret?" I nodded, and could hear his lips slide over his teeth as he grinned. "Even when I'm not looking at you, I'm thinking about you. To tell you the truth, it's a bit maddening to know that you have this much control over me, but for the time being, I'm enjoying you being in my every thought."

I swallowed hard and found my voice. "And what will happen when you don't enjoy it anymore?"