Midnight Moonrising (Moonrising #2)(63)

"Thank you, Phoenix," I said, and picked up the washcloth that was floating in the water, so I could wash my face before he saw the tear tracks streaked through the dried blood on my cheeks. I'm sure he probably already knew that I was crying from the thickness of my voice, and even if he didn't know, he was about to. My body started trembling and my shoulders shook as I gave a heaving breath, and then the uncontrollable sobbing began.

Phoenix stilled for only a moment before pulling me back against him, crossing my arms over my chest and just holding me tight in his embrace as I let the day's events overwhelm me.

I felt the soft pressure of his lips on my hair and then my temple as he tried to console me.

For a man who refused to love, he sure loved a lot. Nobody had ever been so tender and loving toward me. I would never force him to say it. Words were just words. I knew the affection he showed me had a bigger name than lust or obsession, but those three words didn't matter anyway. Marc had said them, and they hadn't meant a damn thing to that man. Phoenix, on the other hand, showed me how he felt, even when he couldn't say the words, even when he didn't know what he himself felt.

Love? It was just a word, meaningless to me now that Phoenix was showing me so much more than I'd ever known.

I honestly couldn't deny that I had more than lukewarm feelings for Phoenix. I'd lost half my heart to him the moment he walked into the bathroom. I knew he'd messed up—again—but if I knew him at all, he'd had a good reason for it, and of course it would be to give me what I needed. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he wasn't getting something out of it, too; I hadn't missed how enraged my wolf had become when she'd figured out that I was now linked to a vampire and a handful of werewolves. I honestly saw it as more protection, but she evidently thought—

I sat up quickly in the bathtub and turned to look at Phoenix. His Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed, and his eyes told me they knew I had discovered something he was afraid to talk about, something I shouldn't have figured out so soon.

A slow grin spread across my face and his eyes widened a fraction, like he was scared of me.

"Mena…" he whispered, my name sliding from his lips like an expensive wine.

"Will you tell me the truth?"


He nodded after a moment, and I could tell that he wouldn't lie to me, not even if the truth hurt me.

"Did you link me to you so my wolf wouldn't try to kill you?"

Inhaling deeply, he averted his eyes from mine.

"Phoenix!" I shouted, slapping the water as my temper flared, and he looked back at me, nervous. "You promised you would kill me if she ever tried to kill you. Did you link us so she wouldn't ever try?"

"Yes." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. It was stupid, but it was the only thing I could think—"

I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled until his mouth met mine.

He sat up quickly, immediately responding to the kiss and sloshing water over the side of the jetted tub. My earlier thought of whether he was attracted to me or not was evident now; he'd just been upholding his promise of not touching me while I was staying with him.

Such a gentleman, he was. It just so happened I didn't want a gentleman. I wanted Phoenix, all of him, hard and raw.

He got to his knees and pulled me up with him, never breaking contact with my mouth as his fingers dove into my hair, gripping the matted tresses and pulling me until the pressure on my lips was almost painful.

This man kissed me like I was air that he needed to live. I had never in my life been kissed like that. Not by Marc or any guy I'd dated in high school before him.

He broke away from my mouth, pulling my hair, exposing my neck to him. I expected him to strike—I wanted him to, desperately—but he didn't, and I wondered if my blood would hurt him because I was a werewolf and he was a vampire. Instead, he kissed along my jaw line, down the left side of my neck and stopped at my collarbone.

The pause made me pull him closer, encouraging him to continue, but he resisted.

"Mena, I—I can't… I promised I wouldn't—"

I gripped his damp hair and jerked his head back, forcing eye contact. "Screw the promises. I need you tonight, Phoenix, and I'm not looking for the f*cking missionary position."

He released a short breath as he stared into my eyes, and then something changed in those cool blue irises and I could see the decision he'd made; I was going to get my way.

"You want me?" he rasped.

I grinned. "Isn't it obvious?"

He growled as he slapped the wall with his palm, causing me to jump. "I don't break promises, Mena, especially not to people I care about, and there aren't many of them. Actually…" he let his gaze fall away from me, "…you are the only person I care about. I don't want to let you down, but it seems like I always am—"

I shook my head, disappointed. Yeah, he was letting me down, all right. I had practically thrown myself at him and he freakin' cock-blocked me with some sappy-ass excuse about a broken promise!

I stepped out of the tub, with an aggravated huff, and walked around the tiled wall to the shower.

"Mena," Phoenix said in a pleading tone, and the sloshing of water could be heard as he stepped out to follow me. "I wasn't finished talking. Please stop running from me," he said, stopping directly under the shower head as my hand lifted to grab the faucet lever.