“Suggesting I am one of those boys?”
“If the cap fits,”
“Then go to your room.”
“I’m not sure it’s safe. Who knows who is lurking in the shadows, ready to attack?” I purposefully drew my legs towards my chest, curling up even more so my feet didn’t touch his thighs.
“I didn’t attack you.”
“You held my wrists above my head,” I pointed out.
My words must have affected him as I saw his thighs flex. I knew he got off on restraining girls during sex, with their permission, of course. I knew Phoenix wasn’t the type of guy to force that shit on a girl if she wasn’t into it. If I had struggled when he’d held me, I knew he would have let go.
His loud sigh erupted around the small space. “I don’t have the strength to fight with you tonight, Harper.”
“Then don’t. Keep your distance, unless you want to get burned.”
“Fine,” he stated moodily, shoving to his feet. I watched as he threw himself into the chair opposite. The leather squeaked with his weight. He clearly agreed that the space between us was best. I was dying to glance at his crotch, but managed to stop myself.
Nix pinned me with a look. “OK. I’m sorry, alright. I apologize for kissing you.”
That pissed me off even more. And no, I wasn’t PMS-ing!
“You don’t need to be sorry for the kiss, Phoenix. You need to be sorry for believing I was that skank, Courtney Swan.”
Dashing a hand down his face, he snapped. “I can’t win with you. I was drunk, what do you want me to say?”
“You were out of control, Phoenix. That’s what happens when you soak your brain with whisky. I’m surprised you can even remember it.”
“Oh, I remember, baby girl. Maybe I knew you weren’t Courtney.”
My eyes darted nervously towards his face. That was unexpected, although typical that he saidmaybe. Phoenix was a master of not giving you a straight answer.
“So why didn’t you stop when you realized?” I questioned, quickly glancing towards the doorway to make sure no one was there. If Ma heard, we were both screwed. Our foster mother would not condone anything of that nature happening in her house, especially not between us. When she’d first brought me to live there, her rules had been clear: absolutely no fraternizing.
As I turned back, Nix’s next words almost made me speechless. Almost. “Maybe I was enjoying myself too much?”
The glint in his eyes suggested he was winding me up. “Maybe? Can youeveranswer a question directly?” I huffed in frustration.
And then I felt a mixture of joy and surprise as he said. “OK. Iwasenjoying myself too much.”
A funny feeling fluttered in my stomach, and I shifted nervously under his scrutiny. “Right. Err, OK. I don’t know what to say to that.”
I had to believe that. Phoenix didn’t just shoot his mouth off; every word was planned with an ulterior motive. And I’d felt how the kiss made him feel against my stomach that night. But hestillhadn’t confirmed whether his enjoyment was Courtney or me-shaped. Damn the man.
An uncomfortable silence entered the space as Phoenix leaned his head back against his seat and closed his eyes. “How about we just forget about it. You’re a girl, I’m a guy, these things happen,” he sighed, motioning back and forth between us with his hand.
I allowed my gaze to run up and down his body whilst his eyes were closed. He looked like he’d slept in his clothes, and I felt a twinge of remorse. Nothing good would come out of fighting all the time, and the sexual thing needed to take a hike. No matter how much we wanted it. “Well, it can’t happen again,”
Nix’s eyes shot open and he sat up, resting his huge arms on his thighs. “You bet your ass it can’t happen again. Ma would kick me out.”
“Rubbish, it’s more likely I’d be sent back into the system.”
“That too,” he replied, his tone suggesting that wasn’t something he’d want.
I lifted the book from my lap and placed it on the coffee table as we watched each other.
“So, what do we do? Just ignore it?” I questioned, running my hands down my jean-clad legs. I noticed how his eyes dipped towards that movement before he leveled me with a look.
