When I’d first joined the Sawyer family, I had wanted to run away. Phoenix and my other foster brothers called me their little flight risk—how things had changed. I couldn’t imagine my life without them in it now, even though they still pissed me off daily.
I shrugged and peered up at him through my lashes. I could see the strain on his face. This wasn’t a normal road trip, and I could feel that deep in my gut.
“Shall we?” Nix said, motioning towards the car with a sweep of his arm.
“I guess so.”
As we climbed into Reed’s Jeep, I found it interesting that Phoenix was also clean-shaven. Had he done that for me? Usually, there was more than a day’s worth of dark stubble along his angular jaw.
As he adjusted the seat of the Jeep, it allowed me to study his gorgeous face. He was devastatingly attractive with or without the beard. If there was such a thing as a sexy gene, Phoenix Carter had it in spades.
“Fuck. I’m sure this car is getting smaller,” he commented, shuffling uncomfortably in his seat. I smiled as he started the engine and aligned all his mirrors.
Being in such an enclosed space highlighted how large he was. It wasn’t a surprise that the front of the Jeep felt snug with Nix behind the wheel. His powerful shoulders encased in that smart button-down stretched out over the backrest of his seat.
As he reversed down the driveway, I silently pulled my seatbelt on. The tension was thick, and I felt the urge to cut through that by turning on the radio.
Being in the car with him alone was as scary as shit, but also intriguing, as I had no idea what he wanted to say or where we were going.
As he reversed the car out of the driveway, I started to relax in his company. And it struck me again how much I had missed Phoenix, even though he had been such a jerk lately. My life hadn’t been the same without the banter between us, even when it was heated and messy.
I wondered if he would ever stop being so stubborn and tell me what he thought was happening between us. My internal monologue kicked in, scolding me, which was fair, considering I had hardly done the same. Maybe it was confrontation time? Or was Phoenix too macho to ever talk to me and express his true feelings?
Unsure of what’s going on, I cut to the chase. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
As Nix turned onto the main road, he side-eyed me, clearing his throat. “Yes, but first, I wanted to apologize for last night.”
My face wrinkled in confusion. “For touching me?”
My comment caused him to scowl. “Hell no,” he barked.
The thought that he wasn’t sorry for that part tickled me with delight. I raised my hands in a show of peace. “OK, you don’t have to bite my head off.”
“Sorry,” he muttered, as he then apologized for his harsh tone. I dropped my arms and watched him guardedly.
Nix lifted one hand from the wheel and wiped it down his face. “Look, I won’t apologize for what I did, because, like the time I dragged you into my room, that would make me a fucking liar. I wanted to touch you, and I went with my gut, and from my experience, there isn’t anything more natural than that.
It was the way I went about it that I’m sorry for. I shouldn’t have been so handsy and rough. It was out of order.”
I digested his words. He didn’t really need to say sorry as I knew I’d provoked him. I’d also enjoyed every second of it, the way he had dominated my body. His forcefulness had driven me wild. “You don’t need to say sorry. We can chalk it up to another moment of drunk madness.” I tacked on the latter bit to let him off the hook. I had the feeling that there were no heart-to-hearts planned in front of our brother’s car, where we couldn’t even face each other.
“Why don’t wenotdo that. It would have happened irrespective of the alcohol, Harper.” I didn’t know how to respond to that.
A lull fell into the Jeep, and all you could hear was the engine and traffic sounds.
Taking a deep breath, I toyed with one of the rips in my jeans. “So, are we taking this trip to clear the air for last night, or do you want to talk about what happened at the party?” The words felt thick in my throat.
“Nothinghappened at the party. Cash puffed his chest out, and I told him how it is. I just want to talk to you, Ok?” Phoenix stated, giving off that arrogant vibe.
I released a frustrated exhale. “OK. But couldn’t we have talked at the house?”
“No. Because the walls there are as thin a fuck, believe me, I know.”
So, did I. The sounds of my brothers screwing were noises I wanted bleached from my brain.
I couldn’t stop myself from shifting in my seat so I could watch Nix as he drove the car. The way his large, strong hands flexed against the wheel reminded me of how they’d felt as he’d held me close. Panty melting stuff. His musky scent kept tickling my nose, conjuring up memories of what happened in his room.
“Phoenix?”
