“Mine,” he says out of the blue in a low voice, tightening his embrace around my tummy.
Oh wow.
Should I keep a level head to avoid drowning in this man? Probably. After all, nothing real can come out of something that started out as a sham. But right now, I don’t give a damn.
It may only be for a year, but nonetheless, Phoenix König is mine. And I’m his.
Chapter 28
Michaela
My eyes spring open as the recollection of a disturbing memory stirs me awake.
“I know where I’ve seen Brock before.” I sit bolt upright in bed as I blurt out those words. I look down at Phoenix. He’s sleeping on his back, no care in the world.Well, that won’t last.I shake him. “Wake up.”
“Kitten, I fucked you not long ago,” he says in a groggy voice. “Give me a chance to recharge, woman.”
I roll my eyes.
“No, that’s not it. Wake up, Phoenix.” I shake him harder.
“I don’t have to be awake for you to suck my cock. Knock yourself out.” He pulls the sheet off his body, exposing his morning wood.
“For the love of God, this is serious.”
He opens one eye. “What is it?”
“Brock. I remember where I’ve seen him before.”
A sleepy Phoenix looks up at me, puzzled. “Where?”
“At the Villiers Grand.”
“What?”
“Yes.”
He sits up, pulling the sheet to cover up.
He’s wide awake now.
“When?”
“Late afternoon on the day I was set to leave for Nepal.”
“You’re sure?”
“I am. I stopped by the hotel to say goodbye to the staff and grab a pair of old sneakers I kept in my office to use at the hotel gym that were perfect for trekking in Nepal. I figured I’d grab my shoes first. Then, say my goodbyes to the staff. As I was leaving my office and rounding the corner, I heard Thana’s annoying voice. I ducked because I wasn’t in the mood for a stepmommy-words-of-wisdom moment. I would’ve ignored her altogether, but she said something along the lines of,‘I pride myself in knowing a few ways of dramatically lowering the value of any company…’I had no idea what she was talking about, but it piqued my curiosity, so I peeked out to see who she was talking to. Her back was facing me, but the man was looking straight at her. Since he seemed riveted by the conversation, I was able to check him out. Four things jumped out—he had the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen, his height, the pronounced scars left behind from severe acne, and that permanent self-righteous smirk he sports.”
“That describes Brock to a T,” Phoenix says. “Didn’t he see you?”
“When he noticed me, he stared right at me. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze menacing. Every cell in my body was prickling and not in a good way. Before he was able to alert Thana of my presence, I fled, running down the stairs of the emergency exit. I weaved my way through the hotel until I reached the parking lot. I can’t explain why, but I felt the pressing need to get the hell out of there. Fast. I jumped into my car and headed back to my father’s house to finish packing.”
“If he was staring right at you, why didn’t he recognize you last night?”
“I was wearing a baseball cap and mylongbrownhair was loose.” “Since I didn’t wait around for Thana to turn around and identify me, she had no idea who was standing there.”
“How come you didn’t recognize him last night?”
