He’d picked a spot on the table to focus on. I was surprised the wood didn’t burst into flames.
“Does this align with what you understand to be true, Phoenix?”
“On second thought, call me Mr. Steele.”
“Mr.Steele,does this align with what you understand?”
He looked up, those blue eyes narrowed to slits again, but this time, a deep flush started working its way up his neck.
“Let me tell you what I understand. I understand that I no longer have a driver’s license or my concealed carry license, both of which were taken from me after I woke up from a coma. I understand that in order to get these things back, I need you to check a little box that says I’m cleared. That’s what I understand, Miss Flower.”
“Doctor Floris,” I growled back.
We glared at each other like two boxers about to throw down.
Be the one in control. Youarein control. Focus on the facts.
“Your driver’s license has been suspended by the DMV at the recommendation of Dr. Buckley until you complete therapy, your gun license?—”
“—concealed carry.” He corrected.
My head was officially about to explode. “Yourconcealed carrylicense was suspended because federal law prohibits possession of a firearm by a person who has been adjudicated as mentally defective, whether temporary or permanently.”
“You think I’m mentally defective, doctor?”
And that was my first little alarm with Phoenix Steele. Behind that tone, an anger began to simmer. One that my gut was telling me only released into a volcano of fury. There was a feral look in his eyes now that had goosebumps prickling my skin.
Unstable? Without question. And Idid notlike loose cannons.
I cleared my throat. “Based on your medical file, I think it was a wise decision to place you in therapy, Mr. Steele.”
His hands curled into fists on his knees as he stared back at me. It was the first time the nerves of the little bunny looking at the big bad wolf turned into a trickle of fear.
I shut his file and switched angles. This man would not scare me.
“Okay. Fine. Let’s cut through the pillow talk, then, shall we? You were shot in the head, Phoenix. A traumatic experience foranyone,and something that warrants a little couch-time foranyone.” I nodded at his file. “Even a former special ops Marine, current CEO of Steele Shadows Security, and a stand-in father to three younger brothers?—”
He surged to his feet, a wild expression contorting his face that had me scooting back in my chair. I remained calm, still, with an impassive expression on my face even though my heartbeat had just skyrocketed.
Phoenix stalked to the front of my desk, gripped the edge and leaned forward, inches from my face.
“You don’t know anything about me, Dr. Flower.” He seethed. “You don’t know anything about my family. And I’m not going to talk about me getting shot in the head, or about them. If you want to know what happened, feel free to ask ol’ Jenkins next door, or have breakfast at Donny’s Diner where the topic is served up like the daily fucking special.” His grip on my desk had his knuckles turning white. “Let me make one thing clear. I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to get my independence back.”
“You’ve made that very clear, Mr. Steele.” My tone was calm, but my nails were digging into my thighs under the desk. “And you’re in luck, because the therapy I do is based on CBT—Cognitive Behavioral Therapy—and does not focus, or dwell, on the past. It focuses on the now.”
He blinked and I swear I caught a flash of relief on his face. Only a flash.
I continued. “It’s also clear that your independence relies on my final evaluation, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can have it back. We have the same goal here, Mr. Steele. I’m just trying to get you, your life, back to normal. To do that, I’ve got to take a look under the hood—and I need you to let me.”
“If that’s the case, Miss Floris…” My name rolled off his tongue like a taunt. “I’d be more than happy to give you a look under my hood.” His gaze dropped to my breasts, lingering, while he licked his lips. A lump caught in my throat as my pulse roared in my ears.
He reached into his pocket and slid me his wallet. “Or, you can take a look in there, if you’d like,doctor.”
My eyes rounded in total, complete shock.
A bribe.
A bribe. Afreakingbribe. The audacity. The insult. That he thought I’d evenconsiderit. That I was that desperate. That easy to buy. That weak.
