“Don’t you dare change. You look fantastic.” The command is rough, with a guttural grind around each word. His throat works up and down a few times before he drags his blue eyes up my body, landing on my face and hair. I have no idea what’s going on here.
“I wore my hair down and put on a little makeup. It’s some of the products Hale Cosmetics gifted me after the photo shoot.” I attempt asmile, but I think it comes off as nervous and wobbly. “Did I do it right?”
“You did everything perfectly,” he says, and now it’s my turn to swallow hard because he’s staring at me like I ogled the waffle pops this morning. With hunger.
Our moment is broken when his phone rings, and he yanks it from the pocket of his navy pants, eyes still on me. “Yeah?” he answers gruffly. “What? I’ll call you back.” His entire demeanor takes on an edge of panic as he hangs up and punches a number.
“What’s wrong?” I whisper.
“Tornado in Houston.” Whoever he’s calling picks up, and he says into the phone, “Are you and Reece okay?”
Ah, his mother. His alarm transfers to me, and I call Xander. He’s the only one of my family who lives in Houston since he’s in med school there. The rest of them live a few hours north, just east of Dallas.
“I’m okay,” my brother says immediately. “I’m at the library right now, but I’ve been watching the news, and it wasn’t near either of our apartments.”
I breathe out my relief. “There’s not any bad weather up near Pine Tree Falls?”
“Nope, everything is fine back home. I just got off the phone with Jules. Shit, Pops is calling. Let me go talk to him.”
“Okay, I’m glad you’re all right. Love you,” I tell my brother, hanging up and turning my attention back to Phoenix. The relief is evident in the slump of his shoulders as he talks to his mother, though he’s pacing back and forth.
“Thank you, Mom. And everyone else is good?” He nods along to whatever she’s saying. “Love you too. Call me if there’s any more bad weather.”
“Your family’s okay?” I ask as soon as he disconnects and drops to the arm of his couch. His suite is the mirror image of mine, with a full-size living room, kitchen, and bar in the front portion. I assume he also has a large bedroom and bathroom beyond like I do, but the door is closed so I can’t see back there.
“Everyone is fine, but I need to call Eliora back. I kind of hung up on her.” Much calmer now, he finds the number for his pilot, his eyes catching mine. “Is Xander okay?”
I nod. “Yes, and he said the tornado didn’t touch down near our apartments.”
He holds up a finger and speaks into the phone. “Sorry about that, Eliora. I had to check on my family.”
While he’s speaking to her, I text a few of my teammates and receive replies that everyone is fine. I look up when I hear my name from Phoenix.
“Jordie, Eliora said the storm knocked down power lines and trees near the airport. I know we were supposed to fly back to Houston tomorrow, but would you be good waiting until the next day? They’ve grounded all flights until they can get the mess cleaned up. Otherwise we can try to fly into a different airport.”
I think about it for a second, recalling my schedule. “No, it’s fine. I don’t have practice for the next two days. I was supposed to meet with my trainer, but I can get the plan from him and work out in the hotel gym.”
“Thanks,” Phoenix says, giving me a half-smile before speaking into the phone again. “Yes, Ms. McNamara said that would work for her. I’ll get Charlotte to make the hotel arrangements for you and the rest of the crew to stay an extra night… Uh-huh… Right… Thank you again for the heads up… Please call me if anything changes.”
Disconnecting, he blows out a long breath and rubs his fingertips over his forehead before calling his administrative assistant. Once he’s made sure she and her family are okay, he gives her the updated information and asks her to make the necessary hotel changes for us and the flight crew.
Done with all the business stuff, Phoenix closes his eyes and breathes deeply for a long moment. I venture a couple steps into the room since I’m still hovering in the connecting doorway.
“Are you all right?” I ask softly, and he opens his eyes, bobbing his head up and down a few times.
“I am. Thank you.” Then he turns his head to the side and pointsto the spot above his right ear. “Do I have any new gray hairs? Because I think I just aged at least thirty years.”
I walk closer until I’m right in front of him, allowing my fingers to brush gently over his hair. “There are a few, but I think they were already there,” I say, letting my tone hold a hint of a tease.
“I’ve been collecting them for the past four and a half years,” he says with a chuckle. “I’m surprised I don’t look like Colonel Sanders at this point.”
“Harland Sanders was a lawyer at one point,” I note. “Like you.”
Phoenix lifts his hand and drifts his fingertips down the back of my hand and arm in an almost absent-minded gesture, like it’s the most natural thing in the world to do.
“Was he really?”
I’m distracted by the tingles his touch induces on my skin, and I’ve completely forgotten what we were talking about.
