Deep In You (The Phoenix Series Book 1) Read online

  “Speaking of, did you see the hot blonde in the miniskirt? She came in with that Indian chick you were talking to for so long, but she vanished into the bathroom a while ago. Too bad. I bet those legs of hers would look real good around my waist.”

  I growled low in my throat and continued to thrust into Lily. She tried to smother her gasp in my throat. “Wait, Xander,” she whispered urgently. “Oh my God, please wait. I’m getting close. They’re right here.”

  I squeezed my hand between us to find her clit and rubbed it with firm strokes that matched my steady rhythm. She clamped her eyes shut and bit down hard on her lower lip, her breath loud and heavy through her nose. Her pussy clenched tightly around me as if that would stop me, but it only served to spur me on.

  “I don’t think Amara is Indian, man,” continued the second voice.

  “Does it matter?”

  “I guess not. Won’t make a bit of difference in the morning.”

  Lily whimpered and bit me again. I grunted as the sharp, delicious pain flooded my system. Her cunt began to pulse all around me, her nails pressed into my back. Her orgasm triggered my own release, and I buried myself as far inside her as I could, stifling a moan.

  “Hey, did you hear that?” asked the first guy.

  “Probably a stray cat. Will you hurry it up already? I already finished my cigarette. I want to get back in there.”

  “Just a minute. It didn’t sound like any cat I’ve ever heard. Came from down that alley.”

  I slowly withdrew, releasing her legs so she could stand on her own. I caressed her cheek and grinned, holding my index finger up to my lips.

  “Man, who cares? I’m going back in. You can look for your phantom animal by yourself. I’m interested in a different kind of pussy.”

  “All right, all right. You win. Let’s go back. Maybe your girl’s friend is back, anyway.” A moment later, the sound of the door slamming filled the air.

  We both exhaled as one. I chuckled. “I thought that guy was going to come find us for sure.”

  “You’re impossible,” she scolded.

  “For you, I’m easy. Let’s get out of here.”

  Lily chewed her lip, her brow furrowed. “I should go find Amara. Tell her where I’m going.”

  “I already told her you’d catch a ride with me. Besides, you heard those guys talking. One of them apparently hooked up with Amara the instant I stepped away, and the other is looking for you.”

  She chuckled. “Then you’ll just have to stay close by me so he doesn’t get near.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why do you want to go back in there? Like I already said, I told Amara I would bring you home. Just text her if you want.”

  Lily frowned. “I guess you’re right. Those guys were right about the line for this place, too. Amara and I had to wait for half an hour, and I know some had to wait even longer.” She smoothed out her skirt and adjusted her shirt, momentarily exposing her tits. “It’s a shame, though.”

  I stared at her chest, transfixed. “Why is that?”

  She laughed. “Hey, my eyes are up here.” She gave me a quick peck on my mouth. “I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling. I’m going to worry all night.”

  Well, hell. I can’t have that. “All right. We’ll go in for just a minute. Say what you want, then we’ll go. Okay?”

  “No, Xander, it’s okay. I’ll try not to think about it.” By her tone, I could tell that this was the same type of situation as when a woman said she was fine. She said it, but she didn’t mean it. No way was I falling for that.

  “No. Let’s go find your friend.” My voice was deeper than I meant it to be, a command that allowed for no disagreement. I took her hand and pulled her around the front of the building, ignoring the massive crowd of people gathered outside. I led her straight to the bouncer, who leaned against the wall, smoking.

  He pushed away from the wall to remove the rope that was such a meager barrier blocking those outside. I slipped him another fifty as we passed him.

  “Is that really all we had to do? Bribe him? And we wouldn’t have had to wait outside in high heels?”

  I chuckled and squeezed her hand, leaning toward her to talk close to her ear. “Doubtful. I didn’t bribe him, I tipped him. He always lets me in straight away. You could have bypassed the line by simply showing off your… assets.” I laughed when she smacked me on the arm. “Come on, let’s find your friend.”

  We checked out the bar area, since that was the last place we’d seen Amara. Scanning the area, we started to turn back to the dance floor, when I caught sight of the bartender signaling to me. Still holding Lily’s hand, I started to head that way, only to feel her jerk away from me. I turned to look at her.

  “There she is!” Lily took off onto the dance floor. I wanted to stop her, but the look on Chrissy’s face told me I’d better see what she wanted. I focused on the direction Lily ran, then marched to the bar.

  “What’s up?”

  “That guy you were looking for was here.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yup. Strangest thing. He approached your girl’s friend, but ran off in a hurry when two other guys came in from smoking and joined them.”

  “Did he leave?”

  “I’m not sure. What do you need with him, anyway?” Her wide eyes sparkled in the reflected light from the strobes on the nearby dance floor.

  “Just between us?”

  She smirked and leaned forward, displaying her cleavage. “Of course.”

  “Keep an eye on him if you see him again. I think he may be spiking drinks.”

  “Wait, what? I’ll call the cops if I see him again.”

  “No, Chrissy. I have no solid proof it was him. If anything, seeing cops will probably tip him off and he’ll move on. Just watch out for him for now, okay?”

  Her forehead wrinkled as she considered my words. “At least he wouldn’t be here anymore. I don’t see how that’s not an improvement.”

  “Short term, yes. Long term, wouldn’t it be better to catch him in the act here, where we’re on to his tricks?”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “I don’t like getting tangled up in all of this, either. Still…” I trailed off, lost in thought.

  “This have anything to do with the fact that you’ve now been seen here with that girl twice? I thought the day would never come.”

  “First time for everything, Chrissy. Keep an eye out. I’m going to go find Lily.”

  I stepped onto the dance floor and searched for Lily but couldn’t find her. I was so intent I almost missed seeing Amara and nearly walked right past, only noticing her at the last second. She was dancing with some guy I’d never seen before, grinding up against him. As I watched, she tossed her hair to the side and bared her neck. He was quick to move in and kiss her there, his attention quite obviously down her shirt.

  “Hey, Amara, did Lily find you?”

  The guy jerked away, an annoyed look on his face. I stood up straighter, displaying that I wasn’t intimidated. Amara grinned at me, flashing her white teeth. “Xander, I didn’t expect to see you again tonight. Dance with us.”

  I glanced at the guy she was with, and it was all I could do not to roll my eyes. “Amara, focus. Where is Lily?”

  She pointed. “I’ll still be here when you change your mind.” She started to turn back to her date, but I gripped her wrist, squeezing tightly and pulling her close enough to smell her perfume.

  “Hey!” the guy yelled. I glared and held up my index finger in the universal gesture for “wait one moment” and hoped he would back off.

  “I don’t know what your problem is, but this,” I gestured between us, “isn’t attractive. I’m interested in Lily, and as her friend you should be happy for her. I’m sure this guy you’re dancing with isn’t impressed by you throwing yourself at me.”

  She jerked her wrist, and I let her go. “Throwing myself at you? You have some nerve.”

&n
bsp; “Right. Whatever. I’m going to find Lily.”

  I looked in the direction Amara had indicated and found myself locked in Lily’s dark gaze. Damn, she looked angry. She turned to a guy who stood nearby and beckoned to him. In a flash she had spun him around and pulled his face down so she could kiss him. Her head cocked to the side and she glared daggers at me.

  I wasn’t stupid. I knew what she was doing. I wasn’t going to take the bait. I watched the guy pull her close, saw her shirt bunch, and realized he was touching her naked back.

  Before I even fully realized what was happening, I had marched over to them and hauled him off her. It wasn’t until I felt the pain in my right hand that I realized I had punched him in the face.

  Oh shit. God damn it, what have I done?

  The dancers who had been gyrating and grinding on the floor all stopped and stared. The guy gripped his nose, trying to stem the flow of blood as he struggled to his feet. I had to get out of there.

  The first camera flash went off. I wasn’t sure if it was directed at the man on the floor or at me. More followed soon after. I grabbed Lily by the elbow and steered her out of the building, signaling for the valet.

  “Let me go!” she snarled. “Let me go or I’ll scream.”

  “We need to talk. We were supposed to talk, but instead you decided to put on some insane show for the club. Childish. Almost as childish as my fucking reaction. I need to get out of here. I can’t stay and wait for that guy to realize who I am and call the cops. Plus, people are taking pictures. I need you to come with me.”

  The valet brought my car around. I opened up the passenger door, then walked around to the driver side. “Come on, Lily. Hear me out. I promise I’ll take you home if that’s what you want. Please.”

  She stood there and stared at me. I sighed, preparing to go grab the door and leave without her.

  “Get in the car, Lily. Unless you’d rather be part of the circus that may or may not be happening in there now.”

  She hesitated a moment more, chewing on her lower lip. Then, finally, she lowered herself into the car and buckled up.

  Without another word, I took off, heading northeast on Interstate-4.

  “Where are we going?” We had made it several miles up the road and would soon be outside the main part of Orlando.

  I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. I knew we needed to talk, but I had no idea what I wanted to say. “I’m just driving. Where would you like to go?”

  “Take me home, then,” she mumbled.

  I nodded, but made no move to change course. “Lily?”

  “What?”

  “What the hell was that back there?”

  “You’re one to talk.”

  I ran my left hand through my light brown hair and counted to ten. This chick would be the death of me. Was sex with her really that good to warrant me dealing with this? “What are you talking about?”

  “I saw you with Amara, practically letting her eat out of the palm of your hand. You’re just like Michael.”

  I put on my hazards and pulled over to the shoulder. I continued to stare straight ahead. “First of all, I’m not convinced that girl is your friend. What you saw was me having words with her for the way she was disrespecting you. Second of all, what the hell is with all these people? Between one hooking up with your ex and Amara throwing herself at me when she knew we were together, I’m at a loss for words. With friends like them, you don’t need enemies.”

  She leaned her arm against the window and cupped her forehead in her hand. “Were we, though?”

  “Were we what?”

  “Together?”

  I resisted the urge to rub my temples. “Lily, we had just fucked in a filthy back alley. Not sure how much more together we could have been tonight!”

  Maybe this was all a mistake. No matter what chemistry I felt with her, it didn’t change the fact that she had some serious baggage. Her display at the club proved that she was bad for me, bad for my public image. I gave into the urge and rubbed my temples, pressing my head back into the headrest as I realized that there had been at least two tabloid reporters in that club tonight, and both of them knew who I was.

  “I’m sorry, Xander,” she said in a small voice. “I screwed up. I guess I just don’t understand how someone like you could possibly want anything to do with me.”

  “I don’t understand why you’re confused by that. Look at you. Wearing that cock-teasing mini skirt and tank top. Those heels that make your legs look like they go on for days. Your deep brown eyes that can make a man want to be a better person, make me think about changing for you…” I stopped short as I realized I’d overshared. “… I wasn’t the only one staring at you in there, you know.”

  “I just didn’t expect any of this. Michael and I just broken up, and now here you are, and you’re so intense I got sucked in. I’ve a weird feeling I haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg on how intense being with you is. If we were to even try being a couple, I’m sure I’d have to deal with competitions, and practices, and–”

  “Image.”

  “Yes. Wait, image?”

  “Yes. Every single thing I do has to have my image in mind. You know how it is. You’re in this business. The world is just waiting for me to fuck up so they can all point and laugh. I may not be a huge movie star, but I’m still in the public eye, and my little stunt tonight was bad. I’m going to be eaten alive.” I looked at my hand. The skin was split on two of my knuckles, and dried blood caked the back of my hand. I flexed my fingers and winced.

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  “You can’t stop it. Even though I don’t believe you’d write the story, nothing is stopping Amara. We didn’t exactly part on the best terms tonight. Besides, I saw flashes going off. It’s only a matter of time before I’m recognized and someone sells their picture to the highest bidder. Only a matter of time before that guy realizes he can sue me. Do you even know who he was?”

  Lily shook her head. “No. Just some guy who hit on me. Probably the one who almost caught us in the alley.”

  “Awesome.”

  “I’ll talk to Amara. I don’t doubt she’ll bring his friend home with her, so I’ll catch her for breakfast around the crack of noon.”

  “Just leave it. Fat chance of her not wanting to bring in that story. She’ll be all over it. Don’t add fuel to the fire.”

  “But–”

  “I said leave it, Lily.” My Mustang shook as cars flew past on my side. I knew we should get a move on soon, but the tension between us was still so thick it was almost palpable.

  “Fine.” Her voice was barely above a whisper again. “What was it you wanted to say earlier, anyway? You were so adamant we needed to talk.”

  I shrugged. “I wanted to talk about you coming back to my place.”

  “And then what?”

  “What kind of a question is that? We unwind. Have some fun together.”

  “Until when?”

  “What?”

  “So I come over tonight and go home when? Later tonight? Tomorrow? Then what? Is that it?”

  “Like I told you in the club, Lily, I can’t promise forever. I can’t even promise next week. Will you be able to live with that?”

  “I don’t know.” She chewed her lip.

  “But in a traditional relationship, isn’t that normal? A couple gets together and tries to make it work. Either it works out and they stay together, or it doesn’t and they break up. I can’t think of too many couples that just decide on forever the first time they meet.”

  She paused. “True enough, I guess. But it just feels like we’re going into this expecting it to fail. What’s the point of even trying when you can’t even commit to the possibility of a relationship? It feels like a waste of time, no matter how incredible the sex is.”

  I grinned. “It is pretty incredible, isn’t it?”

  She smacked me on the upper arm and laughed. “Focus, Xander!”

  “I am focu
sed. Focused on how hot you are. Come on, Lily. We could be good together. Let’s just see how things go. Besides, that tiny little skirt and tank top would look stunning on the floor next to my bed.”

  She giggled, a beautiful sound that sent my pulse racing. “You’re impossible.”

  I reached forward and traced her lower lip with my thumb. “I already told you, for you, I am easy. So where are we going?”

  She shook her head. “Not my place. Let’s go back to yours.”

  “Your wish is my command.” I put the car in gear and merged into traffic.

  Chapter Nine

  “So what’s the plan?” Lily asked.

  “Always looking for a plan. I have none, just winging it. Are you hungry?” I wandered into the kitchen and rifled through the fridge.

  “Not really. We had dinner before heading to the club.”

  I grabbed a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a can of cashews. “I don’t think you’ve seen my bedroom yet.”

  “The room we slept in last night isn’t your bedroom?”

  “Guest room. It almost never gets used. Come on up.” I gestured for her to precede me up the stairs.

  She snickered. “You just want to stare at my ass while I can’t stop you.”

  “It’s a fine ass, for sure. Regardless, it’s good manners to allow the lady to go up the stairs first.”

  She paused, staring at me. “Are you for real?”

  “What?”

  “You claim you’ve never had a real, meaningful relationship, yet you always open doors, and now this stair thing. Something doesn’t add up.”

  “My mother taught me how to behave. That’s all. Stop overthinking it.”

  She hesitated a moment longer, then climbed the stairs. I followed, happily watching the swish of her short skirt as it swayed and getting a peek at what was hidden beneath. Acting like a gentleman did have its advantages.

  Lily paused on the landing, hesitant to walk through the open door into my room first, I supposed. I pretended not to notice she had stopped walking so I could “accidentally” bump into her and wrap my arms around her stomach. Taking a deep, obvious breath, I reveled in her scent. Sex and lavender; it was a heady smell that brought me back to our alley tryst. With regret, I withdrew from around her, careful not to drop the wine or glasses.