A Million Tiny Pieces (14 page)

“At
twenty-nine, you were named one of Austin’s most eligible bachelors. And just a
couple of months ago, you were called one of the sexiest businessmen in Texas.
Hmmm… What else did I read? Oh. You’ve never been married, have lived in the
building you also own for the last seven years.”

She
wasn’t about to tell him that she’d read a story about a threesome he’d been
involved in, one that had included him and Tarik in a precarious situation. Obviously
the woman who’d told the story had either been looking for her fifteen minutes
of fame because she’d been involved with the infamous playboys — as they’d been
called — or she was after the money. Mia wasn’t sure.

“Impressive.
And what will I find if I Google you?”

Smiling,
Mia said, “Are you trying to tell me you haven’t Googled me yet?”

“Maybe.
Maybe not. But even if I have, I’d much rather hear your version of things. So,
what’s the most newsworthy thing about Mia Cantrell?”

Mia
looked down at the table. She could easily answer that question, but she wasn’t
sure she wanted to. There were so many articles written, some before and during
her marriage to Damien, but quite a bit afterward. Mostly afterward. It seemed
that the media didn’t have any issues reporting on mere speculation, and some
of the things they’d said about her didn’t paint her in a very flattering
light.

But
that wasn’t the worst of it. Mia had stumbled across an article that mentioned
Damien and Phoenix together, so of course, she’d been curious. As it turned
out, Damien was currently suing Phoenix. Mia had no idea what was going on, nor
did she want to get in the middle of that, but she couldn’t help but think
Phoenix would believe otherwise if she brought it up.

“Just
say pass,” Phoenix said softly, reaching out and touching her hand, the warmth
of his touch sending a zing of pleasure coursing down her arm. “If you don’t
want to answer, I won’t press you.”

“No,
it’s…” Mia briefly glanced around to see who else might be in hearing distance.
She was happy to see they were alone at the back of the restaurant. “I’m
divorced. The man I was married to is in the public eye. And as you know, since
you’ve got experience with the media, they can be brutal. There’re plenty of
stories about me, some not so nice.”

“Trust
me, I’m sure you’ve read some not-so-pleasant things about me,” he offered. “I
don’t believe everything I read, so we’re good.”

Mia
nodded, giving him a small smile. She really hoped he meant that, because,
should he decide to look up information on her if he hadn’t already, he’d see
that she’d been called a gold digger, a whore, and plenty more colorful words.
It didn’t matter that she’d never once said anything negative about Damien
publicly; they still attacked her. As did Damien. There wasn’t anything to
substantiate the fodder, but she’d learned there was nothing she could do to
stop the press, either. They were relentless when they wanted a story.

“I’m
sure by tomorrow morning, there will be pictures of you and me floating out in
cyberspace,” Phoenix said.

Mia
blushed. After reading what she had, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what
they would speculate on. The one thing she was grateful for, although she’d
initially been disappointed, was that Tarik hadn’t come along. Who knew what
those rumors might be.

“I
wouldn’t doubt it,” she told him. “I can’t seem to escape the paparazzi.
They’ve camped out in front of the building a time or two.” Although now that
she knew who Phoenix was, she had to wonder whether they were really there to
catch a glimpse of him. That made more sense. “Things seem to have escalated
somewhat, and I’m pretty sure that’s because my ex recently got engaged. Why
they think I’d have anything to say about that, I don’t know.”

That
was another thing Mia had had to endure during her Internet search. She’d been
both angry and relieved at the same time. Considering Teresa Somerhaus was the
new woman in Damien’s life, Mia was angry all over again at the fact that
Damien had cheated with her, but relieved at the same time because she’d seen
Phoenix talking to her at the charity ball. If Teresa was marrying Damien, then
that meant she would have to keep her claws off Phoenix. At least she hoped.

“I’m
sorry to hear that,” Phoenix said, his eyes seemingly searching hers.

“I’m
not,” she stated affirmatively. “I don’t care what he does or who he does it
with. I wish they’d leave me out of it entirely. Now that he’s making news with
someone else, I’m relieved. Maybe they’ll leave me alone.”

“I
can’t promise that’ll be the case once someone sees the two of us together,”
Phoenix told her, his hand still resting on hers. “I’ve been known to incite
the press to write some rather thought-provoking things.”

Mia
wanted to ask him to elaborate, but she held back the words. She wasn’t sure
she was ready to hear the details. She’d read enough; hearing about it would
likely make her ears catch fire.

It
was another tick mark in the con column on Mia’s list of reasons she’d started
for staying away from Phoenix. The pro column seemed to be lust driven; the con
column was riddled with all the things she’d learned from being with Damien.

But
she’d told herself that she wasn’t going to let her fears drive her anymore. Simply
wanting to get to know this man didn’t mean she had to get involved with him.

Now
if her hormones would only listen to reason, she might stand half a chance.

PHOENIX
HAD ENJOYED the evening far more than he’d thought possible. Especially
considering sex hadn’t been on the agenda. It was new for him, something he
didn’t often do. Getting to know a woman past what she felt like beneath him
wasn’t high on his list of priorities these days.

With
Mia, he found that taking her to bed wasn’t the
only
thing on his mind.
He couldn’t deny the fact that he’d had some salacious thoughts about her,
because … well, because, hell, he’d pictured her naked plenty of times
throughout dinner. He’d thought about what it would be like to lay her on the
table, right there in the restaurant, and devour her, licking her from her sexy
little nose all the way down to her toes. Slowly.

More
than that, though, he’d enjoyed the conversation. She was extremely easy to
talk to. There hadn’t been a single giggle that had escaped her, which he found
to be one of the things he liked most about her. She was incredibly smart and
articulate, and never once had she just nodded her head and agreed with what
he’d said.

And
now, as they walked back to their building, Phoenix had pinpointed the
highlight of the evening. As they had exited the restaurant, when he had
reached for her hand, Mia hadn’t balked at sliding her silky smooth fingers in
his. He was torn between wanting to hold her hand for the rest of the evening
and wanting to pull her into his arms so he could feel her soft body against
his.

Not
that he would do the latter, because he knew Mia would run. Fast and far. Which
would ultimately undermine all the progress they’d made tonight. As it was, he
was happy that she’d agreed to dinner, and he hoped when he asked her out
again, she’d be equally willing.

When
they made it into the elevator, Phoenix knew that the night was ending for
them, much as it had on Friday. However, unlike then, he didn’t want to simply
walk away. Not that he was ready to invite her to his place or try and coax his
way into hers. No, he knew with a woman like Mia, he would have to take things
slow.

He
could do slow.

It
might kill him, but he could do slow.

His
thoughts immediately drifted to Tarik. More specifically, the kiss they’d
shared. Whatever was going on between him and Tarik had redefined the word slow
in his book. It’d taken nearly two years for them to progress to that kiss. Not
counting that night so long ago, the one that had confirmed for Phoenix just
how much he wanted the man. But Phoenix had been able to attribute that to the
overabundance of alcohol he’d consumed that night. Didn’t matter that he
would’ve done it stone-cold sober.

What
was worse, Phoenix was so fucking confused between his apparent infatuation
with Mia and his desire for Tarik that he wasn’t even sure what he was doing.

“Thank
you for dinner. And for walking me to school. Oh, and for the ride home,” Mia
rambled as they made their way to her front door, pulling him out of his
thoughts.

“You’re
welcome. Thank you for accompanying me. I had a great time.”

After
she retrieved her keys from her purse, Mia looked up at him. She was standing
so close he could smell the sweet strawberry scent of her shampoo, see the
silver flecks in her crystal-blue eyes, hear her slightly irregular breathing.

So
she felt it, too?

Phoenix
reached out and slid the back of his finger along her smooth cheek, his eyes
locked with hers. Seconds passed, and neither of them moved, seemingly stuck
there in that single moment of time, nothing else in the world existing except
the two of them.

Phoenix
tried. He tried really fucking hard to avoid the temptation, but the longer
they stood there, the greater the pull to her seemed to get, until he found
himself saying, “I’m going to kiss you, Mia.”

When
she didn’t argue or try to move away, Phoenix took one step closer, his body
coming into contact with hers. His dick hardened instantly as he cupped her
face with both hands, noticing the way her glossy pink lips parted ever so
slightly.

God,
she was so fucking sweet.

Leaning
in, Phoenix brushed his lips against hers lightly. He felt the warmth of her
breath against his mouth, heard the hitch in her breathing, which only spurred
him forward. Angling her head a hair to the right, Phoenix pressed his lips to
hers more firmly, sliding his tongue along the seam until her hands came up and
fisted in his shirt. It was then that the fragile grip he had on his control
slipped, then threatened to snap, but he managed to hang on to it. Barely.

Sliding
his tongue into her mouth, past her lips, gently stroking her tongue, he was
overwhelmed by sensation. Something so powerful he felt the aftershocks clear
down to his toes. When he was met with a sweet, fervent resistance, her tongue
gliding over his, her mouth opening for him, Phoenix took control, delving
deeper, pulling her closer, cupping her face more firmly. And when she moaned
into his mouth, Phoenix knew he had to stop or he was going to do something he
would easily regret.

Mia
Cantrell was not a one-night woman. As much as he wanted to tell himself he
could sweet-talk her out of her clothes and into bed, Phoenix didn’t want that.
Well, not
only
that. He wanted more than one night with her, which meant
he had to slow down, had to get a secure grip on his self-control.

“You’re
so damn sweet, Mia,” he mumbled against her lips as he pulled back, keeping his
mouth only a breath away. “I could get lost in you if I let myself.”

He
hadn’t meant to say the words; they’d just come out. For the first time in his
adult life, he hadn’t been saying them in an attempt to get her naked, but the
way Mia’s eyes widened told him he’d gone a little too far.

She
took a step back, her hand coming to rest against her lips, but she still
didn’t say anything. Her eyes traveled over his face slowly, as though she was
trying to figure him out. He could’ve told her that it wasn’t possible, but he
got the strange feeling she might be able to see deeper than anyone before her,
so he kept his thoughts to himself.

“Good
night, Mia,” he whispered, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

“Good
night,” she murmured as she took another step away from him, her back touching
her door. She turned, inserted the key, and then escaped inside before he could
convince his legs to move. Once she was safely on the other side, Phoenix
exhaled and turned away slowly.

And
when he got into the elevator to go up to his floor, Phoenix knew without a
doubt that life as he knew it had taken a significant turn.

He
just wasn’t sure what to do about that, even if he could acknowledge it.

»»»»»♥«««««

TARIK
HEARD THE front door when it closed, and he fought the urge to get up off his
couch. There was only one person who would stop by his condo, only one person
who would merely walk in without bothering to knock first.

Phoenix.
The one person Tarik didn’t want to see at the moment.

As
it was, for the last two hours, he hadn’t moved from where he reclined on the
couch. After taking a shower and changing into sweats, fighting off the
thoughts of Phoenix and Mia together, Tarik hadn’t been in the mood to do
anything other than sit down and mindlessly stare at the television. He hadn’t
even bothered to turn the damn thing on.

And
now that Phoenix was there, Tarik had to wonder what had happened at dinner. Evidently
Phoenix hadn’t convinced Mia to go back to his place. So, the only positive
thing was that the two of them weren’t about to get down and dirty in Phoenix’s
guest room. Or on the couch. Tarik knew Phoenix didn’t take women to his bed.
When Tarik had asked him about it once, Phoenix had told him that until he
found someone worthy of more than one night, his bed was off-limits.

It
made sense. More sense than it should, probably.

Tarik
wanted to be invited to Phoenix’s bed. Almost more than he wanted his next
breath.

A
throat cleared, followed by Phoenix’s deep voice. “You awake?”

Tarik
sighed but didn’t move. For half a second, he debated whether or not he should
pretend to be asleep. At least that way he wouldn’t have to see Phoenix,
wouldn’t have to hear about his date with Mia. Wouldn’t have to deal with the
jealousy that threatened to rip him to pieces at the thought of the two of them
together. Without him.

“Yeah,”
he said instead, opening his eyes but not bothering to get up.

Phoenix
moved into view, propping himself up against the living room wall as he stared
down at Tarik.

Tarik
let his eyes rake over Phoenix momentarily, taking in the way his jeans
stretched nicely over his thick thighs and the shirt he wore accentuated his
impressive chest. When he met Phoenix’s gaze, he held it. “Where’s Mia?”

“I
took her home.”

Tarik
did his best not to read into that. Phoenix hadn’t been gone long enough for
the two of them to have gotten naked. Not
nearly
long enough.

“Need
something?” Tarik asked.

Phoenix
didn’t answer him; his eyes merely continued to roam over Tarik leisurely. When
his perusal caused anger to slice through him, Tarik knew he had to send him on
his way. He was in no mood to put up with Phoenix’s strange moods or his
confusion. As it was, he felt a little beaten down by it.

“I’m
gonna call it a night,” Tarik said slowly, trying to mask his irritation. “Did
you
need
something?”

And
just like that, Phoenix stood up straight, shook his head as though he’d had a
moment of clarity, and he turned to walk out. Tarik was off the couch and
following him down the short hallway that led to the front door. “Hold up!”

Phoenix
stopped abruptly, spinning around to face Tarik. Bumping into him was an
accident but not entirely unwarranted. Face-to-face with Phoenix, Tarik was
about to ask what his problem was, but Phoenix managed to steal the words right
out of his mouth when he reached for him, grabbing his hips and yanking him
forward, their bodies slamming together at the same time their lips collided.

Tarik
groaned as Phoenix’s hands slid upward, stroking the bare skin of his sides.
Tarik reached for Phoenix, pushing his hands through his hair and pulling his
head back, controlling the kiss. The desire that had been pulsing between them
intensified right there against the wall in the darkened hallway.

When
Phoenix bit his bottom lip, thrusting his hips forward, their erections
grinding together, Tarik wasn’t sure he was going to be able to stop. He was
shirtless, and Phoenix’s hands were roaming over him, the warmth of his touch
igniting every nerve ending.

“Tarik,”
Phoenix growled as he pushed him, causing him to stumble, his back slamming
into the opposite wall as Phoenix pursued him, their mouths never breaking
completely apart. “What the fuck
is
this? Why can’t I stop thinking
about you?”

Tarik
didn’t know how to answer that question. At least not for Phoenix. He knew what
this was for him. It was every fucking thing he’d wanted for as long as he
could remember. Phoenix’s hands, his mouth, all of it focused on him.

“Don’t
think too much,” Tarik said when they came up for air, their foreheads pressed
together.

“I
can’t
stop
thinking,” Phoenix bit out. “I’m so fucking confused.”

“Well,
I’m not.” No, Tarik knew exactly what he wanted. This man. Every single
glorious inch of him.

Their
lips brushed against one another as Phoenix continued to speak. “I want her.
And I want you, too. How can you not be confused? It makes no damn sense.”

“It
makes perfect sense,” Tarik whispered.

“It’s
not like the other times,” Phoenix said. “One night won’t be enough. Not with
her.”

“Why
only one night?” Tarik asked, licking Phoenix’s bottom lip. “Why does it have
to be all or nothing?”

Phoenix
didn’t answer, his lips melded to Tarik’s, their tongues searching. Some of the
intensity faded, but the passion still lingered. Phoenix’s hands traveled over
Tarik’s bare chest, his thumbs brushing over his nipples, eliciting a sharp
inhale. He wanted Phoenix to put his mouth there. To bite his nipples, to send
shards of pleasure mixed with an erotic pain straight through him.

Knowing
the moment wouldn’t last forever, Tarik palmed Phoenix’s head, urging him down.
Phoenix didn’t fight him, his lips trailing down his jaw, his neck, his
collarbone. As though the other man knew exactly what he needed, Phoenix’s
mouth left a trail of blazing hot kisses across his chest and right to his
nipple. He licked a circle around it, then clipped him with his teeth. Tarik
thrust his hips forward, needing friction on his dick.

“Fuck
yes. Bite me, Phoenix,” Tarik demanded.

Phoenix
did, nipping him harder, then chasing the pain away with his tongue.

While
Phoenix continued to drive him out of his mind, Tarik reached between them and
rubbed his palm against Phoenix’s cock, his jeans limiting his ability to touch
him skin to skin.