A Million Tiny Pieces (27 page)

Mia’s
heart thrummed painfully against her ribs. She knew Phoenix wouldn’t have said
that. Would he? No. He wouldn’t. She wasn’t going to start doubting him now.
She knew better. This was all Damien’s doing. Just another heaping pile of lies
to make him look good.

“Ugghhh.”

“Take
a deep breath. Do you want me to come over?”

“No.
I’m good,” Mia told Alex now. “I need some time to think.”

“Well,
if you need me, you know where I am.”

“Thanks,
Alex.”

“Sure
thing, honey. Oh, and I’m sure your mother’s going to get wind of this. You
might want to call her before she does.”

Mia
flopped back against the cushions, tossing her tablet beside her. Alex was
right. This was just the beginning. “It’ll be easier if I go see her.”

“I
agree,” Alex concurred. “While you’re out, if you want to stop by, we’ll be
here.”

“Okay.
Maybe I will. But you’re gonna want to have the wine ready,” Mia warned.

“Already
done.”

TARIK
HURRIED THROUGH his shower, not wanting to leave Phoenix alone for too long. He
could tell the guy was strung tight, and he worried what the recourse might be
when he decided to turn that anger on Damien Landry. Not that it didn’t belong
there, because it did, but Tarik had been witness to Phoenix’s meltdowns a time
or two. They weren’t pretty.

It
wasn’t that Phoenix wasn’t familiar with this type of underhanded bullshit. It
happened more often than people believed, sometimes as a way to get a little
publicity — which was what he suspected Landry was up to. There were always
frivolous lawsuits popping up for whatever reason, and Tarik had seen Phoenix
deal with them on multiple occasions over the last several years. Because
Phoenix’s company dealt with various things, including lending money to
start-ups, acquiring others that weren’t able to keep afloat, as well as
dabbling in real estate — buying
and
selling — there were plenty of
things that people used against him. Phoenix had even ventured into property
management on occasion, and Tarik had seen some crazy shit on that side of things.
This was merely one of the many.

However,
Tarik knew that there were other things on Phoenix’s mind. Since the last night
that they’d stayed with Phoenix a week ago, the other man hadn’t been the same.
If he had to guess, Phoenix was dealing with feelings he wasn’t familiar with.
And Tarik wasn’t going to believe that Phoenix’s feelings were only for Mia,
either. What was transpiring between him and Phoenix was real and powerful. So potent
he felt a breakdown coming. And it wasn’t going to be him breaking down.

No,
Phoenix was on a downward spiral, and he was going to explode any time now.
Possibly in the next few minutes, and Tarik damn sure wasn’t going to be in the
shower when that happened.

Shutting
off the water, Tarik grabbed a towel and roughly ran it over his hair, then his
body before fixing it around his waist.

When
he stepped into his bedroom to grab clothes, he stopped short.

There,
sitting on his bed, was Phoenix.

Green
eyes slowly drifted up until they met his, holding. Tarik was frozen in place
momentarily. What he read in that steady gaze nearly leveled him. There was a
request there, something he couldn’t misconstrue even if he wanted to.

Which
he sure as fuck didn’t.

“I
called Mia. She said she was on her way to see her mother.” Phoenix’s gaze
lowered briefly. “So I came here.”

Tarik
didn’t move, unwilling to break the spell. He understood exactly what Phoenix
was telling him. He needed someone, and with Mia not home, Tarik was it.

He
briefly wondered whether he should feel like second place, but he couldn’t.
He’d wanted to see Mia as much as Phoenix, possibly more. If she wasn’t home,
then there wasn’t anything either of them could do about it.

Rather
than tell Phoenix any of that, he stood there, stone still as he waited for
what came next. Phoenix had to make the first move. There was no way Tarik would
be the first, not with something this crucial, something that would ultimately
change the dynamic of their friendship forever.

Phoenix
pushed to his feet slowly, his gaze like a heated caress as it raked down him
an inch at a time. Tarik didn’t bother to ask Phoenix if he was okay; he could
see in his eyes that he was still strung tight, the equivalent of a rubber band
being pulled to the point it was going to snap, and the repercussions were
going to be painful.

Which
meant there was only one reason he was there.

When
Phoenix approached, Tarik didn’t move, didn’t hardly breathe. Big, warm fingers
came up to trail a path from his navel up to his neck and then back down. Phoenix
never stopped looking him in the eye, and Tarik found himself lost in his gaze,
desperately wanting this to go where he thought it was headed but scared
shitless to say anything that might fuck that up.

“I’m
tired of thinking,” Phoenix admitted softly, his eyes dipping down to Tarik’s
lips briefly.

“Then
don’t,” Tarik stated firmly.

“That’s
why I’m here.” The uncertainty he heard in Phoenix’s tone and saw on his face
surprised Tarik briefly. It was not something he was used to seeing in the
other man’s eyes. Determination, purpose, tenacity, yes. This ambiguity, no.

“Do
you know what you’re doing to me?” Tarik asked as Phoenix’s hands continued to
roam slowly over his bare chest, down to his stomach once more. Up and down,
the movement was slow and reverent. Almost as though Phoenix was looking for
some assurance that Tarik wanted this.

“Yes,
I do,” Phoenix answered. “The same thing you’re doing to me.”

Tarik
doubted that, but he didn’t say as much. The depth for which Tarik cared for
Phoenix had been dug over a period of years, not weeks or days. Those feelings
weren’t new to him. Nor did they shock him with their intensity anymore.

However,
what he wanted from Phoenix was likely going to blow the other man’s mind.

“I
want all of you, Phoenix. Every single piece.”

Phoenix
nodded, but Tarik still wasn’t convinced he knew exactly what he meant.

“Right
here, right now. This is between us. I don’t want anyone else in the room.”
Tarik knew he didn’t need to explain himself. Phoenix understood precisely what
he was getting at. No issues, no problems. Nothing and no one was welcome this
first time. The first time Tarik would bury himself in Phoenix, lose himself in
the pleasure of the other man’s body.

Holy
fuck.

“Just
us,” Phoenix confirmed.

“Take
off your shirt,” Tarik commanded, letting his eyes trail down Phoenix’s body,
noting how his muscles bunched and flexed with every little movement. He was
tense, and it had nothing, and possibly everything, to do with what was about
to happen.

Phoenix
complied easily, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it on the floor.

Tarik
was tempted to tell Phoenix to strip so he could see all of him, but he held
back. He wanted to touch him, to taste him, and he couldn’t wait any longer.

Closing
the gap between them, Tarik grazed Phoenix’s hard cock behind the zipper of his
jeans with the backs of his fingers as he moved his hand upward, trailing up
his stomach similar to the way Phoenix had done to him moments ago.
He veered off and
circled Phoenix’s nipple with a fingertip, allowing his other hand to mimic the
first, flicking each nipple firmly.

Phoenix’s
eyes lowered, fluttered, his mouth opening slightly.

When
he let his eyes close completely, Tarik tweaked both nipples. “Open your eyes.
I want them on me at all times.”

Those
thunderous green eyes once again opened, and there was a hint of defiance backlighting
them, but to Phoenix’s credit, he didn’t say a word.

As
a reward, Tarik leaned down and lashed Phoenix’s nipple with his tongue, then
used his teeth to nip him.

A
harsh inhale was the only response, so Tarik moved to the other, teasing
Phoenix briefly. Sliding his hands around to Phoenix’s back, he moved up as he
stood. Angling his head slightly, Tarik pressed his lips to Phoenix’s as he dug
his fingers into the tense muscles of Phoenix’s back, pulling him closer, their
bare chests touching, warmth transferring between them.

He
tried to keep the kiss slow and easy, but it quickly morphed into something
hotter, stronger, significantly more powerful. It was as though the energy that
was thrumming inside Phoenix was redistributed to Tarik. He was infused with
it, an urgency making his cock thicken, straining against the cotton towel.

Pulling
back because he wasn’t interested in ending this before it even got started,
Tarik ordered Phoenix to remove the rest of his clothes. When he did, Tarik
directed him to the bed with an upward tilt of his chin.

“On
your stomach,” Tarik commanded as he moved to the dresser to retrieve a condom
and lube.

When
he turned back, Phoenix was on his stomach, his cheek flat on the bed, his eyes
tracking Tarik as he moved toward him. Dropping the items onto the bed so that
Phoenix could see them clearly, Tarik released the towel, allowing it to fall
to the floor.

He
had every intention of massaging Phoenix’s back, trying to loosen him up a bit,
but as he lay there, his mouth proved to be too much of a temptation. One he
couldn’t bypass just yet.

“Move
closer to the edge,” he told Phoenix. “Take me in your mouth.”

Phoenix
scooted closer, remaining on his stomach as instructed, his mouth within inches
of Tarik’s cock. Sweeping the head across Phoenix’s lips, he waited until he
opened before dipping the tip inside.

The
mere brush of Phoenix’s tongue over the swollen head made Tarik’s hips jerk
forward. “Open those lips for me, Phoenix. Swallow me.”

Phoenix’s
mouth opened wider as he sucked Tarik’s cock into his mouth. Shallow at first,
but within seconds he was laving Tarik’s dick, tormenting him with the rough
swipe of his tongue as he circled the head, teasing the underside, driving him
toward the edge with a blinding intensity that took Tarik entirely by surprise.

“Turn
over,” Tarik instructed as he thought of a better position, needing a moment to
regain his composure. “Hang your head over the side.”

Phoenix
moved easily, and when he was situated, Tarik looked down at the sexy man
sprawled sideways across his bed. His tanned, hard body stood out against the
black comforter. Tarik wouldn’t have minded looking at him like that all
fucking day.

“Suck
my dick and don’t stop until I tell you.”

Propping
one knee on the bed beside Phoenix’s head, Tarik leaned over Phoenix, guiding
his cock into Phoenix’s scorching mouth. He didn’t hesitate before he took
Phoenix’s cock in his mouth, sucking the head between his lips, teasing the tip
with the flat of his tongue. Phoenix rewarded him with an urgent thrust of his
hips and a rough growl that Tarik could feel vibrating beneath him.

He
knew the only way he’d survive this was to focus on Phoenix and not on the way
Phoenix swallowed him, sucking him forcefully while wrapping his hand around
the base of Tarik’s cock. It was too good. Needing to drive out some of the
arresting satisfaction or risk coming too soon, Tarik focused his attention on
returning the pleasure, wrapping his lips around Phoenix’s thick cock, pulling
him into his mouth, releasing him slowly, bobbing up and down.

It
didn’t matter how much he tried to focus, the blazing warmth of Phoenix’s mouth
was too much to ignore, causing Tarik to push up on his hands, releasing
Phoenix’s cock from his mouth with a pop and then pulling his own dick out of
the sweet mouth that had given him enough pleasure to make his head swim.

“Back
on your stomach,” he commanded, crawling up on the bed when Phoenix flipped
over.

“No
one told me I should’ve stretched before I came in here. This is a fucking
workout,” Phoenix joked, rolling back onto his stomach.

Tarik
smiled. “I was going to give you a massage, but if you’d prefer we skip that
part, I’m game.”

“I’m
good,” Phoenix muttered when he got situated.

Straddling
Phoenix’s hips, Tarik began kneading the muscles of Phoenix’s shoulders,
digging deep, trying to drive out some of the tension. He continued to massage
deeply, moving from one muscle group to the next until he was at the tight
muscles of Phoenix’s lower back. The rough groans that had accompanied the massage
made Tarik’s dick throb. He eased down Phoenix’s body slowly, sliding down his
legs, and now his cock was nudging between Phoenix’s firm ass cheeks, right
where he wanted to be.

“Tarik,”
Phoenix growled, pushing his hips back.

“Not
yet,” Tarik told him none too gently.

“Fuck,”
Phoenix muttered. “I need to feel you.”

The
jagged need in Phoenix’s voice was almost enough to have Tarik rushing, but he
knew better. He wanted to savor every minute of this. His first time inside
Phoenix… Phoenix’s first time taking a man inside of him. It wasn’t something
Tarik wanted to hurry through.

Ignoring
Phoenix’s pleas, Tarik stretched forward and settled himself atop Phoenix,
holding most of his weight above him as he found Phoenix’s mouth, kissing him
roughly. The angle was a little tricky, but when their tongues met, Phoenix
lifted his head, giving Tarik better access as he searched, tasted, savored.

Tarik
indulged in the warmth of Phoenix’s mouth, relishing the hint of mint and
coffee. When he pulled back for air, he continued by trailing his mouth along
Phoenix’s neck, then planting kisses across his broad back, down the divot
between the muscles along his spine, enjoying Phoenix’s groans, the way he
lifted his hips, begging for more. Sliding down his body, Tarik once again
straddled Phoenix’s lower legs, kneading Phoenix’s taut ass cheeks roughly,
dipping his finger between them until Phoenix’s breaths were coming sharp and
desperate. He grabbed the lube, squeezed a generous amount on Phoenix’s asshole
before inserting the tip of his finger.