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With a towel wrapped around my waist, I went back to my room and got dressed. As I pulled my shirt over my head, there was a hard knock at my door. My mind leapt with the hope that it was her, and I frowned. I had to get control of myself. Maybe going to the gym would help.
When I opened the door, I saw the last person I expected to be standing there. Grandad walked in with an air of authority, and I closed the door behind him.What could he possibly want this late at night?
“I have a proposition for you.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ASPEN
That kiss was epic. I touched the pads of my fingers to my lips, remembering every second of his possessive touch. If we got along intellectually and emotionally as well as we did physically, things would be much easier.
I tugged the covers tightly around me, needing sleep over the after-party at the cove my roommate and her friends were attending, possibly with Phoenix in attendance. Would he think about me? The only thing that kept me sane was our fake-dating pact. With that in place, he couldn’t mess around with any other girl. The thought of him with anyone else felt like a dagger through my heart, and it shouldn’t have. We weren’t even friends.
Eventually, I fell into a deep sleep, but Phoenix’s reach was absolute even there. Dream Phoenix was just as sexy but not as combative.
I dreamed of a house on the beach with a lap pool and another one with a sun shelf and waterfall. In my arms, I held a little girl who had blond curls and big blue eyes streaked with silver. She looked like both of us and cooed happily as I set her in a crib for a nap. The room was white with pops of light pink, beautifully decorated and just the right size.
“Aspen.”
Phoenix called for me, and I quietly shut the door then tiptoed downstairs, where I turned on the baby monitor.
“Our little princess is napping?”
I laughed, and he pulled me into his arms. “Soon. And what’re you doing home?”
“We had meetings today. I was able to get in an hour in the gym then thought I would surprise you.”
He looked just as fierce as he had our freshman year but somehow older and even more muscular. In our perfect dream world, I knew he’d been drafted early and was a starting quarterback on a team he loved. Our house was stunning, and I had help, so I didn’t have to take care of it all myself.
“I thought we could have lunch outside.”
He grabbed the monitor and pulled me close, leading me through the accordion glass doors that took us to the larger pool. The table was set for two, and soft music played through the speakers. “What’s this about?”
“It’s me wanting to spend time with you.” He cupped my face and leaned in for a brief kiss. I always wanted more. “I love you, Aspen. Marrying you was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
“Even better than the early draft?” I teased. I knew what his answer was, but it was nice to hear.
“Even better. You and our little girl are my entire world.”
In the safety of his embrace, I forgot about the lunch he’d had set up and pulled him down for a kiss, losing myself in the magic between us.
A crash sounded, and I jerked away. Laughter grew louder as someone passed by my door, and a deep sadness filled me at being ripped from the fantasy I’d created. Gentle Dream Phoenix clashed with the violence of the ring and his reoccurring presence there.
I wasn’t stupid and knew that the money he was giving me had to come from fighting. He was making sure I had enough by accepting and giving beatings, by putting his future on the line, risking injury every time. I turned on my side as a wave of unease washed over me. I didn’t want to be a factor in him losing everything.
Maybe I’m being too harsh on Phoenix. I couldn’t ignore how much I missed him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
PHOENIX
Aproposition?I stood facing my grandad in the middle of my room not long after the fight with Jake Flynn had ended. Shane, of course, was nowhere to be found, and I had a bad feeling about what I was about to hear.
I gestured to one of the chairs, and he lowered himself into it. I took the one opposite him, suspecting I might want to sit while hearing him out. It was late, and my anxiety had spiked when he appeared out of the blue. “What’s this proposition?”
The mini fridge was to my right, and I leaned over and grabbed a water, lifting it to see if he also wanted one. He shook his head, and I closed the door. I twisted off the cap and downed half the contents as I waited for him to enlighten me about why the fuck he was in my room at midnight.
“You know how important my company is to me.”
