AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That guy’s here. I thought you’d want to know.”
I narrow my gaze, flashes of white vans and bombs flying by. “Who? All Saints?Here?”
“No, our guy from the picnic. With the remote.No One?” He carefully points toward the bar, where a lonely figure sits on the far end. “Came in a while ago. Bouncer wanted to refuse him for his lack of dress code, but lucky for us I was outside when it happened.”
My heart skips a beat at the sight of Phoenix, sitting there, looking so utterly disconnected from this party place. Has it only been a few days since I last saw him? Looking away, I try to get a grip of my racing heartbeat. I might have had his dick in my mouth and loved every second of it, but there’s no fucking way that I’ll let this little shit dictate how I’m feeling. He’s right, he is a No One, with his cheap-ass sweatpants and hoodie. Having seen the state of his condo, I bet that’s all he’s got. A few pairs of each.
“What do we do with him?” Owen asks. I suck in my lips, pressure building. I should have him picked up, this is too easy. Connor’s standing less than seventy feet from me, one look our way and he would see him. That realization fuels my frenzy, and evil Kai wants to step aside, just so their eyes would meet. Would Phoenix run? God, he’d look so gorgeous fleeing, begging for his life.
“Sir?” Owen pulls me back into reality, and I blink my eyes in annoyance, readjusting my pants. Because it doesn’t fucking work. No matter what I tell myself, my chest is caught in a buzz when I look at Phoenix. He’s holding an empty glass and watches the crowd, his hoodie half-way covering his curls. He looks … delectable. I turn back to Owen.
“Did he ask for me?”
“No. I’ve been watching him for the past hour, but he doesn’t seem to be waiting for anyone. He just sits there. Ordered one glass of Coke, and that’s it. No sign of All Saints, so right now, he’s no threat.” Oh, but he is… a shiver runs through my body, making the hair on the back of my neck rise, and when I look back to Phoenix, he’s staring right at me. He puts the glass back onto the bar, and for a brief moment I think that he’ll bolt for the door, but then he gets up from his stool. And heads my way.
“What the—” I mutter.
Owen takes a step forward, shielding my body with his. “Do you want us to take over, kick him out?”
“No—no.” Placing a hand on his shoulder, I pull him back a little. “I’ll deal with him.” Fuck me. This guy keeps on surprising me. From the spluttering mess I found at the port, to the fearsome creature I chased in France, to the treacherous killer bee I stopped in the park, to this—what is this? He’s not No One, that’s for sure. But who is he really?
The messy crowd parts for Phoenix like some unwritten rule as he makes his way forward. To me. His eyes never leave mine, and I keep on staring back. It’s like I’m fucking captivated by him and his awkward, fascinating, courage. He stops right in front of me.
“Hi,” he says. I don’t reply, simply stare down at him. He gazes around, before looking me back in the eye. “I wanted to see for myself.” His smile is small, tentative.
I tilt my chin. “The club? Or me?”
“I was tired of being afraid.” He reaches out a trembling hand and it lands on my shoulder, warm and settled, before it fists the suede of my shirt. Hanging on. Phoenix licks his lips. “And I wanted to see you.” His confession lands straight in my gut, shutting up me and my sharp tongue. “So I came here.”
“How did you know where I was?” I’m struggling to find something to use against him, but he’s come unarmed, and it’s kinda sweet.
“You might know a lot about me, but I know a lot about you too.” His toffee-colored eyes glimmer while we stand there for a moment, me baffled, and he… I don’t know. But we’re like a bunch of idiots, that’s for sure, because we only move when Big barks out a harsh laugh that can be heard even over the music. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want Connor to find him…
“You were foolish to come here,” I grunt, then grab his arm and drag him along through the crowd. Owen’s catching up, signing me to follow him to my VIP room. It feels like it takes forever to get there, and all the while I feel my back prickling, as if one of my brothers is about to catch up with me and snatch Phoenix away. It’s the most ridiculous thought. But then we’re inside my spacious room, carefully designed by Vic, and Owen closes the door in silence, leaving us alone. Phoenix takes a few steps, then turns around to face me. Manhattan glows brightly behind him, the flickering lights a contrast to his dark clothes. His hoodie has fallen down to his shoulders, emphasizing his long neck. And his mouth… he licks his lips, a shudder escaping from those luscious treats. Then he approaches me until we’re practically standing chest to chest. He clears his throat. “I don’t want to talk about myself tonight,” he decides.
“Then what do you want to do?”
His face flushes, but that doesn’t stop him from placing two fingers below my chin. “I wanted to see you.” Gracefully, he tilts my face, his dark eyes drinking in my features. His words have got my heart racing.
“Well, you got me. So what now?” He doesn’t respond to that, instead turns his focus to my hands, that he grabs between his smaller, softer ones, caressing the ink that covers my knuckles. “Did this hurt?”
“A little.” A lot, but he doesn’t have to know that. He hums, seemingly satisfied with my answer. “What does it mean? The tattoo?” His fingertips trace the black lines. “I always thought that tattoos meant something.” I shrug at that.
“Not necessarily, that’s up to you. These ones are more like a wave.” I outstretch them for him to see. “I love water. But I mean, like, it’s not that deep, you know? I just thought it was pretty. Got it after I won an important street fight back when I was sixteen.” I wait a beat, then ask, “Do you?” Phoenix’s eyes flicker up to mine, before he looks back at my hands.
“Do I think it’s pretty? Yeah. So you’re a fists type-of-guy then?”
“A fists-type-of-guy?” I chuckle, then shrug. “I guess. Or a a guns-kind-of-guy, if you can say that.”
“So if you were to kill me, how would you do it?” His question surprises me, but by the way Phoenix is exploring my arms with the flats of his hands up to my shoulder, I doubt that he’s really looking for an answer. Still, I give him one. It was thrilling to surprise him in his apartment, but to have him here, in our club… yeah, definitely exciting. And brave.Heis.
“I don’t know what’s up with all the questions tonight, Phoenix, but you’re not mine to kill. It’s my job to bring you in to Connor. He is out for revenge, because you put his life in danger. It might be a real old-fashioned thing, but on the streets, that’s the only rule that matters.Vengeance.”
His hands have reached for my shoulders, and he squeezes, before they move further toward my nape. “So, are you gonna bring me in, Kai?” He whispers. His breath leaves traces of sensitive, shivering flesh, as do his fingers. And his words, brazen. Sexy.
Phoenix moves onto his tiptoes, his hands firmly wrapped around my neck, when he brings his face closer. I can see the darkness of his eyes and catch his scent—so sweet. Vanilla, coffee, chocolate. I wonder if he’s finished all of the chocolate bars I gave him. It makes my mind spin with lust. With the need to chase. Him. Down.
“I think I’ve given you plenty of action already.” His lips are plump and wet, when he pouts them sensually, though too far out of reach.
