“Fuck my mouth, Phoenix.”

  I stand as instinct takes over, and she stays exactly where I need her—knees spread, the toy still humming between her legs.

  For a second, I just stare.

  She pinches her nipple between her fingers, rolling it, arching her back as pleasure ripples through her, and I swear my knees almost give out.

  “Jesus fuck… are you trying to kill me?”

  She just smiles because yeah, she probably is, and I’d die happy like this.

  I thrust into her mouth, chasing my orgasm like a fucking animal, and the filthy wet sounds she’s making are about to undo me.

  “You look so perfect with your lips stretched around my cock, pretty girl. If I didn’t get off on hearing you say my name, I’d keep your throat full of me every second of the fucking day.”

  Her eyes squeeze shut, and her moan vibrates around me as her orgasm starts to crest. I pull out fast, my hand wrapping around my dick, because I need to watch her come.

  “That’s it, Shannen. Work that pussy and fucking come for me.”

  She rides it out, her back arching, head thrown back, mouth open in a silent scream. Then the most beautiful noise breaks free, and I swear it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever fucking heard. She comes back to earth slowly, her chest heaving, eyes glazed, and reaches for me.

  “Tongue out.”

  Her lips part wide, that perfect pink tongue sliding out—waiting, wanting, offering herself up to me like a sacrifice on the altar of my hunger.

  “Keep it there. Don’t fucking move.”

  It only takes seconds of me fisting my cock before my balls draw up and a full-body roar rips straight out of my chest. I explode, thick ropes of cum coat her tongue, and while I’m still pulsing, she surges forward and seals her lips around me.

  “Fuck, that’s it, baby. Swallow it for me.” My fingers tighten in her hair to stop myself from collapsing on top of her as another pulse forces its way through me.

  My mind goes blank.

  My body is completely useless.

  I feel her throat work around me, swallowing everything I give her, and I’m trembling above her.

  I go boneless as I pull out and fall onto the bed. Leaning back, I let out a laugh because, fuck me, that was one of the best moments of my life, and right now I need to try to remember how to breathe. She climbs my body, and I pull her into my chest so she’s leaning on me, looking down at me with those golden eyes still dark with pleasure.

  “That was—” I start, but I shake my head because words don’t feel like enough.

  “Everything a little quieter now?” she asks, running her nails through my hair, making me melt into the mattress.

  I nod, pulling her down to kiss her. “Yeah, baby. So much quieter.”

  We lie there comfortably, holding each other, and I feel nothing like I did earlier.

  I was full of rage.

  Rage I couldn't take out on him.

  Rage I'd never take out on her, and yet she stood in my flames as I burned.

  She found a way to reach me.

  Her touch and the way she loves me, even when I'm probably a fucking nightmare to be near—that's what brought me back to her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I am… but I don’t think you are.” Confusion hits me, but I give her space to talk through whatever she’s holding in. “You could barely look at me at the office.”

  “I wasn’t okay then.”

  “I know, and I think I know why, but I also don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say.”

  I tighten my arms around her, pressing another kiss to her hair. “You know me, baby. I’ll take whatever you’ve got, so just say it.”

  She takes a breath deep enough that my gut tenses.

  “You have to stop watching me. Remove the cameras. Trust me. Trust in us and let go of that compulsion to have eyes on me all the time. It’s not healthy, Phoenix. Not for you or for me, but mostly for you.”

  Every instinct I have is desperate for me to argue, to defend myself, and to tell her she doesn’t understand what it was like for me before. That I’m never going to change, and I’ve made peace with this version of myself. The words are right there, but when I really look at her, I understand.

  She’s not asking me to stop loving her.

  She’s asking me to love her without the cage.

  “I can control it.”

  “Can you?”

  If it's hurting her, I'll stop.

  Fuck. I don’t know if I can.

  I have to take the first step, even if it kills me.

  “How about this?”

  I hate this already, but hey, look at me, compromising. I’m gonna go ahead and call that growth.

  “I leave the tracker on your phone and take the cameras out of here, but the ones in your office stay because I won’t allow you to be alone with Lawson. That’s not negotiable.”

  “How about you take the cameras out of here, leave them in the office, track my location but not my emails or messages anymore… and move in with me.”

  “What was that?”

  “Like you ever had any intention of sleeping away from me again.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Completely.”

  My heart drops somewhere out of the fucking world, and I kiss her over and over, laughing into her mouth and nodding like an idiot, because she just handed me my whole future in one sentence.

  “I love you, pretty girl.”

  “I love you too, Phoenix Cassidy.”

  Chapter 23

  Shannen

  I’m staring at myself in the closet mirror, fighting with the clasp of my necklace, when my eyes are drawn to the tattooed god walking up behind me.

  A couple of buttons are undone on his white shirt, exposing dark ink that disappears beneath the fabric, and his hands are buried in the pockets of his gray slacks that cling to him like they were tailor-made.

  And I just stand there like a fucking idiot.

  If it’s possible to come just from looking at someone, then I’m two seconds away from a full-body meltdown.

  Fuck me, he’s so hot I might cry.

  He takes over and clasps my silver necklace, his fingers brushing the nape of my neck. I feel his lips lower to my bare shoulder, pressing an affectionate kiss there, lingering as he breathes me in.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  Holding my stare in the mirror, he runs his hands down the sides of my dress, stopping at my waist.

  “Problem?” I tease, and he visibly inhales, his neck twisting as his hands lower and he gathers my dress, lifting it higher and higher until the lower half of me is exposed. He stares at me, bare in the mirror, his eyes darkening to something feral.

  He moved almost everything into my apartment the night I asked him to, and there’s not a single part of my body he hasn’t touched, kissed, or fucked like it was made only for him. But right now, he’s looking at me like he’d rather spank my pussy raw for walking around uncovered than drop to his knees and worship her.

  “Hold it.”

  I take the dress from his hands, bunching the fabric and holding it above my waist, knowing exactly what he’s searching for. He finds a black thong—matching my dress—and lowers to the floor, one knee down, one foot flat. I lift each foot slowly, stepping into the underwear that he leaves around my ankles.

  He rises slowly to his full height, his mercury-silver stare holding me in place as the sharp clank of his belt buckle echoes in the room. I clutch my dress tighter, and his fingers slide up the column of my throat before he grips my jaw and turns my head toward the mirror.

  “Watch,” he orders.

  He spits into his palm and wraps his hand around his cock, and I can’t look away. He fucks his fist like he’s fucking me, every stroke dragging heat across my skin even though he hasn’t really laid a hand on me.

  “You see what you do to me?”

  He’s grunting, groaning, and getting close. His grip tightens on my face, his thumb brushing just beneath my cheekbone as he drops his lips to my neck.

  “Hold your dress higher.”

  I gather the fabric and lift it, exposing more of myself to him.

  “Fuck, look at that pretty pussy. You’re already dripping for my cock, and I haven’t even touched you.”

  The muscles in his forearm flex with each brutal stroke, and I can see the veins standing out along his length, the head already glistening. With my name falling from his lips, he comes hard, and I watch him drag the thick head of his cock through his release, smearing it all over my pussy until I’m marked the way he needs me to be.

  “You’re gonna wear me under that dress all night because this is how you’re mine.”

  He crouches down, his eyes still on mine as he slides my underwear up, adjusting the black lace until it sits perfectly in place, sealing everything against my skin.

  “There, perfect.”

  “I’m good to go now?”

  “Now that your cunt’s covered in my cum?” He presses his mouth to mine while fastening his belt. “Yeah. You’re good.”

  The smile that breaks across his face is devastating—boyish innocence mixed with something dark and everything I love about him. His arms wrap around my back, pulling me flush against him, and I lace mine around his neck, my fingers threading into the soft hair at his nape.

  “You’ll be pleased to know that once tonight’s out of the way, I’m passing the Lawson job to someone from my team. The design’s done, and I’ve got enough people who can take it from here.”

  “Baby, I know this project matters to you.”

  “Nothing is more important than you. And honestly, I don’t want to have to spend any more time with him. I’ll nod and smile tonight, then I’ll have a meeting on Monday and see who has the most time… a guy, obviously. I’d never pass it on to another woman, all things considered.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Completely. The project’s basically finished anyway. Someone else can handle the final touches.”

  “Please,” he whispers against my lips, his forehead pressed to mine. “Can we stay here?”

  I almost say yes. Almost.

  “Sorry, baby,” I whisper, brushing my nose against his. “Lianna bought a new dress, and she’ll have your ass if she doesn’t get to wear it.”

  “Is she meeting us here?”

  “No. We’ll swing by her place and grab her.” He nods and holds me tighter, his hands sliding up my back. “Are you sure you’ll be able to get into this thing tonight?”

  “Yeah, the security cameras are trash, and if you don’t use the front entrance, it’s easy.”

  “So you’ll be watching me tonight?”

  “Tonight, tomorrow, always… Is that okay?”

  “Do you care?”

  “Not really.”

  “Asshole.”

  He chuckles, finally letting me go as I step back and grab my heels. Before I can slip them on, he’s already kneeling, taking them from my hands. He sets them on the floor and waits until I slide my feet in, then straps them on carefully.

  “Let’s go, pretty girl.”

  “Well, this is a bit fucking fancy, isn’t it?” Lianna says, craning her neck to look up at the chandeliers.

  “We’ve done fancy shit before.”

  “Yeah, but this is extra. And you know what? You’re rich, but this is like dirty rich.”

  This is the powerful kind of rich you can practically smell. Security is dotted everywhere. Earpieces, square jaws, no fucking eyelids, apparently—considering I haven’t seen one of them blink—and tailored suits that don’t hide the bulk of weapons underneath. They’re trying to blend in and pass as guests, but I have no idea why they’re even bothering when they look like they’d choke out someone’s grandma if she so much as coughed too loudly.

  I’d almost resigned myself to the fact that Phoenix wasn’t getting anywhere near this place—trash security cameras or not, this is another level. But I can feel him. I don’t know how I know, but he’s here. My eyes drift, tuning out everything that isn’t this pull in my gut.

  My head turns just slightly, and there he is, the man of my dreams, leaning against the bar like he owns the entire building.

  Something in me settles instantly, and whatever I thought I was bracing for tonight disappears the second those eyes find mine.

  I don’t need words from him when everything in his face says, I love you, and I’ve got you.

  We decided he’d stay hidden from me tonight—technically hidden, anyway. He’s not supposed to be here, and the last thing I want is for him to draw attention to himself, which is hilarious, because the man is attention. He walks into a room, and everyone suddenly forgets what the hell they were doing because he’s stupid hot, and the smug bastard knows it.

  But only I get to keep him.

  Only I know what it feels like to be chosen by that heart.

  “Let’s get a drink,” I say, grabbing Lianna’s hand without looking away from him.

  “Ugh, there he is, the bane of my life, looking annoyingly hot in that suit.”

  “Please, you like him too much to find him an inconvenience.”

  “Don’t tell him that,” she hisses.

  I slot in beside Phoenix at the bar. We don’t touch or acknowledge each other, but I feel the heat of his body, and Jesus, it’s turning me into a puddle in heels.

  Phoenix doesn’t move, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

  The bartender appears and takes Lianna’s and my order—two champagnes, even though the room’s already infested with silver trays carrying the same shit. But I saw something I wanted here, and I needed to be close to it.

  “Come on,” Lianna says under her breath, nudging me with her elbow. “You came here for a reason. Smile. Mingle. Pretend to give a shit. Then we can fuck off, because Phoenix is about three seconds from hauling your ass out of here by the hair.”

  I turn to face her, putting my back to him like I’m not hyperaware of every single breath he takes.

  “Phoenix isn’t deaf,” comes his voice, but I still don’t turn. “Now go before I drag both of you out of here because I don’t trust a single one of these power-hungry cocksuckers not to be seedy, deranged fucks with wandering hands.”

  “You found the guest list, didn’t you?” Lianna says it loud enough for him to hear.

  I hear the faintest chuckle behind me, then track Lianna’s eyes as she follows him across the room.

  “So, how’s domestic life?” She looks at me over the rim of her glass with a smirk.

  “The best.” I take a sip of champagne. “Shut up. I hate that I’m that girl now.”

  “I’m not saying anything.” She lifts her hands in mock surrender. “I’m happy for you.”

  My phone buzzes in my clutch, and the moment I see Phoenix’s name light up the screen, Lianna leans in like a nosy little gremlin.

  “Jesus, I can literally still see him from here.”

  PHOENIX: If I’d stayed beside you any longer, I would’ve had my hands on you. Knowing you’re walking around painted in my cum is making my cock ache with how much it wants to get inside you.

  You’ve had me on edge since before you fastened my necklace. Stop fucking with me.

  “Incoming,” Lianna mutters, and when I glance up, James is heading toward us with a stunning woman attached to his arm.

  “Shannen Mitchell, thank you for coming… And who is this?”

  Lianna reaches forward, holding out her hand. “Lianna Monroe, best friend and club owner.”

  That’s my girl—power-thirsty, unapologetic psycho who doesn’t shrink from anyone, especially not men in suits.

  “James Lawson, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “And I’m Avery,” the brunette beside him adds. “James’s date, who he seems to have forgotten about during the introduction.”

  “My apologies,” he says, not sounding remotely sorry, his eyes fixed on me. “This is the wonderful woman who’s redesigning my hotels, Avery.”

  “Actually, I’d like to discuss the project with you at some point tonight. I know shoptalk isn’t ideal at an event like this, but it won’t take long.”

  “Of course… I’d love to. I’ve just got to speak to a few of the guests, but I’ll come find you in a little while. I’d actually like to introduce you to some people.”

  “Sure.” I force a smile as both he and Avery turn and disappear into the crowd.

  “Well… No wonder Phoenix doesn’t like him. He looks at you like you’re food.”

  “Thankfully, I won’t have to see him again after tonight. Also, club owner?”

  “The sperm donor will be in the ground one day, so it’s just a matter of time.”

  “Is he leaving it to you?”

  “He’d better be, or I’ll drag him out of hell, jam a pen in his cold, dead hand, and make him sign the papers before I kick him back down just in time to be fucked dry on the devil’s pitchfork.”

  My ego’s been stroked raw tonight. I don’t need smoke blown up my ass to know what I’m capable of, but the truth is, I don’t belong here. These aren’t my people, not really. I live in a different world from the one I grew up in, but this… this is something else entirely.

  Still, I’m glad I came because I’ve made some connections, and not everyone in the room turned out to be a soulless, pretentious dick.

  I scan the room, something I’ve been doing all night. Phoenix is always there—never in my way, but always positioned where I can see him if I need to. Right now, he’s near the edge of the dance floor, standing beside Lianna, with his arms crossed over his chest. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in a conversation with Francesca Faulkner, founder of some luxury beauty brand I’ve never used but keep hearing about through the influencers who flood my feed.

  “May I interrupt?” James’s voice reaches me, and when I turn, he’s standing there with his hand held out. “Would you like to dance?”

  “I don’t dance.”

  “If you want to talk about the project, then this is your moment. I’ve got a mile-long list of people waiting for my attention.”