A Million Tiny Pieces (10 page)

According
to what he’d read in the tabloids, Landry had tossed his wife aside for a newer
version, but now that Phoenix thought about it, Teresa Somerhaus certainly
wasn’t a newer version of anything. But Teresa had a couple of things going for
her: she was wild in the bedroom — maybe that was what Landry was after — and
if that wasn’t it, her father was loaded.

Shit.

Phoenix
still wanted to punch Landry in the face.

Thankfully,
that opportunity didn’t present itself, but Mia did, and as he watched her
glide across the room, her eyes scanning as intently as his had been, Phoenix
wondered if she was looking for him.
Funny, because he got the impression she
was, but her perusal wasn’t for the same reason he’d been looking. No, if he
had to guess, Mia Cantrell was trying to stay far, far away from him.

Then
again, if she’d been burned by Damien Landry, Phoenix couldn’t necessarily
blame her.

But
that didn’t mean he was going to step back and let her get away. In fact, it
made him want to chase her all the more. There was something about that woman.
And he intended to find out what the attraction was, even if he had to spend
every waking moment pursuing her.

»»»»»♥«««««

TARIK
SAW HER as soon as she rejoined the crowd. He had gone with his gut, figuring
she’d escaped to the bathroom to do whatever it was women did when they
disappeared in there.

He’d
been right.

So,
while he’d kept a close eye on Phoenix, he had watched for Mia, and he wasn’t
disappointed to see that she was moving toward him. She was scanning the room,
which was probably why she nearly ran right into him. That or the fact that he
stepped right into her path. Either way.

“Mia,”
he greeted softly, gently gripping her arm when she nearly fell right into him.

“Oh!
I’m … sorry,” she replied, looking up at him with wide eyes. Beautiful eyes.
Guarded eyes.

“Would
you care to dance?” he asked, doing his best not to glance down at her glossy
lips.

“I
… uh … I was just…” She seemed perplexed on how to answer, so he helped make
the decision for her.

“Just
one,” he told her. “Then you can pull a Cinderella and disappear into the night
if you wish.”

Mia
smiled. He’d apparently caught on to her plan.

“Thank
you, Mr. Marx.”

“Call
me Tarik, please.”

Taking
her hand in his, Tarik tried not to focus on the softness of her skin or the
sweet scent of her perfume as they moved through the crowd and over to the
dance floor.

The
song playing was conveniently slow, and as he pulled her into his arms, noting
how well she fit against him, Tarik sent up a silent wish for another slow song
to follow. He wasn’t sure one dance would be enough for him. She settled
against him nicely, her heels making it so he didn’t have to lean too far down.
With the significant difference in their height, Tarik still had to bend to get
his mouth close to her ear, but it wasn’t a hardship, by any means.

With
her soft body pressed up against him, Tarik whispered against her ear, “Are you
having a good time?”

“Surprisingly,
yes,” she said, laughing softly. “Sorry. That was probably a little too
honest.”

“I
like honest,” he told her. “It’s one of my favorite qualities in a woman.”

“Is
that so?”

“I
didn’t say it was top of my list, but not too far off,” he teased as he slid
his hand down her back, being a perfect gentleman and keeping it above the
rounded globes of her delectable ass.
Although the desire to pull her
completely against him was intense, he managed to keep himself in check. They
were in public, after all.

“So
what
is
at the top of your list?” she asked.

“Are
you sure you want to know?” he replied, leaning in closer, his mouth
dangerously close to her ear, his lips barely grazing the outer shell.

Her
breath hitched, a sexy sound that made his body harden. He forced back the
lascivious thoughts that drifted seamlessly through his mind. No reason to
scare her off yet, he told himself.

“Maybe
not,” she answered, her voice a little shaky.

Nodding
his understanding, Tarik held her tightly and moved slowly across the floor. He
wondered if Phoenix knew they were dancing. Probably so. Knowing the man, he
was keeping tabs on Tarik as much as he was keeping an eye on Mia for this
exact reason. Not that Tarik cared. He would’ve danced with Mia either way, but
he liked the idea of Phoenix stewing for a minute. Considering how hot and
bothered he’d kept Tarik all week, the man deserved a little payback.

“Are
you enjoying yourself tonight?” Mia asked. The question sounded like a form of
polite conversation, making Tarik smile.

“I
am now,” he told her, keeping his voice low. “Have I mentioned how beautiful
you look tonight?”

Standing
to his full height, Tarik looked down at her, noticing the slight blush on her
creamy cheeks, visible even under the dim lights above them.

“Thank
you. You look pretty nice yourself.”

“This
old thing?” he joked, looking down at his chest. “I pulled it out of the back
of the closet.”

Mia
laughed, just as he hoped she would.

“I
believe it,” she muttered, causing Tarik’s brows to furrow.

There
was something in her tone. It sounded a lot like distaste, and he wondered
where he’d gone wrong.

Repositioning
himself so that he wasn’t looking down at her, Tarik wrapped his arm more tightly
around her, holding her close. He wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as
possible. The song would be over soon, he knew, and as he’d seen her do
earlier, Mia Cantrell was going to run far and fast.

The
song began to fade away, and Tarik leaned close to her ear. “Don’t leave. One
more song.”

Mia’s
body tensed, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but
when another song began on the heels of the first and she didn’t pull away, he
exhaled deeply.

The
song wasn’t even halfway through when Mia pulled back. Tarik immediately
glanced down at her, and he noticed she was looking to his left. Slowly peering
over, he realized what — or rather who — had caught her attention.

“Mia.”

“Damien,”
she said curtly.

Tarik
didn’t release her, although he got the impression she wanted him to. Keeping
his arm around her, Tarik moved to her side, his eyes pinning Damien in place.
Tarik knew more about Damien Landry than he cared to. With the pending lawsuit
against Phoenix, Tarik had made it his mission to learn every damn thing there
was to learn about the bastard.

“I’m
glad you could make it. Nice to see you’re making wise choices with how you
spend my money.”

Mia
jerked as though Landry had slapped her, and Tarik couldn’t contain the growl
that erupted in his chest.

“
My
money,” Mia stated through clenched teeth. “And it’s nice to see that you’re
still the same condescending asshole you’ve always been.” Mia looked up at
Tarik. “I need to go.”

“I’ll
walk you,” Tarik told her, glancing back up to meet Landry’s gaze, masking his
features but making sure Landry could see the promise of retribution in his
eyes. Clearly the guy wasn’t too happy that his ex-wife was dancing with
another man.

Not
that Tarik gave a shit. The guy deserved to feel the pain of losing her. After
what he’d done, he deserved a hell of a lot more than that.

Granted,
Tarik wasn’t going to say as much, because he’d acquired his information by
doing quite a bit of digging into Mia’s background. He had yet to share all of
the details with Phoenix, because he hadn’t felt the need to. Yet. Now that he
saw the blue flame of hatred that burned in Mia’s eyes when she looked at
Landry, his worries about her intentions abated. She’d clearly been hurt by
this man.

Mia
turned abruptly, and Tarik had to walk fast to keep up with her. When she
stopped suddenly, he nearly ran her over.

“Thank
you for the dance, Mr. Marx. But I really must be going.”

With
that, Mia turned and walked away, leaving Tarik staring after her.

Tarik
, he thought.
Call
me Tarik.

When
he lost her in the crowd, Tarik looked over, noticing Phoenix was watching them
intently, a concerned look on his face. A simple shrug of his shoulders was the
only answer Tarik could give. But knowing Phoenix, he was about to swoop in and
try to save the day.

And
Tarik planned to be not far behind.

IF
MIA HADN’T been trying to avoid the sexy, tuxedo-wearing dinner and dance
companion she’d had tonight, she probably wouldn’t be in the position she found
herself in now. Although she’d had every intention of running out before the
lights came back up, Mia had found herself in Mr. Pierce’s sturdy arms on the
dance floor. However, she had taken the opportunity to flee as soon as it
presented itself, but, unfortunately, she hadn’t been strong enough to keep
going. Something had compelled her to return to the ballroom after she’d made a
brief pit stop in the restroom.

She
should’ve kept walking, she thought sadly as she made her way through the grand
hotel lobby.

The
moment she’d seen Mr. Pierce talking to
her
, she’d been distracted. Mia
didn’t know the name of the woman Mr. Pierce had been talking to because she
refused to read the articles, but she knew her from the pictures she’d seen.
The ones that had
her
hanging on Damien’s arm. She was Damien’s floozy.
She’d also looked quite chummy with Mr. Pierce, and Mia wouldn’t put it past
the home wrecker to be doing them both.

The
thought still made her stomach twist into a knot.

God.
How could she be so stupid?

At
first, when Mia had seen the two of them standing there talking with their
heads so close together, Mia had wanted to scratch the other woman’s eyes out,
but then she’d remembered she didn’t care.
She didn’t care that this man might be
doing her, too, just like Damien was. Mia hadn’t staked a claim on Mr. Pierce,
and she had absolutely no intention of doing so.

She
should’ve been relieved, but oddly, she wasn’t.

Which
was how she had ended up in Tarik’s strong arms on the dance floor, despite her
better judgment. When he had politely asked her to dance, she’d found herself
unable to refuse him. It’d been a long time since she’d felt desired by a man,
and tonight, there’d been two who had seemingly put her in their sights.

Feeling
slightly less off-kilter with his eyes on her, Mia had graciously accepted his
offer and had actually enjoyed herself. He was as intense as Phoenix, but there
was an underlying easiness about him that had calmed her briefly. Well, sort
of. Her attraction to him was fierce, and she found the mere feel of him
against her had caused her girl parts to sing.

But
then
he
had ruined everything. Damien had officially ruined her entire
night.

“Ugghh,”
Mia groaned as she reached the hotel’s front doors, pulling her phone from her
clutch and shooting off a quick text to Alex, letting her know that she was
finding her own way home.
There was no way she could stay.

Regrettably,
as she found out when she stepped into the chilly night, that was easier said
than done. She had hoped for a taxi, but all she saw for miles was limos. And
to top it off, she’d left her wrap inside, so the biting cold wind gnawed
painfully at her skin.

“Going
somewhere?”

Mia
spun around so fast she lost her footing and ended up, once again, in the
powerful arms of the handsome Mr. Pierce. Thankfully, she quickly recovered,
offering him a courteous smile but not answering his question. She needed to
get away from this man. He wasn’t good for her health, much like Damien hadn’t
been good for her. It seemed she was having some sort of crazy reaction to him,
much to her dismay. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that he
would be her downfall should she give him even a minute of her time, Mia
couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him.

Which
was why she needed to go home. Now.

Turning
away from him, she continued to study the line of cars out front, wishing a
taxi would miraculously appear any minute and save her from herself.

“Can
I give you a ride home?” he asked, his voice sounding from behind her.

“No,
thank you,” Mia replied kindly. “I wouldn’t want you to leave your date.”

“My
date?” he asked, sounding confused.

Great.
He was better than she’d thought.

“The
woman you were with? The two of you looked as though you know each other well,”
she told him over her shoulder, not bothering to look at him. Unfortunately, as
soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized how she sounded. Was she
really jealous?

A
slight pause preceded his next words, which were spoken softly, as though he
were speaking to a wounded animal. “Excuse me?”

Mia
rolled her eyes, but luckily her back was to him, so he didn’t see her less-than-graceful
response to his avoidance of the conversation. It was an immature reaction, but
thanks to the champagne and her brief run-in with Damien, she wasn’t feeling
all that mature at the moment. “I’ll just get a cab.”

“Good
luck with that,” he stated, but his tone was clipped, not nearly as soothing as
it had been.

“I
think I can manage,” she said, feeling her own frustration rising, which,
sadly, did little to warm her.

“Mia?
If it’s any consolation, I’m not here with anyone,” he told her. “And I’m
certainly not here with Teresa Somerhaus. She’s here with her fiancé, Damien
Landry.”

“Teresa
Somerhaus?” Mia spun around to face him. She knew her mouth was hanging open,
but she couldn’t help it. Damien was engaged to Teresa Somerhaus?
That
was Teresa Somerhaus?

Well,
at least that explained why Charles and Delilah had appeared so uncomfortable
when they’d shared their daughter’s news.

“Do
you know her?” he asked, his eyes locked with hers as he shrugged out of his
jacket.

Mia
ignored the question, not sure how to answer, or whether she even wanted to.

Silence
lingered between them for a moment before Mr. Pierce said, “Let me give you a
ride back to your condo. You aren’t going to get a cab unless you call for
one.”

When
he settled his jacket around her shoulders, Mia dropped her head in defeat. He
was right. There weren’t any cabs at the moment, because the event was still in
full swing, which meant either she’d have to do as he said and call, or wait
for Alex and likely endure a lengthy conversation with this man. Those were her
choices, and the lesser of the two evils only slightly leaned toward accepting
his offer of a ride home. At least with the latter, she could keep her
distance, and she wouldn’t take a chance of possibly having to dance again.
With him or with Tarik.

She
wasn’t sure she’d survive another dance with either of them.

Sighing,
Mia resigned herself to the inevitable, pulling his jacket around her. “Yes,
thank you,” she finally said, looking up and meeting his gaze once again. “If you’re
leaving now, I’d appreciate a ride back to my condo.”

The
smile that tilted his firm lips had her insides tingling, so she immediately
looked away, hating that he’d won this round.

Not
a game, Mia. You’re not interested, remember?

She
ignored that annoying little voice in her head, mainly because it was right.
She wasn’t interested, no matter what her libido thought. An image of a hoodie-wearing
hottie named Coach flashed in her mind, making it only slightly easier to
ignore the handsome man standing beside her. She’d had her fair share of
heartache at the hands of a man like him. One whose contents of his closet cost
more than she’d make in a decade. This guy was no exception.

He
was the enemy, and she would do well to remember that.

Two
minutes later, a sleek black limo was pulling around, and only when Mia allowed
Mr. Pierce to help her toward the car did she realize Tarik had once again
joined them.

He
gave her a seductive half smile, which was sexy but still intimidating.
Although he was as nicely dressed as Mr. Pierce, there was something about him.
Now that she thought about it, the guy looked like some sort of … bodyguard.
Who the hell was Mr. Pierce, anyway?

Then
again, he could very well be … what? A date?

Oh,
Lord. That thought set off a whole slew of mental images of these two men in
her head. Naked, hard, sweaty bodies, lip-locked, embracing one another while
they…

A
shiver raced along her spine, and she forced her gaze away from Tarik.

Yeah,
okay, she was seriously going to have to stop reading those books, because she
was getting way too carried away.

She
didn’t bother to ask any of the questions running roughshod in her head, not
really wanting to know any information. If she could get back to her condo with
minimal conversation with these guys, she’d be better off.

Once
inside the limo, Mia moved toward the opposite door, leaving plenty of space
between her and… Tarik joined her, but he quickly repositioned to the seat
across from her while Mr. Pierce climbed in last.

“What’s
your first name?” she asked him as he settled into the seat beside her.
Referring to him as Mr. Pierce made him sound like one of her professors, and
that was a little creepy.

“Phoenix,”
he answered easily.

Phoenix.
Lovely name. Now
she wished she hadn’t asked. She didn’t want to know that he had a sexy name.
The less she found out about him, the better. As it was, Mia knew he was
someone important — he garnered attention from other affluent people, he lived
in the penthouse of her building, and his wardrobe consisted of expensive suits
and immaculate tuxedos.

Oh,
and he smelled incredible.

Even
with the pep talk about keeping her distance, Mia found herself blurting out
another question, directing it to Phoenix as soon as the limo was in motion.
“What is it that you do?”

“A
little of everything,” he told her simply. “Basically, I lend money to
start-ups.”

Great.
Another reason to despise him. With every new thing she learned, he was more
and more like Damien. Granted, that should’ve made it easier for her to resist
him.

“And
you?” she asked, looking over at Tarik.

“Public
relations.”

“Really?
I pegged you for security.”

Tarik
didn’t respond, but his smirk, and the dimple that formed in his smooth cheek,
said it all. He might be in public relations, but that wasn’t all he did. She
would bet her life on that.

“What
about you, Mia?” Phoenix asked.

“Me
what?” Mia did her best not to fidget in her seat as both men watched her.

“What
is it that you do?”

“I’m
a college student for now.” The admission made her feel slightly childish.
“Better late than never, huh?” she added, feeling a little self-conscious about
the fact that she was twenty-four and only now starting her secondary
education.

“Better
late than never,” Phoenix echoed. “How long have you lived in my building?”

Mia
studied him momentarily. The way he said “my building” set off warning bells.
He wasn’t merely referring to it as the place he lived, he meant that…

“You
own
the building?” The words got away from her before she could stop
them.

“I
own quite a few buildings,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Good
to know,” she mumbled, glancing away to look out the window. “And I’ve only
lived there for a few months.”

“Like
it so far?” he questioned.

Mia
turned her head and met his gaze as she said, “It’s all right. The elevator
leaves something to be desired.”

Surprisingly,
they both laughed, which eased some of her tension.

“I’d
have to agree with you there,” Tarik commented. “I’ve been on him for years to
get them fixed.”

“Do
you live there, too?”

Tarik
nodded, but he didn’t elaborate, so Mia didn’t question further.

Knowing
they would be back at her — no wait,
Phoenix’s
— condominium building
very soon, Mia decided to ask a random question. One that she hoped would make
them believe she was uninterested, although she knew that wasn’t the case, no
matter how much she wished it were. “Since you own the building,” she began,
looking at Phoenix, “you probably know most of the people in it.”

“Some
of them, why?”

“There’s
this guy,” she said hesitantly, unable to look him in the eye as she spoke. “I
haven’t actually met him, but I saw him in the lobby and again in the coffee
shop next door. I think I’d like to … you know … meet him.” Hoping she didn’t
sound as silly as she thought she did, Mia dropped her gaze, studying her hands
folded in her lap.

“You’re
gonna have to give me more to go on,” Phoenix stated, sounding slightly amused.

Mia
looked up then, his eyes meeting hers and holding.

“He’s
a runner, I believe. The day I saw him, he was wearing a hoodie and running
shorts,” she said, feeling incredibly stupid for bringing this up but knowing
she had no choice but to see it through.

“That
describes quite a few men in the building,” he replied. “What else do you know
about him?”