A Million Tiny Pieces (17 page)

Mia
swallowed hard and found herself nodding. “Don’t you need to finish your
workout?” She looked at Tarik and then Phoenix.

“I’m
done,” Tarik told her, his eyes lingering on her lips.

“I’m
good,” Phoenix said quickly. “How long will it take you to get ready?”

Glancing
down at her iPod, she noted the time. “An hour?”

Phoenix
smirked at her. “Just out of curiosity, do you measure in regular time? Or do
you use football minutes?”

Mia
laughed, understanding what he meant. “When I say an hour, I’ll be ready in an
hour,” she said lightly. “Not an hour and a half. I promise.”

“Then
we’ll be at your door in an hour. Wear something casual.”

“We?”
she asked, surprised.

“Yes,
‘we,’” Tarik said. “It’s time the three of us do something together.”

Her
mind once again barreled right into the gutter, and the thoughts she had weren’t
related to anything they could possibly do outdoors. Her face flamed once
again, and she fought the urge to fan herself as she said, “Okay,” in an
incredibly shaky voice.

And
just like that, Mia found herself giving in to something she wasn’t sure she
could handle. As she walked out of the gym to the elevator, alone, she realized
one very important thing.

She
didn’t think she was capable of telling these men no.

Ever.

PHOENIX
PURPOSELY ALLOWED Mia to leave before him. As much as he wanted to be around
her, he didn’t quite trust himself to be alone in an elevator with her and
Tarik. Not just yet. Not after all the scenarios he’d played over and over in
his head for the past couple of weeks. He’d been so busy that he hadn’t had time
to do much of anything except work. That hadn’t stopped his brain from working
double time. He had used the work excuse to keep his distance from Tarik, as
well, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to keep away from him for too much
longer, either.

Hell,
had he known Mia
and Tarik would be in the gym that morning, he wasn’t sure he would have come.
He would’ve preferred to battle the elements outside than to have to face them,
knowing that he couldn’t touch them the way he’d been envisioning for the last
fucking month. As it was, he was having a damn hard time keeping his hands to
himself.

And
he was pretty sure they both knew that.

Not
that he was going to let that keep him from seeing Mia today. He was glad to
see that things hadn’t fizzled out between them even though quite a bit of time
had passed since he’d done anything more than walk her to school. They seemed
to still be making progress, and he damn sure wasn’t going into a downhill
slide because he couldn’t seem to control himself when he was around her.

He’d
seen the heat generating in her blue eyes when she’d noticed him, the same heat
that had flowed like lava when she had realized Tarik was there, as well. He
got the strange suspicion that she wanted to see where this might lead as much
as they did, although she probably had no idea what that entailed.

Mia
had some hurdles to overcome; even he realized that. She’d recently gone
through a divorce, and she hadn’t been all that keen on giving him the time of
day a few weeks ago. Hence, the reason he had managed to put some space between
them. He wanted Mia to have time to think, to ensure that she knew what she was
getting herself into. Granted, he hadn’t expected her to figure it out quite so
quickly, but the way she’d been looking at him and Tarik, Phoenix had to
believe she was at least entertaining the same things they were.

Not
that he should’ve been entertaining those ideas. He was supposed to be
transforming his life, bypassing those desires that would ultimately get him in
the hot seat where the press was concerned.

Too
bad he couldn’t bring himself to care.

At
this point, he only wanted to spend some time with both of them, something that
didn’t involve work. Even if it meant they would all have their clothes on the
entire time.

After
another session with his hand last night, when he had fought the urge to go to
Tarik’s condo, to indulge in him the way he’d fantasized about more often than
not over the course of the last month, Phoenix had been left still aching for
something more, but he knew that they would both be so worth the wait.
He had to believe
that, because he’d finally resigned himself to seeing where things went … with
both of them. Together.

That
was, if Mia agreed.

He’d
felt her passion in the way she had kissed him, how pliant she’d become, how
easily she’d given herself completely to him, and he wondered what she’d be
like pressed between him and Tarik, naked and writhing…

The
blood once again rushed from his brain to his dick, and Phoenix wished like
hell there was a way to alleviate the throb, but in the same sense, he wanted
it there as a reminder of what was to come.
Pun intended.

Phoenix
followed Tarik out of the workout room without either of them saying a word.
They got to the elevator, and Phoenix managed to push the button, still
completely silent. He wondered if Tarik was thinking the same things he was.

When
he stepped into the elevator, Phoenix prayed that his mother wasn’t upstairs
waiting for him.

“I’m
gonna take a shower,” Tarik imparted, stabbing the button for his floor before
entering the code for the penthouse.

“Me,
too.”

The
way Tarik’s eyes darkened told Phoenix he had indeed been thinking the same
thing. As tempted as he was to pull Tarik into his shower and lose himself for
a little while, he knew they didn’t have time. He would not keep Mia waiting.

“What
are your plans for today? I take it you want me to clear your entire schedule.”
Tarik leaned against the elevator wall and crossed his arms over his chest,
staring back at Phoenix.

“Clear
it completely. I’ll be done in a few.” Unsure how long he’d be able to resist
Tarik, Phoenix knew he needed to get away from him.

“Don’t
touch yourself while you’re in there,” Tarik said, his eyes focused on
Phoenix’s face, his voice low, commanding.

An
insistent throb started in Phoenix’s cock, causing it to thicken. “And if I
do?” he countered.

“Don’t.
It’s not an option.” Tarik’s no-nonsense tone did something strange to Phoenix,
leaving him feeling a little more desperate than he had been five minutes ago.
And he didn’t know what the hell to do about that.

“Meet
me upstairs when you’re done,” he told Tarik when the elevator stopped on the
thirty-third floor, needing to maintain some semblance of control.

As
always, once Phoenix reached his condo, his routine only took him twenty
minutes — and he had managed to keep from jacking off, although he had wanted
to do it merely to defy Tarik — and when he emerged from his bedroom wearing
jeans and a T-shirt, Tarik was already there, looking at him with that same
heat flaring in his eyes.

“Get
me a list of things to do indoors,” Phoenix told him, ignoring the urge to slam
Tarik against the wall and have his wicked way with the man. It was getting so
much harder to resist. Ever since he’d given in to the desire and done to Tarik
what he’d never done to another man, Phoenix had wanted more. But he wanted
Mia, and since he didn’t think it would sit well with her that he was spending
his time fucking someone else — man or woman — he’d had to refrain.

“Things?
Like what? Active things? Or are you wanting movies and shit?”

“Yes.
Physically active stuff,” Phoenix replied, noticing Tarik had put Phoenix’s
coffee mug on the bar behind him. “And movies for later tonight, just in case.
At that place in the Domain.” Phoenix retrieved the cup and headed for the
living room, taking a minute to stare out the window. The Austin skyline was
layered with dark clouds, and rain was coming down in sheets, making it
difficult to make out the cars passing on the street far below.

The
sound of Tarik’s fingers flying over the keyboard and the gentle hum of the
heater were the only sounds in the room, but the noise in Phoenix’s head
managed to drown them both out. He’d slept like shit for the past few weeks
with all of the jumbled thoughts he was having. First, there was the stupid
fucking lawsuit, which, after he’d clearly told Damien Landry to drop it, he
wasn’t giving up. Phoenix had received an update on the situation from his
lawyers yesterday, but there was nothing really to tell. They were riding it out,
waiting for Landry to make the next move.

And
of course, there was the emotional whirlwind he was on. It wasn’t normal for
him to get involved with anyone for longer than a one-night stand, so this
thing with Tarik was weighing on his mind heavily. On top of that, he couldn’t
get Mia out of his head, which only doubled the confusion.

He
hoped like hell that today he could get some clarity on the direction he was
supposed to go from here, because he was beginning to get irritated with the
complications. It didn’t matter that he was the one making things exceedingly
difficult.

“Hellooo?”

“Shit,”
Phoenix mumbled under his breath as he sipped his coffee and turned to face his
mother. “Good morning.”

“Why
are you here?”

Phoenix
smiled. “Because I live here?”

“You
know what I mean,” she said, her green eyes pinning him in place.

“I’m
taking the day off,” he told her. He knew his lack of explanation was only
going to invite more questions, but he left it at that.

Ellen
glanced over at the kitchen table and looked at Tarik, who merely shrugged his
shoulders without looking up from the computer. Sometimes Phoenix wondered if
the guy had eyes in the back of his head, because he rarely looked up but
always knew where everyone was and what they were doing.

“Where
are you going?”

“Out,”
Phoenix said, walking across the room toward the kitchen for more coffee.

“What
are you going to be doing?” Ellen asked.

Phoenix
sighed. “I’ve got a date, Mother. Nothing serious. No reason for you to run out
and buy a copy of
Wedding Bliss
or whatever the hell those magazines
are. It’s just a date.” It was more than a date, but he definitely wasn’t going
to tell his mother that. As it was, she was going to jump all over this.
Phoenix didn’t hide the fact that he had an active social life, and sex was
usually intermixed in there, but he rarely ever went out on an official date.
He would extend an invitation to a woman for something business-related, or a
charity event, but he didn’t usually go out with a woman for the sake of going
out with her.

“Who
is she?” Ellen asked. Phoenix could tell she was trying to hide her excitement.

“No
one you know. But I promise, if things ever get to the point you need to know
her, I’ll introduce you.” Phoenix downed half of his coffee and then dumped the
rest in the sink before making his way over to Tarik. “I need that stuff now.”

“I’ll
bring it with me when I meet you at the car,” Tarik stated flatly, his eyes
still locked on the computer screen.

“You
really don’t have to go with us,” Phoenix mentioned, although he secretly
prayed Tarik didn’t change his mind.

Tarik
peered up at him, and what Phoenix saw in his hard, glistening gold gaze had
him closing his mouth instantly, although the alpha, always-in-control side of
him wanted to tell him to take a flying fucking leap.
No matter what
Tarik thought, Phoenix did hold the reins.

“I’m
going with you,” Tarik informed him. “I’ll meet you in the garage. How much
time do we have?”

“We’re
supposed to pick her up in” — Phoenix looked at his watch — “eight minutes.
Fuck.”

“See
you downstairs.”

Realizing
he was going to be late, something he refused to do, Phoenix snatched his cell
phone from the bar and headed out, hollering a quick good-bye to his mother as
he passed through the entryway.

The
elevator moved like molasses in winter, which left Phoenix knocking on Mia’s
door with one minute to spare.

He
heard the deadbolt disengage before she pulled the door open.

“Hey,”
he greeted, letting his eyes trail over her approvingly. She was wearing
another pair of those sexy-as-fuck blue jeans, sneakers, and a fitted
turquoise-and-black long-sleeve shirt that hugged her beautiful breasts as well
as set off her eyes. He was used to seeing her in oversized sweatshirts these
days — not counting the workout clothes that had damn near stopped his heart —
so the formfitting top had his blood taking an immediate detour to his dick.

“I’ll
only be a minute. Come in,” she said, taking a step back.

Phoenix
kept his eyes on hers, noticing the slight uncertainty in her expression.

“Where’s
Tarik?”

“He’s
coming.” Phoenix hid his smile. He liked the fact that she wanted Tarik there.
As much as he wanted her all to himself, he couldn’t deny the fact that sharing
her with Tarik was probably the single hottest thing he’d ever thought about.
And he couldn’t fucking wait to make that happen.

He
thrust his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for her. She looked so
damn cute and far too innocent at that moment. Not to mention, she made his
dick harder with each passing second.

After
the front door closed, Mia disappeared across the room and around the corner,
leaving Phoenix standing in the small entry alone. Unable to help himself, he
walked until he could see the spacious living room in front of him and a
section of the kitchen off to the right.

Her
home resembled her in ways he hadn’t expected. The beige sofa and oversized
chair, which sat facing the wall of windows overlooking downtown Austin,
appeared soft and comfortable. There were a couple of brightly colored throw
pillows set perfectly on each end and a throw blanket hanging over the back.
Phoenix realized there wasn’t a television in the room, but he noticed an
impressive sound system on one of the two floor-to-ceiling, dark wood
bookshelves that flanked the fireplace. On the mantle were a couple of pictures
and a vase of white flowers. He immediately moved toward the pictures, trying
to get a glimpse into Mia’s life through the images.

“That’s
me and my dad when I was eight,” she said as she approached.

Phoenix
picked up the silver frame and held it closer as he studied the pair in the
picture. It was an older man and a young girl, both laughing as they threw red
and gold leaves from a huge pile at one another. Placing the picture back where
he’d found it, Phoenix picked up the other one. “And this? This must be you and
your mother.”