Chapter Fourteen

Wreaking Ball

Phoenix

Two Days Later

I wake up feeling completely and totally exhausted, but I don’t dare move. Otherwise, he will feel me move and wake up, and then he will fuck me again. Not that it isn’t the best feeling in the world—him fucking me—but that’s all we have done—drink, eat, and fuck—for two straight days. I don’t know where he gets all his energy, but by the end of the night, he just says hold on, and I do.

I never knew someone could come so many times, and do it so hard. I swear, I have been drinking so much more water than usual because I fear dehydration.

When I suggested a movie, he suggested we make our own. When I suggested a walk to see what damage has been caused by the storm, he suggested we stay in bed and wait for a call. When I told him I needed to take a bath, he took one with me. I couldn’t say no to him, and I didn’t want to. However, my body was a mess of ache and exhaustion.

I feel a smile creep up and quickly stop it. Again, if he feels me move, he will just drag me over and fuck me again. And as much as I want that, and oh God how I want it, I’m tired as hell.

Lying here, trying not to move because I’m afraid to wake him causes an ache between my legs, and I can’t help smiling again. Now I don’t care if he wakes up, because I want him to.

I move my head slowly to see if he’s asleep and find he’s not in bed.

I roll over and sit up. I look at the chest of drawers to see what time it is. It’s only six thirty in the morning.

I start to get up and see a note next to a bottle of water.

I grab it and read, Call me.

I grab my phone off the charger next to the bottle of water and look for the last text he sent when we were visiting Mags and hit the phone icon.

He answers immediately, “Hey.”

“Everything okay?” I ask.

I hear him chuckle. “No, but it’ll all be good.”

“Is Mags okay?”

“Still in rehab.”

I don’t say anything because, where the hell are you? would sound pretty needy.

“Look, I’m on my way back to the city for a while. Got some business to look after.”

“Oh,” I say.

“Yeah, didn’t wanna wake you up. You looked totally fucking exhausted.”

“I wonder why,” I whisper.

“You good?”

When I don’t answer because I’m considering what to say and how not to come off as an angry bitch, he sighs.

“Lots of shit going on. Needed to leave. Would have been awkward to wake you.”

“You’ve woken me plenty the past two days.”

“You pissed?”

Again, I don’t answer.

“Phoenix, answer the question.”

“Why should I be, right?”

“No reason at all,” he says.

“Right. I’m good. Great. I’ll be out of your house—”

“Nah, don’t do that. The big house has a security system. You stay put,” he insists, which pisses me off.

“Nah,” I mock. “I rent a cabin, not the house. I was fine without security—”

“I’m not fucking asking. I’m telling. Mags isn’t there, I’m not there, so keep your ass in place.”

“I’m not into some random fuck giving me orders,” I say as I stand off the bed.

He groans. “Jesus Christ, Phoenix, can you just fucking do what I ask?”

“Would it have killed you to say goodbye?” I don’t wait for an answer. I hang up.

Shit, shit, shit. What the hell am I, seventeen? I scold myself.

My phone rings, and I push accept. “Look, I’m tired and—”

“I’m fucking exhausted, and I’m not being a dick.”

“Whatever,” I sigh and flop back on his big, old bed.

“You’re there till September. I’m fucking you till September.”

“How are you gonna fuck me from the city?” I ask, immediately regretting it.

“I see. It wasn’t the goodbye; it’s my cock you’re actually missing.”

“I didn’t say—”

“Wanted to fuck you this morning. I was being a gentleman, so I left you alone.”

“A gentleman?” I huff as I sit up and look at that drawer of condoms that’s still opened slightly. “The most gentleman-like thing you’ve done is put on condoms without a fight. And you probably should have taken some for your city piece of ass.”

He laughs, which annoys me.

“Dick.”

“I’m not a dick. Told you I’m fucking you. No one else is. That means I’m not fucking anyone but you. You good?”

It actually does make me feel better. Again, that’s needy, and I don’t want to be that girl. But I will take it.

“Yeah.”

“Perfect.” He sighs.

Then silence.

After a few moments, he says, “You’re gonna be out of work for at least a couple weeks. Think you could go check on Mags and sign for the packages I have coming in?”

“I’ll go see Mags without you asking me to, Gage. I love that woman.”

I think I hear him suck in a breath, but I’m unsure.

“Good. Glad to hear it.”

There is an awkward silence, and I decided to be the one to ask, “You good?”

“You staying in the big house?”

“I guess,” I whisper while looking around.

“Then yeah, I’m good.”

“Anything else you need me to do?” I ask, knowing the conversation is going to end and not wanting it to.

“Two things.” His voice is gruffer now, more demanding, like it has been for two days straight. “When you lie down in that bed at night and you get that fucking look in your eyes, the one that makes your pretty brown eyes become liquid heat, and you want my cock, but can’t have it; same look you gave me the first fucking time you saw me, take it. Rub goddamn circles around your clit until you want to crawl out of your fucking skin, and then press down on it and come hard, Phoenix.”

“Jesus, Gage,” I whisper.

“And I want a fucking picture of you wearing not one fucking thing so when I need to come, I’m looking at more than the back of you.”

“What?” I ask, not understanding.

“Took a great picture this morning while fighting taking you from behind. Your bare back, the top of that sexy as hell ass of yours, but I want another fucking picture.”

“You took a picture of—”

“Fuck yes, I did.”

“Gage, that’s—”

“I get it ain’t right. Don’t fucking care. You gonna do that for me or no?”

“Yeah,” I whisper.

“Good.”

“Wait. I want one of you, too.”

“Look at your phone. And I swear that shit gets deleted and never shared.”

I open up my picture app and gasp.

“Yeah, fucked up, but there it is. I don’t want you thinking of anyone but me when you get yourself off.”

“I’m not that freaking needy,” I whisper as I look at the picture of him.

“You’ve never been fucked good. You’ll need it.”

I don’t say a word. Compared to what he’s done to me, I am sure I have never been fucked before in my life.

After a few more silent moments, he asks, “You good?”

“Uh-huh,” I say, still looking at the picture of him.

“Later.”

“Uh-huh.”

Water’s Edge Rehabilitation Center is located an hour away from Falcon’s Landing. It doesn’t look like a hospital at all. In fact, it looks more like a resort.

I pull the old truck into an empty spot, put it in gear, and turn it off. Then I sit back and sigh, stretching my neck and clenching and unclenching my fists to relieve the tension from driving the damn thing alone.

You did it, I whisper to myself as I grab my purse, open the door, and get out.

I look around the expansive grounds where several work crews are cleaning up from the storm. The debris is everywhere, just as it was the entire trip here.

It would be unbelievable that I didn’t know how bad of a storm it was if not for the way my body reminded me of how I went through it.

I walk in and to what looks like the front desk of a hotel and ask for Mags’ room.

When the woman looks at me oddly, I am reminded I don’t know her last name.

“She’s a friend. Came here with—”

“Oh, I know who Mags is. Are you sure she wants visitors?”

“I’m sure she’ll see me.”

“That’s what the last women who came said and she...Well, she wasn’t received well.”

I smile. “I’ll take my chances.”

“Okay,” she says, caution in her voice. “Room 192.”

I follow the way her finger points down the hall, and then follow the signs to the very end of said hall.

I knock on the door, and then open it. “Mags?”

“Get in here and shut that door, honey pie. I don’t want those fools to think I’m nothing but venom.”

I walk through the door and close it behind me, walking over toward the chair beside Mags’ hospital bed.

“Stop right there and let me look at you,” she says.

I stop.

“Now turn around slowly in a circle.” She twirls her finger.

Again, I do as she asks.

“Exactly what I suspected. You’re a changed woman.”

I gasp. “No, I’m not.”

“Sure are.” She points to the chair beside her. “So is my boy. Stopped to see me hours ago, before heading into the city. Looks to have a load off his shoulders. Suppose I have you to thank for that.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, opening my purse and pulling out a blueberry muffin I grabbed at the bakery in town Mags has me stop at on our shopping day. “I brought you a muffin.”

She starts laughing.

I shake my head and look down. “Mags, it’s not funny.”

“No, honey pie, it’s not. It’s absolutely perfect and tickles me pink.”

“It’s not anything, really. I’m leaving in September. He lives in the city.”

“You like him?”

I peek up at her.

“Well, come on; I don’t have forever, you know.”

“He seems like a good guy.”

She laughs. “He’s handsome?”

“Even a one-eyed, eighty-year-old woman can see that.” Frustrated over this conversation and her insistence, I try to refocus the conversation back to what brought me here. “Mags, how are you doing?”

“Better knowing my boy, and you, have admitted to your attraction to each other. Now just gotta trust me when I say, you’re the perfect kind of something for him, and him for you.”

“When do you think you’ll be back at the Landing?”

She shrugs. “Anytime, I suppose.”

The way she responds is nonchalant and confuses me, so I ask, “Why are you still here, then?”

“Easier that way, honey pie.” She points to the walker. “Those wheels won’t do well in the woods.”

“Gage built a ramp,” I tell her.

“To his house.” She nods, clearly already knowing.

“He’s making me stay there while you and he are gone, so why not come keep me company?”

She smiles and looks up over my head. “Let me think about that.” Then she looks back at me. “You need to get to work?”

“I’m told there’s a tree on the bar, so I think I’m out of work for some time.”

“How about you go find out when you’ll be back to work, and I’ll figure out what it will take to get me back to the Landing?” She looks over my head again, and I look back to see what it is she’s looking at. A clock.

“Do you have a date?” I joke.

“Therapy,” she sighs.

“Would you like me to stay?”

She smiles. “No, honey girl.”

“All right then. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Give me three days to figure out what needs to happen,” she answers.

I bend down to kiss the top of her head. “I’ll call tomorrow.”

She pats my hand. “You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” I put my hand over hers.

She smiles and nods. “Before you leave, you should thank me.”

“Okay...?” I say on a laugh.

“For the storm. I sent it to you both.”

I look down as I smile, walking toward the door. “Thanks, Mags.”

“Honey girl, bigger storms are coming with that one.”

I look back at her, wanting to tell her I know. I already feel it, too.

The loss.

“Don’t fight the storm, Phoenix Star. Let it sweep you away, get lost in it, and then, when the calm sets in, when all the debris is cleared, you’ll see beauty in the raw. Nothing more beautiful than that.”

I nod and choke out, “See you later.”

When I pull closer to the bar, I’m shocked when I see the tree diagonally across the building. And it’s not a small tree, either.

I walk inside and see Mandee and Will talking to a contractor. They look up.

“Phoenix,” Mandee says as she walks quickly toward me.

“I’m sorry this happened,” I say, hugging her.

“I’m just glad no one was hurt and that your friend”—she pauses as she steps back and smiles—“set us up with a contractor and pushed the insurance adjustors to get here They said it could be a week. Now they’ll be here in an hour.”

“My friend?” I ask, knowing it must be Gage.

“Boyfriend?” she asks.

“No, friend was the correct word.” I look up at the branches coming through the roof.

“That’s a shame. Even Dad likes him. He stopped by today really early.”

“Your dad likes him?” I’m shocked. Gage didn’t like him. He said so.

“He does.” She nods. “Come meet Stan. He’s one of Gage’s foreman.” She begins pulling me toward him and I pull back.

“I don’t need to meet him.”

As soon as I say it, he looks over at me.

“You must be Phoenix.” He smiles and nods his head. “Mr. Falcon said you rent from him.”

The way he looks at me makes me believe Gage must have said more than that.

“Yes, I do,” I tell him.

He smiles and nods. Then he looks down and chuckles.

“What’s so damn funny?” I ask.

“Nothing, ma’am, nothing at all.” He snickers again.

I grab my phone from my pocket and call Gage as I walk toward the door. My call goes directly to voicemail. I will be damned if I leave a message, so I hang up.

Mandee catches up to me and follows me outside.

I walk around the building and see a huge black truck that says Falcon Construction in gold on the door.

“You okay?” Mandee asks.

“I’m fine, but why is he helping?” I’m irritated, and I have no idea why.

“I don’t know. But Dad said he stopped by. He was happy.”

“Your dad was happy?” I ask, sounding more than a bit shocked.

She laughs. “I’m okay with him being happy. It’s actually a good thing since Mom’s gone. He hasn’t really been...happy.”

My phone chimes

- You Good?

I reply back.

- You know how to answer a phone?

His response.

- Busy.

- Why are you helping Will?

- The girl’s your best friend, you work there, and it’s good business.

- Ok.

“Hey, do you think your dad will let you come stay with me for a couple days?” I ask Mandee.

She smiles. “I’ll find out.”