Page 41 of Guarding The Phoenix: Vol. 1

Gideon shifted first. Lifting his face from the crook of my neck, he cast a lopsided, tender grin that melted my heart until I was putty in his hands.

“How’s this cute ass feeling this morning?” he asked, lowering me onto my feet and giving my butt a squeeze.

I blushed. I couldn’t help it around him. He made me feel all the things. I opened my mouth, but he cut me off before I could respond.

“Don’t lie to me, babe. If you do, I’ll discipline you. And we both know if I take you into the bedroom and bend you over the mattress to turn your ass red, I’ll wind up fucking you.”

My core clenched at his dark promise. “I wasn’t going to,” even if the thought of being disciplined by Gideon aroused me to no end, “I’m a little sore today. But I definitely want to do that again.”

His gaze caressed my body like he was adding a metric ton of naughty fantasies to the list we were compiling. “Have me fuck your ass or have Axel and I fuck you together again?”

My body lit up like a pinball machine he was playing. “Both.”

At his sensual stare that turned him downright hot as hell, my pussy clenched. “Good. Because I think my cock is addicted.”

A breath shuddered from my lungs at his intense stare. How different he was from my husband. Because there was no malevolent undercurrent present I had originally mistaken for passion. But only because I had been so inexperienced with men.

But with Gideon and Axel, there was passion and lust, but there was no malice present. Gideon looked at me with something akin to fascination and care. Like he had made it his mission to make me come as often as possible.

“What’s on your agenda for today?”

“I have some orders I need to pick up at a few local stores.”

“Hmm. I don’t like it. It will make you too vulnerable to attack. I can send Chase to pick those things up for you.”

I knew it was dangerous. But I also would not be relegated to being a prisoner in my home. I had already done that for four years and I was over it. “Yes, but that’s why I have you guys. You can come with me so I can do my shopping.”

I knew it only minimized the risk, but didn’t obliterate it. To be fair, the only thing that would do that was if they put me in a highly classified government facility with security above top secret clearance.

He shut off the water with a dark scowl. “And what if I forbid you from going?”

I flinched at the fury lacing his words. Then cursed myself. He would not hit me. Just because that’s what my life used to be like, it wasn’t any more.

“Forbid me? Are you kidding me right now?” Angry over his heavy handedness, I exited the shower and started drying off.

He followed me out but didn’t bother with a towel as he approached me. “I don’t think you realize the amount of danger you’re in. You need to take the threats by Santos seriously.”

“Yes, I do. You think I’m not, but I’m the one who lived with the mafia coming in and out of this house for four damn years. Luka targeted me. I’m the one he’s sworn to make his, not you.” Never again would I allow anyone to treat me like an imbecile.

“Then why would you want to go out in public like that? Because what you’re doing is providing him with him an opportunity to nab you.”

“Because I already lived my life having one tyrant dictate every moment of my life, I won’t have another.” I wrapped the towel around my body, then defiantly said, “I’m leaving in an hour. I expect at least two of you to go with me, because that’s why I hired you.”

“Kylie,” Gideon growled with a dark scowl. He looked like he wanted to shake some sense into me.

Be that as it might be, I wouldn’t cave, not on this. And if Luka grabbed me, well then, at least I had surrendered and experienced the best sex of my life with Gideon and Axel. It might not be the best life by normal standards, but it was better than anything I’d experienced. “No. This isn’t up for debate. You can either do the job I hired you to do, or I’ll find another team. Don’t push me around or bar me from doing something.”

He stalked forward. I retreated until I bumped into the vanity. He remained unclothed and stood there in all his naked glory. His nearness affected me. I’d just come harder than ever before, but my body didn’t care as tingles shot through my core.

He leaned close until his face was inches from mine. He forced my head back to stare up at his imposing face, taking an uber dominant stance. “You might pay the bill, babe, but let’s be clear. We’ll keep you alive despite your determination to get yourself killed. If you want to act like a spoiled princess, be my guest. I’ll send Axel and Chase with you. But know this: if there’s any situation that I feel is too dangerous, I will yank you out of it faster than you can blink. Because that’s what you hired me and my team to do—keep you alive.”

And then he stalked out of the bathroom. I stood with a hand over my racing heart, shaking, wondering where I lost the upper hand. His disdain made me feel young and stupid. But he didn’t understand that I’d been in prison these last four years. A gilded one but a prison, nonetheless. And now that I was finally free, he wanted to imprison me again?

Then to hell with him. I didn’t need him. This was my life, not his.

Chapter twenty-four

Around Town

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