Page 34 of Wildflower and Whiskey
Everyone moved toward the table, laughter spilling into the night air, but my eyes stayed fixed on him. On the man I swore I’d keep out. On the man who made me wonder if I could ever really keep that promise.
By the time the sun dipped lower, Braden was rubbing his eyes and squirming against me, overtired and cranky. I placed him in the stroller, rocking him gently as Becket teased Asher about his awful playlist. Phoenix stood at the grill, arms crossed now, watching the whole scene like he didn’t care. But I knew better. He’d been grumpier than usual all week, and every clipped word, every sideways glance told me why.
I had gotten under his skin too.
We’d been playing a dangerous game since the kiss we shared. But I’d felt his gaze on me like a hand branding me or maybe unraveling me. And every time it made my body burn in a way that made me want him all over again.
Asher and Eric walked me back to the loft once the meal wrapped up. Becket stayed behind with Phoenix. I wondered if Phoenix ever confided in him or if he ever confided in anyone. My guess was Phoenix was as closed down as I was, but what I wouldn’t do to be a fly on that picnic bench. To know Phoenix’s thoughts or what was in his heart.
Braden had finally dozed off, and I didn’t trust myself to carry him alone without waking him. The guys came with, easy chatter filling the air, and by the time we stepped inside the loft, I was grateful for the help.
“Drink?” I offered, keeping my voice low as I unbuckled Braden.
“Sure,” Eric said.
I settled Braden in the playpen in the bedroom. Their laughter drifted in from the main room. Something about how passing him around like a hot potato seemed to calm him. I was just reaching for glasses when I realized the bathroom door was shut. And then came Asher’s voice, smug and too loud. “We can hear you guys. We know you’re in there.”
Heat rushed to my face. Oh dear, it was Luc and Izzy in the bathroom. The door creaked open, and out they came, cheeks flushed, hair mussed. I bit back a laugh, but Eric groaned, ducking his head. “Dammit, Bean. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get used to this.”
I couldn’t help it. I started laughing. “I mean, they’re adults.”
“Adults, my ass. Bean is our little sister,” Asher shot back, forgetting the years between them.
“Would you all just grow up? We didn’t know you’d be back here so quickly,” Izzy muttered, embarrassed.
“Sorry,” I said quickly, trying to smooth it over. “It was getting late, and I wanted Braden in his playpen or else he would end up waking up. I was scared he’d be super cranky if he was overtired.”
“Don’t apologize,” Luc said firmly, slinging an arm around Izzy. “We’ll head back over to the barbecue.”
“Good idea, we left Phoenix and Becket alone,” Eric added.
“Thanks for your help with Braden,” I told them as they filed out, the door shutting behind them.
The loft fell quiet. I tucked a blanket around Braden. He stirred but didn’t wake. And then I paced the loft, around the futon to the kitchen and back. Over and over again, like a caged animal because of Phoenix Thorne’s grumpy mood tonight. Those clipped words, that jealousy when Eric calmed my son . . .it all rushed over me like a tsunami. The kiss we shared was playing nonstop in my mind. I needed to keep my walls high. I should have remembered what happened the last time I trusted a man, the way it nearly destroyed me. But every time I pictured Phoenix… I saw something more. He was special. A man who kept his family together. Who protected his sister. Who carried responsibility like it was built into his bones. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting him, as hard as I tried. My hands trembled as I braced them against the counter, my lips still remembering the taste of his. My body still remembering the way it burned.
A sharp knock broke through the silence. My heart leaped to my throat. At first, I feared it was Riley but that didn’t seem reasonable. For one exhilarating moment, I wanted it to be Phoenix. I wanted him to claim me all over again. My walls were shattered, and I took a deep breath as I went to the door. My breath felt like it had been sucked out of my lungs when I opened the door and saw Phoenix standing there in a plaid shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and his eyes burning with flames.
CHAPTER 19
Phoenix
The night quieted once Elyna disappeared up the path with Braden in her arms, Asher and Eric flanking her like guard dogs. The deck felt too empty without her. The air hung thick with smoke from the grill, the scent of charred lemon and fish clinging to me like a reminder of everything I was trying to bury.
Becket stretched and rolled his shoulders then he disappeared into the main house. I thought he was going to ditch me for the baseball game on TV, but a few minutes later he came back with a bottle of whiskey and two tumblers in his hands. He set them down on the table between us with a clink.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said as he poured. “This is a two-finger night if I ever saw one.”
I snorted but didn’t argue. He slid a glass toward me, the amber catching the porch light. Becket lifted his glass, watching me over the rim. “So, what’s eating you, big brother?”
“Nothing.” I took a sip, the burn settling in my chest. “Just tired.”
“Bullshit.” His mouth tipped in a knowing smirk. “It’s Elyna.”
I froze. Was I that transparent?
I wanted to deny it. But Becket knew me too well. He leaned back, patient as a priest waiting for a confession.
With a curse, I set the tumbler down harder than I meant to. “I don’t know what the hell to do. We had… a thing. In the stockroom.” I dragged a hand down my face. “And then she shut me out. I can’t stop thinking about her. I want her so bad it’s making me crazy, but she won’t even look at me.”
