Page 117 of When Stars Collide
“Sure, she’s good looking, but I’ve seen far more beautiful.” My face burned when Phineas turned to look at me.
“Aww … you guys,” Kirsten slurred, just about sliding out of her chair. “Who knows, maybe we’ll be back here again in a year for another wedding.” She needlessly pointed at Phineas and me with her index and middle finger. Then, without thinking, she dropped her index finger, realizing that in doing so, she was now flipping off the table. With a giggle, her hand fell to her lap.
“One never knows what the future may hold,” Phineas answered, inspecting me thoughtfully.
The screech of a chair across the tile floor alerted all of us at the table that Peter had stood up.
“Where are you going?” Luke asked.
“It’s been a long day, and I’m pretty beat,” he answered, not even sounding the slightest bit tired.
“But it’s only eight,” Luke protested. “Come on, drinks are on me.”
“As much as I would love to drink my salary in booze, I really should be turning in for the night. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” He gave a quick wave at the table in response to the flurry of “Goodnights” from the rest of us, making it a point not to so much as glance in either Phineas’s or my direction.
Elle and I exchanged a concerned look. My heart hurt for Peter and how unbearable it must have been for him to be at the table with us, only to have ultimately made up his mind that he couldn’t take it anymore and leave. I wanted to run after him, to tell him that everything was going to be okay between us. But I couldn’t. Because I didn’t know that it would be.
“So,” Salvatore slurred, attention focused on Phineas, “I know we just met and everything, but is there any chance you could do me a solid and fish Kira’s number out of the garbage?”
*****
I sat on the edge of the bed, my thoughts paralyzing me. What had I been thinking, allowing Phineas to come here? What did I expect? That he and Peter would hit it off? That them being in the same room together would somehow provide the light I needed to figure things out?That my heart would tell me who to choose?Then again, why shouldn’t Phineas be here? We were together after all, weren’t we? No, I wasn’t quite certain what we were. I guess it was implied that we were together, although we’d never really discussed it in favor of doing … other things.
The familiar spray of the shower suddenly stopped. Phineas would soon make his way out from the bathroom, meaning I would have to act like my normal Mena self to avoid raising suspicions that something was wrong. If I hadn’t already done so at dinner, that is. I’d been unusually quiet, which had only gone unnoticed because everyone else at the table had either been intoxicated or too focused on Phineas to notice me.
“Mena.” My jaw hit the floor when I turned my head. Phineas’s muscular torso was still partially damp from his shower, and his towel hung dangerously low on his hips. A drop of water rolled down the length of his abdomen, touching my favorite part of his body, which was all of it. No matter how many times I’d seen Phineas naked, I was never fully prepared for the sheer perfection that were his abs, which were accentuated by his golden skin tone. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m good,” I answered, clearing my throat. I averted my eyes, choosing to stare out the window. That, however, did not have its intended effect. Phineas’s basically naked reflection remained standing before me in the glass, taunting me, making its way over to me, and … sitting down next to me.
Oh, shit.
His lips caressed my neck, creating a ripple effect that spread throughout my body, threatening to reduce me to a puddle in his arms. As his lips slid farther downward toward my shoulder, I let out a breath that carried the hint of a whimper with it. “I love making you moan,” he purred next to my ear as his hand made its way up my thigh and underneath the thin cotton shorts I’d changed into when he was in the shower. By this point, my breathing was so heavy I was practically panting with anticipation, knowing what was to come. But as into it as I was, the part of my brain that acted as my own personal killjoy became activated, and all I could concentrate on was Peter and the defeat written all over his face when he walked away from our table.
“Damn it, Peter,” I groaned.
“What did you say?” Phineas’s hand stopped just as it was about to reach its final destination.
“Uh … I … said … damn that heater.” I jumped up from the bed, fanning out my shirt as I walked to the heater. “Is it hot in here, because it feels like it’s too hot in here? Maybe the heater was set too high? Did you touch the heater? What if I’m going through menopause already? Do you think that’s even possible? I’m sweating. Do you see how much I’m sweating? Damn, it’s hot in here.”
Phineas eyed me warily, his furrowed brows forming a line across his forehead that made him look even sexier than he normally did. “There is a lot to unpack there.” He sighed, running his hand through his damp hair. “Are you sure there isn’t anything you need to tell me?”
Sure, there were a lot of things I needed to tell him. I just didn’t know exactly what those things were yet. His eyes searched my face as I shook my head and sat back down next to him on the bed. “I’m super tired,” I offered, which was only half the truth. “With all the wedding excitement, the dinner, the rehearsal tomorrow, I’m more exhausted than I thought I would be.”
“I’ll say. Just listening to you a few seconds ago made me exhausted.” He smiled an unusually small smile for him and nodded at the bed. “Let’s get some sleep.”
“That’s a great idea, but I need you to do me a favor first,” I replied, noticing that, somehow, his towel had slid even lower down his hips.
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to need you to put some … some pants on.”
His smile was genuine now as he raised his eyebrow. “What if I wanted to sleep naked? I mean, I’ve gotten kind of used to doing that with you.”
“Ugh,” I grunted.
“Keep that up and I may do just that.” He laughed, leaning in and kissing me on my nose. “I’m joking. I’ll get some pants on.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed about it. It’s hard as it is.”
