Page 23 of Magic Unleashed

Phoenix was saved from answering by Geneva’s arrival. She entered the house, took one look at Ash, and looked stricken, but only for a moment. Her expression once more professional, she approached Ash, peeling back the blood-soaked towel. “Let’s see the damage.”

Ash gave her a lazy smile, clearly feeling the effects of the whiskey. “Hey, baby, if you wanted to see me with my shirt off, you just had to ask.” Some demons just couldn’t hold their booze.

“He’s drunk,” explained Phoenix.

“Ya think?” asked Geneva.

“Do you have any feelings for me at all, Geneva?”

Geneva ignored his comment, kneeling beside him to inspect the wound. He didn’t flinch as she used antiseptic sponges to clean it, revealing the gash across his side. “It’s deep, but nothing I can’t handle. Griff, can you grab me some towels and a needle?”

Griff did as she asked, watching as Geneva worked with the quiet efficiency he’d come to expect from her. Ash, meanwhile, was getting drunker by the second. By the time Geneva started stitching him up, he was slurring his words.

“You know, Geneva,” Ash said, his voice thick with alcohol. “You’re kinda sexy, you know that?”

Phoenix, standing off to the side with her arms crossed, snorted. “Oh boy. Here we go.”

Geneva didn’t miss a beat, calmly threading the needle through his skin. “You must be really drunk if you think that’s going to work on me.”

Ash grinned, though it quickly turned into a wince as she tugged on the thread. “I’m serious. We should… you know… be together. You, me. Could be fun.”

“Mm-hmm,” Geneva said, her expression flat as she tied off the last stitch. “And here I thought you were supposed to be charming.”

“Charm is overrated,” Ash mumbled, his head lolling back against the couch.

Geneva straightened, wiping her hands. “There. You’ll live.”

Ash blinked up at her, his face slack with a goofy smile. “You’re a goddess.”

Geneva rolled her eyes, standing and turning to Phoenix and Griff. “I’ll take him back to the house. Someone’s going to need to keep an eye on him. It’s serious, but he’ll recover. He’ll need some rest, and I don’t think he’ll be in any shape to fight anytime soon.”

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I could stay?—"

“No need,” Geneva said, her tone innocent but with a slight edge. “Ash will be fine with me. You can stay here. I’m sure Griff won’t mind, right?”

Griff opened his mouth to respond, but Geneva didn’t give him the chance. She was already pulling Ash up to his feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she headed for the door.

“Thanks for the hospitality,” Ash called over his shoulder, his voice a lazy drawl. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Detective!”

The door clicked shut behind them, leaving Griff and Phoenix standing in the middle of the living room in a thick silence.

Phoenix shifted awkwardly, glancing at Griff. “I can go home, you know. Or… I could sleep on the couch.”

Her words were barely out of her mouth before Griff closed the distance between them, his hands reaching out to grab her by the waist and pull her against him. His lips crashed into hers with a ferocity that made her gasp, her hands instinctively gripping his shirt to steady herself.

The kiss was fierce, raw, filled with the pent-up tension that had been building between them for days. Griff’s hands roamed her back, pulling her closer as if he couldn’t bear to have any space between them.

Phoenix’s resolve crumbled in the heat of the moment. Her fingers threaded through his hair as she kissed him back with equal passion, her body responding to the need for his touch.Every inch of his skin burned where she touched, the intensity of the kiss sending a shockwave of arousal surging through his system.

Griff pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his breath ragged. “Stay,” he said, his voice low and filled with hunger.

Phoenix didn’t say anything, and he thought she was going to push him away, but instead, she whispered, “Okay.”

And then Griff’s mouth was on hers again, and there was no turning back.

PHOENIX

From the moment his lips locked onto hers, Phoenix was sure the temperature had gone up by a thousand degrees. They clung to each other like two magnets being forced together until they began ripping off one another’s clothing as Griff maneuvered them to his bedroom.

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