Page 56 of Tangled In Lies

His old nickname is like the final stab to my heart, the pain too much, ripping me wide open.

So I do what he says and let it out. All of it.

I don’t stop pounding on his chest until this angry energy finally dissipates and my hair sticks to my neck and forehead. I feel like I just ran a marathon and sag against his body, utterly exhausted.

Phoenix holds me for a moment, before he picks me up and cradles me tightly. “Are you okay?”

I try to shake my head, but it’s too heavy to move. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to survive all of this. It’s so much. Too much. Too damn much. Sometimes, I wish I could just disappear. I bet you’d like that.”

Chapter 15

Phoenix

Evangeline rests her head on my chest and stays quiet.

I take in the room, careful to avoid the broken glass on the floor on my way to the door.

Fuck.

I’ve never seen her like this before.

I adjust my grip, and she winces.

“Are you hurt?” I peer down at her, noticing for the first time that she’s cradling her hand to her chest.

She opens it, and I stare at her red palm that’s dripping blood.

“I think I cut my hand.” The words are barely a whisper, her voice devoid of emotion.

Holden sprints up the stairs when I step into the hallway. “Is she okay?”

Although I know what he’s asking, I want to snort at how complex of a question those three words are at this point.

“She cut her hand.” My mouth is dry, and the pitch of my voice is all wrong.

“I was worried she got hurt.” His gaze goes back andforth between Evangeline’s slouched form in my arms and my face. “I already called the doc.”

“Thanks.”

He dips his head. “You bet. Anything else?”

I’m back to walking, and he falls in step beside me. “My door, please. And could you get a washcloth or towel from the bathroom for her hand?”

“Of course.” He swings the door open and steps aside so I can walk in sideways, careful not to bang Evangeline against the doorframe. He mumbles, “Be right back,” before he runs off and meets me at the bed with a washcloth.

He puts it on the nightstand and says, “I’ll wait outside.”

“Thank you.”

The door shuts with a quiet click, and I place Evangeline on my bed as gently as I can while she stares at me through half-lidded eyes.

Her hair has fallen into her face, and I brush the strands off her forehead. She doesn’t say a word the entire time, just silently tracks my movements.

She shivers, and I realize her dress is pooling around her hips, exposing her nude underwear. It must have slipped up while I was carrying her.

My cock twitches.

What’s wrong with you? This is not the right time to think about her pussy.

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