Page 31 of The Boy Who Loved Wicked
“It’s getting too long.”
“I love it.”
“How are things going?” I nudged my head at the phone in his hand.
“Divorce is never easy,” he said cautiously. “Rarely fast either. We’re going over the splitting of assets. I want to sell the house, she wants to keep it. I’ve been pushing back. I’m sure it can’t be easy for you to be so close.” His statement was really a question, one I didn’t answer.
“Maybe she’s trying to hold on to it since she’s lost you.” I regretted saying it immediately. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He came in for a hug, scooping me into his lap. I crossed my ankles behind his back and shivered when he drew a finger along the shell of my ear. “You’re very sensitive to emotions, Phoenix. Everyone’s happiness is your own. So is their distress. And you have the aptitude for feeling guilty about being human.”
“We have the latter in common,” I quipped.
“Touché, Mr. Michaelson.” He tapped my nose. “Your empathy is part of what makes you beautiful.”
“Mmmmm, please,” I begged after he kissed me. We still hadn’t had sex. Not the kind I wanted.
“There’s no rush, Phoenix.”
“You keep saying that. I can take it.” I met his eyes. “I won’t break.”
“Is that what you think this is about?” He chased my gaze. “I don’t think you’re fragile. The opposite actually. Tell me the real reason you’re in such a hurry?”
Because falling asleep in your arms feels too good to be true, I shouted at him in my head. And because fear niggled the back of my mind, sending signals to the rest of my body thatthisneeded to happen now, because we were on borrowed time. And if we went crashing and burning I at least wanted to limp away with the experience of having had him in every way. And also because I was eighteen and horny, and his willpower bothered me because while I was crawling out of my skin for him, he acted like the thought had never crossed his mind. I volleyed all those thoughts around in my head, and although the words were silent, he took them in as if they were being etched into his heart.
“I want to share in you getting to know your body in ways you hadn’t before. What makes you tick. What makes you hot.” His hand tightened on my butt cheeks roughly, and I dropped my head back. “Like that. You like to be handled, Phoenix.” He squeezed me again, and my hands found his shoulders. “I want you. Don’t ever doubt that. But I want to get to know you first. Let’s pace ourselves.”
“Fine.”
“So petulant,” he laughed. “I should spank you for being bratty.” He sucked in a breath as my nails scored his skin in anticipation. “See, I just learned something new.” He flipped me to my stomach and tugged on my pants, threatening to make my other cheeks pink. I fought weakly to keep my jeans in place. In the end, he rolled me over and pulled them off my legs before spreading my thighs and lowering his mouth to take me in. I fisted his hair and called his name.
Pushing against the wave of students already heading to their first period class, I hustled to my locker to grab a textbook. I’d slipped into the house early this morning and ended up oversleeping after what was supposed to be a fifteen minute snooze.
“Is that soap behind your ear?”
I tensed, Danny leaned casually against the row of red lockers. “Is it?” I shuffled the book I’d just retrieved to my other arm and rubbed at the spot.
“Other one,” he said, fighting off his mirth.
“You’re such a child,” I muttered without heat.
“Your mom called the house this morning. Asked if you’d spent the night because your car was in the garage but you weren’t in your room.”
I’d started leaving the car on the off chance that she’d check the garage. She typically got home late, I banked on her not looking in my room. I focused on Danny’s words that droned on over the obnoxious pounding of my heart.
“—in such a not-so-slick manner. She really needs to work on her subterfuge. She’s bad at it—”
“—What’d you tell her?” I asked nonchalantly while sticking my book into the locker. He raised a brow. I’d been shoving the book against a closed locker door. The same book that he saw me remove for class.
“Or...maybe it’s genetic...” He straightened, perusing me with a new set of eyes.
“What did you tell her?” I repeated, not bothering to hide my impatience.
“I almost unintentionally narced on you, but my spidey senses kicked in. I told her you were still asleep in my room.”
I blew a breath. “Thanks.”
“Where were you, Phoenix?”
