Tangled In Lies (Tangled & Torn #1)

19. Evangeline

Chapter 19

Evangeline

T his must be some alternate reality because there’s no way I’m half-naked on Phoenix’s lap and getting spanked by him.

His fingers run over my thong again, and I squirm, trying to . . . I don’t even know, do something. But every little contact, every brush of his fingers on my skin is like . . .

Smack .

His hand lands on my ass cheek, the same one he started with, and holy shit.

Like every other blow, this one zaps through my body. It’s an electric current with one destination in mind. My clit. And boy, does it deliver.

A moan slips through my lips, regardless of how hard I try to keep it in.

Apparently, my self-control and dignity flew out the window the second this man laid a finger on me, especially once I felt him hard behind me. And I’m not going to lie, it feels good to know how affected he is by this too .

“Look at those perfect pink ass cheeks. You did so well.” Phoenix’s voice sounds strained.

I revel in the sound of it.

His praise is like an aphrodisiac that instantly adds to the desire low in my stomach.

He goes back to massaging my sensitive skin, and I let him.

But that’s not all, nope.

I also arch my back and shift around, my body spurring me on to chase this addictive feeling of having his large hands on me.

You’ve been craving his touch for so long, always wondering what it feels like, and now you know. Is it everything you thought it would be?

Phoenix skims over the fabric again, and all of my thoughts fly out the window.

His cock pulses, and a whimper escapes me.

“Those little noises you make will be the end of me.” His ministrations continue.

He shifts around in the chair, pushing his cock harder against my stomach.

I’m worried this overwhelming desire will burn me alive. “Phoenix, please.”

The word comes out so quietly, I question for a moment if I said it out loud.

Phoenix’s hand stills. “Please, what?”

Reality hauls me back for a second, but it’s gone again with his continued movements. Why does his touch feel so good? His fingers brush along the seam of my panties, and I press my eyelids together.

No matter how displaced or wrong this moment of intimacy is, I can’t remember the last time I was this turned on.

His fingers are so close to where I need him, and I hum my displeasure at being teased.

He chuckles. “What do you want, Angel?”

“Touch me.” With that admission out in the open, the ball is in his court, and my gut twists with a bout of nerves.

What if I read this entire situation wrong? But no, he’s clearly turned on. Just like he was last week when he dragged me in here.

His finger brushes the seam of my panties again, and I jolt. This time, his fingers glide over the fabric. I forget how to breathe, my entire body tense when he reaches the spot right over my center.

His groan sounds tortured. “Fuck. You’re soaked.”

For a moment, I’m so worried he will stop I don’t dare move, biting the inside of my cheek to stay quiet.

That lasts for about two seconds. Then his fingers slide the fabric aside, and all that remains is the pulsing need in my core.

“Look at that pretty pink pussy and how it’s dripping for me.”

He drags his entire hand over my exposed skin, and my nerve endings explode everywhere. My skin tingles, my clit throbs, and I’m pushing my butt up as much as I can in my position, chasing his touch.

Without warning or preamble, he plunges two fingers inside me. “Fuck, you’re tight.”

I moan. It’s so loud, I should probably be embarrassed, but I don’t have the brain power to focus on anything other than Phoenix’s fingers slowly pumping in and out of me.

I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to overanalyze and regret every part of this later, but right now, all that matters is the euphoric sensation that buzzes low in my stomach.

After working me up, he removes his fingers and spreads the wetness all the way up to my clit.

The first touch on it has me bucking, needing more.

More pressure, more speed, more fingers filling me up. Him filling me up.

He rubs my clit so hard, I know I’ll feel it tomorrow, but it’s perfect. And Phoenix knows that too since there isn’t a second where I don’t make some kind of desperate sound.

“Come for me, Angel. Soak my fingers.”

He switches back and forth between plunging his fingers deep inside me and circling them around my clit, until the familiar warm buzz spreads in my lower body, and I fall over the edge.

“Oh my God.” My muscles clench around his fingers, my thighs squeezing together. Wave after wave consumes me. I gasp for air and ride out one of the best orgasms of my life.

Another thing to psychoanalyze later on.

All I can do for now is lie limply on his lap while his rock-hard dick is still digging into my stomach.

Phoenix withdraws his fingers, and I hiss at the slight burning sensation.

I glance at him, finding his gaze already on me. My heart skips a beat when I see the lust and fire in his dark eyes. That look alone would do the trick if I wasn’t already drenched.

He lifts his hand to his mouth and puts his index and middle finger between his parted lips, licking off every single drop he wrung from my body. Unable to tear my gaze away from him, I watch in absolute fascination .

My mouth mimics his before I swallow.

He closes his eyes and groans as if he’s savoring my taste. “Even better than I thought you’d taste.”

He thought about how I tasted?

My core comes back to life. Apparently, this man has a direct line to it, and I’m not sure how to feel about that. All I know is this stolen moment with him was miles better than anything my wildest imagination has ever conjured during the countless times I’ve pictured us together.

The fact that Phoenix and I seem so compatible goes straight on the list of cruel jokes life has played on me.

My sister.

Prison.

Their unborn baby.

The lust fog in my mind clears, and reality hits me like a hot knife straight to my heart. My eyes burn, the intensity almost unbearable.

Now that Phoenix isn’t holding me down anymore, I push myself off the chair to stand there awkwardly while I try to tug up my underwear and leggings without falling over.

Phoenix studies me openly, something he does often and never hides. He’s probably always waiting for me to stab him in the back again.

The words “I’m sorry” want to rise to the top of my throat, but I swallow them. The same way I do every single time. Because what am I going to say to him? Sorry I didn’t tell you some psychopath forced me to put you in prison? Or sorry, I got my sister killed and didn’t want anyone else to die, so you had to go away instead?

It might be the truth, but it sounds far from it .

And he lost so much because of me. Not just three years of his life while he was behind bars, but he also lost part of his reputation and good standing in the community, and his family and their company also suffered.

I swallow back the rising bile in my throat. No punishment will ever be big enough to compensate for the destruction I’ve brought to so many lives, despite how much I wish there was.

His silent perusal of me makes everything ten times worse because I know he wants me to trip up and spill my deepest, darkest secrets to him. And I don’t blame him. Of course he’d like to know why I put him in prison. We were friends, and I was almost his sister-in-law. I once thought we could have something good together. A future even. We never crossed that line, but we got along. We liked each other—a lot.

His phone beeps, and he takes it out of his pocket. “Jo will be here in an hour. Go get cleaned up.”

While his voice is gentle, it’s still a dismissal, and I take it, rushing out of the room without another glance or word.

Jo chuckles and puts her bags on the table. “It seems like our work last week did the trick. I blushed a little when I saw the video of you guys. That was one hell of a kiss.”

I clear my throat, trying not to choke on my spit. “Uh, yeah. That might have been a bit too much for the public.”

She pauses with the curling iron halfway out of her bag to look at me. “If anyone ever ravished me the way Phoenix ravished you, someone would probably have to pry my hands off him. That was the kind of kiss you only read about in romance novels. So hot.”

I avert my gaze, hoping she takes it as a form of being flustered and not for what it really is: a silent admission to being a screwed-up masochist because, damn it, I liked how he ravished me too.

And the way he made you come just an hour ago when he bent you over his knee and spanked you.

I should hate every single one of his touches, absolutely loathe them.

But I can’t.

Instead, my thoughts have been jumping back and forth between memories of how good he made me feel, self-loathing over what we did, guilt because he was my sister’s fiancé, and how there’s no way to reconcile all of those things. No matter how hard I try, it’s impossible to fit all of them into one box.

Is there something like a multiple feelings disorder? I should really talk to a professional about this.

While Jo is still busy setting up her things, I distract myself by eating some of the cheese and grapes Huxley brought up. The food practically melts on my tongue, and I let out a little sigh. There’s nothing food can’t make better. At least, that’s what I like to tell myself.

Jo straightens up once she’s done and points at the open garment bag I draped over the edge of the bed. “Are we going all dark era tonight with your dress? It’s magnificent. All eyes will be on you in that sexy number, that’s for sure.”

The black dress is beautiful with its gathered fabric at the bodice and neckline, the floor-sweeping hem, small train, and the leg slit almost up to the hip.

With the media frenzy still at an all-time high, I wish I wouldn’t draw much attention tonight.

I’d much rather curl up in a corner somewhere and hide from my life. Hide from Phoenix, my societal responsibilities, my lies and betrayal, and my past. From everything really at this point. What I wouldn’t give to dive into a fantasy world with a good book where I live someone else’s life for a while and forget my own.

Yet, here I am.

“Ready?” Jo points at the seat.

I shuffle toward it and sit. “Let’s do this.”

She starts with my hair, turning it into soft waves pinned into a half updo. My makeup is next, with dramatic eyes and red lips. It’s a classic style that never gets old.

Either Jo isn’t in the mood to chitchat tonight, or she’s reading my vibes spot-on.

I let her work in silence, and she helps me into my dress once she’s finished.

Her smile is genuine. “Absolutely stunning.”

“Thank you, Jo.”

She grabs her bag and watches me put on my earrings. “Have fun tonight, okay? I’ll see you next week.”

I chuckle. “I’ll try my best. Thanks.”

She winks at me and wheels her trolley out the door.

I take a moment and glance at the engagement ring on my finger, at its absolute beauty, trying hard to forget this ring is undoubtedly the most beautiful and thoughtful gift anyone’s ever given me. Of course, it had to come from Phoenix.

With a sigh, I gather my clutch and phone and leave .

The hallway is empty when I walk toward the staircase and slowly down in my heels.

The front door opens, and Holden slips inside. He immediately spots me and whistles like the charmer he is. The noise echoes around the high ceilings of the foyer, and I shake my head at his behavior.

“You look beautiful, Princess.”

I smile back at him. “Thank you.”

He points a thumb behind him toward the front door. “Phoenix is already outside. He was helping me find something, but we didn’t have any luck. I’ll go check in my office quickly. Be right back.”

I watch him head toward the hallway to the right. The instant I step off the bottom step, my phone vibrates in my hand. I continue and unlock my screen to check the message.

My gaze immediately zeroes in on the name.

Freddy .

The phone shakes in my hand as my brain is trying to make sense of the words on the screen.

Freddy

What a shame to have that beautiful black car blown to pieces in a minute. Your fiancé could be gone alongside it, solving all of your problems at once. Decisions, decisions. Tick-tock, pet.

Blown to pieces.

Blown to pieces.

Fiancé gone.

Oh my God.

“Phoenix. No, no, no.” My voice reaches ear-piercing levels, and I sprint to the door as fast as possible .

“Phoenix.”

I yank the door open, half aware of Holden shouting something behind me. I don’t want him anywhere near this right now, but I don’t have the time to explain things or to tell him to stay away.

“Phoenix. Bomb,” I yell through the gap in the door, the hardwood of it pressing against my shoulder as I push through the narrow space before it’s fully open.

Stupid heavy door.

“Phoenix.” My voice is so shrill it’s almost unrecognizable.

But it has the desired effect, and Phoenix glances up at me with a frown from where he stands right next to his black car.

No, no, please don’t.

“Car bomb. Ruuuuuuuuuun.”

His eyes go wide, and then he’s finally moving.

But instead of running away, he’s running toward me.

No, what is he doing?

“Fucking run, Angel.”

We collide, and Phoenix grabs me by the waist, hurrying away from the car.

Mere seconds later, an ear-deafening noise sounds behind us, and a blast of heat and pressure hits us.