Chapter 2
TWO
PHOENIX
I woke up with the hangover from hell, and what the fuck was that taste in my mouth? As I opened my eyes and looked up, I realized I wasn’t staring at my bedroom ceiling. What the actual fuck!?
My stomach churned. Oh dear. Barfing in a stranger’s bed would be so uncool.
A female groan came from beside me, and I twisted my head, the light from the window piercing my retinas. Why hadn’t I closed the drapes?
I swear, I was part vampire as I hated the sunshine. That shit did stuff to me, albeit even more so after sinking half a bottle of Jack to myself the night before.
Through squinted eyes, I saw the half-naked cheerleader I recognized as Courtney Swan on the other side of my bed. Wait, what? My bed? Nope, wrong answer. It appeared I was in Micah’s room. In all honesty, I would have preferred the stranger’s scenario.
The girl I assumed would have been last night’s fuck was beside me with bedhead hair and makeup smudged across her face.
And then a sense of relief kicked in as I noticed she was fully dressed.
One tit was hanging out of her top, but the rest of her clothing was intact.
When I fucked a girl, I got her naked, end of. That meant I hadn’t gone there. Phew.
Meaningless hook-ups had started to bore me.
I was at college now and was supposed to be cleaning up my act.
That’s what I’d promised my brother Hudson anyway.
He was now happily wifed-up to Molly Miller, which in my mind, made him as dull as fuck.
They’d been together over a year now, and I missed the old Hudson.
He used to be wild and unpredictable. Now he played by the rules and expected the rest of us to do the same. Yawn.
I was told to stop dicking about, which I hadn’t agreed to yet.
Although I had decided to meet him halfway after his lecture on going nowhere fast. I’d started to do my own homework instead of paying some dork to do it for me.
And so far, that semester, I’d only skipped two classes.
I was smart and could do the work; I was just a lazy fucker.
Hudson and Molly’s advice that I cut down on the amount of pussy I enjoyed was the hardest bit to follow.
I surrounded myself with other women to keep my mind off her.
But they were right. High school was in the past, and it was time to get serious, especially if I wanted to make things right with that one person who plagued my every waking thought.
She was the girl I knew I was wrong for, but couldn’t stay away from.
Giving a shit about someone else sucked ass, but I couldn’t help how I felt.
Harper Radcliffe, my little foster sister. Not so little anymore, she was all grown up; sixteen going on seventeen.
I craved her with every fiber of my being, but now still wasn’t the right time, even though she was legal.
In all truth, I had wanted Harper when she was fifteen.
I was also young, but somehow still too old for her, not to mention emotionally screwed-up, self-destructive, and out of control.
Although I wasn’t out of control enough that I would have crossed that line.
Harper and I both had demons to exercise, baggage that would get in the way.
I just needed to play the game for a little while longer.
Keep her at arm's length until I was in a position where I could offer her a clean slate.
And that day would come soon, believe me.
Once I sorted out my shit, I had every intention of lining those ducks up.
Harper.
As soon as I pictured her beautiful face in my mind, the memory of what had happened the night before came flooding back. Shit.
I had kissed her in a drunken haze. Damn it. I’d fucked up again. I needed to kick myself in the balls.
Harper’s mouth had felt amazing beneath mine. It hadn’t taken me long to realize that it wasn’t Courtney. Her lips were way too soft and were a perfect fit. It was Harper I thought about when I was with other girls, anyway. Not cool, I know.
Since she’d moved in with us, my foster sister's body had spoken to me in a way I knew it shouldn’t.
During the kiss, I’d lost the ability to process anything but that driving need to make her mine, brand her ass.
I had put Courtney’s name out there on purpose.
A shitty thing to do, I know, but I had panicked.
The confusion I’d experienced when I’d pulled away had nothing to do with the fact that it was Harper in my room; it was more about how she’d responded.
Like she’d been practicing kissing, but with whom?
Someone whose jaw I’d like to break, that's who. I’d had to fake my reaction and shift the blame, pretending to be shocked and horrified by what had happened.
It had been messy, hot, and frantic, and yeah, I’d enjoyed it, but I was thankful it wasn’t our first kiss.
That happened years ago and was perfect.
Sweet, just like it’s supposed to be. It had been a first for both of us.
And, yeah, sure, we were just kids, but it had meant something (to me anyway).
I wasn’t sure what Harper thought anymore.
Sitting up in bed, I twisted and threw my legs to the floor.
I was still wearing my jeans, but my vest was hanging on the back of Micah’s gaming chair.
Dragging a hand down my face, I glanced at Courtney.
She was still passed out. I needed her to leave and speak to Harper, dust over what had happened.
As usual, I’d blame my behavior on the booze. The pussy’s way out.
I needed to do some damage control. I knew I’d upset her by saying Courtney’s name. Harper Radcliffe didn’t need to use words. Subtitles came out of her face when she was angry.
My head was banging like a motherfucker. I needed some Tylenol fast.
As I pushed to my feet, Courtney groaned as the mattress shifted. “What time is it?” she rasped, sitting up and straightening her top. “It tastes like someone shit in my mouth.” Nice. I certainly didn’t do that. Yes, my tastes ran dark, and I had kinks, but nothing that depraved.
“Time for you to go, sweet cheeks,” I said, dragging my top over my head.
She rubbed her panda eyes, clearly disoriented. “Did we…” she questioned, trailing off as she peered across at me.
I smiled and shook my head. “No, we didn’t.”
Courtney stretched and looked relieved. I didn’t know whether to feel offended or not.
I watched her as she grabbed her purse and shoes. “That’s probably a good thing. I need a wax.” Great. Courtney had always shared too much. Not that I’d ever let an untidy bush stop me.
I sniggered and she cut me a look. “I mean it. It’s like an abandoned airfield down there.”
Her comment made me burst out laughing. Courtney grinned at me as she checked her unruly appearance in Micah’s mirror.
Then her eyes locked on mine in the reflection. We shared a moment as I sobered. “Why do you do it, Court?” I questioned softly.
She stopped and turned, her gaze tangled with mine as she replied, “Why do you?”
And that was it right there. A silent understanding passed between us, and I made the decision not to be a dick and kick her out.
I shrugged. “Fuck knows.”
Courtney nodded. “Me too. I think I’m just lonely.”
I felt a smidge of pity for her before I swiped that pussy ass reaction away. “Why don’t you have a shower before you leave? I’d make you a coffee, but I imagine I’ll be on clean-up duty when I get downstairs.” Yeah, like that was going to happen.
Courtney collected her purse from the nightstand and walked around the bed.
“Thanks, but I’m good. I’ll see myself out.”
As she walked to the door, I started to remake Micah’s bed, which hadn’t been messed up that much. Another sign that we hadn’t had sex. When I fucked, the bedding was usually obliterated.
The door creaked, and Courtney stopped and turned back.
“I guess this means we’re done then?”
“Done?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Yes, as fuckbuddies,” she explained with one hand against the frame. I opened my mouth to deny her suggestion, but she held up a finger. “You talk in your sleep, Phoenix.”
Fuck. What had I said? “Really?”
“Yeah, really,” Court admitted with a nod.
Dragging in a breath, I agreed with her. “OK. Yeah. We’re done. If you’re cool with that?” She gave me another nod.
“Well, it was fun while it lasted,” Court replied with a small sniff. Oh fuck, if she cried, I didn’t know what I’d do. I couldn’t deal with bawling females.
I smiled warmly, something I didn’t do often. “It was.” Her face lit up, and she turned to leave, clearly placated by my comment.
Dropping the edge of the comforter, I called out to her. “Courtney.”
“Yeah, Brutal?” She popped her head back in through the open doorway, calling me by the nickname the guys used on the football field.
“Friends?” I questioned, and her expression shifted. Her lips curled into a ghost-like smile.
“Deal, Friends.” And then her following comment floored me. “Harper’s a lucky girl. Oh, and you need a shave.”
And then she left. A wave of relief crashed through my chest, followed by a twinge of worry that she’d name-dropped Harper.
She must have been the one I was talking about in my sleep.
I scratched the scruff on my jaw, wondering what I said about her.
Enough to force Courtney to end things. Shit, shit, shit.
On the upside, for once in my life, I had cut ties with a hook-up in the right way. I had taken Hudson and his girl’s advice on board, and it didn’t feel so bad after all.
See brother. I can do it.
Now I had to work on the rest of my plan. But first, I needed water, some headache tablets, and my sports duffel. Hudson and Reed could clear up the mess. I needed to sort my head, and the only way I did that was by knocking the shit out of something.