Chapter 12 Leander #2
I shove the blanket off, jerking upright so fast that Jax grumbles and rolls to his other side, still dead to the world. My pulse is hammering so loud I can barely think.
Without looking at Phoenix, without giving him the satisfaction of seeing the flush burning across my face, I stalk toward the bathroom. My knee twinges from the sudden movement, but I don’t care. The door slams harder than I intend, the echo jolting Jax awake in the other room.
His groggy voice carries through the wall, confused and slurred with sleep. “The hell was that?”
“Nothing,” Phoenix says with a laugh. “I think Lee had a scary dream.”
I twist the shower knob until ice-cold water bursts from the nozzle, steamless and punishing.
I grab my bag from the backseat, zipping it up quickly while Phoenix fishes his phone out.
He’s parked out front of my apartment, one hand on the wheel, the other holding the call with his sports manager like he’s negotiating life itself.
I try not to listen, but a part of me can’t help catching snippets—words like contract, press, team meeting.
His voice is steady, controlled. Calm. Everything I feel when I’m near him? Opposite.
“I’ll be done in a sec. You go ahead,” he mutters when he notices me fidgeting with my keys. His tone is light. I bite back a smile, not answering, heading up the stairs.
As I step into the apartment, the familiar hum of silence greets me. Dust motes float in the sunlight slicing through the blinds. I stop short in the living room.
“Lee, that you?” a voice calls out.
“Jere, is that you?” I drop my bag heading towards his room.
“Yeah, I’m on the balcony!”
I hesitate. My chest feels like it’s stuck somewhere between excitement and dread. But Jeremy’s expression is calm, almost expectant. I push open the sliding glass door and step onto the balcony.
The air is cool, brushing my skin, but nothing cools the heat in my chest.
Jeremy pushes his blond hair out of his face, smiling. “Hey, man.” He hugs me, holding his cigarette away.
“Did you get home just now?” I snatch the cig from his hand taking a puff.
He snorts. “I got back yesterday. Where have you been? The house looks like no one has been living in it.”
“Oh, um.” I rub the back of my head nervously. “I’ve just been busy.”
“You’ve been… busy?” Jeremy says, exhaling a slow stream of smoke. He tilts his head, eyeing me like he’s trying to read every thought in my mind. “Seeing someone?”
I feel the color rise in my cheeks. “Yeah… kind of,” I admit, voice quieter than I intended. I glance down at the rail, clenching my hands around the metal edge.
Jeremy smirks knowingly. “Kind of doesn’t cover it. Casually seeing someone, or… basically moved in with them?” He flicks ash over the edge, not looking at me, just studying the city.
I bite my lip, hesitating. It’s hard to explain. “It’s… different. He’s, I don’t know… obsessive,” I murmur, the word tasting strange on my tongue.
Jeremy’s gaze sharpens. “Obsessive?”
“Not in a bad way… well, maybe a little—but in the way that I can’t… I’ve been staying with him a lot. He’s sweet, and caring. But also addictive. I can’t get enough of him. I just… he’s like a drug, and I—” I stop, realizing I’m rambling.
He just waits, exhaling slowly, letting the smoke drift like a pause in the conversation.
“I’ve never… felt like this before,” I admit, finally meeting his eyes.
“I’ve never needed someone the way I need him.
And it might be stupid, but I can’t help it.
Every time I’m not around him, it eats at me.
And when I am… it’s everything. I can’t stop thinking about him, and I don’t want to. But I know it’s… dangerous.”
Jeremy chuckles softly, shaking his head. “Sounds like you’re in deep, buddy.”
I shrug, hiding my hands in the pockets of my jacket. “I know.”
“How does your brother feel about all this?” Jeremy watches me carefully.
“He thinks Phoenix is going to kill me emotionally.” I laugh sadly.
He leans back against the railing, his blue eyes steady and even. “Look, Lee, I’m not gonna lecture you. But you gotta be careful. Obsession and love? They’re different animals. Don’t get burned thinking you’re handling it when you’re just addicted.”
I nod, feeling the weight of his words. “I’m… trying.”
“Good,” Jeremy says, taking one last drag before flicking the cigarette over the edge. “Just… don’t lose yourself in him. Not entirely. You gotta breathe, Lee.”
I grin faintly, appreciating the honesty. “But it’s not like I’m getting lost. It’s like I’ve finally been found.”
We fall into a brief silence, the city lights flickering below us. The distant hum of traffic and occasional honk of a horn fills the gaps. I close my eyes for a second, letting the cool air wash over me, grounding myself before I have to face the next step: getting back in the car with Phoenix.
“Lee.” Jeremy’s voice cuts softly through the quiet. I glance up. “Did you accidentally join some sex cult while I was gone?”
I take a deep breath. “No, idiot. I just...I don’t know. He feels right for me. I don’t know why, but he does. And I like it. I like that he wants me. That he’s… obsessed with me.”
Jeremy hums. “Sounds intense. But also hot.”
I laugh fully. “It is very hot.”
“Then, I can’t blame you. Just watch out for yourself.”
Before I can respond further, I hear Phoenix’s voice from down below. I glance down, heart skipping. Phoenix is standing outside, leaning against the hood of his car in the parking lot, phone in hand.
“Hey, Lee,” he calls up, voice casual but carrying that sharp, magnetic edge that makes my stomach knot. “You almost ready?”
My chest tightens. Jeremy looks at me, squinting. “Who’s that?”
I swallow hard, panic rising like a tide. “Uh… that’s…” My voice catches. I glance down at Phoenix’s grin, so perfectly teasing, and my knees feel weak.
“I’m the boyfriend,” Phoenix calls out, smirking, the words meant to tease but landing like a spark in my chest.
Jeremy raises his eyebrows, stepping closer, eyes narrowing with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. “Boyfriend? That’s the guy?”
I freeze, caught between laughing, denying, and wanting to disappear entirely. My brain scrambles, heart pounding. “Uh… yeah,” I mutter finally, voice tight.
Phoenix leans casually on the hood, tipping his head back to grin at me, clearly delighted at my reaction.
His eyes sparkle with mischief, and my stomach twists in ways I can’t describe.
He’s done this before—pushed me to the edge, tested my boundaries, made me squirm. And it’s working now, just like always.
Jeremy exhales, clearly trying to process the new information, and I can feel the heat creeping up my neck.
I glance at Phoenix, whose smirk has widened. “C’mon, Lee. You almost ready or what?”
I nod, biting my lip, still panicking inside but unable to resist the pull of Phoenix’s gaze. I take a deep breath, glancing back at Jeremy. “I’m heading out again,” I mumble, my voice tight, heart racing.
Jeremy shakes his head, amusement and curiosity battling on his face. “Alright… just don’t get yourself into too much trouble, Lee.”
I shut the balcony door behind me, my hands trembling slightly as I descend the stairs. Phoenix is waiting, grin wide, leaning against the car like he owns the night. My pulse hammers in my ears.
“Ready?” he asks, voice teasing, dangerous, full of that magnetic pull I can’t resist.
I swallow hard, forcing my knees to hold me steady. “Yeah,” I murmur, climbing into the passenger seat, my thoughts still a mess from the balcony encounter, Jeremy’s teasing, and Phoenix’s smirk.
He glances at me from the driver’s seat, eyes glinting with a dangerous mix of amusement and possession.
“Good,” he says softly, but I know it’s just the beginning of what’s coming next.