Flame of the Phoenix: Hades' Carnival, Book 6 (4 page)

Her body was screaming at her to relent and invite him to shower with her. And so was her heart.

Tilly didn’t look back as she hurried into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. The woman in the mirror was wide-eyed and frightened even though her body still hummed with pleasure. Without even trying, Phoenix had slipped past the barriers surrounding her heart. He was her friend, of course he was, but now he was something more.

“Stupid,” she muttered to her reflection. “How could you let this happen?” Then she stopped talking, fearful Phoenix would hear her even though he was in the next room. All the immortal warriors had enhanced senses.

She took a deep, calming breath. Big mistake. Her skin still smelled like sex, like him. Her pussy spasmed and she gripped the vanity for support. She carefully set her clothing down and pushed away from the countertop. She needed a shower. A cold one.

Tilly staggered to the enclosure and ruthlessly cranked the cold water tap, making sure the spray was chilly before she stepped beneath it. She clenched her teeth to keep from yelling and shivered as she washed all remnants of their lovemaking away.

But she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to wash away the memory as easily as she did the physical reminder from her body.

Phoenix stood outside the bathroom door and listened. The shower was on, which meant water was spilling over Tilly’s gorgeous body. He wished he was in there with her, running his soapy hands over her warm skin, seeing the water cascade over her.

He shuddered and turned away. He grabbed his pants and pulled them on but didn’t button them. He’d take a quick shower as soon as Tilly was done.

Now that he was alone in her room, he took a better look around the space. It was vibrant and warm, just like Tilly. It was uncluttered too. There was a book on her nightstand, but there was no clothing lying around, no clutter except for the top of her dresser. He wandered over and examined some of the jewelry scattered there. Tilly did seem to like jewelry, but it wasn’t diamonds or rubies she wore, but colorful vintage pieces. Bakelite, he’d heard it call it once before. He put down the bracelet he was holding. Whatever she called it, it suited her.

He went to the window and peered out. The day was quickly waning. It had taken her a fair amount of time to organize her business before she’d been able to head home to pack. And after that…well, they’d gotten distracted, to say the least.

They should have been gone from here hours ago, but Phoenix didn’t sense any evil around them. Not yet. He figured Hades would concentrate on Jessica first, wanting to punish Mordecai most of all. The immortal warrior had lived in Hades’ realm for years and had tricked the god into believing he’d won Mordecai’s soul. All the while, the warrior had been playing Hades false and doing his best to help the remaining warriors. Still, it didn’t pay to underestimate the God of the Underworld. As soon as he showered, they were out of here.

Right on cue, the water went off. Phoenix turned, crossed his arms over his bare chest and waited. He knew Tilly was feeling off-kilter. Knew she was disconcerted by the way she’d lost control with him. He’d seen it in the way she’d tried to distance herself as soon as their lovemaking was finished. He’d also heard her muttering to herself in the bathroom.

She could build her defenses as much as she wanted. He’d beat them down again. If he’d learned anything over the long years of the curse, it was patience, especially when there was something or someone worth waiting for. He already knew how to fight. The two traits combined would allow him to win Tilly’s heart. He would accept no other outcome. For whether she knew it or not, she already held his heart in her hand.

Chapter Four

Tilly insisted on stopping at a restaurant on the way out of town. Neither one of them had eaten much today, and she knew he had to be starving. Or maybe not. She wasn’t quite sure how much food he actually needed to consume in order to survive. But she was hungry.

“This isn’t smart,” Phoenix said for at least the tenth time since they’d left her home. She’d driven for twenty minutes before pulling into a family restaurant.

“Noted, but I’m hungry.” She opened the door, grabbed her purse and climbed out. It was a warm evening but she wore a thin summer sweater over her tank top, anticipating the air conditioning inside.

He frowned but got out of the car and walked around the front and met her. He followed her toward the building, one hand riding low on her back. “Besides,” she continued, “if Hades is strong enough to find me here, he can find me anywhere. If he’s weak, he’ll only be able to check the places he knows I usually am,” she pointed out as she opened the door and walked inside.

Phoenix grumbled. “The problem is we don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

And that was a huge worry. She knew Hades had been stripped of
most
of his power, the operative word being most. There was no point in worrying about it. What would be would be. Right now, she wanted a huge dish of shrimp gumbo and this was the place to get it.

The delicious smells filled her nostrils as soon as she entered. This was a place any working person could bring their family for a meal. Crowded and loud, people laughed and talked while music was piped in over the stereo speakers. The hostess bustled up to them with menus in her hands. The woman looked right past Tilly to Phoenix and plastered on her best smile.

“Good evening.” The pretty brunette batted her eyelashes. Really? Tilly was tempted to ask the other woman if she had something in her eyes. Like a sledgehammer whacking her in the gut, Tilly realized she was jealous. It wasn’t a comfortable feeling. She never got jealous. Never gave any man that kind of power.

“Table for two.” Tilly’s voice was sharper than usual, but the hostess barely glanced at her. She only had eyes for Phoenix. And, okay, Tilly could understand that. The man was drop-dead gorgeous with his amazing hair, mile-wide shoulders and washboard abs. He might be wearing a T-shirt, but it clung to his torso like a second skin, hiding nothing.

“Right this way.” The hostess started to lead them into the busiest part of the restaurant when Phoenix stopped.

“Can we get the table in the corner?” he asked.

The brunette’s fingers tightened around the menus and she licked her ruby-red lips. “You can have anything you want.” Her voice was low and intimate. The double entendre more than obvious. Tilly felt like waving at the woman to remind her she was standing right here.

“That would be great.” Phoenix smiled and Tilly was surprised the woman didn’t drop to the floor at his feet. As it was, her eyes widened and she gave him a sultry smile.

Tilly tapped her foot, growing increasingly impatient. Phoenix put pressure on her back and she began to walk toward the table in the corner. Made sense to sit there. Less people around. They’d be able to talk.

Phoenix pulled out a chair for Tilly and she sat, refusing to be charmed by his manners, even though she kind of was. He sat across from her and the hostess put menus in front of them. Tilly could tell the woman was reluctant to leave. But there was nothing left for her to do. “Your waitress will be with you in a minute.” She chewed on her ruby-red bottom lip for a moment and then left.

“She wants you.” Tilly couldn’t help but point out the obvious.

“Who?”

She studied Phoenix and realized he had no idea what she was talking about. He really was oblivious to the attention the other woman had given him. Tilly waved in the direction of the hostess. “Her.”

Phoenix frowned. “You must be mistaken.”

She sat back in her seat and stared at him. Huh. In her experience, all good-looking men knew when a woman was sending out signals and took advantage of that. But not Phoenix.

He shrugged. “It does not matter. I have no interest in her.”

Before Tilly could follow up, their waitress bustled up to the table. “Hi, I’m Gail and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get you something to drink?”

Gail had her order pad and pen in her hand ready to jot down their orders. Then she looked at them for the first time and her pen fell to her feet when she got a load of Phoenix. Tilly sighed, rested her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands.

“Are you all right?” he asked her, concern deepening his voice.

Tilly slowly raised her head. “I can’t take you anywhere, can I?” Phoenix gave her a quizzical look. The waitress scrambled to pick her pen off the floor and shot Tilly an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that,” Gail said. “What can I get you?”

Tilly ordered the shrimp gumbo and sweet tea and Phoenix did the same. But he also added some fried catfish, red beans and rice, jambalaya and crab cakes. When the waitress left, Tilly smiled at him. “But you weren’t hungry at all.”

Phoenix reached across the table and took her hand. His was broad and large. She shivered remembering just how that hand felt on her body. “I could have gone without, but since we’re here I might as well eat.” His voice dropped an octave lower. “Although I would have much preferred to eat you.”

Holy hell. How in the world was she supposed to respond to that? She gulped in air, practically hyperventilating at his sexual suggestion. Her breasts swelled, her nipples pebbled against her bra and her panties were getting damper by the second. She cleared her throat. “You really shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Why not?” he asked. He slid his fingers through hers and then withdrew them so his calloused skin dragged over hers. Chill bumps raced down her arms.

“Because.” That was it. That was all she had. She couldn’t think of a single reason, not with him looking at her like she was a gourmet feast and he was a starving man. In spite of the air conditioning, sweat pooled at her nape and a single drop rolled down her spine.

Just when she thought she might do or say something really stupid, her phone rang. She tugged her hand away and reached into her purse. She frowned when she noticed whose number was on the screen.

“Mordecai? How is Jessica? Is she okay?” Tilly gripped the phone so tight she was afraid she might break it. She’d swung from being aroused in a public spot to being terrified out of her mind all in a split second. She forced herself to relax her grip on her phone.

“It’s me, Tilly.”

A great sense of relief filled her. Phoenix cocked his head to one side and she knew he was listening to her conversation. She didn’t mind. It would save her the trouble of having to tell him everything when she was done.

Why wasn’t Jessica using her own phone? Suspicion grew inside her. She didn’t quite trust the serpent. “Why are you using Mordecai’s phone?”

“Because I don’t know where my phone is and he’s sitting with me.”

“What happened, Jessica? Sabrina told me a woman, a minion of Hades, burned your arm.” She couldn’t imagine how scared Jessica must be and wished there was something she could do to help. She badly wanted to be with her friend. Tilly was a doer, and the fact that she was doing absolutely nothing to help was eating at her.

Tilly listened to Jessica’s description of the wound and her blood ran cold. “I’m not sure about this, Jessica. This is bad.” She wished she could contact her granny but didn’t dare. Not for anything would she bring Hades’ attention to her beloved granny.

“I know.” Jessica sounded almost resigned, as if she knew there was nothing to be done.

Tilly knew they were dealing with a god, but there had to be something they could do to fight him. “I’m coming over. I should be with you.”

“No.” Jessica grew more agitated. “Stay with Phoenix. Hades may be after you too. No sense in all of us being in one space and making it easier for him.” As much as Tilly wanted to be with her friend, she knew Jessica was right. Still, it chapped her to have to stay away when Jessica needed her the most.

“What does the Lady say?” Tilly wondered if Stavros had found her or if any of the others had been able to contact her.

“Just a second and I’ll ask Mordecai.” She heard Jessica and Mordecai talking in the background. Then her friend was on the line once again. “They still can’t reach her. Hades is doing something to block their communication.”

“Shit.” Tilly echoed all their sentiments.

“I’ll be okay,” Jessica told her, even though Tilly could tell she didn’t really believe it. “Maybe you should leave town or something.”

“I’m not sure that would make a difference.” Tilly didn’t want to leave her home and her friends. It felt cowardly. Like she was running away.

“But you can’t know that. It might be safer for you to go away. Just until this blows over.”

“What if it never does?” Tilly asked her friend. “What if it only ends when we’re both dead?”

“We’ll figure something out.” Jessica said. “In the meantime, stay safe.”

“I will. If I think of anything, I’ll call you.” Tilly paused and took a breath. “Love you, Jessica.”

“I love you too, Tilly.”

Jessica closed her phone and tucked it away. Phoenix took her hand once again and squeezed it tight. “I’m sorry.”

Tears threatened, but Tilly willed them away. She wouldn’t cry. Tears changed nothing. She needed to think. Maybe there was some way they could fight Hades and his death curse.

The waitress arrived at their table with her tray laden down with dishes. She quickly placed their meals in front of them, peeking at Phoenix as she did so. Tilly was watching closely so she caught when the waitress slipped a folded napkin under one of Phoenix’s plates. Tilly held her temper and waited until the waitress left.

“Check the napkin under your fried catfish.”

Phoenix already had fork and knife in hand so he set them down and reached for the napkin. He pulled it out from beneath the plate and unfolded it. Tilly could see a phone number written in red ink. No, that wasn’t ink. It was lipstick.

Phoenix frowned. “What is this?”

“Her phone number.” Honestly, the man might be an ancient immortal warrior who could turn into a mythical bird, but when it came to modern women, he was clueless.

“But why?” His reaction made her shake her head, but a smile twitched at her lips. Okay, so it wasn’t his fault he was gorgeous and attracted female attention. She’d just have to get used to it.

Wait. Back up the truck. She didn’t have to get used to anything. They weren’t together. Not really. Sure, they’d had sex, but that was all. It wasn’t like they were in a relationship.

“So you can call her.” She said each word slowly for emphasis.

“But why would I wish to call her? I don’t know her.”

Tilly grabbed a spoon and dug into her gumbo. “Because she’s hoping to have sex with you.” She was learning it was best to be blunt when dealing with Phoenix.

His eyes heated to a molten green and her stomach sank. She should have known. He was no different than any other guy.

But Phoenix’s gaze slowly meandered down her body, leaving Tilly feeling as though he was stripping her naked. “Why would I want to have sex with her when I have you?” The sensual purr in his voice made her clench her thighs together. Her panties just moved beyond damp to downright wet.

And the devil knew it. Phoenix inhaled deeply and his smile deepened. “You smell delicious.”

“It’s the food.” No way was she playing this game with him, not in public.

He picked up his knife and fork again. “It’s not the food, sweet Tilly.” Thankfully, he began to eat, keeping her from totally disgracing herself. She was so aroused right now all she wanted to do was go around the table and sit on his lap, preferably with his jeans open and her skirt up. They wouldn’t even have to remove any clothing to fuck.

The man was making her crazy. She understood that it was partially a defense mechanism to keep from thinking about the horrible situation with Jessica. The other part of her understood it was because Phoenix pushed all her buttons like no other man ever had. Both situations were incredibly dangerous.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, both of them lost in thought. All around them, people ate, children laughed and adults talked, but it felt almost as though they were alone in their own world. Tilly finished eating before Phoenix did, but it didn’t take him long to devour the enormous amount of food in front of him.

“Guess you need a lot of fuel.” She’d never thought about it, but it must use an enormous amount of energy when he shifted. Plus, he was a big guy to begin with.

He nodded and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He might be a warrior, but he had good table manners. “I naturally burn a lot of calories, and I want to be at full strength.”

She wanted him at full strength too. No, scratch that. No more thoughts of sex. It all had to be about survival and finding a way to save Jessica. “We should go.” Tilly grabbed her purse and stood. “We can pay at the counter.”

Phoenix was instantly beside her. “I’ve got it,” he told her. He reached into his pocket, drew out a wad of cash and peeled off several large bills. When they reached the counter, their waitress was already there. Gail smiled at Phoenix but all he did was hand her the money and tell her to keep the change.

Tilly didn’t want to feel happy when the other woman’s face fell, but she couldn’t help herself. If that made her petty then so be it. The waitress shouldn’t have hit on another woman’s man, especially not with her sitting right beside him. It was tacky.

The air outside was stifling and it was like hitting a wall of heat when they exited the restaurant. Night had fallen and the moon was a sliver of light in the sky.

“Where are we going?” Phoenix asked her. “I assume you have a destination in mind.”

Tilly nodded and began to walk toward her car. She looked around, unaccountably nervous.

“We’re alone,” he assured her.

“How can you be sure?” she asked. She unlocked the door, but he reached around her and opened it before she could. She slid into the driver’s seat. He stood there, one hand on the door, the other on top of the car.