Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Phoenix’s eyes seem to bore into mine, as if he’s trying to read my thoughts. I fidget with my hands with a sense of unease. It’s like he’s trying to uncover my secrets.
Secrets no one should ever know.
I need to be careful; I must not show any weakness in front of him. I have to keep telling myself that I know him… or I know him through marriage. He’s not a God. He’s still a man who can bleed just like me. There must be good in him, even if it’s blanketed in all the darkness that almost seems to swallow him up.
“Are you hungry?” He motions for the staff who has been standing by the door to bring the food into the dining room.
I nod, not daring to move my eyes away from his. I’m too mesmerized by him, too entranced. His mere presence is intoxicating. Plus, I’ve been trained to never turn my back on a wild animal if it’s getting ready to attack.
Will Phoenix attack?
How wild and feral is he?
The food arrives, and the smell of delicious herbs and spices fills the room. The tension between us is palpable, and I wonder if he’s feeling the same. Am I making him as uncomfortable as he’s making me?
“I didn’t mean to scare you last night,” he says after entirely too much awkward silence passes.
“I didn’t realize you were in the attic. Is that where you”—I swallow the food in my mouth—“stay?”
“I like it up there.”
I wait. And I wait. Is he going to offer some sort of explanation or apology for having a secret video camera on me?
Apparently not.
“Why were you filming me?”
“There are cameras everywhere in this house other than a few rooms.”
“Is there a camera in the room my sister was staying in?”
“No. That’s Apollo’s room. It’s private.”
“But my room isn’t private?”
“It’s not your room. It’s a guest room. It houses strangers. Not Godwins.” He tilts his head and studies my face. “If you want me to try to defend my actions, it’s not going to happen. I oversee security for Medusa Enterprises and for my family. My job is to watch. I’m not going to apologize for it.” He pauses, inhales deeply. “But I do apologize if it frightened you. That was not my intent. My goal has always been to keep everything safe. To remove the fear. Not add to it.”
I don’t know what to say to that. I am a guest. I didn’t ask his permission to stay. Though Apollo said I was fine being here, this is still the Godwin family estate. Who am I to judge what Phoenix does in his house? And his actions seem far from sinister.
“Who did that to you?” Phoenix points to the fading bruise on my cheekbone. He’s not the first person to recognize bruising on my body, but the first one to be so bold as to ask.
“My ex.” There’s no point in lying about it. Phoenix saw me recover in the bed for weeks. He knows I didn’t simply fall or have a minor accident.
“Where is he now?”
I look down at my food and shake my head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.” Phoenix puts down his fork and leans forward. “Where is he?”
I glance up at him, surprised to find him caring. “He’s gone. For good.”
Phoenix sits back and steeples his fingers together at his chin. I can’t tell if he’s questioning what I’m saying, or if he’s just allowing it all to soak in.
I feel the need to add, “He was my husband in name only. We never actually wed legally, so there’s nothing I need to do with a lawyer or anything. He… left. So, I don’t have to worry about dealing with him ever again. It’s over.”
It’s odd that I’m being so free with my information to a basic stranger, but then again, I’ve been living under the man’s roof for weeks.
The rest of the meal passes in a blur. I can’t focus on the food or the lack of conversation. I’m too aware of Phoenix’s gaze on me, of the way he’s studying me, trying to read my every move. He doesn’t smile, but he’s not exactly mean. It’s as if Medusa has turned his face to stone.
“What’s your plan now?” He finally breaks the silence in the room, and I’m grateful.
“My sister doesn’t want me going home, but it’s time. I’m going to call her today—”
“You don’t need to call your sister,” he snaps. “I can help you.”
“I don’t want to put you out.” But his offer is tempting.
I don’t want to call Daphne and have her rushing back to Heathens Hollow from Seattle. She’s excited about the big changes in her life, and I’m also not sure if she will resist me on going back to the Eastside. But after hours of thinking about it last night, I’m going to need some help. I have zero money, and even if I got a job right away, I wouldn’t get paid for at least a week. There is no food in the trailer, and I have no way of getting there. Whether I like it or not, I’m going to have to call Daphne and ask for help.