Making a mental note to do a little digging, Mia turned her attention back to Damien and opened the door. Just as she did, the elevator in the hall dinged, and the doors slid open. Out walked Phoenix, looking incredibly handsome in a pair of jeans and a navy polo. His hair was haphazardly sexy, a look she wasn't used to seeing on him. He was usually so well put together, his hair generally styled to perfection. She decided she liked this look on him. Immensely.

Teresa was beside him, glaring at her, and Tarik followed behind them.

"I think this belongs to you," Phoenix told Damien as he nudged Teresa toward him.

The couple glanced at one another, a scheming look passing between them. What the hell were they really up to?

Phoenix moved to her side just inside her condo while Tarik moved past and came to stop behind her. She had no idea what Damien was thinking as he looked at the three of them, and quite frankly, she didn't care.

"Thanks for stopping by," Tarik said gruffly before taking a step back and gently urging Mia to move so he could close the door.

Damien didn't say another word, but the look on his face would likely be something that would haunt Mia for days to come.

She didn't know what he was after, but she'd somehow been trapped in his crosshairs yet again, and that was really beginning to piss her off.

Chapter Thirty-Four.

"THAT WENT WAY too well," Mia said offhandedly as the door closed behind her and she leaned against it to stare at Tarik and Phoenix.

On one hand, at least Mia was calm. On the other, Tarik wasn't so sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

However, Tarik knew just what she was saying. According to what the most recent article had said - Landry's story shifting from Sid being the one to back out of the deal to basically Phoenix setting up the entire thing in order to bring Damien to his knees, which was horseshit all on its own - and knowing the shit that was going down with the legal team for the Austin Arrows ... that had been far too easy. There was no doubt that Damien Landry was only there to stir up more shit. He probably wanted more attention than he was getting.

"What're you thinking?" Mia asked Phoenix as he turned and walked into Mia's living room. She shot Tarik a concerned glance before following.

Tarik took a minute to look around. The last time he'd been there, he hadn't spent much time checking things out. Other than noting how bright the space was and how it suited Mia perfectly, he hadn't paid much attention to the little things. He'd been more interested in other things. Now that it looked like they might be there for a little while, he took the time to admire what she'd done to the place.

It felt like her in every way. Light and airy, lots of color and life. It felt like a home.

Tarik knew his own condo would not make the pages of any designer magazines. He had little to nothing in his place, just enough to get by. Not that Tarik minded the extremely masculine decor of Phoenix's place, either, which was where he spent most of his time. It'd been that way since the first time Tarik had been there. Not much had changed, other than a trinket or two here and there - added by Ellen because Phoenix wasn't one for knickknacks and shit. It still made his place look like a room with walls and little else.

Even with the lack of color and furniture and knickknacks, it was a far cry from where Tarik had grown up. His parents had never owned a house, but they had rented plenty, usually skipping out without paying more than a couple months at a time. If that. Just as he'd told Mia, Tarik had changed schools more times than he could count, never settling into one place for too long. Grades had been the only thing he had focused on, and it wasn't until he was a freshman in high school that he didn't move around anymore.

His parents had had an unstable relationship from the get-go; neither of them had ever tried to deny that. In fact, there were plenty of nights he'd gone to sleep wondering why they were even together. They had hated each other, and the verbal and physical abuse - doled out by both of them - had been brutal. But then one day it had all stopped.

And so had the moving, but it wasn't until he'd graduated from high school that he'd gotten his own bedroom. College hadn't been an option, because Tarik had been tossed into the system without any family to take him in after they'd carted his father off. And maybe that was the real reason he was grateful for the security he felt with Phoenix. The lack of change didn't bother him in the least.

Unlike the bright, cheery room Mia slept in, Tarik's bedroom was just as monochromatic as the rest of his place, with black furniture, black sheets, and a black-and-gray comforter. Nothing fancy, just a place to sleep at night. A place he'd hoped to be sleeping less after the first night he'd spent with Phoenix and Mia, but as of yet, little had changed. He'd suspected Phoenix had needed space afterward, and that was exactly what he'd given him.

He was quickly growing tired of the space between them. All three of them. He wanted to eliminate it permanently, although he wasn't about to tell Mia or Phoenix that.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Mia offered as Phoenix took a seat on the cream-colored sofa with the brightly colored pillows.

"It's too early for what I'm thinking," Phoenix muttered as he rested his head in his hands while propping his elbows on his knees.

"Not if we put it in coffee," Mia teased. "Then it's fine."

Phoenix looked up at her to see if she was serious, and a smile tilted his lips for the first time since Tarik had walked out of Phoenix's office to find Teresa Somerhaus decorating the entryway with her too-fake appearance and her overabundance of perfume.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" Mia asked. "And yes, I've read all of the articles, I've watched the news, and I've listened to Damien's crap. For the record, I'm not buying any of it. It just doesn't make sense to me."

"It's all bullshit," Tarik assured her, glancing over at Phoenix to see if he was going to explain. He didn't look in any mood to talk, so Tarik continued. "No matter what Landry claims, Sid did not back out of any deal. There wasn't a deal. Ever. The man died nearly ten months ago, and this is way too fucking convenient. The question is why Landry is pulling this shit now. What prompted him to bring it up and try to push it?"

"It just seems too coincidental," Mia mentioned. "My marriage fell apart about the same time that your father passed," Mia told Phoenix. "Well, that's not coincidental. I think what happened with Damien and me is, though. He came home one night smelling like cheap perfume knowing that I would smell him. That was it for me. And now this. It just seems like he had a hand in moving things forward, so to speak. Did he set it up on purpose? Or is he using me? Or hell, is it because of me?"

Her questions were riddled with the same confusion Tarik felt when he tried to wrap his mind around what Landry was after.

"I don't know what he's after, but I know that it isn't because of you," Phoenix inserted. "Regardless, I'm not worried about it. He wants money. And if I have a say in the matter, he's not going to get a fucking penny from me."

Mia perched on the arm of the sofa and glanced between the two of them. "Do you know when Damien claims to have made this agreement with your father?"

"He hasn't been specific. I've heard a couple of months before my father died."

"So, again, it's convenient. Your father isn't here to deny Damien's claim."

"Correct. Landry's a fucking moron," Phoenix snapped as he got to his feet. "Even before my father died, I was a minority shareholder. I would've had a say in the matter. My father would've told me."

"So I don't understand what he could possibly think he can get out of this." Mia looked just as confused as Tarik felt.

"Do you think he's looking to get Mia back?" Tarik asked, sliding his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the wall, keeping his eye on the two of them. Mia was right, it was too coincidental. When Tarik and Damien had come face-to-face at the charity ball when he'd been dancing with Mia, the shit storm had begun.

"Why would he?" Mia questioned. "Honest to God, he's the one who wanted the divorce. Well, technically, I'm the one who filed, but I'd told him in the beginning that I didn't tolerate cheating. He cheated; he had to have seen it coming."

"If you don't mind me asking," Tarik said to Mia, "were things good before you found out he was cheating?"

"No," she said sadly. "Things started deteriorating long before that. We hardly spoke to one another. He would stay away on business, probably so he didn't have to see me."

Tarik frowned at Mia's admission. He hated that Damien would've treated her that way. If she belonged to him, Tarik would make sure she knew just how much she was wanted. Every damn day.

"I just don't understand what's spurring this," Phoenix commented. "Is he hurting for money?"

"That's a good question," Mia stated, causing them to both look her way. "Maybe he is. And I'm just speculating here. Damien never allowed me to know anything about his business. He claimed I didn't have the wherewithal to understand it, and I didn't argue with him. It was pointless. So, I honestly don't know, but it seems logical."

Tarik didn't know what seemed logical anymore. It was all fucked up, and he couldn't wrap his head around it.

"You know what?" Phoenix said, pacing toward them. "I just want to forget this even happened. For a little while."

"What'd you have in mind?" Mia asked, watching Phoenix as he moved closer.

Tarik didn't take his eyes off Phoenix as Phoenix stalked toward Mia, a determined expression on his face.

"Something that involves you naked."

Tarik's eyes darted to Mia to see her reaction. The sharp intake of breath was telling. She was probably thinking about what had happened between them a few nights ago, starting in this very room, and based on that expression, a replay wasn't a bad idea. Tarik had wanted a replay on Sunday, but with Phoenix gone, one thing had led to another and then... Tarik wouldn't trade that night for anything in the world.

Pushing off the wall, Tarik moved toward them.

"You're not gonna buy me lunch first?" Mia asked, breathless and not moving from her spot.

"If that's what it'll take," Phoenix said, grinning.

Mia shook her head. "I'm suddenly not hungry. Not for food, anyway."

Phoenix lowered himself to the couch and pulled Mia to him. She tumbled on top of him, straddling his hips as their mouths met. Tarik could see the pent-up energy that Phoenix was working to hold back as his eager hands slid beneath her shirt, caressing the smooth expanse of her back. Phoenix might claim he wasn't worried about Landry, but the proof was in the way he was holding himself.

And Tarik knew just what to do to take his mind off of it.

PHOENIX COULD FEEL the tension coursing just beneath his skin. Touching Mia was about the only thing that had come close to calming him in the last hour, but even then, it was a different type of calm. He wasn't sure he could be gentle with Mia, but he damn sure was willing to try. If he didn't find a way to release some of the frustration that the morning's events had brought on, he was going to implode.

"Quit thinking," Mia said, cupping his face and pulling her lips from his. She stared back at him, studying him.

"I'm trying," he said honestly. He didn't want to think. At the moment, he just wanted to feel.

"I need to take care of something," Tarik said, drawing Phoenix's gaze to him.

Mia twisted to look at him as well.

"What?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back. You two have fun." With that, Tarik leaned over and kissed Mia. It wasn't just an innocent peck on the lips, either, but Tarik didn't linger for too long.

Meeting Tarik's hard gaze, Phoenix tried to figure out what his angle was but then gave up. He didn't have the brainpower at the moment, and if Tarik wanted to excuse himself and leave Mia all for Phoenix, then so be it.

Tarik left without another word, leaving Phoenix alone with Mia, something he'd been longing for. After he'd learned that Mia and Tarik had made love on his sofa on Sunday evening while he'd been occupied conversing with his mother, he'd been anxious to get Mia alone. Not because he was jealous but because he wanted to have her all to himself for a little while. Something had changed in Tarik since that night, and Phoenix wanted to know why.

Secretly, he wanted a little piece of it for himself.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mia asked, her voice soft and sweet.

"Because you're so easy to look at," he told her sincerely.

Her cheeks turned a soft rosy color before she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Phoenix got lost in her kiss, the gentle way she moved against him, the urgent feel of her tongue against his. And then it dawned on him as he pulled back, cradling Mia's face in his hands and staring back at her ... Tarik had left them alone on purpose.

Phoenix would have to thank him for that.

"Now where were we?" Phoenix cupped the back of Mia's head, bringing her lips to his once more. She opened for him easily, a slow, gentle glide of her tongue against his. He lingered there, sliding his fingers through the cool silk of her hair, brushing his thumb over her jaw, tasting the sweetness of her mouth. He felt a calm wash over him, but that didn't last long when Mia inched closer, rubbing the heat of her pussy against the rigid length of his cock.

Without asking questions, Phoenix let his hands slide down her chest, easing between them, pushing his hand into the stretchy material of her yoga pants. God bless spandex. He needed to feel her slick heat against his fingers, his mouth, his cock. He wanted to spend the next hour making her beg and plead for him to let her come.

A heavy exhale escaped her when his fingers dipped into her pants, finding her warm and wet and ready for him.

"I think we need more room," he muttered against her mouth as he inched toward the edge of the couch and then used his legs to lift them both. Mia's legs wrapped around his hips as he carried her to her bedroom.

Making his way to the bed, Phoenix lowered her to the mattress, but he didn't join her immediately, taking a minute to admire the space. The last time he'd been there, it had been dark, and when he and Tarik had left that next morning, he hadn't wanted to linger, so that he didn't wake Mia.

White bedding accented with neon-green-trimmed pillows, and matching curtains offset the dark wood furniture and hardwood floors. Just as bright and cheery as the rest of her place, and she looked so at ease as she stared back at him from her bed.

When she held out her hand for him, he shook his head, grinning. "Lie down," he instructed.

She leaned back on her elbows, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed as she stared at him, a sexy grin tugging at her mouth.

Knowing there was only one way to get to where he wanted to be, Phoenix made quick work of stripping them both, but he still didn't join her on the bed once they were naked. Instead, he tossed a condom from his wallet onto the bedspread and, after admiring her for a minute longer, knelt on the floor between her legs, pushing her thighs apart as he let his gaze linger on her face, then slowly travel down her body to the glistening pink folds of her sex.

"Phoenix."

"Yes?" he asked as he leaned in and blew warm air against her folds, using his fingers to separate the glistening lips of her bare pussy, exposing the little bundle of nerves that he was aiming for. Using the tip of his tongue, he slid over her clit slowly, his eyes still locked with hers.

"You're a tease," she whispered, her feet coming to rest on his shoulders, her knees falling to the side, opening her fully to his gaze and his tongue.

"Such a pretty pussy," he said, admiring the soft pink flesh before looking back up at her. Her eyes dilated as he spoke, the musky scent of her arousal flooding his senses, making him punch-drunk on desire. "I've been dying to taste you again."

And that's what he did, but he didn't rush, didn't try to send her flying over the edge yet. He wanted to savor her, to listen to her sweet moans and urgent cries for more. He continued to eat her while inserting one finger into her slickness, teasing her at first before pushing in deep.

"Phoenix. Oh, God, I need more," she groaned, clearly not happy with his torment.

He gave her more, suckling her clit while he added another finger, fucking her slowly as she began rocking her hips toward him, trying to urge him deeper. Controlling the depth and the pace, Phoenix continued to watch her as she remained propped up, her hooded gaze intently focused on where his lips pressed against her heated sex.

"It's not enough," she whispered. "Not nearly enough."

Relenting, Phoenix thrust two fingers into her while he suckled her clit, flicking it with the end of his tongue, over and over until she was writhing on the bed, her fingers digging into the comforter, her feet pushing against his shoulders as he brought her dangerously close to the precipice. He considered making her wait, but the urgency in her cries had him pushing her higher and higher until she screamed his name as her climax tore through her, her pussy gripping his fingers as she came.

Getting to his feet slowly, admiring the way she looked sated and sexy lying against the white comforter, Phoenix had intended to climb on the bed with her, wanting to taste every inch of her, but Mia somehow managed to head him off before he got there. She sat up quickly, reaching for his cock and bringing her lips to the head before he knew what she was doing.

She took him in her mouth, teasing the tip. When she pulled back, he placed his fingers on her lips. "Suck them. I want you to taste yourself," he ordered. Mia took his fingers into her mouth, her tongue darting over them, licking them. She looked so fucking sexy as she cleaned him. "Now take my dick in your mouth again."

Mia released his fingers and then pressed her lips against the sensitive head of his cock, her fingers wrapped around the base as she sucked him into the blazing hot depths of her mouth. He loved the way her tongue laved the tip, sliding under the crest, as though she were trying to memorize the feel of him in her mouth.

"Mia," he hissed, sliding his fingers into her hair. He was already hard and aching, desperately wanting to give her as much pleasure before he took his buried in the hot depths of her pussy, but the way she sucked him into her mouth wasn't helping his cause. His head began to spin as the pleasure rocked him, her persistent tongue sliding over his shaft, her smooth fingers cupping his balls as she continued to lick him.

"Mmmm."

Her soft hum had his balls tightening. He'd been waiting for this moment - being alone with her - dreaming about it, and now she was going to push him over the edge before he was ready.

Realizing he had better regain control or they were going to be done far too soon, Phoenix gripped her hair harder and pulled her head back, freeing his cock from the heaven of her mouth.

Her eyes slid up to meet his, a mischievous gleam in them.

"Naughty girl," he said. "It's still your turn."