"I was taking my turn."

Crushing his mouth to hers, he crowded her as he crawled up onto the bed, forcing her down until she was on her back and he was settling between her legs. He kept his mouth fused with hers, letting her taste herself on his lips as he positioned himself above her.

When he pulled back, Phoenix smirked as he knelt between her spread thighs, propping his upper body above her on one hand resting beside her head, the other sliding between her thighs, teasing her folds. He flicked her clit with his finger before sliding lower and then pushing two fingers into her.

Mia's eyes closed, her head digging into the mattress as her hips came forward, meeting the thrust of his hand.

"You like that?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Do you want my cock inside you, Mia? Fucking you slowly?"

She didn't answer, just another groan.

"Or do you want it hard and fast?"

"Hard," she cried out as he began finger fucking her faster, deeper.

Phoenix saw the hunger in her eyes as she stared back at him, and he couldn't resist. Ripping open the condom and rolling it over himself, he flipped Mia onto her stomach, drawing a surprised squeal from her. He pulled her hips up, forcing her onto her knees, and then guided himself into her without so much as a warning.

She was so wet, so hot, he bit his lip as her pussy sheathed him like a silk glove.

"Fuck," he groaned, leaning over her as he paused, still pushing into the tight recesses of her body.

"Don't stop," Mia begged, trying to push back against him. He was surrounding her small body, his arms bracketing her head, his hips pressed against her ass, his abdomen pressed against the warmth of her back. She wasn't in control. Much.

"I don't plan to, baby." That was only a partial lie. He did plan to continue, just as soon as he caught his breath. Driving his hips forward, he pushed into her, going deeper, the tight clasp of her pussy gripping him.

Once he was balls deep inside her, Phoenix gripped her shoulder with one hand to hold her where he wanted her, his other keeping him propped above her as he began to thrust. He'd wanted to be gentle with her, but the overwhelming need to possess her took over. He began driving into her, the bed rocking with every punishing thrust of his hips against her sweet ass.

"Oh, God, yes," she cried out, her hand lying atop his where he held her shoulder, that small connection making his balls draw up against his body. "Harder, Phoenix."

He gave her what she asked for, pummeling her over and over, faster and faster until the motion was a blur. The pleasure was generating a heat so intense, so powerful, sweat beaded on his forehead.

"So fucking tight." Pressing her shoulder blades down to the bed, Phoenix gripped her hips and changed the angle, her cunt strangling his dick in the most exquisite way. He didn't stop, continuing to pound into her, his cock tunneling through her tight, wet depths until he was blinded by the pleasure.

"I'm coming, Phoenix!" Her orgasm gripped her before he was ready, her muscles locking on him, milking him until he couldn't stop his own climax.

He roared his release, still pounding into her until his legs felt like liquid and he fell to the bed, careful not to crush her as he did.

"Holy crap," she mumbled as she snuggled up against him, breathing hard. "That was ... amazing."

A smile tipped his lips. "You can say that again."

MIA WAS BONELESS and sated and... God, she couldn't even begin to describe the incredible feeling that had washed over her after that ... whatever that was. It was just as she'd said: amazing.

So maybe her sexual history was limited to one man before Tarik and Phoenix, but even then, she hadn't realized sex could be that liberating. It wasn't the same as making love to Tarik, which had transcended anything she'd ever known, but in a different way. This had been freeing in a way that she hadn't expected. Phoenix had given her exactly what she'd asked for, not being gentle about it, either. She'd needed that from him, needed to know that he didn't want to wrap her in velvet and keep her safely ensconced there.

"You all right?" Phoenix asked.

"Mmm hmm." Mia drew circles over the hard planes of Phoenix's smooth chest as she smiled to herself.

Something had clicked in her, and she felt ... what it was exactly, she couldn't pinpoint, but it was definitely something. Even after having sex with Phoenix and Tarik together, it hadn't made her feel that sense of empowerment that she'd felt this time.

They'd needed this - her and Phoenix. The alone time. The same as she'd needed it with Tarik. There was a deeper connection that formed between the three of them. At least as far as she was concerned.

Mia admired Phoenix's lean body as she listened to the rapid thump of his heart beneath her ear. The only thing she knew for a fact was that she was beginning to crave the way Tarik and Phoenix made her feel. For the first time in her life, she felt as though she was finally in control of her own life, her own decisions.

And above all else, she was in control of her heart.

Chapter Thirty-Five.

TARIK FOLLOWED PHOENIX into Pierce Industries' main office the following morning just after eight o'clock. After dropping Mia at school, they'd driven in silence, Phoenix spending most of his time tapping the screen on his cell phone, probably checking the millions of emails he was riddled with on a daily basis.

Whatever it took to keep him calm, that was all Tarik really cared about.

They were heading into the office to meet with Damien Landry. According to Phil, Landry and his lawyer wanted to have a discussion about options, since it was clear Phoenix wasn't giving an inch on Damien's demands.

The whole thing reeked of desperation on Landry's part. None of it made sense, and when Tarik had talked to Phil on the phone yesterday, trying to come up with a time for the meeting, the lawyer pretty much said it was all nonsense and a complete waste of time. There was still no proof, which meant Damien was stalling. And lying.

Tarik agreed, but there was something Landry wasn't telling anyone, which was the only reason he had convinced Phoenix to listen to what the man had to say. He wanted a little more time to dig into the details. He'd started yesterday, and he was pretty sure he'd stumbled upon something interesting. Something telling.

Pulling into the parking garage, Tarik parked in the designated parking spot and wasted no time climbing out and following Phoenix into the building. A few minutes later, they stepped out of the elevator on the fifth floor, passing the empty conference room where the meeting would take place in about half an hour. Without saying a word, Tarik headed into his office while Phoenix disappeared into his own.

He hadn't been at his desk for more than five minutes when his cell phone rang. He snapped it off his hip and glanced at the screen, only a little concerned when he saw Mia's phone number.

"Hey, love," he greeted her, trying not to reflect his worry in his tone.

"Do you have a minute?" she asked.

"Sure. What's up?" Tarik glanced up at his open office door and considered closing it but didn't want Phoenix to question him.

"I did some thinking last night. After y'all left. So I called a guy who used to work for Damien. His name's Harrison Abbott. He's an accountant. He and Damien had a falling out less than a year ago, right about the time everything seemed to start."

An accountant? Interesting.

"Was he willing to talk?" Tarik asked.

"He wouldn't say much over the phone, so I didn't push it last night. Well, I couldn't let it go, so I called him a few minutes ago to see if he'd be willing to go to lunch. I'm meeting him at eleven thirty."

"Today?" Tarik sat up straight.

"Yeah."

"Mia, do you know this guy?"

"Yes," she said, but he heard the uncertainty in her tone. "We're not exactly friends, but I have spoken to him a number of times. I'll meet him at a public place, I promise. I just want to ask him a few questions about Damien's company finances. It seems logical that money is at the root of this."

Tarik hated for Mia to do this, but after the information he'd pulled yesterday, he had to believe he might know just where she needed to look. "Okay, Mia, but here's what I need you to ask him."

Twenty minutes later, without a minute to spare, Tarik hung up the phone with Mia, got Phoenix a cup of coffee, and met him in the conference room. Phil was already there, but Landry and his lawyer had yet to show up.

"We good?" Phoenix asked Phil.

Phil nodded. "This is just to get a better understanding of what Landry is really after. To bring you both up to speed, he hasn't produced documentation yet, probably because it doesn't exist. But once he can tell us what he wants, we can decide where to go from there."

"I really need to give the press an update," Tarik informed them. "Hoping we can agree on something when we're finished here."

Phoenix nodded as Tarik watched him. Phoenix was acting strange. As though he'd withdrawn into himself, not ready to deal with all the shit that was going on. It bothered him, but not as his bodyguard or as his assistant or anything else business-related. It bothered him as Phoenix's lover, as the man who cared about him, the man who...

God, he wasn't even sure he knew how it all worked, but Tarik had a feeling that he loved him.

Tarik wanted to beat Landry to a bloody pulp just to relieve some of the stress Phoenix was having to deal with. He knew that the pain of losing his father was still fresh, still raw. It pissed him off that Landry was using that as his bargaining chip.

A sudden knock on the door had Tarik glancing up. He pushed off the wall where he'd been standing and opened the door, allowing Landry inside. He was with three other men. None of them looked familiar to Tarik.

Phil stood, his eyes slowly assessing the three men.

Landry introduced them. "This is Bill, Ed, and Steve, my legal team."

The whole team had to join him today? Landry certainly couldn't do things the easy way.

Phoenix didn't bother looking up as the four men took their seats around the table. Tarik moved to stand behind Phoenix once more, off to the right side enough that he could see Phoenix's face, Phil sitting to Phoenix's left.

"Phoenix," Landry prompted.

Phoenix's head barely lifted. "You can address Phil about anything you need."

Without hesitation, Phoenix returned his gaze to the phone in his hand.

"This is bullshit," Landry declared. "We need to get this settled. I'm tired of the reporters camping out in front of my office looking for a statement. I'm sick of them bringing to my attention the fact that my wife is currently in bed with you."

The last statement had Phoenix's head snapping up, his body going rigid. "First of all, she's your ex-wife. Second, you shouldn't have sicced them on us if you didn't want to deal with the fucking reporters."

"Look," Phil began, his tone calm as he addressed Landry. "I don't think we're going to get anywhere until we understand what it is that you're looking for. You originally claimed that Sid verbally agreed to sell, and now you've stated that Sid Pierce agreed to sell the Austin Arrows to you on paper and then backed out of the deal, yet you haven't produced any documentation substantiating your claim. On top of that, even if you had, the sale didn't finalize; therefore, Phoenix has made it clear he has no intention of selling."

"I think it's in the best interest of both parties to come to a final decision on how to handle this. Mr. Landry isn't looking to purchase the team anymore. He's interested in a settlement for his time, along with pain and suffering," Bill-Ed-Steve said.

Tarik had no idea who was who, but the one in the middle spoke kindly, yet he didn't make eye contact with Phil or Phoenix. "Sid Pierce obviously was interested in selling at some point. We feel that honoring his wishes would be beneficial to both parties, and settling with Mr. Landry is pertinent."

Tarik didn't have to be looking at Phoenix to see the fury that resonated in his eyes. He could sense it in the way his breathing changed, in the way his muscles tensed. Phoenix pushed to his feet slowly, a deadly calm coming over him. "If you know what's best for you, or your client, you'll stand up, turn around, and walk out of my office right now. Don't think on it too long, because I assure you that you won't like what happens next."

Not surprisingly, Bill-Ed-Steve all three got to their feet instantly. The only jackass who didn't move was Landry. Tarik moved to stand closer to Phoenix, directly behind Phil, making sure Landry knew he was there.

Bill-Ed-Steve disappeared out the door as Landry was getting to his feet. The man obviously had balls of steel, because he leaned forward and lowered his voice as he said, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Pierce. Your choice."

"Humor me," Phoenix said, his voice hard as steel. "What's your version of the easy way?"

"First, you agree to my settlement request. I'll even return to my original requested amount of five million. Second, you leave Mia alone."

Phoenix leaned in slowly. "Looks like you're gonna get the hard way then, doesn't it? Now get the fuck out of my office."

Landry had the good sense to back up as Phoenix's voice rose, the anger in his tone echoing off the walls.

Once Landry was out the door, Tarik urged Phil to follow, asking him to close the door behind him. Tarik moved across the room and flipped the lock, ensuring they had a few minutes of privacy. Only then did he take a seat and give Phoenix a minute to burn off some of the pressure that was weighing down on him.

"WHERE'S MIA?" PHOENIX asked Tarik when the rage that boiled inside him managed to cool to a simmer. It was a testament to his sheer determination that Landry wasn't dead on the floor in the conference room.

"She's meeting with an accountant for lunch," Tarik said.

It wasn't what he said but how he said it that had Phoenix looking at him, trying to read between the lines.

"Care to elaborate?" Phoenix encouraged when he couldn't figure out the riddle.

"Harrison Abbott," Tarik explained. "Used to work for Landry. According to Mia, Abbott and Landry had a falling out about ten months ago, when all this started. She's going to see if she can get any information from him that might be beneficial to us."

Phoenix knew that look on Tarik's face. He wasn't telling him something. Taking a deep breath, Phoenix lowered himself into the chair opposite Tarik and glared at him. "What the hell's going on?"

Tarik didn't bother trying to pretend he didn't know what Phoenix was talking about. Instead, he rested his forearms on the table and stared back at Phoenix. "Yesterday, when I left you and Mia alone, I did some digging. I started looking at all the business deals Landry's been involved in for the past year. Something had to spur Landry to make this claim, for whatever reason. I think he's hurting for money, so I figured that was a good start. I found something interesting."

Phoenix cocked an eyebrow, waiting.

"Landry invested in a casino opportunity in Vegas," Tarik said, watching Phoenix.

Clearly the other man wanted Phoenix to put two and two together, but he was having a hard time. He had no idea what he was talking about. Phoenix's real estate investments were limited to Texas by his own choice, not to mention, he had no desire to invest in the gambling industry, so of course, he wasn't up to speed on any Vegas opportunities. "And? Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"It made the news about ten months ago. The group behind the investment went bankrupt before the casino even broke ground," Tarik informed him. "My guess is that Landry got caught up in that. Probably lost a pretty penny."

"And Mia's talking to the accountant about this?"

"I explained my suspicions to her and told her to bring it up. See if Abbott knows anything."

"Fuck." Phoenix thrust his hands through his hair. "And why the fuck did you think that was a good idea?"

"This was her idea. I don't control what she does," Tarik said, defensively. "She at least called to let me know."