A Million Tiny Pieces (29 page)

“WHERE
ARE YOU?” Phoenix asked the caller on the other end of the line.

Tarik
pulled the Escalade into the condominiums parking garage, wondering who was
important enough for him to pick up the phone at this point in the day.

“Are
you coming home?”

Easing
into the parking spot that was reserved for Phoenix, Tarik left the SUV
running. Something told him his evening wasn’t going to end yet. As it was,
they’d spent the better part of the afternoon fucking around to pass the time,
both of them anxiously waiting to hear from Mia and disappointed that they
hadn’t.

“Can
we come pick you up?”

Tarik
glanced over at Phoenix, who was now looking at him intently. Okay, so maybe
they had heard from her. Phoenix wouldn’t have made the offer to just anyone.

“Okay.
Text me the address. We’ll be there in a few.”

When
Phoenix stabbed the end button on his phone, Tarik had already put the pieces
of the puzzle together. “Mia?”

“Yeah.
She’s at her friend Alex’s house.”

Putting
the gear shift in reverse, Tarik backed out of the spot and aimed the SUV for
the exit. No reason to stall; he’d heard Phoenix’s end of the call. Less than a
minute later, Phoenix had entered the address into his phone’s navigation,
giving Tarik instructions on which direction to head, and they were on their
way.

“She
sound okay?” Tarik asked, glancing over at Phoenix as he drove.

“Yeah.
A little intoxicated, but yeah.” The smile in Phoenix’s tone made Tarik feel
better.

Ever
since Mia had informed him that she was going to her mother’s, he’d been
worried. Part of him had suspected she was blowing them off. He knew throughout
their afternoon that Phoenix had been on a nervous edge as well, but he had
tried his best not to show it. Tarik knew him better than that. Phoenix’s relief
was evident now as they headed toward the answers to the millions of questions
they’d had throughout the day.

Fifteen
minutes later, Tarik drove past the security gate of the upper-crust
neighborhood after entering a code that Mia provided them in a text and
followed the directions to the address she had given them.

When
they pulled into the circular drive, the porch lights were on as well as the
landscape lighting that accentuated the well-maintained lawn. The neighborhood
reminded Tarik a lot of the one Sid had lived in. Each house bigger than the
next, every yard looked as though someone spent eight hours a day manually
clipping each blade of grass so that everything was neat and tidy.

Once
parked, Tarik exited the Escalade and led the way to the front door, hitting
the button for the bell and taking a step back.

They
were greeted by the same man who’d taken Mia to the charity ball, Johnathan
Henry.

“John,”
he greeted, announcing his name as he held out his hand and took a step back,
allowing them entry into the house. “Nice to meet you.”

Tarik
and Phoenix both returned the gesture, introducing themselves.

“She’s
a little intoxicated,” Johnathan said as he closed the door behind them and
then led the way through the lavish entry, down a few steps into another
expansive room, and then on a trek through what had to be half the house before
they found Mia sitting on a chocolate-brown sectional sofa in another sunken
room, looking up at them with a glowing smile on her face.

Only
then did the choke chain that had pierced his heart earlier that day let loose.

“Hi.”
Mia’s smile widened, her eyes glassy from the alcohol. “Sit. Stay a while.
Johnathan’s a big fan. He loves the Austin Arrows. Won’t stop talking about
them,” Mia slurred.

Tarik
shot a glance at Johnathan to find the man shaking his head. Clearly he’d been
dealing with Mia’s inebriated state for a while now.

“Can
I get you something to drink? Wine? Beer?”

“A
beer would be good,” Phoenix stated as he headed across the room to join Mia on
the sofa.

“You?”
Johnathan asked him.

“Nothing
for me. Thanks.” Tarik wanted all his faculties about him tonight.

Johnathan
disappeared in the opposite direction.

“You
okay?” Phoenix asked Mia when he lowered himself down beside her.

Tarik
worked his way around the coffee table and joined them, sitting on Mia’s other
side.

“I
am now,” she said sweetly, looking up at Phoenix with wide, hopeful eyes before
sliding her gaze to Tarik.

“Hey.”
A bright, cheerful voice sounded from behind him, and Tarik twisted to see the woman
from the charity ball coming to join them, a bottle of wine in her hands. “So
glad you could make it. She’s been missing you.”

Tarik
wondered for a moment which one of them she was talking to. Had Mia told her
friend that she was sleeping with both of them? That they were sleeping with
one another?

“Alexandra
Henry, but my friends call me Alex,” she greeted formally when she approached,
holding out a dainty hand. Tarik shook her hand, surprised at how firm her grip
was. No limp wrist for this one.

“Tarik,”
he stated before she reached over and shook Phoenix’s hand.

“Well,
I can tell you that your girl’s in a mood tonight.”

Tarik
met Alex’s silver gaze, realizing she was looking at him now. What
had
Mia told her?

Johnathan
returned with two beers, and after handing one over to Phoenix, he joined his
wife on the sofa.

“You
have a very beautiful house,” Phoenix said, apparently trying to start a conversation.
“What is it that you do?”

“He’s
a plastic surgeon,” Alex said proudly.

“And
you?” Phoenix questioned Alex.

“Oh,
you know, I do a little of this, a little of that. Mostly I volunteer my time
with local hospitals and charities.”

Tarik
glanced down at Mia. She looked as though she was going to fall asleep. She had
curled up between them both, one hand on each of their legs, her wine forgotten
on the table.

“The
team’s been doing well this year,” Johnathan prompted, his attention focused on
Phoenix.

“Not
too bad,” Phoenix said with a smirk.

“I’m
sorry about your father,” Johnathan said kindly. “I’d actually had the pleasure
of meeting him a time or two.”

Phoenix
nodded. Tarik had no idea what people were supposed to say to condolences of
that nature. Luckily, Phoenix didn’t have an issue with carrying a conversation
with anyone, and he proved it, morphing into the topic of hockey.

Twenty
minutes passed and Mia’s eyes had closed.

“She’s
had a rough day,” Alex said softly when the conversation hit a lull. “She went
to see her mother.”

“Is
that a good thing or a bad thing?” Phoenix queried.

“You’ll
have to ask her,” Alex said, smiling.

Tarik
decided he liked Alex and Johnathan. They obviously cared about Mia.

“Well,
we better head home. I think she’s out for the night.”

Alex
got to her feet at the same time Tarik did. Phoenix managed to wake Mia enough
to get her to walk to the door, although Tarik would’ve had no problem carrying
her.

“Thanks
for coming. She’s been talking about the two of you all night,” Alex told him,
surprising him with the revelation. “She’s my best friend. We talk about
everything. But don’t worry, what hits my ears from her mouth stays right
here.” Alex thumped her temple lightly. “Just take care of her, would you? I
don’t know what’s in store for the three of you, but keep in mind” — Alex
leaned in closer and lowered her voice — “she’s fragile underneath it all.”
Stepping back and smiling brightly, she added, “But don’t tell her I said that.
She’ll kick my ass.”

Tarik
laughed and then accepted an awkward hug from Alex and another handshake from
Johnathan. He assisted Mia out to the Escalade while Phoenix stopped to talk to
them. A few minutes later, they were back on the road, heading home, and the
vice that had gripped his chest had officially been annihilated.

»»»»»♥«««««

“DON’T
GO,” MIA said after Phoenix followed her into her condo. He’d planned to get
her settled in bed so she could sleep off the wine, but clearly she had other
plans.

“Are
you sure?” he asked, glancing back at Tarik, who had followed them inside.
Honestly, he’d thought she was down for the count, having slept the entire
drive back in Phoenix’s arms.

“I’m
sure.” She smiled. “I missed you both. I don’t want you to go yet.”

Phoenix
wondered just how much she’d had to drink and how much the wine would affect
her emotional state. He liked the idea of her missing them, but he hadn’t
expected her to come out and say it.

“Do
you want something to drink?” she asked, her gaze darting down the hall toward
the kitchen.

“No,
thanks. What about you?” Phoenix asked. “Do you want something?”

“Yes,”
she said, her sleepy eyes drooping, her throaty voice lowering another octave.

His
body hardened instantly when he realized she wasn’t talking about anything they
could get in the kitchen.

She
took his hand and Tarik’s, then led them into the living room.

“Sit,”
she commanded.

His
mind instantly drifted back to their game of naked Simon Says. As intriguing as
that had been, Phoenix wasn’t in the mood for games tonight. He’d spent the
entire day wondering if Mia would even speak to him again. He wasn’t about to
waste the time he had with her giving instructions.

Not
tonight, anyway.

But
he did sit as she requested. He kept his hand linked with hers and pulled her
toward him. She tumbled into his lap, and he took control of the moment.
Lowering her onto her back, Phoenix hovered over her, sealing his mouth with
hers, tasting her sweetness, her eagerness. Her hands wrapped around him,
pulling him to her, and he gave her what she wanted. When he lifted his mouth
from hers, Tarik picked up where he’d left off, drawing a soft moan from Mia as
she maneuvered until she had one arm around Tarik and one around Phoenix.

Phoenix
moved his lips to her neck, then lower. He pushed her sweatshirt up, revealing
the silky smooth skin beneath. He kissed and licked her while Tarik devoured
her mouth. Their make-out session lasted until the three of them were naked and
on Mia’s bed.

“I
need to feel you,” Mia whispered against Phoenix’s lips. “I want to feel both
of you inside me.”

Phoenix’s
cock jumped. He had no idea what Mia was referring to, but his mind instantly
came up with several ideas, one of which was something he’d dreamed about for
weeks now.

“We
don’t want to hurt you,” Tarik told her, sucking her nipple into his mouth.

“You
won’t,” she said breathlessly, bowing her back and urging them both to give her
breasts attention. “I trust you.”

“We
need lube,” Tarik said, lifting his head and meeting her gaze.

“In
the nightstand drawer,” she said with a smile, her eyes shifting toward one of
the tables beside the bed.

Phoenix
had to wonder whether she knew what Tarik was insinuating. Based on her heated
expression, she knew, but Phoenix wanted to hear her say it.

“Do
you know what you’re asking for?” Phoenix questioned, lowering his lips to hers
gently.

“Yes.”

“Tell
us,” Phoenix demanded. “What is it that you want?”

“I
want to feel you both inside me,” she said, reaching down and gripping his cock
with her soft, cool fingers. “I want to have you both inside me. At the same
time.”

Phoenix
growled, fusing his mouth with hers as his body responded to her words. Her
fingernails clawed at his back, grinding her hips up toward him. Phoenix
flipped their positions, pulling her on top of him and settling her above his
cock.

Hissing
in a breath, Phoenix closed his eyes when Tarik sheathed him with a condom,
rolling it down slowly, grazing his balls more than was necessary.

“Are
you sure?” Phoenix asked Mia as she guided him into her, her warm, wet pussy
clasping him and pulling him deep.

“Oh,
yeah,” she moaned.

Phoenix
gritted his teeth, the pleasure consuming him. She was hot and wet and so
fucking tight.

“Ride
me, Mia,” he instructed when he spotted Tarik retrieving the lube and rolling a
condom over his thick, heavy cock.

Mia
began rocking her hips, moaning as she did, her breasts swaying above his head.

“So
good,” he said, encouraging her to continue. Gripping her thighs to keep her
still, he pulled his hips forward, pushing his cock deep.

The
bed shifted when Tarik joined them, moving up between Phoenix’s legs. Phoenix
pulled Mia down, crushing her breasts against his chest while he melded his
mouth to hers once again. He couldn’t see what Tarik was doing, but he
swallowed Mia’s moans and mewls as he continued to rock his hips, thrusting
into her gently, causing enough friction to make his mind go blank.