Phoenix Burning(19)

He absorbed her careful speech for several minutes. “Did you say what you saw?”

“Are you telling me you’ve never been inside?” A strange thought occurred to her. What if MacIntyre’s entire campaign against the Phoenix was based on that urban myth? That would almost certainly mean he had ulterior motives of the economic variety.

“What goes on in there is common knowledge. I don’t need to immerse myself in that filth to know it’s wrong. The owner is a convicted criminal, and the people who work for him are no better than thugs and degenerates.”

His words were coated in a thick layer of derision. She wondered if the doorman at the Phoenix had strict orders not to let Captain Downtown into the bar. In fact, it would make perfect sense that they’d keep out anyone with a vested interest in making trouble.

So shocked and angry on Alex’s behalf, she didn’t pick up on MacIntyre’s agitation until it was too late. “I want to know if you’ve actually been inside that cesspool.” His voice was dangerously rough.

The only thing she had on her side was logic. “I wanted to see why you’re attempting to close down a locally owned business. I don’t condemn something I have no knowledge of, Mr. MacIntyre.”

“Donovan!” His voice thundered in her ears. “You will call me by my name. And I don’t know what you’re playing at, going into a place like that, but it will stop.” He grabbed her arm above the elbow, squeezing hard. “I’ve tried to be nice and give you time to adjust to the idea of the two of us as a couple, but it’s becoming readily apparent that I need to spell it out.” Her arm was in danger of going numb. “I will have you, Emory Banks.”

His harsh tone was so much like her father’s. The cutting-edge whipped across her psyche and loosed a giant miasma of darkness that threatened to suck her in. She was sinking, falling back into a well of doubt and recrimination that would leave her grasping for a shred of self.

Somewhere in the background, the bell over the front door chimed. Donovan dropped her arm and moved to block her view of the door. This was going to be her only chance of escape. Forcing her body into action, Emory stepped past him to face her potential customer.

It was Alex.

“Am I interrupting something?” His blue gaze seemed to move between her and MacIntyre as if trying to decipher exactly what was going on.

MacIntyre puffed up like an arrogant peacock. “Actually, you are.”

The sight of Alex standing in her shop swept the haze from her mind. His bright hair curled boyishly around his ears. It stood out as though he’d been stabbing his fingers through it. His T-shirt was dark blue today, the edges hanging loose over the low-slung waistband of his worn jeans.

He met her gaze, something in his eyes touching her deeply, reminding her of the brief jolt of electricity from the night before. As if he had released some sort of spell, her limbs relaxed. Seconds later she was running full force at him, praying he’d open his arms for her.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” She pressed her lips to his, kisses now and questions later.

His kiss erased the darkness, leaving nothing but white-hot desire in its wake. His lips were softer than she ever could have imagined, moving in a steady rhythm that matched the fierce beating of her heart and the thrum of longing that made her pussy wet with cream.

He released her lips, keeping her body full-length against his. “Of course I’m here, love. Have you been waiting long?”

Behind her, Emory could hear MacIntyre scooping up the petition and stuffing it back into its envelope. “We’re not done discussing this topic, Emory.”

From the protective circle of Alex’s embrace, she felt strangely brave. “Oh, I know we’re not, Mr. MacIntyre. I think it’s a topic that needs to be addressed before there’s a big mistake made.”

MacIntyre’s icy stare should have given her frostbite, but she managed to give him a sickeningly sweet smile before he disappeared out the door.





Chapter Seven





Alex held Emory as tight as he dared, feeling as if the last few minutes were part of a bizarre Twilight Zone episode. Once the door closed, she collapsed against his chest as though her body had gone completely boneless.

She looked much as she had the night before. Baggy, khaki-green cargo pants cut off below the knee, a man’s button down over a navy camisole with big white flowers stenciled onto it, and sandals. Her toenails were painted bright purple. The thick hair piled on top of her head was trying desperately to escape its confinement by curling around her face.

Jessa’s plants had been a convenient excuse to come to the shop, but they could wait. Now he intended to learn more about the pixie who hadn’t been far from his thoughts since the moment she’d walked into the bar. He certainly hadn’t expected her to fling herself into his arms the moment he walked in.