Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,23
back to bed.”
I watch him drag his feet out of the bathroom with my jaw hanging open. That guy is a completely different person. We’ve all changed in the past few months; I can’t deny that.
I stare at my reflection again.
“Fuck this.”
I turn on the shower and wait until the water gets hot enough. Then I take my time under the steamy jets, letting them ease away the tension in my shoulders. After a while, I reach for the soap and begin to scrub every inch of skin ferociously. I feel so dirty that no matter how hard I rub with the soap, it never seems to remove the stain. My skin burns, and it’s only when blood tinges the water at my feet that I stop what I’m doing. I scrubbed myself raw. Fucking fantastic.
I decide to forgo shaving until I have my shit together. The blade won’t cut me, but my hands are the most dangerous things right now.
My mood is down to sewer levels when I exit the foggy bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist and a second one in my hand to dry my hair. I stop in my tracks when I find Daisy sitting on my bed, waiting for me.
In an instant, her presence infuses me with euphoria. My heart races. Every instinct I have urges me to crush her against my chest, kiss her lips until they become swollen. But I can’t do any of those things.
“Hey, Phoenix. We need to talk.”
Damn everything to hell. Those are the worst possible words a guy can hear from his girlfriend. It never ends well.
DAISY
It’s an effort to keep my eyes glued to Phoenix’s face and not let them wander down his chiseled chest that glistens with droplets of water. I shouldn’t have stayed in his room when I realized he was in the shower, and now I’m putting my self-control to the test.
His green eyes turn dark under his frown. “Why? Is it because of what I was doing earlier?”
My cheeks become warmer at the memory. Sure, I was mortified to learn he had been spying on Rufio and me, but when the embarrassment faded, only a wicked sense of desire remained.
I clear my throat to get my mind back on track. “No, I didn’t come here to talk about that.”
He takes a tentative step forward. “So, you aren’t mad at me?”
“Not anymore.” I take a deep breath to gather my courage. I wish my reason for being here was to give Phoenix a tongue-lashing for his voyeurism. But the topic of this conversation is much more serious than that.
“Daisy, if you don’t tell me what’s the matter, I’m going to think the worst.”
“I’m sorry. This is a hard subject. I wish we didn’t have to talk about it at all.”
He breaches the distance between us and sits next to me on the bed. There’s barely an inch between our bodies, and my desire is to lean into his warmth.
“You can tell me anything, babe. As long as it doesn’t involve you wanting to break up with me.” He smiles impishly, but I see a hint of fear in his eyes.
“I don’t know where you got that crazy notion in your head, but you’d better erase it right away. I’m never letting you go. You’re mine.”
His face breaks into the brightest of smiles, melting my heart at the sight. “You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.”
My breathing hitches at the same time my heart does a somersault. “I think I do.”
I allow myself to get lost in the depths of his gaze for a while longer, basking in the glorious feeling of his love, but I can’t postpone the conversation I came here for. It’s too important.
It’s an effort to look away first. But I do it, dipping my chin as I release a heavy sigh. “You had a nightmare, didn’t you?”
“What?” he asks in a high-pitched voice.
“I think I was pulled into it.”
He doesn’t say a word for the longest time. I chance a glimpse, afraid of what I might find etched on his face. He’s staring straight ahead with his jaw clenched so tight that I can see the strain of his muscles.
“Phoenix?”
“What did you see?” he asks in a tight voice, and my heart shatters.
“Enough.” A tear runs down my cheek, even though I swore before coming here that I’d be strong for him.
He dips his chin and stares at his balled fists on his