stars twinkle in the sky, and the breeze coming off the water feels nice. I wish I could just take it all in and not have to think about the obvious. I have a lot to think about once I’m sober. I need to decide how to move forward with Phoenix. I have to choose to fight for us or let him go for good. Either way, I have to be realistic about what each path will look like, and I need all the clarity in my favor. I only hope I don’t lose myself in the process and have the strength to follow through. I will not be the girl he first met back in Alabama. Mitch is right about one thing; I can’t stand on the sidelines and let life happen to me. I have to be an active participant in the outcome. Cliché as it may be, tomorrow is a new day.
Chapter Six
Phoenix
I watch as the shadows begin to fade as I walk through the living room. The sun peeking over the horizon reminds me to get going for my morning jog. The first immersion of sand between my toes fuels my desire to burn some of this restless energy. Harlow has been holding my every waking thought hostage, and Melissa has been doing her damnedest to get me to open up. Surprisingly, she didn’t even give me too much of a hard time about the lap dance. Maybe because she didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for when she kissed Mitch. Sevyn is baffled as to why I let her back in my life in the first place—especially since she’s blackmailing us, but that is kind of the point. He went back to New York with Claude, but I have my reasons, and I need everyone to be in the dark if it has any chance of working. I tossed and turned the entire night until I finally decided to give up on getting any sleep. Melissa, who is sharing my bed, must have sensed that I needed this time to myself. She watched as I changed into some running shorts before turning over to go back to sleep.
The speed of my slow jog increases until I’m almost sprinting. My calves burn as I work to keep my feet from sinking too far into the sand. I run until my lungs burn in equal measures. By the time I return to the house, the sun is blazing, and sweat is pouring from me. I nearly stop mid-stride when I see Harlow sitting on the step. Her white sundress is transparent with the sunshine radiating through. Enough to see that she isn’t wearing a bra … her sizeable breasts straining against the cotton. Her nipples pert. Fuck me. I don’t need this kind of torture. She looks up at me with those ice gray eyes, and I fight to match her gaze. Sadness reflects in their depths, and I know I’m the cause—at least part of it. She flips her raven hair over her shoulder before looking down once more.
“Morning,” she says, but it’s barely audible.
“Yeah,” I all but grunt, and I immediately regret it.
She hasn’t really done anything to deserve this treatment, but I have to distance myself from her. Letting anyone too close has proven to be caustic. She scoots over just enough to let me by, forgoing any additional attempts to speak to me. I walk past, my dick at half-mast. Apparently, it didn’t get the memo she’s off-limits. I’ll have to give him a tug in the shower because I’m not going there with her. The memory of her hot cunt will have to be enough.
I don’t make it two feet into the room before Melissa is on me. She sheds her robe, revealing her nudity. My cock jumps, but I’m in control here. She’s not a contender either, but I’ll keep that fact to myself.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come back, baby. I missed you. I’m horny.”
“Don’t,” I warn. “I said we could talk things out. That talk is far from over. We are so far from me letting you near my cock, it’s laughable. You can’t just fuck your way back into my life, Melissa—especially since you were attempting to blackmail me not even two weeks ago.”
I finally took her call and met up with her right before going to the beach yesterday. She bawled her eyes out and insisted on pleading her case, but I had my own