“Yeah, good luck with that.” Chase slapped me on the back. “I highly doubt Tex is going to give you any sort of blessing for the thoughts running through your head.”
“I don’t think like that… not anymore.”
Bee put her hands on her hips and tilted her head in my direction. Her lips pressed together in what was probably supposed to look like irritation, when really I felt something entirely different.
“Then you really are dead inside. Because that girl looks at you like you just promised to buy her the moon — and you look at her as if you did more than promise it.”
He walked away.
Bee hefted her book onto the table. “What was that about?”
“Astronomy,” Chase called behind him. “Have fun kids!”
I wiped my face with my hands as she plopped down next to me and pulled her chair as close as humanly possible. Her vanilla-scented essence damn near suffocated me to death.
“I feel stupid.” Her shoulders hunched. “I mean, it’s Basic Math 101, and I’m confused already.”
Math I could do. Just focus on the numbers.
With a deep breath, I pulled out her notebook and snatched the pen. “Alright, let’s start at the beginning.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sometimes I just wish he would see me.
Bee
“IT MAKES NO SENSE!” I hunched into myself and slumped against my chair. “I know you’re thinking it, you may as well say it.” We’d been back at the house for over an hour, and I still wasn’t any further than we had been at dinner.
Phoenix’s eyebrows drew together in confusion before his scowl was replaced by a softness I’d never seen grace his face before. “Bee, you’re not stupid.”
“Yeah, I am.” Everything about school was hard. I probably wouldn’t have even made it into college without my brother’s help. “But whatever, it’s fine. I’ve got my looks, right?”
Phoenix slammed the book closed and pulled me to my feet.
“Whoa, I was kidding. You don’t have to lock me in the pantry or anything.”
We’d gotten home an hour ago. Phoenix had promised to help me finish the rest of my homework, but I was a useless case. Even Sergio threw up his hands and walked off.
Story of my life.
It was nearing midnight, and I still had hours of reading to go through.
Phoenix released my hand then opened the fridge. “How many lasagnas?”
“Um…” The cold air hit me in the face. “One?”
“It’s just a lasagna, like those are just numbers. They don’t hold any power over you yet. For someone who hasn’t experienced real food in a long time? It may as well be like climbing Everest. Every bite, every damn time you chew, it’s painful. It’s hard even when it shouldn’t be because you’re the one making it hard. You stop looking at it as food and decipher it as a threat, as just one more step into something that could be your downfall.”
He slammed the door shut then ushered me back to the table and pointed at the math homework. “This is your Everest. We all have them. We all struggle. But that doesn’t make you any less intelligent. It makes you different. Don’t let the thing that terrifies you overcome you so much that you can’t even take a bite. So we start slow. We start at the beginning. And eventually, you’ll be able to eat the whole plate, or in your case, finish every problem. You helped me with lasagna. I’ll help you with this.”
I choked back a sob. “Because I fed you?”
“No.” Phoenix stood, running his hands through his hair, giving me a view of his six-pack because his dark black shirt had ridden up. “Because you were the only one who even recognized I was hungry.”
Stunned, I could only stare at him.
The room buzzed with tension as his eyes met mine, and not just in a way that was indifferent. Something had changed, altered. I wasn’t sure if it was me or him.
“Thank you,” I whispered, “for making me feel better.”
Phoenix’s lips twitched. “Nobody’s ever thanked me for making them feel better.”
“Good. Then I’m your first.”
He shut down. His eyes closed, his lips stopped that sexy twitch, and instead of opening up more, he crossed his arms and shrugged. “Go to bed, and I’ll help you with the last two problems in the morning.”
Apparently, the conversation was over.
I nodded and turned on my heel, not wanting to tempt fate, knowing that each moment I was given with him was something I should keep for myself and protect with my life.
It was nearing midnight, so I quickly grabbed a shower and went to bed. Only, I couldn’t sleep. Story of my life. It was like Phoenix was rubbing off on me, or maybe it was just the fact that I’d been so used to being his captive that having freedom of my own was weird.
“Stop squirming!” he said in a hoarse voice.
“Well! I saw a rat!” I fired back. “And why the hell is my father keeping me in the basement of all places?”
“He’s protecting you.”
He was lying; this new associate of my father’s was lying. And I hated him for it. Hated him almost as much as I hated my own father.
“Screw you!”
He rolled his eyes; I could see the movement even though it was dark.
Something scratched at my leg.
With a squeal, I backed away and landed in the guy’s lap.
He shoved me off.