Chapter 7
She murmured his name and threw herself into his arms, opening her mouth to bite his chin.
The bite was not hard. It carried a maddening itch.
Then her damp, heated lips moved downward and began nipping at the strong line of his throat.
Every movement was loaded with unmistakable invitation.
Phoenix’s heart shook violently.
Four years now.
She had not kissed his chin in four years.
He forced down the desire that surged instantly through him. His throat worked, and his voice came out hoarse.
“Audrey Mitchell, do you know what you’re doing?”
He tried to pull her away, his voice harsh.
For one instant, Audrey’s reason came back.
Her body moved faster than her reason.
She pressed herself against him again, arms locking tight around his firm waist.
Her face rubbed against his burning chest, and her voice came out soft, alluring, and edged with tears.
“I feel awful... so awful... I want...”
Phoenix’s mind roared.
Drugged?
Damn it.
He cursed under his breath, stripped off his suit jacket, wrapped her tightly from head to toe, and lifted her into his arms before rushing out.
Oskar was already standing guard at the door with two bodyguards. When Phoenix came out, Oskar quickly stuffed a room card into his trouser pocket.
“I have a long-term suite upstairs. Take her there first.”
Not long after, Margo Chapman arrived with several friends, chin lifted and posture smug. She shoved open the lounge door.
She had come to catch a scandal.
But the scene before her nearly scared her out of her skin.
The man she had bribed had been stripped naked, tied up tight like a hostage in a humiliating position on the sofa.
Behind her, an icy voice sounded.
“Ms. Chapman, you used your tricks in the wrong place.”
Oskar Webb had appeared behind her at some point, his eyes completely without warmth.
“Poking a man like that is dangerous.”
Margo’s face turned deathly pale. She hurried toward him, trying to fall back on familiarity.
“Mr. Webb, we’re old acquaintances. Pretend you didn’t see anything, okay?”
“Sorry.” Oskar looked at her coldly. “This time, I can’t make that call. You’ve made a very big mistake.”
He tilted his head.
“Take her.”
Two bodyguards in black immediately stepped forward and dragged the screaming Margo away.
In the top-floor presidential suite, Phoenix had barely put Audrey onto the soft bed before she wound herself around him like a vine.
One restless hand tugged wildly at his tie. The other slid straight into his shirt, roaming over his hard abdominal muscles.
Phoenix’s temples throbbed. A vein jumped at his forehead.
He fought to restrain the desire nearly breaking through his reason and caught her misbehaving hand.
He barked, “Audrey Mitchell, look carefully. Who am I?”
The harsh command made Audrey’s movements pause.
She lifted her dazed eyes and struggled to focus. At last, she saw the face in front of her, the one she both loved and hated.
Her gaze contracted sharply.
Phoenix Castillo.
It was Phoenix Castillo.
She couldn’t. She did not want to be tangled with him again.
As if burned, Audrey shoved him away and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
She turned on the shower. Cold water poured over her head, clearing her mind by a fraction.
She hugged her knees and crouched on the floor, letting the water beat down over her burning body.
But the wicked heat inside her would not go out. It was like countless insects burning through her body.
It hurt too much.
She curled in on herself and broke down crying.
After some time, the doorbell rang outside.
Then the bathroom door opened. Phoenix walked in.
He saw her curled into a ball under the cold water, shivering and crying until she could barely breathe. Something in his chest pulled painfully.
He knew she was enduring it.
She would rather torture herself like this than sleep with him again.
Phoenix walked over, turned off the shower, picked up a large towel, wrapped her from head to toe, then bent and lifted her into his arms.
He carried her to the sofa outside.
Audrey recovered a little strength. Her voice was hoarse and weak.
“Phoenix Castillo, leave this room.”
“Now.”
Phoenix looked down at her. A cold smile touched his mouth.
“Audrey Mitchell, you’re not qualified to climb into my bed right now.”
He took a small pill bottle from his pocket and threw it onto the coffee table.
“This is the antidote.”
Oskar had brought it over just now. While he was at it, he also told Phoenix who had been behind everything.
Audrey did not even look. She grabbed the bottle, shook out a pill, shoved it into her mouth, and swallowed it dry.
Phoenix looked at her flatly.
“Change out of the wet clothes.”
“Tomorrow’s schedule is important. I don’t intend to approve sick leave.”
After saying that, he turned and left without the slightest lingering tenderness.
Audrey listened to the front door close. The breath she had been holding finally eased.
He was gone.
That was the wisest choice.
They truly should not become entangled again.
Even if... she could not let him go at all. Even if she had waited four years for him.
But her mother hated him to the bone. Too much stood between them now. It was impossible.
After Phoenix left back then, his mother had even encouraged the Roberts family to drive Audrey and her mother out of Westbrook.
That lunatic Brooklyn Roberts had nearly beaten both mother and daughter to death.
If the Roberts family had not later moved overseas, Audrey would not have dared step into Westbrook again.
Until she understood everything, she would never have any relationship with him again.
A little while later, the doorbell rang.
She opened the door. It was Phoenix’s assistant, Gael Wood.
“Ms. Mitchell, Mr. Castillo asked me to bring you clothes. I’ll take you home afterward.”
“Thank you.”
Audrey took the clothes, changed quickly, and left the room.
In the car, her mind was a mess. She did not know who had drugged her. If Phoenix had not arrived in time, it would have been too dangerous to think about.
Suddenly, a trending-news alert popped up on her phone.
[Margo Chapman, founder of Chapman Jewelry, arrested on suspicion of pandering and solicitation. Chapman Jewelry exposed for using radioactive gemstones. Authorities seal the company overnight.]
The wording was savage. The comments underneath were exploding.
Audrey’s heart kicked.
Was that Phoenix Castillo’s work?
Revenge for her?
