Page 1 of Phoenix Rising
CHAPTER 1
PHOENIX
Distractedby the last customer of the morning rush as he signed the tablet for his purchase, I sensed the two familiar men as they walked into my bakery and headed toward the display. They kept their heads together, the bulky one with his hand open on his boyfriend’s back, whispering back and forth as they decided on their pastry of the day.
The sight of the two men in my bakery was a common occurrence.
But despite both being regulars, and neither of them showing any interest in me, my body flushed hot, and I became lightheaded, craving something that I, in a million years, could never experience.
They came in around the same time every day, ordered either a dessert or a sandwich along with their respective drinks, and would sit in the corner for about an hour, whispering to each other and blocking out the world. And like clockwork, whenever their conversation ebbed, both women and men tried flirting with the couple. They ignored or rejected the advances of men and women who approached, leading to shared disappointment.
The knowledge they were a couple, and a happy one at that, didn’t stop the yearning I had for both men. To say Inever reacted this way to another man, much less two, was an understatement. My longing for the two complete opposites from body type and what I’d witnessed in disposition were out of the realm of anything I knew to be possible in my world.
Over time and without realizing it, I’d learned certain aspects about their individual personalities.
The bigger man of the two had a soft-looking beard and messy, dark hair, but he was the one who paid attention to everyone in his immediate area. He towered over my five foot seven height by a wide margin. But he was gentle. He held the door open for his partner and anyone else in the vicinity, observing without being intrusive and offering help whenever needed. Although unnecessary, he’d gather the plates and the mugs they’d used during their visit and placed them in the utility cart used for dirty dishes. And one time, he’d even rocked an exhausted baby to sleep, giving a grateful mother a chance to finish her meal.
The man’s partner was gregarious. With a content smile on his face, he wasn’t afraid of showing affection while he used his entire body to communicate. Waving his hands around and gesturing whenever he became lost in a topic, which seemed to be all of them. He was quick to laugh, which drew my eyes every time he threw his head back, and seemed as easy-going as his partner. But I’d seen him grow protective. With a flash of his verdant eyes, people backed off, especially when men flirted with his boyfriend.
Their actions confused me because it wasn’t as if they didn’t notice other people. But when they did, both of them had preferences of different sexes.
The blond one loved women; curvy, petite, tall, short. It didn’t matter. He’d offer them all a flirty smile and a wink. But the other noticed men; never overtly flirting with them, but appreciating them all the same. Their actions led me to theconclusion that they were secure in their relationship enough to appreciate the beauty of others from time to time.
On the first day I laid eyes on them, they’d come up to the counter after I’d moved slices of theDeath by Chocolatedecadent cake with homemade dark chocolate ice cream swirled inside into the refrigerated case. My apron was messy, my hair falling limp and lifeless against my forehead, and my skin flushed. They’d ask about my day or any exciting plans coming up in my life, and I answered with honesty; I worked during the weekdays, so I spent my weekends doing laundry and cleaning.
Exciting, right?
The subjects of our conversation were always pleasant and indirect, without an opportunity to ask about them, much less their names. They always paid in cash, and while I had numerous chances, I’d never strayed into personal territory.
Moving my eyes away from the couple when my chest tightened in yearning, a hand clamped down on my forearm, startling me enough I squeaked in alarm. Whoever had me directed me around the counter as I scrambled away from them. When that hadn’t worked, I yanked my arm away before I blinked up at Evan or Easton, some name that started with an E. He’d been a nuisance, insisting on a date when I’ve told him a considerable number of times I wasn’t interested. I was getting annoyed.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t grab someone like that, ever!”
Before he answered, one of my crushes stepped closer to us and growled. A literal feral growl, similar to a wolf or a bear, and I swooned.
Get it together, Phoenix!
“Don’t touch him.”
My mouth dropped open as breathing became difficult. A shiver of pleasure fluttered over my body at the sound of his deep, commanding voice.
A scant ‘sorry’ was all I heard, since I couldn’t take my eyes off the giant of a man, even when I noted movement in my peripheral and the sound of my poor, old-fashioned shopkeeper’s bell being abused.
“Woo! That was one of the… nope,thehottest thing I’ve witnessed in ages. For a second there, I wondered if you were going to rip his arms off, big guy, all because he dared to grab our Phoenix here,” Arthur said as he fanned himself.
“It’s Luka.”
There was a pulse of desire in my lower stomach, and I stifled a gasp when my cock swelled underneath my jeans. Grateful I had the area covered with an apron.
I wanted to join my friend in fanning myself because the temperature climbed in the minute since Luka stepped in to help me.
“And I’m Burton. It’s nice to meet you, Phoenix.” The blond adonis held out his hand.
Reason fled as the eagerness of the situation presented to me overrode self-preservation. I placed my hand in Burton’s stronger, calloused one and sucked on my bottom lip as the tingle from his touch radiated up my arm and spread throughout.
Images of me splayed out on a bed as Burton teased me with his warm hands while Luka’s voice washed over me until I erupted in an intense... Fuck!
Okay! Not nice to fantasize about two men who were a couple standing right in front of me.
