Page 38 of Double Down

She’s still wearing my T-shirt and what looks to be a pair of Maverick's sunglasses. Her petite, fine-boned body is stretched out on a lounger like a cat in the sun, a book by her side and a half-empty cup of iced coffee sitting on the side table. She likes the chicory stuff, half milk, half sugar, just a tiny spot of actual coffee.

She looks relaxed, but I know better. That little line of concern is between her brows, and the corners of her lips are pulled ever so slightly down.

Phoenix is tense and lost in concentration.

I sit on the chair next to hers, saying nothing at first. I pick up her coffee and take a pull through the straw, making a face at the vapid sweetness before setting it back down and lacing her fingers with mine and closing my eyes, letting the hot, humid air break through the chill the AC left on my skin.

"That’s disgusting like always. You okay?" I ask, breaking the silence. “I could get you a fresh cup of that swill.”

“I’m fine, and you can leave my coffee alone, thank you very much. What have you been up to all day?”

I ignore her question with a squeeze of her fingers. “Don't lie to me, Angel.”

She scowls and scrambles into a seated position. “You’re going to start acting like my therapist now, Storm?”

"I've been to enough of them, I could probably try," I admit, and she snorts a laugh.

"You’ve been getting more texts."

Her head snaps toward me. Through the dark lenses, I catch the widening of her eyes before a shield slams down. She picks up her coffee and takes a long sip. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

I give her a flat look. "Come on. We're not stupid, Angel. I saw the way your face drained when your phone vibrated the other day. Then you and Mav go on a rescue mission for this little guy." I scratch her dog’s head.

Zeus, such a fucked up name for a runt of a dog. But he’s cute, and he makes her smile, so that’s all that matters.

She goes quiet again. I could push harder. Threaten. Guilt. Hell, tease her to the edge and refuse to let her fall until she talks.

Tempting. But I want something else between us. Something so much more than transactional bullshit.

I want trust.

But not just any trust will do.

I want every ounce of Phoenix’s trust. I want her to trust me. I want her to trust in my feelings for her. She’s been the only person, other than the Titans, who could pull me from the void.I see the darkness in her, and I refuse to shrink from it, like she refuses to shrink from mine. I need all of her.

"I thought we were past the secrets. Whatever it is," I say, "You don't have to deal with it alone."

She doesn't answer, but her bottom lip trembles a tiny bit before she firms it, and she doesn't pull away.

That’s something. I stroke my thumb over her wrist, pausing against the jump of her pulse.

"You'll tell me when you're ready?" I ask.

She nods once, the movement jerky. She’s not going to give her secrets up easily. I can respect that. But it does give me an idea…

I open the group chat—the one without her.

Storm

She’s hiding something.

Con

Honestly, do we not have enough fucking going on?

Storm

It’s gotta be bad. She won’t talk about it at all.