The Phoenix Prophecy: Nova
: Chapter 36

Tanner doesn’t want to involve Kole. As soon as I mention it, he tenses up. Mack is more open to the idea. We argue for a while, then, eventually, Tanner says, “Okay. We’ll go to the hospital, then on the way back we’ll drop in at The Cross.” He looks at me sternly. “If Kole shows even a hint of not being able to control himself around you, then I’m not asking him. It’s a no-go. Right?”

I nod, my skin fizzing at the protective note to his voice.

As we head back toward the stairs to go freshen up, Mack takes hold of my arm. “Nova, we won’t let anyone hurt you.” He’s staring at me intently. I can almost hear the bear in him growling.

Tilting my head, I smile at him. “I won’t let anyone hurt you either, Professor.” I look down at my hands and wiggle my fingers. A spark flutters up from my palm and Mack raises his eyebrows at me.

“Good,” he says, curling his fingers around mine. “But not enough to fight blood-thirsty demons or angry lynch mobs.”

I bite my lower lip. I thought he’d be impressed that I’d learned a small amount of control over my power. But he’s right; I’ll need to conjure much more than tricks when the time comes. And now, more than ever, I know it will come.

“Nova.” Tanner is at the foot of the stairs. I follow him while Mack crosses the hall. Without saying goodbye, he stalks out through the large oak door. The Harley rumbles as he pulls out of the drive.

Upstairs, we stop outside my room. Until last night, Tanner had been sleeping down the hall. But, as if he could sense I was awake and staring at the ceiling, he appeared in my doorway in the early hours of the morning. I didn’t need to say anything; silently, he crawled into bed and curled himself around me. He held me tight and close, stroking my hair, my neck, my arms, until I fell asleep.

“I had no idea you had a brother.” He tucks a strand of loose flyaway hair behind my ear and brushes his lips against my forehead. “I’m sorry.”

His voice is different from usual. Its sound fills me up. Up and up until there’s no more room for the sadness and the anger I’ve been pushing down inside me. A sob escapes my lips and suddenly my limbs are like jelly. Useless. Unable to keep me upright. I waver and Tanner catches me. He holds me up and pulls me close as I cry. Big, thick tears. Tears that contain the feelings I’ve kept bottled since I arrived in Phoenix Falls, and the ones that existed long before then. Tears for every scar Johnny gave me, every cruel word, every unseen bruise. Tears for my parents and the brother I barely remember. The family I have no photos of because Johnny took them from me.

After a while, when my tears slow, Tanner guides me toward the bathroom.

As I stand there in his tee shirt, crying, he turns on the shower. Steam fills the room. He smooths my damp hair from my face and kisses my nose, my cheeks, my forehead. With gentle hands, he tugs the shirt up over my head and drops it to the floor. He runs his hands over my shoulders, down my arms, across my back and down my belly. He kisses my scars, then kneels and peels off my underwear.

He stops when he reaches the tattoo on my thigh. Johnny’s initials. I flinch, but he presses his lips to the ink, as if he might be able to kiss away the memory of how it got there.

When he stands, his bare chest brushes my nipples. He meets my gaze. “I can take some of the pain. If you want me to.”

I want to say yes. I want never to feel this way again. But if I lose the pain, I might lose my desire to fight. To find answers. And I can’t let that happen. “I don’t need you to take it.” I take his hand and kiss his palm. “But you can distract me from it. If you’d like to.”

Without hesitating, Tanner steps under the hot stream of water and pulls me with him. He turns his face to it and sighs as it hits his skin. His cock stiffens against my thigh. I’m about to touch him when he wraps his fingers around my wrist and stops me. He dips his head, works his tongue around my nipples, then stops, turns me around, and pushes me up against the wall. The tiles are cold. The water is hot. It’s pummeling my shoulders. Tanner’s hands are on my hips. He grips them hard, pulls me back, then slams his cock into me so hard I have to brace my hands on the wall.

“Fuck,” I breathe as he does it again.

He grabs my hair and pulls it.

“Fuck me harder.”

“Harder?” He whispers, barely audible over the sound of the water.

“Harder, Tanner. Harder.”

“You got it, little star.” As he plunges deeper and reaches for my clit, the water pressure changes. It’s getting harder too. Falling faster. I have no idea how I’m still standing. My legs are shaking. Tanner’s cock is the only thing keeping me up. As an orgasm rocks through me, he shouts, too. “Nova!” He shouts again. “Nova!” But his voice has changed. “The water!” He pulls away from me and stumbles out of the shower, dragging me with him.

The room is so thick with steam we can barely see.

“The water…” Tanner looks at me. “You didn’t feel it?” His skin is pink. He rubs his arms, swipes his fingers through his hair, and laughs. “Fuck. I knew my girlfriend was hot, I didn’t know she was literally smoking.”

“Girlfriend?” I wrap my arms around his waist and look up. I fit perfectly beneath his chin.

“If that’s okay with you.”

“It’s very okay.” I stretch up and kiss him. “But I have an important question.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Hmm?”

“Did you come? Or did the burning water ruin the moment?”

Tanner looks sheepishly down at his dick. It’s still hard. He shrugs.

“That’s definitely something your girlfriend should fix for you.”

His lips break into a grin. “Oh. Definitely.”

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