Don't Tempt the Phoenix

by CJ England

  He buried himself as deep inside of her as he could, pumping his life’s seed deep within her body. When she pulsed around him a second time, he almost wept with the beauty of their mating.

  Aithne shuddered as Milcham’s body slumped against her. Their hearts raced together. He was still burning hot, a fine mist of perspiration on him. She laid her forehead against his messy hair and tried to breathe.

  Neither of them moved for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts. As they both came floating down back to earth, reality intruded with a crash. What had they done?

  Carefully, she dropped her legs down from their uncomfortable position. He lifted himself, and pulled out of her body. Now…they couldn’t even look at each other. Embarrassment ruled.

  She pushed back her hair, slipping her sweater back on and slowly adjusting her clothing. Tears threatened, but she refused to give into them. She had been a willing participant. He hadn’t forced her.

  “Are you all right,” his voice was deep and gravely. “I was…rough with you.”

  Aithne swallowed. “You didn’t hurt me, Milcham. Not at all.”

  He pulled away and straightened his own clothing. Combing his hands through his unruly hair, he looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

  “Milcham.”

  “Aithne.”

  They spoke at the same time. Their eyes met and they both looked away. He sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I just can’t stop thinking about being with you.”

  Her heart stuttered. “I…”

  “But we know it was wrong.” He laughed bitterly. “We don’t even like each other. And I am too old to be led around by my cock.”

  Her heart hardened at his words. “We are both old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. And we’re wrong for each other.”

  Milcham’s chest squeezed. “As you say,” he choked out. “We won’t let it happen again.”

  “No…we won’t.” She gazed at him with steady green eyes, but her lips trembled, making him long to hold her again. She lifted her chin.

  “We are also old enough to deal with any…repercussions of…a mistake.”

  He reddened when he got her meaning. “I…I am disease free, Aithne. You have my word. And you needn’t worry about a child. I am sterile.”

  That surprised her, he could tell, but she didn’t ask any questions. She nodded after a second. “All right, I believe you.”

  He couldn’t help himself. He caught her cheek in his hand. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Aithne. Especially, not about something like that.”

  She shivered at his touch. “I’m clean too. It…it has been a long time for me.”

  Again, something dark and primitive moved in Milcham’s chest. The thought of her being with another man after what they had just shared made him tighten his hand. “I know we can’t do this again, but…I have to be honest…it was the best…sex I have ever had.”

  Instead of making her happy, his words seemed to wound her. Her eyes overflowed and she bit back a sob as she jerked away from him. “But that’s just it,” she whispered brokenly. “It doesn’t matter how wonderful it was…it was just sex.”

  Turning, she ran out of the maze, her many mirrored reflections mocking him as he stood staring after her. As she disappeared, he felt that something very important had been snatched from his reach.

  —

  Aithne poked disinterestedly at the food on her plate. She sat with Alexander and Jarrod near the midway, sampling one of the concessionaire’s new sandwiches. She barely listened as the two men argued over types of cheese to use.

  “Girl,” Jarrod bumped her with his massive shoulder. “What is going on with you? You’ve been as quiet as a ghost.” He smirked at Alexander, “Sorry.”

  His friend narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tell me.” He motioned to Jarrod’s left. “Tell Mitzi.”

  Aithne frowned. “I thought she stayed behind. Wasn’t she haunting the last fairground?”

  “She liked the carnival better.” Alexander shrugged. “She and Boris have a thing going.” Boris was a blade glommer, or sword swallower from the nineteenth century who’d died in an accident when a tent collapsed around him. He’d been haunting the carnival ever since. Since Mitzi went for the dark, dangerous type both when she was alive, now that she was dead, he fit the bill just fine.

  Jarrod rolled his eyes. “Sorry, Mitzi.”

  “He’s right, you know,” Alexander said quietly.

  “About what?” Aithne nibbled on an overcooked fry and wrinkled her nose.

  “You’re acting weird.” The clown took a bite of his hoagie and chewed thoughtfully. “Ever since the other night.”

  Aithne felt herself turn red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Snorting, Jarrod stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth. “That’s lame.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him. “Lame or not, it’s the truth.”

  Alexander suddenly choked on his food. He turned and stared at Aithne. “You had sex with Milcham?”

  Her mouth dropped open and her face turned beet red. “How did you…?” Her eyes narrowed and she glared at the empty space on Jarrod’s other side. “Damn it, Mitzi. You aren’t supposed to watch. That was private.” Then she looked at the two men. “And it was a mistake!”

  Jarrod had trouble breathing. “You…and Phoenix ?”

  Aithne put her face in her hands. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “No wonder Milcham has been acting like a wolf with a sore paw lately.” It was Alexander’s turn to smirk at Jarrod. “Oops, sorry.”

  Jarrod growled lightly at his friend, before turning back to Aithne. “I can’t believe you slept with him. Jesus…you hate each other.”

  Sighing, she pushed her plate away. Her hunger had disappeared. Irritated at herself and the nosy ghost, she snapped, “We didn’t sleep together, okay. What we did had nothing to do with sleeping.”

  Both men stared at her and she rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to go into specifics, guys! Unlike Mitzi, I don’t kiss and tell!”

  There was silence at the table for all of ten seconds. “But why?” Jarrod asked. “Why, Phoenix ?”

  Aithne slammed her hands down on the table. “I don’t know why, okay? It just happened. We couldn’t help ourselves. One minute we were talking and the next, we were all over each other. When we were done, we realized what a colossal mistake it was and we walked away…okay?”

  “If you say so,” Alexander answered in his quiet voice. “But I don’t think either of you has forgotten it.” He gestured down the midway where you could just see a group of men working on the broken ‘Tilt-A-Whirl’. “He’s been breaking his and everyone else’s back. Seems to me, he’s burying himself in work, like he’s trying to forget something.”

  Jarrod cracked his knuckles. “I’d be down there helping right now, but he’s pushing so hard I figured I better get something to eat first. I may never see daylight again.” The side of his mouth went up and he grinned crookedly at Aithne. “And we have you to thank for it, huh?”

  “It has nothing to do with me,” she spat as she jumped up from the table. “It was a one time thing, and it’s over. Okay?!” Turning on her heel, she stomped away from them.

  They both stared after her. “Methinks, she protests too much,” Alexander said thoughtfully.

  Jarrod grunted and started in on Aithne’s abandoned plate. “I can’t believe it. Aithne and Phoenix .”

  “The air is on fire whenever they are close to each other,” Alexander argued. “Some werewolf senses you have.”

  The big man shrugged. “I guess I didn’t want to see it.” The two men shared a look of understanding. “But I tell you Alex, if he hurts her, I don’t give a damn if he’s the boss or not…” He flexed his hands, “I’ll break his neck.”

  Alexander smiled. “I’ll hold him down for you.”

  Again, there was a companionable silence at the table. Then Jarrod turne
d to his friend. “Your ghosts haven’t said anything about me, have they?”

  Alexander’s blue eyes lit with humor. “You? Of course not.” They both rose and cleared the plates from the table. As they were dumping them, Alexander spoke again. “Unless, you mean that time you did the nasty under the ‘Carousel’, with Sasha…the Bearded Lady.”

  “God damn it,” Jarrod thundered. “I knew we were being watched.”

  Alexander chuckled. “The bearded lady?”

  Jarrod punched his best friend in the shoulder. “Hey! Can I help it if I like ‘em hairy?”

  —

  Sweat rolled off Milcham’s broad torso. He swung the heavy hammer hard, pounding the stake deep into the ground. It would be a pain in the ass to get it back out, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about the ‘Jumping Castle ’ pulling free again.

  Standing upright, he tossed the sledge down on the ground and made his way back to the generator. Picking up a wrench, he knelt and tightened the loosened bolt. A woman’s laugh floated over the crowd, making him fumble. He flinched as bright red blood bloomed on his scraped knuckles.

  He sucked on the offending digits, cursing to himself. He heard her voice all around him, even in some woman on the ‘Scrambler’. Aithne was in his mind, morning, noon and night, and it was driving him crazy. He’d thought by having sex with her, she’d be out of his system, but he’d learned very quickly, their time in the funhouse had made him want her even more.

  Looking at his torn hand, he swore again. He glanced around, and seeing he was alone, he squeezed his eyes so a tiny tear formed in the corner. Gently gathering it on his index finger, he smeared the tear over the cuts.

  Immediately, the cuts healed. The sides pulled together and the flesh knitted so you couldn’t even tell there had ever been an injury. Perfect healing, courtesy of a Phoenix ’s tears. Flexing his hand, he stared through the crowd. He could see Aithne sitting with Alexander and Jarrod and his mouth tightened.

  He pushed the anger away. He had no right to be jealous. She could be with anyone she wanted. They’d both agreed their love making had been a mistake. But why did he keep thinking about it all the time?

  Because, he argued to himself as he turned the last bolt. It had been good sex. No…he had to admit it. It had been great sex! His cock stirred hungrily as he remembered her wet, hot welcoming body. He could have stayed inside her forever.

  The thought of her made him so horny, he’d actually tried to go out with another woman, but the thought of touching anyone else after Aithne, almost made him ill. All he had to do was recall her coming apart in his arms and no one else could stir him.

  With a muffled curse, he stood upright. It was over. There could be nothing between them. He damn well better recognize it. She was a temptation, but one he would fight against. She would not distract him from his real goal…finding his twin-flame.

  —

  Sitting above the crowd, on the corner of the ‘Tunnel of Love’, the leather-winged demon narrowed his eyes. The Master had been furious when he’d discovered the Phoenix and the woman had been intimate. But the servant was confused. Just a few days before, he’d been told to bring them together, and now he was commanded to keep them apart. In fact…while he couldn’t touch the Phoenix , the Master told him the woman was fair game.

  He watched Milcham turn his back on Aithne and began working again. “I will keep the two of you from getting close, again. I am smarter than you, Phoenix , and I will do what my Master orders. The woman is not for you.”

  —

  Aithne yawned as she made her way back from the community showers. It had been a long day, and she was exhausted. Ever since yesterday, when Mitzi had dropped her bombshell, she’d been on edge. She was tired and a bit sad, and she had to admit it, she was horny too.

  After being with Milcham, even her special toys didn’t sound good. Though it had been a quickie, the sex they’d had, was outstanding. Settling for a silicone cock just didn’t seem as appealing.

  As she passed the security guard that watched the ‘back yard’, which was where all the personal and storage trailers were placed, Aithne saw Milcham leaning tiredly against a ticket booth. Without thinking, she changed directions.

  When she saw the look on his face, she wished she hadn’t. “I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I...I just…” She gazed up at him, noting the tiredness of his face and she swore there was new grey in his hair. “Are you okay? You look…beat.”

  Milcham watched her like an eagle watches for prey. “Thank you, but I am fine. Just a little tired.”

  Aithne felt like a fool. It was obvious he didn’t want to have anything more to do with her. Nodding, she turned to go.

  They were both surprised when his hand shot out to stop her.

  “I…” he muttered hoarsely. “How are you?”

  She gave him a trembling smile. “All right.”

  “I didn’t damage you.”

  Her face went pink. “No…of course not.”

  His hand dropped. “I was worried about you.”

  “There is no need,” she said softly, after a stunned moment. “I’m a big girl.”

  “I can’t seem to help myself.”

  He sounded so disgruntled, she had to laugh. “You don’t need to be that annoyed about it.”

  “I am not annoyed. I just don’t enjoy being distracted.”

  A smile curved her lips. “I’m a distraction? Me and about a thousand other things.”

  A grin touched his sensuous mouth. “You seem to have top billing right now.”

  “Milcham?” she said suddenly. “Can we be friends?” She searched his face anxiously. “I hate fighting with you.”

  His face went blank. “Friends?”

  “Yes…friends. We are going to see each other every day. We shouldn’t be at each other’s throat.”

  “You can forget the desire we have for each other?”

  She blushed. “We decided we had to. Neither of us wanted that…distraction.”

  “I find it doesn’t matter what was decided. I can’t stop thinking about the sex we had together.”

  The air grew very warm around them. She swallowed…hard. “We’re grown-ups, Milcham. We can be friends anyway.”

  He shook his head slowly, as if finally realizing something. “I don’t believe that’s true, Aithne. I’m sorry. I can’t be your friend. I can barely manage to be around you.”

  She gasped and her emerald eyes filled with pain. “That’s a cruel thing to say.”

  Milcham looked away. His chest ached with suppressed emotion, but he would not give into temptation. “I don’t mean to be cruel, but I’m trying to be honest. I can’t be friends with you without wanting a repeat of the funhouse. We don’t belong together, so let’s just leave it as is.”

  She said nothing, and when he finally looked back at her, Aithne’s face was carefully blank. He touched her arm. “If you want to go, I won’t hold you to your contract, you know that.”

  Her head shot back up. “Is that what this is about? Are you trying to hurt me enough so I’ll leave?”

  He growled angrily. “No, of course not. I just wanted you to know it is an option.”

  “Not for me,” she said angrily. “I have people I care about here. And I’m staying. So you can take your ‘offer’ and shove it!”

  “Aithne!”

  She tossed her head and turned away. “I don’t know why I even bothered. But don’t worry. I won’t try to be nice to you…ever again.” Without another word, she hurried away. He watched, his emotions in a tangle as she disappeared into her tent.

  “I told Alex, if you hurt her, I’d break you in two.”

  Milcham jumped and cursed aloud as the big man slipped from the shadows. “Damn it, Jarrod, you scared the hell out of me.”

  “Why are you so tough on her? She’s just about the sweetest gal I’ve ever known.”

  “Let it go.”

  “The hell with that. You’ve had sex with her,
and now you won’t even talk to her. That’s cold man! How do you think that makes her feel?”

  “How do you know we had sex?” Milcham sputtered. “She told you? I can’t believe—”

  “She didn’t say anything,” Jarrod cut him off. “We found out through a third party. Weren’t as quiet as you thought, were you?”

  “God!” Milcham scrubbed at his face with both hands before looking at Jarrod. “It’s complicated, okay? But trust me…I don’t want to hurt her.”

  The wolfman stared into his eyes for so long Milcham became nervous. The last thing he wanted was a fight with a supernatural. Finally, the man nodded. “Okay, Phoenix …but I’ll be watching. If I even see you blink wrong, I’m going to…” Jarrod stopped suddenly, and sniffed the air. “Do you smell smoke?”

  Milcham froze. He trusted the man’s greater olfactory skills. “Can you tell where?”

  Jarrod shook his head. “No…but it’s strong…and it’s close.”

  He’d just finished speaking when a man’s shout shattered the night air. Whirling, Milcham saw one of the hawkers. His heart stopped beating when he saw the man point straight at Aithne’s tent.

  “FIRE!!!”

  Chapter Six

  Aithne tossed her towel over her single chair and sat down hard on the bed. She sniffed inelegantly. He’d hurt her again. He seemed to be making a habit of it. All she’d tried to do was smooth the waters, but apparently, he really didn’t want anything more to do with her. So much for great sex being the beginning of a relationship.

  Frowning, she reached over and picked up the picture of Aidan and Dawn she had sitting on her table. “He’s as much a pain as you were,” she informed her brother. “Stubborn, arrogant, know-it-all.”

  Staring off across the tent, she battled tears. “I guess I have only me to blame,” she said miserably to herself. “I did try not to, but…” she sighed as she admitted the truth. “I fell for him. As obstinate an alpha male as he is, I still started to care. You’d think in a hundred and twenty four years, I’d have learned something about the opposite sex!”

  Putting the picture in her lap, she picked up her tarot cards and glared at them. “It’s your fault too,” she muttered. “You and that stupid Lovers card.” She opened the pack. “Maybe you can tell me what to do now.”