Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“Oh, God,” Lyra murmured next to Phoenix as he brought it closer. She threw her small arms around him and hugged his side. “I can’t thank you enough. You have no idea what this means to me.”
He wrapped his arm around her and luxuriated in the feel of her body pressed against his. He hated that it would take some time to explain to her that she was his before he could take the liberty of actually holding her intimately and setting his lips on hers.
Instead, he returned the friendly hug, and when she released him, he lifted her cello carefully out of the trunk.
“Do you think it’s damaged?” she asked, trembling.
“We won’t know for sure until you take it out, but I bet the case kept it safe. Let’s get to the resort, and then you can open it.”
“Okay.”
Caesar took it from Phoenix and put the strap over his head. He also picked up her suitcase, and bless him, he already had her purse tucked under his arm. “You help her up the slope. I’ll get the rest.”
Climbing back up the embankment proved far more difficult than descending it. Caesar managed effortlessly, but Lyra, who was wearing black flats, kept slipping every time she took a step.
Taking the initiative, Phoenix bent down, lifted her into his arms, and carried her up the rest of the way to the road.
“Oh!” She held on to his neck, once again causing him to wish he didn’t have to release her.
While Caesar stowed her belongings in the back of the SUV, Phoenix set her on her feet and helped her into the back seat. He even reached across to fasten her seatbelt. He wanted to climb in next to her for the drive back, but that would have been over the top.
“I’m so lucky that woman happened to drive by and saw me swerve off the road,” Lyra said as soon as Caesar pulled onto the road.
Phoenix twisted around to look at her. “Very lucky. What a blessing.”
“And you got here so fast.” She rubbed her arms.
“As fast as we could, Little one. Where did you come from?” Phoenix asked.
She swallowed and glanced down at her lap, fiddling her fingers. Something was not right in her world. That was obvious. Phoenix wished he had had the chance to dig deeper and learn more from Kingsley’s flash drive. Later, he would read the rest of the file, but for now, he hoped to get some information out of her.
Finally, she looked out the window. “I’ve been on tour in New Zealand. We wrapped up two nights ago. I was hoping to take some time off, and…” She hesitated and glanced at him as if uncertain she should share more information.
He hated her hesitation. “And what, Little one? Did something happen?”
She shrugged, but it was forced. “No big deal. It’s just my agent wanted to head immediately to another country, and I didn’t want to add more stops to the tour. I thought if I found something local… But you don’t want to hear all this.”
He reached over the seat and set his hand over hers on her thigh. “I do, Lyra. Tell me.”
She met his gaze and held it for a long time. “Why do you both call me Little one?”
“It’s just a term of endearment. I could give you a nickname instead.” He tapped his lips dramatically, thinking. “Mmm.”
“Might I suggest ‘foolish’ or ‘stupid’ or ‘blind’ or ‘daft?’”
Phoenix’s eyes widened. “Why on Earth would you speak so poorly of yourself, Little girl? I can already tell you’re none of those things.”
She chuckled, but not in a funny way. The tone was wry. She leaned her head back and stared at the roof of the car. “Trust me. All those words apply.”
Phoenix really wanted to know more now. He was aware of Caesar glancing in the rearview mirror and the tension wafting off his body. He was also gripping the steering wheel far too tightly.
“Tell me what happened with your agent, Lyra,” Phoenix encouraged gently.
She sighed. “I finally came to my senses and realized he’s an ass. That fact was reinforced when I told him I was absolutely not going to fly to Japan tomorrow because I wanted to stay in New Zealand and vacation as I’d planned.”
Phoenix still had his hand over hers, and he gripped her fingers. He was relieved she thought her agent—a man he knew was also her boyfriend—was an ass. That certainly helped. From what little he’d gleaned in her file, the man had not been putting this precious Little girl first in his life. How bad was the situation?
“Was he angry?” Phoenix asked, hoping to gauge the threat level he might be dealing with. He suspected this man was the reason Phoenix had been assigned to protect Lyra.
She groaned. “Angry is a mild word.”