All Bets Are Off

Chapter Twenty-Six - Ella Fordman: Car Keys and Fast Food

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A/N -

Sorry for the long wait, but a Wattpad glitch has stopped me from being able to update anything on this book until now. It should be all fixed from now on, though. Some of you may have only read up to "Chapter Twenty-Three - Ella Fordman: She Can Have You". If so, there are another two chapters before this one that you will not have read yet. Please go back and read those first, otherwise this chapter will make no sense for you. Sorry for the long wait and hope you enjoy!

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Recap:

Ella and Phoenix have decided to put aside all of their differences for the sake of this competition, yet seem to be breaking all of those rules. Phoenix received a mysterious phone call from Seth about his condition, and, despite warnings from his doctor that he is not physically healthy enough to perform for the Alessandro competition, Phoenix has decided to go ahead and do it anyway. Ella does not know of this condition, and Phoenix intends to keep it that way. Now they have embarked on their roadtrip, and shared a sleep under the stars in each other's arms the previous night.

But how will they be together in the light of day?

Read on to find out...

~Chapter Twenty-Six - Ella Fordman: Car Keys and Fast Food~

I woke up the next morning to the sound of birds chirping and the distant sounds of cars whirring by.

            I sighed and snuggled deeper into my comforter, feeling the  warmth wrap itself around me like a warm hug. I squeezed my eyes shut and stifled a yawn, hoping for some more shuteye until my alarm went off for school.

            With time being brought to the forefront of my mind, I opened my eyes to check the clock, and stiffened when I saw that I was, in fact, not in my bed.

            Instead I was in the arms of none other than Phoenix Adams, cradled up against his chest.

            A deep gasp escaped me and I reeled back, causing Phoenix to stir slightly. I scrambled back until I hit hard metal that dug into my back, and spun to see the perimeter of a truckbed.

            I sighed and took in a deep breath as the memories came back to me. Phoenix and I climbing into the back of his truck to sleep. Falling asleep in his arms under the stars and the inky black stars. And a long, dreamless sleep for the first time in a week.

            I shook my head gently and ran a hand through my tangled hair, which stuck up like a bird’s nest. I yawned and hopped out of the truck as gently as I could, landing on the asphalt with a jarring jolt. I went to the back door and opened it quietly, riffling through my cosmetics pack and grabbing my hairbrush. I tugged it through my blonde hair and combed out the tangles, before dabbing a bit of lip balm onto my lips to keep them from chapping. As a last thought, I popped a breath mint into my mouth, before repacking my case and spinning around.

            I let out a loud yell as I saw Phoenix standing right behind me, noticeably shirtless. He was closer than I had expected, wearing only a pair of jeans and, well, nothing else.