“And here she is, my Sleeping Beauty.” James strides toward me, all smiles and open arms.
He completely ignores the fact that I likely heard him talking to Sinclair and places his hands on my shoulders. When he lowers his head to mine for a kiss, I turn my cheek to the side. He squeezes hard and releases his grip to get my attention. I look back up at him and he shakes his head in the slightest fashion. It’s a slight rebuke, but I close my eyes and allow him to kiss me. It’s not worth the fight. I need to keep him happy so I can see Emma.
“That’s better,” he whispers into my ear before standing up straight again. I give him a weak smile and it appears to satisfy him. When he’s no longer touching me, I slump in relief.
“Did you sleep well?” James asks.
“Yes,” I whisper, nodding my head. I glance around James at Sinclair, who’s shifting on his feet. “Morning, Sinclair.”
“Hi, Harlow.” Sin’s voice is soft and filled with concern. His eyes are cloudy and troubled as he looks directly at me.
When I walk past Sin on the way to the coffeemaker, my fingers accidently—or maybe on purpose, if I’m honest—glide over his hand. That odd buzz from yesterday sends a vibration up my arm. I want to linger so badly, but I pull my hand away before James notices.
I grab a cup from the cabinet and pour some coffee, noticing Sin’s computer bag lying on the counter close by.
“Sinclair was just heading out to his orientation meeting at The Clinic, right?” I search Sin’s eyes, waiting for his response.
“Right,” Sin answers, but there’s no conviction in his tone. His eyes glance between James and I, the sea of awkwardness mounting. “I better head out.”
“We’ll get you set up at the apartment downtown after brunch tomorrow at the club,” James continues, like nothing degrading ever left his mouth. How easily he switches from crude to polished alarms me. It’s seamless and eye opening.
“Okay.” Sin hesitates. “I just need the keys.”
“Oh, right. Here you go.” James tosses a keychain to Sin. “Let me know if you have any trouble with the car. Remember what I told you about the gear shifting.”
“Got it.” Sin stuffs the keys into his pants pocket, ones that fit him perfectly everywhere. “Bye, James. Harlow.” He stops fidgeting and peers into my eyes.
“Bye,” I murmur, unable to disguise my disappointment that he’s leaving the house … and me.
I want to thank him for standing up for me, but with James hovering over me, the thought gets squelched. It would start a firestorm. I can only hope I’ll see Sin later tonight. He needs to know how much it meant to me. He said the words I wish I had the nerve to say. I used to have the guts to stand up for myself. Before she died. I search within myself to find that quieted part of me. I think it’s called dignity.
James walks over and wraps his arm possessively around my shoulders as I watch Sin walk out of the room toward the garage. Now, it’s just the two of us, James and I. I hate confrontations, but I can’t overlook what he said any longer. I turn to face him and try to ignore my sweating hands.
“I heard what you said.” My voice is a little more than a whisper, but I know he can hear the hurt. “How could you talk about me like that? And especially with Sin? He’s family.”
James’ ice blue eyes are wide as he stares back at me. He appears to be shocked that I’m questioning him, but he owes me an answer.
“Honey, that was stupid locker room talk. Don’t be so sensitive. You know how us guys are.” He takes a deep breath and draws me closer to him, but I move just beyond his reach. And guys? He fails to realize he was the lone “guy” talking shit.
“Okay, but tell me why. What possessed you?” I straighten my robe and quietly demand to know the truth.
Looking me straight in the eyes, James begins to talk, and I pray he’s honest. “Jealousy.” He stops his answer short, thinking this will satisfy me, but I need more than a lousy one-word answer.
“Jealous? Of Sinclair?”
Even though I speak with conviction, there is no denying a spark of something forbidden exists between Sinclair and me. I’m not willing to admit it is anything other than a simple attraction, even if I’ve never felt this pull to another man before.
“Yes, I’m jealous of Sinclair, and all the other men I see staring at you, wishing you were theirs, undressing you with their eyes. My only salvation is that you’re oblivious to them.”
I’m amazed James confesses his feelings, finally letting me see inside his fear-driven thoughts. Saying he worries about me being around other men causes something inside my brain to click.
“Is your jealousy the true reason you forbid me from going anywhere alone? Or is it really some worry about Tony’s family harming me?”