“Pretty flowers for a pretty lady.” He snorted. “If he wanted to do simple, he could have just said, ‘I’m sorry’. Does he really think flowers and flattery will get you to forgive him for cheating on you?”
Feeling slightly disturbed and uncertain why, she moved to the cupboard and took out a vase, filling it with water, and placing it on the counter. She arranged the flowers in the vase. “How do you know he was cheating on me again?”
“I heard him on the phone. I won’t repeat what he said.”
“You did? When would you have had a chance to even meet Sloan?”
James stilled. “Did you say, Sloan?”
“Yes. Sloan. You said you overheard him on the phone. But how? I haven’t even talked to him in weeks.”
“But he came by to check your car for you.” She stared at him for a moment. “When it broke down,” he explained.
“That wasn’t Sloan,” she said slowly.
James had gone pale. “This Sloan, he wouldn’t happen to be around six four, sandy-brown hair, and works in construction?”
“Oh, so you did meet him.”
“Shit. He’s your boyfriend? Then who was the guy looking at your car?”
She wasn’t certain why he sounded so angry. “That was Gary, my boss’s son. When Mike, my boss, found out I had to take the bus to work because my car had broken down he sent Gary over to look at it. Wait a minute, you thought Gary was my boyfriend?”
“Yes,” he said tightly.
“So, you thought Gary cheated on me?” It boggled the mind he might think she’d ever consider dating Gary-the-sleaze.
“I overheard him talking about sleeping with some woman on the weekend. I just assumed—”
“You assumed wrong. So how do you know what Sloan looks like?” And that meant Sloan hadn’t been cheating on her. Relief made her feel dizzy, and she had to grab hold of the kitchen counter for a minute to stay upright.
Before he could answer, the doorbell buzzed. Who the heck could that be? She walked to the door.
“Check who it is before you open it,” James ordered.
She sighed. “Fine.” She glanced through the peephole, the only nod to security the building had, and did a double take.
“Who is it?” James demanded.
She gave him an impatient look then opened the door without answering. This wasn’t his house, and she wasn’t his to boss around, much as he seemed to think he had the right.
“Hi, Sloan.”
Funny thing was, it wasn’t her that spoke. And after a brief glance, Sloan didn’t even look her way. She should have felt a bit annoyed, considering they were both in her apartment and weren’t paying her the slightest bit of attention. But the way they stared at each other, as though there was a whole lot being said in just a look, stole all her attention. She looked from one to the other. What’s going on here?
“James. What are you doing here?” Sloan scowled then broke their strange staring contest by looking down at her. “What are you doing with Kinley? Did you search her out because of me?”
“Why would he do that?” Kinley asked.
Sloan stepped in then shut the door behind him. “Because that’s the sort of thing he does. He manipulates and uses people to get what he wants. If you wanted to talk to me, James, you could have just picked up the phone.”
“Oh, so you’re answering my calls then? You haven’t answered any in the last four years, why would now be any different?” There was a bitter note to James’s voice. She stared from one to the other. What was going on here?
Sloan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything, instead he ran his gaze over her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she said, although she felt a little off-balance. The animosity sparking off Sloan was almost frightening in its intensity and James had grown as cold as she’d ever seen him. Completely closed off. She felt like she’d entered a minefield, in the dark, with no map or light to guide her.
“How do the two of you know each other?”
“I don’t know what he’s told you,” Sloan said. “Or even how he found you, but don’t believe a word of it. He’s a liar. Whatever he said he’s using you to get to me.”
He seemed to believe that, and yet . . . James had no idea she was dating Sloan. He’d thought Gary was her boyfriend. He couldn’t have been lying, could he? Why would he? Why would he use her to get to Sloan? And how would that have worked, considering she hadn’t seen or spoken to Sloan in weeks?
“James isn’t using me to get to you,” she said firmly.
James gave her a look of surprise. He obviously hadn’t expected her to speak up for him. She wondered why he wasn’t defending himself. He usually had no problems putting people in their place. But there was something about the way he looked at Sloan that told her he felt something deeply. And they obviously had a history.
“You might think that—”
“I know that,” she interjected. “Why would he use me to get to you when you aren’t even talking to me? How would he have any idea we know each other?”
“Because when James wants something nothing stands in his way. And he doesn’t care who he hurts.”
Obviously, at one stage, Sloan had been one of those people hurt by James. She glanced over at James. He was harder to read, but she could see the tense way he held himself. Perhaps Sloan hadn’t been the only one hurt.
“I’m not sure what’s going on here, but James had no idea I was dating you.” Was being the operative word. “He thought I was dating Gary.”
“Gary? That loser?”
“Yeah.”
“Like you’d ever look at him.”
Just the thought made her shudder.
“So, what is he doing here then? In your apartment?” Sloan asked suspiciously.
“Um, well . . .” she guessed the best answer was an honest one. “He’s my new boss.”
“What?” Sloan pierced her with those dark brown eyes. “Your boss?”
“Yes, that other job I took cleaning? It’s at March industries.”
Sloan let out a low growl. Maybe reminding him of that hadn’t been a good idea. His hands clenched into fists. “She quits,” he told James.
“I do not,” she protested, even though she’d intended to do just that. But Sloan didn’t get to quit for her.
Sloan shot her a look. “You don’t know him. Not like I do. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
She looked from one to the other. “Look, obviously you two know each other, and there’s something going on I don’t understand. Maybe it would be best if you go work it out somewhere else.” Because all she wanted was to crawl into bed and try to work out where everything had gone so miserably wrong in her life. She could blame Eddie or Sloan or even James, if she really wanted to, but it had to be her. She was the common denominator.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Sloan growled.
James raised an eyebrow and simply leaned back against the kitchen counter, a statement in itself.
She sighed. Wonderful. She didn’t have the patience to deal with all the testosterone-driven fury in the room. She looked longingly over towards her bed. It was partially hidden by a Japanese-themed screen she’d picked up, which didn’t go with the rest of the décor. That was kind of her style. Maybe it would become a new design trend. Just shabby, no chic.
If she let on how crappy she was feeling and that she wanted to go to bed, she’d probably have even more trouble getting rid of them. She needed to defuse this situation and get them out of here before she collapsed.
“I don’t know what your game here is, James. But we want no part of it. Kinley is mine. She has nothing to do with you, and I don’t appreciate you pulling her into whatever scheme you have going on.”
James narrowed his gaze but didn’t say anything. Kinley stared at him, waiting for him to defend himself then, with a frown, turned to Sloan. She didn’t know why James had gone all passive, but she figured it was up to her to explain
things.
“Sloan, James isn’t here for some sort of game.”
Sloan snorted. “James always has some sort of ulterior motive.” He turned to her. “I don’t blame you, Kinley. He’s good at fooling people. There’s always a motive behind everything he does. This time he’s gone too far, though. Using you to get to me.”
She made an exasperated noise. “He isn’t using me to get to you. He didn’t even realize we were seeing each other. He’s my boss. I applied for a job at his building. That’s all.” She purposely didn’t look at James. There was no point in telling Sloan about James’s earlier proposal. Or that she’d spent the last two nights at his place.
“Yeah? Then what’s he doing here if he’s just your boss?” Sloan didn’t look like he believed a word she was saying.
“He gave me a ride home.”
“From where?” Sloan asked sharply.
She had to push her temper down. Nothing would help by snapping back. “Work.”
“You work on Sundays?”
Crap. She snuck a look at James, but he didn’t seem inclined to help her out. “No.”
“You weren’t here last night. I came around to see you. You haven’t been answering your phone. Where have you been, Kinley?”
“Didn’t you lose the right to question her when you threw her away?” James asked.
“Threw her away?” Sloan’s voice was cold and dark .
“Great. So now you decide to jump in?” She gave him an exasperated look. “Where were you five minutes ago?”
“He can snap and snarl at me all he likes—”
“Why, thank you,” Sloan said sarcastically.
“But I won’t have him attacking you.”
Sloan stilled, his face filled with shock. “I am not attacking her.”
“You are acting like she’s done something wrong, when you were the one who dropped out of her life. Who left her unprotected and alone.”
“I don’t need his protection.”
Sloan’s gaze had narrowed. “Did something happen?”
“No,” she said quickly.
“Her car broke down, and she didn’t have anyone to call. A real boyfriend would have been there for her. A real Dom wouldn’t have allowed her to drive that heap at night at all.” Sloan sucked in a sharp breath. He took two steps forward, looming over James.
Oh crap. Oh crap.
“You do not get to tell me how to look after my sub. What did you ever do for our sub except cause her pain?”
Huh, what? What did he mean by our sub?
“I messed up with Sarah, I admit it. But I’m a different person now.”
“Uh-huh, how touching. I’m sure you believe that. But a leopard doesn’t change its spots.”
James straightened, and the tension grew hotter. She shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously.
“It wasn’t totally my fault. You don’t know everything.”
“I know enough. I know you killed her.”
She sucked in a shocked gasp, just as James pulled back a fist and let fly. He caught Sloan by surprise, the bigger man rocked back a step as the sound of James’s fist against his nose reverberated throughout the room. There was a pause, and then Sloan dove forward. Frozen, she couldn’t do anything but watch as Sloan shoved James against the wall. James couldn’t come close to matching Sloan in size, but what he lacked in stature he seemed to make up for in speed. They grappled, Sloan swung, and James managed to duck at the last minute, swinging out his foot in an attempt to take the bigger man down.
She had to do something before they killed each other. But what? She looked around frantically and saw the vase filled with flowers. She grabbed the vase and threw the contents at the two men. The flowers went flying through the air, along with the water, hitting Sloan and James in the face. For a moment, she didn’t think they were going to pay any attention to her, but then they turned, with identical looks of disbelief on their faces. She swallowed heavily.
“Why’d you do that?” Sloan asked in a quiet, measured voice.
Oh shit.
“Oh, I don’t know. I figured it might stop you from destroying my apartment,” she said angrily. “The two of you are acting like idiots, and I don’t have the patience for it. My head is thumping, and my stomach feels raw. You were both strutting around like cocks defending your henhouse. If you’d puffed out anymore, the buttons on your shirts would have popped.”
James snorted. “First time I’ve been called a cock.”
“I doubt that,” Sloan muttered, brushing a daisy off his shoulder. “What’s with the flowers?”
She shrugged. “I was trying to get you with the water. In hindsight, I should have taken the flowers out first. That was only the second bunch I’ve ever received.”
“Why?” James asked.
“Not sure. No one ever thinks to buy me flowers, I guess.”
“Not that,” he said, giving Sloan a look. “Although you’d think your boyfriend would have bought you flowers occasionally.”
“We didn’t have that type of relationship.”
“No? What sort of relationship did you have?” There was a subtle emphasis on the word have and it reminded her that she and Sloan had no sort of relationship anymore. He didn’t have the right to come in here making demands.
“We are still in a relationship,” Sloan growled, pressing the sleeve of his shirt to his nose to staunch the blood.
“You are?” asked James.
“We are.” Sloan gave her a firm look. “But that’s for Kinley and me to discuss. You have nothing to do with us.”
She flinched at the cold note in his voice. James showed no reaction, though. He simply looked at her.
“You,” she pointed a finger at Sloan, “you don’t get to ignore me for weeks and then stride back into my life, giving orders left, right, and center.” Then she turned to James, who was smiling smugly, not realizing there was a gerbera stuck in his hair. “And you’re not helping matters. Instead of explaining things, you’re riling him up.”
“He’s acting like he still has rights to you when he gave them up.”
“I did not give them up,” Sloan argued.
“News flash! Neither of you have rights to me.” Black dots danced in front of her eyes as a blinding pain engulfed her. “Crap.” She held her hand up to her head.
“Is it a migraine?” Sloan was suddenly there, steadying her.
She just whimpered. It was all she was capable of.
“She’s been sick,” James said quietly. “I ought to be shot, letting her get this upset.”
“Sick? What’s wrong with her?” Sloan pulled her against his chest, and against her better judgment she leaned against him. She was in a huge amount of pain and all she wanted right now was some comfort.
“She’s had a virus, vomiting, and a fever.”
“Then why the hell isn’t she in bed?” Sloan pulled her up into his arms, and she groaned, the movement sending shards of agony through her head. Her stomach rolled. But he soon placed her gently on the bed.
“She was in bed, at my place. I’ve been taking care of her since Friday night.”
“What the fuck was she doing at your place?” Sloan snapped. “What is wrong with you? Why are you chasing her? Is it because you can’t stand for me to be happy?”
“Of course that isn’t it,” James told him. “Why wouldn’t I want you to be happy?”
Sloan snorted.
As interesting as this conversation was, she was feeling utterly miserable. She just wanted quiet and darkness.
She whimpered.
“Sh, baby, it’s okay. You just lie there. I’ll take care of you.” Sloan’s voice was soft. She heard the drapes being pulled then the room was plunged into darkness. Well, as much darkness as could be achieved with her threadbare curtains.
She whimpered when someone reached around her and pushed a hand up the back of her shirt.
“I’m just undoing your bra so you’ll be more comfortabl
e,” Sloan told her. This wasn’t the first time he’d nursed her through a migraine. They were brought on by stress, and she’d had plenty of that lately.
“What else does she need?” James asked.
“Mostly dark and quiet and to lie still. But maybe a cold cloth will help.” Sloan rubbed his hand over her back. “Poor baby, I’ll make sure you feel better. You just rest.”
James returned with a wet washrag, handing it to Sloan. “Here’s a cool cloth for your head.” She tensed and whimpered, but the cool cloth over her forehead soon helped.
“You just go to sleep. That’s it. Good girl. I’m so sorry, Kinley. I promise I’m going to make everything up to you. But, right now, just relax and sleep.”
James paced up and down the living area of Kinley’s tiny apartment as he waited for Sloan. This apartment was even worse than he’d feared. The walls were damp, it smelled musty despite all the windows being open, and it was filled with cheap furniture that had seen better days. Why had Sloan let her live here?
Sloan walked around the partition that separated the sleeping area from the lounge and kitchenette.
James opened his mouth to ask how she was, but Sloan shook his head holding a finger to his lips. He nodded.
Sloan opened the door and nodded at him to follow him out. James was reluctant to leave, and part of him wondered if Sloan would just slam the door shut behind him, shutting him out. But the other man followed, leaving the door open. James moved out into the corridor, leaning against the wall. Sloan paced back and forth. As usual, too full of energy to stand still for long.
“Is she all right? Should I send for a doctor?”
Sloan stilled, looking over at him. “She’s okay for the moment. She slipped off to sleep pretty quickly. Probably means the migraine is a combination of stress and exhaustion.”
James frowned. He hated not knowing everything about her. As though he were the odd one out. But you are. You’re the outsider here, as always.
“She gets these often?”
“About once a month.” Sloan crossed his arms over his thick chest. “You’re very concerned for a guy who’s just her boss.”
James slashed his arm through the air. His eye was swelling from where Sloan had punched him, and his other aches and pains were beginning to make themselves known. Sloan wasn’t the only one riding the edge of his temper right now. “I’m more than just her boss.”
Sir's Redemption (Doms of Decadence Book 8) Page 15