“A cold, selfish bastard?”
“No,” Sloan said slowly, seeing the boy he’d known all those years ago. He was hidden beneath the mask the man had put on, but he was still there. “No, I think you’re lonely, a little lost, and that you just want what we all do, to belong somewhere.”
James barked out a laugh. Then he stood and walked to the floor to ceiling windows. He turned. “I’m a fucking billionaire. I could walk out of here and into any party, and people would flock to me. They want to be me. I’m not fucking lonely and lost.”
“Right, because all of those people really care about you, about who you are. They don’t, and you know it. They flock to you because you’re rich, and the press love you.”
James walked back and slammed his glass down on the coffee table. “I do not need you to come here and try to fix me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” But the anger and bitterness he’d felt for so long towards this man wasn’t as strong as it had been. Regardless of what he said, James was lonely. He’d kept this secret all these years to protect Sloan from the truth because he thought it would hurt him. And, in the end, he’d hurt himself more.
James might think he had everything, but he didn’t. Sloan did. He had Kinley. And he realized the anger he’d been holding onto all these years was more about James deserting him than any role he’d played in Sarah’s death.
“I’m happy now, James. I have Kinley. She’s more than I deserve, but I’m not letting her go. Not again.”
“Good for you,” James muttered.
“I’ve moved on. You need to do the same.”
“I have,” James said stiffly.
“You talking about the different blonde on your arm each weekend?”
He’d seen Kinley looking at the society section of the paper and magazines. Seen James glower into the camera while his current fling smiled and basked in the limelight.
“My love life has nothing to do with you.”
Maybe not anymore, but he felt like he owed the other man something. Later, Sloan would go over everything with Kinley. Let her coax him into talking things out, including how he felt about Sarah and James. She insisted on talking about emotional stuff, and he indulged her.
But for now, here, he needed to do something to help James.
“Are you still involved in the BDSM scene?”
James frowned, looking puzzled. “Yeah, why?”
“Kinley and I belong to Club Decadence.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“You should come have a look. Maybe find a sub of your own.”
James snorted. “So, you’ve gone from hating me to matchmaking? Aren’t you worried I’ll ruin whomever you match me up with? That I’ll break her?”
“No. You’re not the devil, James. The truth is I was angry that you gave up so easily. That you abandoned us. Me. I lost everything that night. My wife and my best friend. But if you’d told me what she’d done, I would have gone with you.”
James’s eyes widened.
“You thought I’d choose her, didn’t you?” Sloan shook his head. “Idiot.”
“You loved her.”
“I also loved you.”
He took a deep breath. “James, I know you care about Kinley—”
James slashed a hand through the air. “That was a passing interest.”
Sloan knew he was lying. “Then why do you keep sending her flowers?”
James frowned. “I haven’t sent any flowers to Kinley.”
“You didn’t? Then who the fuck has been sending her flowers?”
“The flowers that were at her apartment when I took her back that day, they weren’t from you?” James asked, looking worried.
“No,” he bit out. “And she’s received two bunches since. Both at her apartment.”
“Who did she say sent them?”
“She has no idea. We both thought it must be you.”
James grimaced. “Why? Because I’m a lovesick fool? I’m not. I get that she’s yours.”
“Sorry,” Sloan said. “I guess you were just the easy choice. Because if it’s not you . . .” A sick feeling developed in his stomach.
“Were there notes?”
“Yes, but I threw them out.”
“Did you read them first?” James asked.
“Of course,” Sloan said impatiently. “They were both ridiculous. One said, ‘These flowers aren’t as sweet as your scent.’ The second one said, ‘For my sweet little flower.’”
James stared at him. “And you really thought I’d would write that in a note?”
“Guess I was just hoping it was you.”
“I think your sub has a secret admirer.”
“Or a fucking stalker, and I left her alone. I have to go.”
He raced towards the elevator, James behind him. Urgency beat at him.
“I thought they were from you. I never thought of a damn stalker.”
“You couldn’t have known,” James told him. “It could be someone with a crush.” But then why wouldn’t he have given his name? “I’m sure she’s fine. But we’ll take my car. It’s faster.”
Kinley lay back in the bath with a sigh of pleasure. Even though warm water was relaxing, part of her was still tense, wondering how Sloan and James were getting on.
She’d encouraged Sloan to speak to James. They both needed to talk things out. But it wasn’t easy to stay at home and wonder. She hoped James was all right.
He’s not yours to worry over.
She needed to stop thinking about him. Things were good with Sloan and her . Really good. Moving in with him had been the right thing to do even though there’d been a few growing pains. Still were. She hadn’t realized how much of his forceful personality Sloan had been holding back.
She loved that he was secure enough to be himself. That he was no longer worried so much she might leave him. But, boy, had there been some arguments over his dictates.
She shook her head as she remembered his insistence that he was buying her a car because he didn’t want her taking the bus. She’d fought that one hard, until he’d told her the only other alternative was for him to drive her to and from work.
So now she had a new car. Well, not new. She’d won the argument over what type of car to buy. She’d gone for the cheapest she could find that still met his requirements for safety. Her old car had been sent to the wreckers. There was no fixing it.
Sloan had held her as she’d cried, not once making fun of her for her reaction over a car.
She smiled. Yeah, there were definite benefits to living with him. Like waking up with his arms wrapped around her each morning. She liked doing little things to take care of him. Like making him dinner each night. Then, afterwards, she’d sit in his lap, and they’d talk about their day.
Then at night . . . she shivered. The sex was off the charts. Intense sometimes, soft and playful others. And things had stepped up at the club too.
It was everything she’d dreamed of. And if James entered her mind sometimes, if she worried about him being on his own, then she managed to squelch those thoughts pretty quickly.
Lord, she hoped they weren’t killing each other.
She startled as a door banged. She was still adjusting to how loud Sloan was to live with.
“Kinley! Kinley, where are you?”
All right, so that was different. He might raise his voice occasionally, but there was a level of urgency that made her sit up.
“In here!”
The bathroom door slammed open just as she was climbing out of the bath. And she looked over as Sloan strode in. She gasped as she noticed James standing behind him, looking as frozen and shocked as she was. Then he stepped back and turned around.
“Sloan!” she screeched as he lifted her out of the tub, pulling her naked, wet body against his. “What are you doing? I’m all wet.” And naked. But she didn’t mention that or the fact that James had seen everything.
A flush of embarrassment raced through her. What had he thoug
“You’re okay,” Sloan stated over and over, running his hand through her hair.
“What is it? What’s wrong? What’s happened?” she asked.
Sloan pulled back, finally noticing her naked state. “Where are your clothes?”
She frowned slightly. “My stuff for the club? It’s laid out on our bed, why?”
“Not that. Put something else on, we’re not going to the club tonight.”
“We’re not?” Disappointment flooded her. They had a medical play scene planned for tonight, and she’d been looking forward to it.
“No, we’re not. Get dressed in something else then come out to the living room. We need to talk.”
Wow, if those four words hadn’t filled her with trepidation the look on his face would have. He looked coldly determined. Hard.
When he stormed out of the room, she found herself rushing to get dressed. Whatever was going on, it seemed imperative she figure it out. Now.
James looked around Sloan’s house with interest. His and Kinley’s house now, he guessed, trying to ignore the stab of loneliness the thought brought with it. He should be used to being on his own. So why did he always feel like that kid stuck out in the snow, watching through the window as a happy family celebrated Christmas in their warm house, accompanied by hot chocolate, presents, and the requisite dog.
Stop being a fool. You could buy yourself a damn family if you wanted to.
Wasn’t quite the same though, was it? It was something his bastard uncle had never worked out.
That money couldn’t buy you everything. Not the really important stuff anyway.
This house was different from the one they’d shared with Sarah. It was more of a home. It had that lived-in feel. A happy feel. Jeez, now he was just being ridiculous.
“She’s getting dressed,” Sloan said, striding into the room.
Wasn’t that a shame?
He stopped himself from saying the words out loud. Just. He and Sloan had come to some sort of truce, and he had no desire to ruin it by expressing his admiration for Kinley’s curves. His cock, already hard, throbbed with need as his memory stirred. It might be the only time he ever got to see her naked. Unless he joined Club Decadence. But he wasn’t sure he was that much of a masochist to put himself through that. To see her, to watch them together, to know they would never be his.
He might have tried to convince Sloan that his interest in Kinley had been a brief thing, but he wasn’t fooling himself. He could fall in love with her. Was halfway there. And Sloan loved her. It was perfect. Except for one thing, of course. He wasn’t a part of it.
“I might have scared her a little. I scared myself,” Sloan admitted. He pulled two beers from the fridge. James didn’t remind him he didn’t drink beer. He found himself needing it, because Sloan hadn’t been the only one frightened.
“I guess we overreacted. If this has been going on for a month, there were probably plenty of times for him to strike.” Sloan grimaced, looking sick.
“Plenty of times for who to strike? What’s going on?”
James swung around at Kinley’s voice. Damn, he was off his game if he hadn’t heard her step into the room. He looked over at Sloan, this was his woman. His sub.
“Your stalker,” Sloan stated bluntly.
James winced, watching as Kinley grew pale.
“You might have eased into that a bit more slowly, big guy,” he said quietly, wishing he had the right to go to her, to hug her, to tell her it was all going to be all right.
Sloan seemed to realize his blunder and strode over to her, drawing her against him and holding her tightly. But Kinley proved once more how strong she was. It only took her a few seconds before she pulled back, hands on her hips to stare first at Sloan then him.
“All right, one of you start talking. Now.”
Kinley sat on the sofa and watched as both men looked at each other. She was glad they seemed to be getting along, and neither of them had new bruises. But she wanted to know what the hell was going on. What stalker?
“I don’t have a stalker,” she muttered.
“We think you might,” James said, almost apologetically. But then his face hardened, and she shivered slightly at the cold look. “And when I find him, he’s dead.”
She wasn’t certain he’d meant to say that out loud. Sloan sent him a sharp look then sat on the coffee table in front of where she sat. He reached out and took her hand in his.
“Kinley, James didn’t send those flowers.”
James snorted. “As if I’d do something so amateurish. Those notes were ridiculous.”
“But if James didn’t send them who did?”
Sloan just watched her. She looked from him to James, who stood a few feet behind him.
“That’s just it, darlin’, we don’t know.”
“Until you do know, you should treat him as a threat,” James added. “She shouldn’t go anywhere alone.”
Her head buzzed as she struggled to keep up. “Wait, so someone has been sending me flowers anonymously? Why?”
Both men looked serious and tense.
“We don’t know why,” Sloan said gently.
“From the sound of those notes, he’s a secret admirer.”
“I have a secret admirer? That’s ridiculous.”
“You are beautiful, sexy, and kind,” James said impatiently. “What’s so ridiculous about it?”
“Because . . . I’m nothing special. I’m chubby and boring and not very smart.”
He turned to Sloan. “You have got to work on her self-esteem. She ought to have a red ass every time she talks down about herself.”
Sloan glared at him over his shoulder. “I’m working on it. Hard to unravel years of her thinking she’s not as good.”
“As good as whom?”
“Her sister,” Sloan replied, but this time he was looking at her. She squirmed. She hadn’t realized he’d worked that out. “Everyone used to tell her how smart and beautiful her sister was. Made Kinley think she couldn’t live up to her.”
“Ridiculous,” James said.
Something inside her warmed at the disbelief on his face. As hard as it was for her to accept, both of these men really did see her as beautiful. Desirable.
“So, if he’s a secret admirer then who is he?”
“Someone who still believes you live in your apartment,” James pointed out. “Which makes me think he hasn’t been watching you at home or he’d have realized you weren’t living there anymore. Who haven’t you told that you’ve moved?”
She rubbed her head. “I don’t know.”
“All right, other way around. Who knows you’ve moved? Your work? People at the club?”
“Our friends at the club know,” Sloan said quietly. “I don’t think you’ve told your boss yet.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t really see the point. I changed my address on file, but he wouldn’t notice that. But it’s not Mike.”
“What about his son?” James asked. “Gary?”
She felt a little ill. “He has been watching me weirdly lately.”
“What?” Sloan barked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Gary’s always been a sleaze. He tries it on with everyone. Doesn’t mean he’s a stalker. And just because someone sent me flowers doesn’t mean they’re a stalker.”
“No,” James agreed. “But it doesn’t mean they’re not.”
“Nothing else has happened,” she pointed out.
“She’s right.” Sloan turned to James, who nodded. “There’s been nothing violent. Nothing threatening.”
“I still don’t like it.”
She didn’t point out that James didn’t really have anything to do with this, and neither did Sloan. Seemed like they’d come together against a common enemy, so to speak. And as overwhelming as having the two of them work together was, she was happy to see it.
“So, what do we do?” she asked.
“Talk to the police,” James said. “They might be able to track him through the florist he used.”
“I don’t remember any logo of a florist on the flowers, do you?” Sloan asked her.
She shook her head.
“I don’t either,” James said. “Do you think it’s possible he’s delivering them himself?”
“Maybe.”
“Does Gary know about Sloan?” James asked.
“Um, no, I guess not. He’s not really someone I talk to if I can help it.”
“If she tells him that she’s moved in with me, he could escalate,” Sloan commented.
“Yes, and if he’s the one delivering the flowers, we could set a trap.”
“A trap?” she asked, feeling ill. “What do you mean?”
“We set up a camera, catch him in the act,” James said.
“I like it,” Sloan replied, looking thoughtful.
She just watched them, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
“What do we do in the meantime, though?” Sloan asked. “I don’t want Kinley alone with this guy.”
James nodded. “No, we can’t allow that.”
Allow? Okay, Kinley, remember, you want them to get along. Don’t snap and ruin it.
“I could hire bodyguards, but that would just alert him that something’s going on,” James said, easily, as though hiring bodyguards was something one did every day. “Kinley will need to take some time off work.”
Before she could open her mouth to protest, Sloan spoke up, “I agree. It’s the only way to ensure she’s safe. She can say she’s sick and then stay in the house. He obviously doesn’t know where she lives now.”
“Still probably wise to have someone here with her,” James said.
“I could probably work from home some of the time,” Sloan stated.
“I could do the same.” James looked a little awkward. “That is, if that’s acceptable?”
Sloan was silent for a moment, thinking. “Yeah, that could work.”
“Um, guys, I hate to break this up. But I can’t just call in sick to work. My boss is a good guy, I can’t lie to him like that.”
Both men shared a look.
“Kinley, this is your safety we’re talking about. When it comes to safety, I’m in charge,” Sloan reminded her, arrogantly.
-->