James sighed then pulled back. There was a look of regret on his face before something else entered his gaze. Determination.
Uh-oh.
“My timing’s off,” he murmured. “Rather clumsy of me, really. I’m usually much better at negotiations.”
She frowned. “This isn’t a negotiation. We’re not talking about a business deal.”
He waved a hand. “No, of course not.” A calculating look entered his eyes. She’d never seen him look like this before. As though he were a hunter who’d just spotted some nice, juicy prey.
“All right.” He sat back in his chair.
“All right, what?”
It was kind of juvenile of her, but now that she’d gotten him to back off, she felt miffed he wasn’t fighting harder. That he’d given up so easily.
Grow up, Kinley. Be thankful he isn’t making a big deal about it.
“I’m going to give you what you want.”
“You are? Oh, okay.” Stop feeling so rejected, this is what you wanted. “Could you grab my clothes then?”
He frowned and she knew he was going to protest but there was no way was she staying here. Especially not now. “James, I want to go home. Thank you for everything, but I’m much better now.”
James sighed. “One could wish you weren’t quite so stubborn.”
She smiled despite herself. “I could say the same about you.”
13
Where was she?
Sloan paced up and down his living room. He glanced down at his phone for the hundredth time. Nothing. Each time he tried to call her it went to voicemail. He’d left several messages. He grimaced. Some of the later messages had been a bit curt. He guessed he couldn’t blame her for avoiding his calls, he’d cut her off entirely.
But he’d never thought she’d turn the tables on him. Fuck. He hadn’t handled any of this very well, and now she was so furious at him she wasn’t answering his calls or messages. And she wasn’t at home. So, where was she?
What if something had happened to her? She didn’t have family here. No one from the club had heard from her. And he didn’t know if she had any other friends. Shit. He should know if she had other friends. Should at least know their names. He’d messed it all up.
And now you’ve lost her because you were scared. Scared of how much she was coming to mean to you. Scared you might somehow lose her. And the moment she gave you an out, you took it and ran.
And didn’t that just bite? Big man like you, scared of your feelings for Kinley. Alex had been right. Not that he intended to ever tell the smug bastard that. He was already insufferable.
Screw this. He was going back to her place. She had to turn up sometime today, surely. And he intended to be there when she did. He was going to make her listen to him. He’d do whatever was needed to make her see that what they had was too important for either one of them to throw it away.
The flowers on the doorstep made her pause. They had to be for someone else. A mistake made by the delivery company. Unless . . . she looked up at James, who had stopped next to her.
“Wasn’t me,” he told her, easily understanding her unspoken question. “I’m kind of surprised they’re still here. I’d bet not much remains in place unless it’s locked down around here.”
She let out a puff of air. She’d been listening to him complain about where she lived the entire ride over here. Enough was enough. “It’s not that bad.”
“Right, and I’m sure some people said the plague wasn’t that bad.”
“I don’t think anyone said that.” She resisted rolling her eyes. Barely. At least he hadn’t mentioned moving her to another apartment again. She’d told him exactly what she thought of that. Although, she got the feeling that wasn’t the end of things. Sloan was a bulldozer, you definitely saw him coming. James was a wolf, a hunter, and too damn smart for her own good.
It wasn’t happening. She wasn’t a charity case. She got that James liked to control everything around him. She was not one of those things. But wouldn’t you like to be?
Nope. No way. Give him an inch, he’d take a mile. She’d been too weak to resist him when he’d insisted on taking care of her, but she was feeling better now. Well, sort of. There was still a sick feeling in her tummy, but that had more to do with her life than the virus.
“They must be for someone else.”