Sloan followed him through a bland entryway to an elevator. They stood in awkward silence as the elevator made its way up to the top floor. He walked behind James into an equally bland apartment. It wasn’t quite what he’d expected. The house he’d lived in with James and Sarah had been huge, a mansion, complete with a grand staircase, marble in the bathrooms and kitchen, and a reception room large enough to host fifty people. This was modest by comparison.
“I sold the place in New York after you left,” James said suddenly. “Too much for one person.”
“It was too much for three,” Sloan countered. “Never felt like much of a home.”
“No,” James said sounding reflective. “I guess it didn’t, did it? Now I have apartments like this where all my main offices are.”
It sounded lonely. Sloan frowned, not wanting to feel sorry for the bastard.
“Drink?” James asked.
Sloan shook his head. “I’m taking Kinley to the club later.”
“So, you’re still part of the scene? Kinley’s your sub.”
It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway. He could sense a longing in James when he spoke of Kinley. No one else would have noticed, but Sloan had known James a long time. “Yes, she is.”
James poured himself a large scotch then sat in a brown, leather armchair. Sloan forced himself to sit on the sofa opposite, resisting the urge to walk back out the door. He was no coward and, as Kinley had told him, he needed closure.
“She’s well?” There was a dullness to James’s voice, but Sloan could tell by the very lack of emotion how interested he was in the answer.
Yes, she was his, and she would stay his. Whatever James felt for Kinley would just remain a longing, an interest. Nothing more. That’s the way he wanted it. And if he wasn’t totally convinced of that, he chose to ignore the sliver of doubt.
“She is. I’ve made certain of that.”
James nodded. “When she quit, I guessed you’d worked things out between you.”
“She’s living with me now.”
She’d resisted at first, but there hadn’t seemed much point in keeping two places when she spent every night in his arms anyway. Not everything was that easy, of course. They’d had a number of arguments. They were coming to some sort of arrangement, though. He tried not to be too overprotective, and she promised not to go for his balls.
“Good. I’m glad you’re happy.” There was a funny look on James’s face. It made Sloan realize he couldn’t read the other man as easily as he once had. “You took longer to come than I thought you would.”
“Always was stubborn.”
James smiled. “That you were. Stubborn and funny. Loyal.”
“Yeah, followed you around like a dog, didn’t I? Let you lead me anywhere you wanted me to go.” He was aware of the bitterness in his voice but couldn’t help it.
“Really? You think I always led?” James looked thoughtful. “I suppose I did make a lot of decisions, but I don’t think I was necessarily the leader. When you wanted something, you went out and got it. Without consulting me.”
The air left his lungs in a whoosh. Had Kinley been right about James and Sarah?
“You’re talking about when I proposed to Sarah.”
Those dark eyes remained calm, but he knew he was right. “Did you ever love her?”
James tapped his finger against his glass. “No. I cared about her, at least in the beginning.”
“Then why?”
“Why did I agree to her moving in? Because I like to be needed, and she needed me. And because you loved her, and I loved you.”
Even though he was still angry at James, the past tense of that “loved” hurt him a little.
“So, you let her move in because you wanted me to be happy?”
“That was part of it. But, like I said, I liked how much she needed me. That I could provide for her. And the sex was amazing.”