“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.
Calm. Calm. Kicking him in the balls was not going to serve her well. Especially not in the mood he was in.
“Yes,” she said, flicking her gaze to James with a hint of embarrassment. But his expression never changed. He was a Dom too, she reminded herself, trying to squelch her jealousy at the thought of him with someone else.
He’s not yours, Sloan is.
It wasn’t that she wanted to replace Sloan with James. No way. Never going to happen.
But sometimes she fantasised about having what Sarah’d had. Except she’d make certain all parties were included, were equally loved and appreciated.
Not going to happen, Kinley. They might be working together at the moment, but that didn’t mean they’d healed the problems between them. And even if they did heal those issues, it didn’t mean they’d both want to be involved with her. But, oh, boy, a girl couldn’t help but dream.
“So, you’re staying home,” Sloan said firmly.
“No.”
She had to stop herself from immediately giving in to him when he sent her an intimidating look. He could give her all the stern looks he liked, she wasn’t afraid of him. He’d never hurt her; he’d harm himself before her. So while she might obey him most of the time when it came to safety, she wasn’t going to now.
“Is this about your debts?” Sloan asked sharply.
She gave him a hard look. That was not something she wanted everyone to know about.
“Debts?” James asked, seeming curious, but there was something in his face, something she couldn’t quite decipher.