This was not what he’d expected.
James ran a hand down his face, wondering how he’d ended up in Ava’s apartment. No, he knew how he’d gotten there he just couldn’t believe he hadn’t managed to come up with an excuse to get out of it. He’d played Jackson long enough and now had entered dangerous territory.
He closed his eyes and reimagined the scene in the men’s room in the restaurant. He should have taken Jackson’s shirt and thrown it back at him. He should have forced him to get through the evening and said they’d talk about it later. Maybe he should have bribed him. His brother loved classic cars. He could have said he’d buy him one. Instead, he’d listen to him and now he was sitting on a couch that felt as comfortable as a cement block. Or maybe that was just how he was feeling, he couldn’t seem to get comfortable.
He pounded his fist on the cushion and swore when pain shot through his hand. No, it was the couch. It was hard as stone. He lifted the fitted sofa cover to see what it was made out of and paused when he saw stacks of hardcover books—some textbooks, some coffee table books. What the heck?
James crouched down and lifted the cover higher just to make sure. They were books alright, but were they real? He poked a spine with his forefinger surprised when it shifted. They were actually real books not fakes fused together. Who makes furniture out of books? Did his brother know about this?
“Do you want anything to eat?” Ava called out to him from the kitchen where the smell of coffee was filling the air.
James gently tried to put the book back in place, but failed. “No, I’m fine.” He let the sofa cover fall and sat back on the couch, wincing when he sat down too hard. At least he knew one thing; Ava didn’t expect him to get comfortable.
Ava hummed with malicious pleasure as she prepared coffee. She knew James was sweating in the other room and she planned to enjoy every second of it. She’d almost laughed at the expression of shock on his face when she’d told him to drive her home after dinner had ended and people started to leave.
“I said I would what?” he said, while helping her put on her coat.
“Drive me home.” She smiled up at him over her shoulder. “Don’t you remember?”
“Yes, of course.” He looked towards Jackson who was talking to Flo. “Let me just—”
Ava looped her arm through his, trapping him. She wouldn’t let him get away and switch places again. She’d make him pay a little for his deception. “They’ll be fine.”
“I know but—”
She led him towards the exit before he could catch his brother’s attention. “We’ve already said our goodbyes.”
“But Rudy—”
“Is with James. It’s not like you to worry. You know that James takes care of everything.”
His jaw twitched. She hid a grin knowing she’d struck a nerve. He nodded and held the door open for her. “Right.”
She paused. “You don’t sound happy. I thought you looked forward to spending some time alone with me.”
He nodded again, his expression briefly becoming more resolute before it softened into a smile. “I did—uh do.” He winked. “I was just building up for tomorrow night.”
She returned his smile then walked past him and let it fall as she headed out into the parking lot. The warm spring evening breeze brushed her skin and the scent of roses from the bushes lining the restaurant greeted her. She would have enjoyed the aroma if she hadn’t been annoyed. Her heels clicked along the gravel path, her black skirt whispering against her legs. It took her a moment to realize hers was the only footsteps she heard. Had he abandoned her? Had he taken this chance to run back inside? She stopped and spun around, gasping in shock when he loomed over her.
James stopped short and stared at her with a frown. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I didn’t expect you to be so close.”
“If you hadn’t stopped, I wouldn’t have ended up so close.”
“I was just checking to see that you were still there.”
“Why wouldn’t I be here?”
It was a good question, but she’d gotten suspicious because she’d barely been able to hear his footsteps. How could a man of his size walk so softly? She was certain Jackson made his every step known. “I thought you may have changed your mind about seeing my place. You’d said you wanted to.”
His voice cracked. “I did?”
Ava had to stop a smile. “Yes, you wanted to see what it was like.”
“But—but I thought I was just supposed to drive you home.”
“To see my place. Don’t you remember?” She frowned. “How much have you had to drink?”
James snapped his fingers clearly finding a way out of having to take her home. “That’s right. I shouldn’t drive.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll get you a—”
She pushed the cell phone away. “You hardly drank anything, which isn’t like you. Stop stalling. I’m ready to go.” She walked to Jackson’s car then slowed her gait when an unsettling thought hit her. What if James didn’t have his brother’s car keys? What if James said he’d left them inside and the brothers switched on her again? Did she really care?
To her relief the sound of Jackson’s red Porsche unlocking answered her question. At least he was thorough. James opened the passenger door for her.
“It’s going to be a long day tomorrow,” he said.
Ava slid into the passenger seat then looked up at him. “I’m not asking you to spend the night.” She crossed her legs and noticed his gaze looking at her skirt. “Unless…”
He looked away. “I think I see James—”
“No, you don’t,” she said impatient. If he did stall long enough, his brother would come out and ruin her plans. “Come on, you know I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
He hesitated then got in the car.
Ava remembered the silent car ride as she poured the coffee. Now she had him exactly where she wanted him, sitting on her couch, not knowing what to do.
His discomfort in the car had been delicious. It was even more so when he entered her apartment. Watching James playacting the role of the sexy Jackson was a study in contrasts. Although Jackson had never been to her apartment, Ava knew the first thing he would do was ask for a drink, as he checked his reflection in a glass clock she had near the door; he’d send a cursory glance at the large window, noticing the window trim and light fixtures, he liked to pay attention to details like that, before taking a seat, complaining that it was too hard, and teasing her to not take too long.
James, on the other hand, didn’t notice the clock or the window, but instead noticed the hand woven rug in the middle of her living room, picked up a magazine she’d absently thrown on the floor and set it on her coffee table. He didn’t take a seat until she refused his offer to help her in the kitchen and when he did, he pretended the couch was comfortable, even though it wasn’t. He did it all with Jackson’s flair but without his carelessness.
However, the biggest difference between the two was that James took up too much space. Jackson would have entered her apartment like a cool breeze, swift and light; James was like a humid summer, making everything feel close and tight, making her want to open a window and strip down. Punishing him came at a price because the same feeling had followed her in the car, making Jackson’s Porsche feel like a Mini Cooper.
But she’d get rid of James soon. Unfortunately, not the memory of him making her two bedroom apartment feel as large as a tiny closet, so that was fine. She returned to the living room and a soft smile touched her lips when she saw him sitting with his hands gripped on his knees and head lowered like a condemned man. He obviously didn’t like doing this deception. That was good, he had a conscience. But then why do it? What was Jackson up to?
Ava set the tray down on the coffee table. “Having second thoughts?”
James’s head shot up and he stared at her alarmed. “No, no.”
“You don’t look happy.”
He looked at her for a long moment. “What’s with you and me being happy?”
She bit her lip, he was right. That was out of character for her. She had to be more careful and not try to push this too far.
“I guess I’m a little nervous about tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow will be fine. Thank you,” he said when she handed him the coffee. He moved over giving her more room on the couch. Another small slip. Whenever they went out, whether to a movie or formal event, Jackson always stayed in place. James was too considerate for his own good.
“I don’t believe you.”
He sipped the coffee. “Why not?”
“Because you haven’t touched me all evening.”
Ava inwardly smiled, biting the inside of her cheek. She could picture his mind racing for a response. What do you say to that James?
At first he didn’t move and she wondered if he’d heard her. He stared at his coffee, he was so still she wondered if he was even still breathing. She was about to say something else when he set the cup down on the coffee table with a soft click. He turned to her and said, “I wanted to wait for us to be alone.” And although that was exactly something Jackson would say the look in his eyes was pure James. Pure, unadulterated James and it was a heady sensation to be captured under that serious, penetrating gaze that dared her to look away while a hypnotic heat that seemed to fill the air around him, drew her close.
Her heart responded. She knew she should stop him now. Call him out. Throw him out. Get him out of her apartment—now. But she didn’t. She didn’t move, waiting to see what he would do next. She’d given him enough time alone to text his brother and get instructions on how to proceed. She expected another smooth line and then he’d leave.
“I see,” she said, crossing her legs, but this time his heated gaze didn’t leave her face.
He kissed her.
With no hesitation. Like a eagle swooping down to capture its prey. She’d never seen James as a predator before, but now she did. She felt it the moment his lips touched hers. A shiver of fear coursed through her as she realized she’d fallen in his trap. She’d underestimated him.
It had been a dangerous mistake to believe that his concern for his mother and brother, his soft footsteps and considerate acts were the actions of a weak man.
He was more controlled and calculating than that. His every gesture and move was not by accident, but design. She hadn’t realized he’d kept her off-balance all evening until this moment when he’d been prepared to strike, giving her no recourse to deny him, claiming her as if she were his woman.
He pulled away, his voice a velvet whisper against her lips. “That’s just a taste of things to come.”
Another smooth Jackson line that sounded completely different coming from James. It felt like a promise. A promise she wanted him to keep. She stared at him wanting to be afraid, wanting to hate him but instead feeling aroused, excited.
She covered her mouth with a trembling hand and rose to her feet putting much needed distance between them. Rage and desire warring within her. How could he treat her like this? How could he make her feel this way?
“What’s wrong?” James rose to his feet and looked at her alarmed, that same expression he’d had when she’d told him to drive her home. How could a man be deceitful and innocent at the same time?
She pounded him in the chest with her fist, not enough to hurt him but enough to release some of her frustration. He didn’t flinch or even blink, he continued to look at her in a way that made her want to shake him and kiss him at the same time. “You should go.”
He rested his hands on his hips and sighed. “Ava—”
“Just go.”
“It will be better tomorrow. I promise.” He flashed a Jackson grin. “I’m not on my A game tonight. Don’t worry, I’ll—”
“I’m not worried,” she said in a flat tone.
“Good.”
“Are you?”
He shook his head. “No. I want this.”
She looked into his eyes wishing she could read his mind, but unable to hold his gaze long she looked away. “Good.”
He walked to the door. “Tomorrow will be better.”
She opened the door for him. “Because we’ll be husband and wife.”
He walked through then turned to her. “Right.”
“And you’d better show up. I won’t take being the jilted bride well.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good.” She waved goodbye then closed the door. “Or there will be hell to pay.”