“Oh, just how Ash is going to love that this happened.” I pick up my fork for something to distract me as James slides into the chair across from me and starts dishing up his food.
He smirks. “I’m sure she will have the same reaction as Ryder when he finds out.” He shakes his head. “He’s insufferable, but…” James lets his shoulders drop and his eyes soften as calmness radiates off of him. "He's family, along with Alester. They’re all I have left.”
I rub my socked foot against his leg under the table. “They’re lucky to have you.” Before things can get heavy for him again, I add, “Plus, now you have me, and I come with Ashlyn, who can keep Ryder busy for you.” We both laugh before finally eating breakfast.
I try to casually glance at James, but every time I do, he’s looking right at me.Ugh. I can feel my annoying face heating again.I wish he’d stop looking at me for a second, so I can blatantly stare at him. If I were braver, I would just suffer the eye contact, but I’m not. I decide to shift the conversation again instead. “I forgot to ask. What do you and your cousins do for work? Specifically.”
“We work for a marketing firm. They want to expand to a new location, so we proposed Shadowbrook as an option.” He shrugs. “We wanted to be closer to our family.”
“What company?” I ask. I saw the name of the company at the club, but I doubt he noticed. I hadn’t heard of them expanding to another new location, much less the midwest, and I make sure to keep tabs on all of the marketing firms new opportunities in this area. It must be under lock and key until the big announcement.Interesting.
He leans back, watching me. He bites the side of his lip before he answers.“The Edward Corporation.”
He blinks like he didn’t just drop a huge bomb. The Edward Corporation is a prestigious marketing firm known to produce the best work and the happiest employees. If someone gets hired there, they always retire with them. “You work for The Edward Corporation.” I whistle. “No wonder you have everything you do. They’re the largest firm to pop out of nowhere. They’ve been taking over large sections in marketing from coast to coast.”
My mind is spinning in overdrive. Maybe he could refer me to his boss, just to get my foot in the door. I mull my lip. No, I don’t want to ask him for help because then it feels like this is a transaction, and I really don’t want that to happen. I’m sure he gets requests like that all the time. But maybe I could at least add it to my resume that I know the cousins. Then it wouldn’t feel like I’m using the man I’m growing to like more and more.
James waves his hand in front of my face. I pull myself out of my hyper anxiety reel. “I said, you’ve heard of our company?”
I clear my throat and put on my nonchalant face. “Well, yes. Obviously. Everyone has heard of The Edward Corporation. It’s legendary in the marketing world.” I get up and start bringing dishes to the sink. “That sounds like a cool place to work. My bosses were always terrified of it, anyways.”
He chuckles and helps with the dishes.
“Yeah, it’s been a really great opportunity.” Hefollows me to the small sink as we stack empty dishes for washing. Then he gives me a pointed look. “You should get back to painting. It’s why you came here, after all.”
“But I can clean…” I start.
“No no no. I’m grown. I can handle the dishes, and then I need to bring more wood to the cabin and check on things outside, so I’ll be out of your hair for a while.” He starts washing, not bothering to look back.
I’m honestly so conflicted. I’ve never had a man wash my dishes before, but it’s kind of nice. After watching for a few seconds, I realize he’s right. I need to get to work or I’m never going to land a design job like I want to.
I go to the bedroom and look through my limited clothing for something to paint in today. I can’t get paint on his sweater, that will have to be my evening wear. I fold the sweater and place it on the dresser, opting for a black silk set. The shorts and crop T-shirt are lined with lace. It’s a good thing James is able to keep the living room warm with the fire, or I’d be a popsicle already.
I glance in the mirror hanging by the door. I take in my hair. It’s a little wavy from sleeping and frizzy in places, so I smooth it down and in place as much as possible without getting it wet.
I shrug at my reflection. “Time to get to work or you’ll be homeless,” I tell myself. It’s not fully true. I could move in with my mom, but that would be a nightmare. Maybe Jaz or Ash would let me crash at their place.No. I will make this work. I will get a job with my work.
I point at myself in the mirror and walk out of the room straight to my easel.
I can feel him watching me, silently. I’m not sure when he came in from collecting more firewood. I have been so deep in this painting I’m not even sure how much time has gone by. I set my brush on the stool holding my supplies and stretch.
His steps are hesitant at first, then I feel his hands kneading the knots out of my neck. “You are more talented than you realize,” he whispers as he places a kiss below my ear. Tingles race through my body, ready for more.
“Mmm.” I lean into him, closing my eyes.
He lightly grips my chin, tilting it towards his mouth. “I’m serious. I?—”
I capture his mouth with mine. I’ve never been able to take compliments. Not since my mom told me I would never amount to anything by following my dreams. Anytime I had a piece in an art show, she’d tell me she didn’t have the time to see it, and Dadjust followed her lead. But you bet your ass we were there for every event my little sister did. It didn’t matter if she was just trying something new or had been to a game every week. We couldn’t miss those. Now mom is busy throwing herself into every event imaginable, while Dad is off exploring new cities and starting a new family for all we know. I shouldn’t care, but there’s always a small part of me that does.
I push the thoughts to the back of my mind into their neat little box I keep them locked away in and come back to the present. Slipping my fingers through James’s hair, I pull him closer, deepening the kiss and causing a growl to rumble up his throat. His hands slide down my back and over by bare cheeks where my shorts have ridden up, and he uses his leverage to lift me against his hard body. I can feel his length pressing against my center. I grind against him.
James pulls his lips from mine, and I open my mouth to protest. “I need to be inside you,” he whispers into my hair. My heart beats faster in anticipation. He looks up into my eyes, waiting.
I bite my lip with a smirk. “God, yes.”
“There’s a problem though.”
I hold in a whine. “What?”
