29. James
CHAPTER 29
JAMES
It’s not that I didn't know that Hallie's last name is Evans. Of course I knew; her mailbox is right next to mine, so I see the H. Evans printed on it every day. But in all the times I saw that name when collecting my mail, it never, ever occurred to me that Hallie was Mark Evans’s daughter. Just hearing Mark’s name completely floors me. It feels impossible that Hallie and I ended up as neighbors after what transpired between our fathers, let alone what’s happened over the last few days. No wonder Hallie is so pissed at me. She’s probably thinking there’s no way this could be just a coincidence, so she must believe I was setting her up and playing her the whole time. I can’t blame her—I would think the same thing if the roles were reversed.
I’m still processing the situation and trying to figure out what to do about it when the elevator doors open on our floor. Hallie immediately storms off, clearly wanting to get away from me, before I can tell her I had no idea who her father is. I hurry to follow after her, knowing that I have to find a way to convince her that none of this is contrived. It’s all just some crazy accident and it doesn’t have to affect us. But having gotten to know Hallie this week, seeing how stubborn and passionate and protective she can be, I’m sure it’s not going to be easy.
I catch up to her at the room as she’s swiping her key card over and over again, too upset to get it to slide properly.
“Stupid lock doesn’t work,” she mutters, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
I reach for the key slowly and she lets go when I grasp onto it. I try to look into her eyes, but she ducks her head at first, looking away from me. I need her to see me, though—really see me—so I wait patiently, watching her, waiting for her to look up again. When she finally lifts her gaze to meet mine, I look directly into her eyes, hoping she can see the truth and sincerity in mine.
“I didn’t know,” I say softly. She rolls her eyes as more tears pool inside of them. “Hallie. I’m telling you the truth. I’d never do something so underhanded. I know you saw how I brought woman after woman home with me each night, but I never used any of them. Maybe I didn’t call them the next day or make any attempt to see them again, but I was always upfront about what I was looking for. I would never lead someone on, and I would never make someone think I care for them when I don’t. I certainly would never, ever get close to you because of some feud between our fathers. I didn’t know, I swear. I had no idea.”
The tears spill from Hallie’s eyes as she looks at me, trying to figure out if I’m telling her the truth. I can see a mix of pain and betrayal in her gaze, but also a glimmer of hope. I think she wants to believe me. I think she would prefer if this was all some crazy coincidence, and she wasn’t a pawn in some elaborate corporate scheme.
“Look, we just shared something amazing together,” I tell her, searching her eyes for more of that hope I saw. “We can’t let this come between us.”
“How do I know that us isn’t just part of your game,” she says with a sniff.
“Because that’s not who I am,” I say firmly without breaking eye contact. “And if you don’t know that, then maybe you don’t understand me the way I thought you did.”
“How can I understand anything about you?” Hallie scoffs. “I barely know you. You gave me one ride to work and a week later, we’re in bed together.”
“You invited me here,” I remind her. “You set the ground rules. I didn’t pressure you or coerce you in any way. All I did was fall in love with you, and I thought you were falling for me, too.”
“I don’t know what to think,” Hallie says as she exhales, looking down at the floor. She wraps her arms around her abdomen and gives her head a shake. When she looks up, she seems confused. “Do I know you? I know the person you’ve been this week. That’s the person I fell in love with. But how do I know if he’s real?”
“Because I’m telling you he is,” I reply. “That’s me. Not the womanizer. Not someone who would get a woman in bed under false pretenses. I’m the man you’ve seen here on the ranch.”
I know she wants to believe me, but she’s still fighting against it, not wanting to give in and then be proven wrong later on. She’s not one to be played for a fool and she doesn’t want to be humiliated.
“I’m not my dad,” I tell her. “That kind of underhanded trickery is why I left the family business. It cost me everything—my inheritance, the woman I loved, and my place in my family. But it was worth it in the long run. It made me a better person—the person you know.”
My heart is pounding as I stop and take a breath. I can’t tell if I’m making progress or if she still believes I came here with some hidden agenda.
“Should I have told you my last name wasn’t really Cole?” I sigh. “Maybe. But I didn’t think I needed to, the same way you didn’t tell me your father was Mark Evans. Neither of us thought it mattered. We didn’t know who the other person was, so our fathers were irrelevant.”
I gently swipe the key card on the door lock and then open the door a crack.
“I’ll give you some time alone,” I tell her.
Hallie leans back against the door, keeping it propped open as I let go and start to turn away. I only make it a few steps before I hear her voice.
“James, wait.”
I look back at her, at the expression on her face, and for the first time since Chase told everyone my real last name, I start to feel like maybe we can get past this. I step slowly back towards Hallie, standing in front of her, holding my breath.
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” she says. “It just was such a shock. You’re father…”
I lift my hand and gently touch her face, giving her a nod.
“I understand,” I say. “But I told you I love you, Hallie. That’s not something I say lightly. I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“I believe you,” she says. “And I wouldn’t hurt you either.”
Stepping closer, I draw her to me, kissing her lightly before lifting her up into my arms and carrying her into the room.
She pulls at the zipper of her dress so slowly that it’s almost painful for me. I want to step in and do it myself, tugging it down her side in one quick motion. Instead, I wait, letting the anticipation grow inside of me. When the black silk drops to the floor, I take in a slow breath, my eyes sweeping down Hallie’s body, lingering on the swells of her breasts and the curves of her hips. It’s not until she turns around that I notice she’s wearing a thong, and the vision of her ass as she crawls onto the bed is enough to stir my body.
I follow her lead, taking off my suit jacket and unbuttoning my shirt. Standing at the foot of the bed, watching Hallie slowly slip off her bra and panties, I can’t get my pants off fast enough. I fumble with my belt buckle and nearly fall over as I struggle to get my foot out of my pant leg, but the amused smile on her face is worth every extra second it takes me to get to her.
I move next to her on the bed, spooning her from behind and letting my hands roam over her body. She responds quickly to my touch, writhing against me, sighing softly. I want nothing more than to pleasure her all night long, to make up for the last few hours of anger and confusion. I want to devote myself to making her happy, blocking out the rest of the world around us.
Hallie reaches back, looping her arm around my neck and threading her finger through my hair as I move my hand between her legs. She starts to breathe heavier, sighing soft moans. My own arousal builds with each breathless groan. I want to kiss her, to feel her mouth on mine, to release the passion that’s surging inside of me, but I don’t dare move as I push her closer to ecstasy. Her grip on my hair tightens and she lets out a loud groan just before her body blooms for me. She grunts and begs me not to stop, not that I have any intention of doing so. I move my fingers against her, feeling her body pulse, until she takes one last deep breath and then wilts in my arms.
“That was…” she turns and grins before pulling me into a long, languid kiss.
“I’m not done yet,” I respond, moving on top of her. “We’ve got all night.”
We make love slowly, deeply, looking into each other’s eyes in a way I’ve been avoiding for so long. There is nothing superficial, no hurry to finish. I won’t be rolling to my side of the bed when it’s over or reaching for my phone or the remote control. I plan on taking my time, extending our pleasure, making sure she enjoys every second. I’m not the person I was back in California— that was the ruse. I was pretending not to care about anyone, but really, I was just waiting for the right person to come along. Someone worth the risk of getting hurt. Someone who is impossible to keep out, no matter how hard I tried. The ruse was acting like love didn’t matter. The truth is that it’s the only thing that does.
“So where do we go from here?” Hallie asks in a whisper.
I press my forehead against hers, running my hand up and down her arm under the sheets. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in before opening them again. As much as I wish we could just leave our fathers out of it and move forward with the new relationship that’s forming between us, I know there is too much history there to ignore. We’re both wrapped up in the business of our fathers—I left my family because of it and Hallie is doing whatever she can to buy the land my father owns. If we have a future together—and for the first time in a long time I’m actually thinking about the future—we can’t ignore the past.
“I hate that my father is the reason why your family could lose their business,” I sigh, resting my hand on Hallie’s hip. “And I hate that it’s been causing you so much stress that you’ve been jumping through hoops to get this promotion.”
“It’s so much more than just a business,” Hallie says as she sits up, leaning back against the headboard. “The camp is so important to my family because of what we all get out of it. Not just my sister, who looks forward to it every year and who has become a role model for so many other people, but for all of us. I love going there over the summer and helping out when I can. My parents spend all year preparing for those three months, to make sure it’s the best experience possible for the campers. They take classes and stay up to date on autism research; they are advocates within the community; they go above and beyond to make a difference. You wouldn’t believe the number of campers who apply to be counselors once they age out of the camp program. Not only do they love being at the camp, but then they’re able to build a resume to get jobs as adults. The camp isn’t just about my family; it’s about everyone who has ever gone there. It changed my sister’s life…”
Hallie takes a long breath in, holding it for a second as she collects her thoughts. She then shrugs as she exhales.
“I just can’t bear the thought of it coming to an end.”
Without the words to make the situation better, I reach for her, pulling her back towards me. Hallie rests her head on my chest and drapes an arm over me. I wish there was something I could do, but I’m the last person my father is going to listen to at this point. If I were still with the company and had some influence, maybe I could talk some sense into him, but we’ve been too far estranged for too long. I would likely just make things worse.
As Hallie falls asleep in my arms, however, my thinking starts to shift, and I wonder if there is anything I could do to help her. I know it’s going to crush her spirit if the camp gets shut down because the Evanses can’t afford to buy my father out for his half of the land. The last thing I want to do is go to my father. I know he won’t listen to me. He might even go after his old partner with even more force just to spite me if he knows about me and Hallie. My father is ruthless—he makes everything personal. Even if Hallie gets the promotion and the bonus, my father will still find a way to still take the camp back. I’d put money on it.
Looking down at Hallie, I can still see the hurt in her eyes when she found out Rupert Sinclair is my father. I can’t bear to see her hurt like that again, and I know losing the camp will be a hundred times worse. If there’s anything I can do to help, I have to try.
I carefully slip out of bed, leaving Hallie draped over the pillows, and I grab my phone on the way out to the balcony. It’s cold outside and the wind leaves a trail of goosebumps on my arms as I pull up my contacts. With a pit in my stomach, I place the call, trying to swallow down my trepidation.
“Hello?”
“It’s James,” I reply, forging ahead despite my doubts. “I have a favor to ask you.”