Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Jameson
Dudley tugs on the leash as he leads me around the corner, headed away from the building that houses Denia’s penthouse.
“Slow down, little guy,” I warn him. “Pace yourself because we’re wandering the streets of Manhattan until I clear my mind.”
I suspect it could take all night or even days, but I’m granting myself an hour to try and screw my head back on the right way.
I’ve been caught up in Sinclair’s spell since we sat down at the pizza place.
I was too close to her.
I knew it was a bad idea, but when she set her sweet ass down next to me, I couldn’t move.
Brushing my leg against hers may have been a mistake, but it felt electric. It woke my cock up, and that was not welcome.
I didn’t want Sinclair to catch sight of my hard-on pressing against the fabric of my suit pants, so I tossed a paper napkin onto my lap.
That did nothing but accentuate the tent in my pants.
My phone vibrates in my jacket pocket, so I fish it out with my free hand.
I read the text message on the screen.
Kalon: I’m turning my phone off in five, so tell me you’re not trailing Sinclair. I’m not bailing you out tonight.
Instead of texting back, I hit the call button.
Kalon answers immediately. “Why the fuck are you calling me right now? Can you not read, James?”
“You’ve got five minutes until your mystery lady lands in your bed.”
“Her bed,” he corrects me. “I’m on my way to her place now. Again, why the fuck are you calling me?”
The sound of a truck horn silences me before I can explain that I had dinner with Sinclair and some of her family.
“Where the hell are you right now?” Kalon questions. “You’re trailing her, aren’t you? Jesus, James. Go home.”
I laugh. “I’m walking her dog. I had dinner with Sinclair and her brother. Her niece was there too.”
Silence lingers between us until he clears his throat. “So you’re saying her plans were with her family, and you grabbed a seat at that table, and now you’re doing her a favor by walking the dog?”
I nod even though he can’t see me. “That about sums it up.”
“That’s progress,” he says. “I’m at my final destination for the day, so I’m signing off for the night. I’ve got to admit I’m surprised Sinclair invited you to her family dinner.”
“She didn’t,” I admit. “Her niece did.”
“She’s too young to realize you’re an asshole,” he quips. “I’ll talk to you when I talk to you, James. My dick owns my time for the rest of the night.”
He ends the call, and I’m grateful because I have no fucking clue how to respond to what he said.
Dudley whines as we slow to wait for a light.
“Your dog is adorable.”
I turn to the right to find a pretty redhead standing beside me.
“What’s her name?” she asks with a tilt of her head.
“His name is Dudley,” I tell her.
“Mine is Tammie with an e.” She smiles.
I nod. “Good to know.”
She glances toward the street ahead of us. “I live close. My cat likes new friends. Do you want to bring Dudley to meet her?”
I catch her eye. She’s offering herself on a silver platter. My dick could own my time for the rest of the night too.
But that’s not what I want.
“Not tonight.” I smile.
She shrugs. “If you live around here, keep an eye out for me. I’m hard to miss, and my offer has no expiry date.”
“Will do,” I say, even though I have no intention of ever crawling into her bed. “Have a good night, Tammie.”
“You too,” she says before pausing as if she’s waiting for me to offer my name to her.
She doesn’t need to know it, so I take off to cross the street the second the light changes.
I may regret not following her home, but I know I won’t regret going back to Denia’s penthouse since Sinclair is there. Even if she doesn’t say another word to me tonight, I’ll fall asleep knowing she’s across the hall. For now, that feels like enough.
I debate knocking on the door to the guestroom that Sinclair is staying in.
It’s late.
It’s been more than three hours since I took Dudley for his first walk of the night. When we got back, he curled up in Denia’s chair, but as soon as he woke up, he wanted in Sinclair’s room.
I opted to take him for another walk. That one lasted more than an hour, and when we got back, I tried to get him into my bedroom, but he wasn’t having any of it.
Now, he’s sitting outside Sinclair’s door with his big brown eyes glued to my face while he whines.
I have no fucking idea if he sleeps with her. I haven’t bothered to check that out since we’ve been living together, but judging by his mood, he’ll pull this mopey act until he is granted entrance to her room.
I glance down at my sweatpants.
I should tug on a T-shirt, but Sinclair has already seen me naked from the waist up, and I’m ready to hit the hay once I get her dog into her room.
I knock softly, stepping back to see if any light streams out from the crack under the door.
Silence and darkness greet me.
Dudley ups the ante by tossing a small bark into the mix.
I shoot him a look, but he ignores me in favor of pawing at the door.
I knock again, slightly louder this time.
I know Sinclair, and being jarred awake will send her into a panic. I witnessed that firsthand when she fell asleep on my shoulder during a study session in high school.
My phone rang. She reacted by flailing her arms in the air, and I ended up with a black eye.
Since I don’t need an unwanted shiner, I take a new approach.
I reach down and circle the doorknob with my hand. It may not be the right thing to do, but I’m tired, and listening to this Yorkie whimper the night away, is not what I need.
I crack the door open.
Before I can get a grip on Dudley, he races into the darkness of the room.
A crash follows.
“Shit,” I whisper. “What the fuck just happened?”
“I’m armed and dangerous,” Sinclair calls out in one hell of a sexy voice. “You don’t want to mess with me.”
My eyes adjust enough that I can see an outline of her as she scrambles out of bed.
Thank Christ that Denia never invested in darkening blinds for this room. Sheer curtains shield the view of Manhattan, but that’s not what I’m looking at.
I can’t tear my gaze away from Sinclair.
She’s nude.
I can only see her silhouette. As she turns to the side to reach for something off the bed, I catch sight of the curve of her hips, and the flat plane of her stomach before my eyes rest on the fullness of her breasts.
I should look away. I know I should, but I’m mesmerized.
Suddenly, she turns her back to me just as she covers her body with a short robe.
“Jameson?” she calls out. “Is that you? Tell me it’s you.”
I hear the tremor of fear in her voice. I can tell that I startled her.
“It’s me,” I say. “I was just letting Dudley into your room for the night.”
“You didn’t…you can’t…” She stumbles over the words as she takes a step toward where I’m standing. “You can’t see me, can you?”
“It’s dark,” I say to deflect. “Dudley ran into something. I heard a crash.”
The lamp on the nightstand turns on. The light bathes her in a soft glow.
Her hair is a mess, and her cheeks are flushed. She’s so fucking beautiful that I forget to breathe.
“It’s a small statue that Denia had on the nightstand.” She glances at the floor. “It’s made of stone, I think. It didn’t break.”
I watch as she moves to pick it up, but she stops herself, gathering the front of the robe in her fist.
“Good,” I murmur, still feeling like I’m in a trance.
“It’s late,” she whispers. “I should go back to bed.”
“Yes,” I say in a rougher tone than I intended. “Goodnight, Sin.”
“Goodnight.” Her voice is soft. “I left some shoes over there by the door. Try not to trip over them on your way out.”
I smile as I back out of the room, not wanting to tear my gaze from her by turning around to leave.
As I step into the hallway, I shut the door with a soft click. I finally draw a rush of air into my lungs as I rest my forehead against the door.
I’ll never be able to erase the image of what I just saw from my memory. I’m damn grateful for that because I never want to forget tonight.