Chapter 22
Harper
"Oh, sorry. Am I intruding?" Phe looks between us, and her eyes round.
"Phe." I blush to the roots of my hair. My face feels like it’s on fire.
If she’d walked in just a few seconds earlier, she’d have found me kissing her brother.
I’m so embarrassed.
I’m also reeling from the intensity of that kiss. It blew my mind and shook me to my core.
Now, I recall why I never got over James. It was never just attraction. There’s a charge beneath it, something that burns between us. It makes every moment together impossible to forget.
My thoughts race. My heart somersaults into my throat.
I must look guilty, for her eyes narrow with suspicion.
I want to pull away from James, put more distance between us, but I worry that will only implicate me further. But if I don’t, then it’s going to seem odd to have James squatting down in front of me.
I have a mental image of how the two of us must seem to her, and blush all over again.
She crosses her arms, as if waiting for one of us to explain what we’ve been up to.
“Uh, Phe…” I cringe. "Hi?"
My thoughts race and jump over each other. I’m unable to say anything more.
"Phoenix," James rumbles.
Mr. Unsinkable Soufflé is all composed, like his sister did not walk in on us almost kissing.
Her gaze drops to where my hand is still ensconced in James’ much bigger one.
I try to pull my hand from his, but he holds onto it.
"Let go," I hiss under my breath.
But does he?
Of course, not.
Instead, he sits down on the couch next to me and releases my hand, only to wrap his arm around me and tuck me into his side.
Heat pours off of him and envelops me. It makes me want to rub up against him like a contented cat, no matter that his sister is watching us with a stunned expression on her face.
I manage to compose myself and turn to my best friend. "Phe, what are you doing here?”
"I said I'd come check on you both." Her gaze moves between us. "Looks like I didn't need to worry."
I want to sink through the floor. James stays immovable.
Her eyes narrow as she studies us. “Connor’s not far behind. He stopped to talk with some of the staff.”
She seems calm. Though that might be because she’s an ER doctor and deals with crises almost every second of her working day.
Still, she’s taking this very calmly.
She hasn't even asked us what we were up to. For which I’m grateful.
But also taken aback.
She plants a hand on her hip and waves her other hand between us. "So, the two of you, huh?"
"I can explain." I try to rise to my feet and move toward her.
'Try' being the operative word, for Captain Unflappable here holds me back.
I dig my elbow into his side, but it’s like I’m poking the side of a building. He doesn’t feel it, or at least, doesn’t react to it.
Phe taps her chin. "So, the two of you are involved?"
"Umm, actually—" I begin, but James cuts me off.
"We’re getting married.”
Phe’s jaw drops. "Married?" She shakes her head. "The two of you are getting married?" She wheezes, then holds onto her sides.
Oh no. She’s upset with us. I knew it. I knew I shouldn’t have acted on my attraction to her brother. Now, I’ve risked our friendship, which is so important to me.
"I’m so sorry, Phe. We were going to tell you." I hunch my shoulders. "We should have told you earlier. It’s as much a shock to us as to you, honestly. I really hope you don’t hold it against us, and—"
The wheezing dissolves into a chuckle, then breaks into a bright peal of laughter. She beams at us.
“I’m not angry at the two of you. Far from it.”
She skips over to stand before us.
“I am sooo happy. So very happy. I knew there was something between you from the moment I saw you two together at the bar all those years ago.”
“You did?” I trade a look with James.
Surprise flickers across his face, sharp and fleeting.
And here I thought, Phe would be horrified by the idea of me wanting her brother. Instead, she looks like she’s just witnessed the ending to her favorite love story.
“But you never mentioned each other. I thought I’d imagined it. And once you started working for James, you kept complaining about him.” She tilts her head, eyes dancing. “I was convinced you hated him.”
She eases back and studies us, her gaze moving slowly from me to him.
“Now, it makes sense.”
“What?” I frown.
She flashes a triumphant grin. “That was foreplay.”
“Foreplay?” Heat rushes up my neck. I try to edge away again, but James keeps me tucked against his side, his hand firmly around my waist.
His mouth twitches, the ghost of a smile he refuses to release. He’s calm, composed, and infuriatingly unshaken. I swear, an explosion could rip through the room, and he’d barely blink. Considering his past, it probably has.
She’s wrong.
Yes, there’s heat between James and me, a spark that snaps and flares when we’re too close.
But I also loathe him as my boss. My snapping at him and storming off was not foreplay.
It was desperation. Frustration. A sign that I’d had enough.
And that’s what got me into trouble and landed me in this position.
Still, she looks so delighted with her conclusion that I don’t have the heart to shatter it. Maybe, this is how she’s making peace with our marriage. Maybe, this is the story she needs.
“So…you’re not upset that he and I…are…you know…”
"—getting married," James supplies.
I shoot him a sideways glance.
Phoenix claps her hands. "I’m really happy for you guys, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not surprised."
She turns to James.
"Did not expect to see the day my bachelor of a brother would agree to be tied down, but if there’s anyone who can tame you, it’s my darling best friend.
" She places her hands on my shoulders and leans in, kissing me on both cheeks. "I’m really chuffed. But I hope you know what you’re getting into. "
Yeah, me too.
"You’re too good for him." She leans back and flashes me another smile.
"I agree." James’ expression turns serious. "No one’s prouder or happier or more shocked than me that she said yes."
He seems so sincere, he could fool me. If I didn’t know the real reason, the real story, I would have sighed.
Like Phe does.
James raises my hand and kisses my fingertips. "I don’t deserve you."
I gape at him.
The arctic freeze is gone. The Ice Commander who barked orders and wielded silence like a weapon has been replaced by someone I barely recognize. Someone whose eyes are locked on mine with an intensity that makes my pulse stutter.
His gaze is devastating. Those blue eyes are the color of bruised storm clouds, the North Sea in a squall. They hold something raw. Unguarded. Vulnerable.
No one looking at him right now would doubt his sincerity. He's wearing every emotion on his face like he's forgotten how to hide. Like a lifetime of carefully constructed walls just…evaporated.
Which is impossible.
Because this is James. The man who spent three decades perfecting emotional lockdown. The Ice Commander doesn't do feelings. He contains them. Buries them. Weaponizes their absence.
It doesn’t compute. Then it dawns on me that he’s acting.
I’m relieved. And disappointed. For a teeny-tiny moment there, I hoped for his words to be real.
But this is part of the arrangement we agreed to. He’s putting on an act in front of Phe.
Relieved I didn’t make a fool of myself by falling for his performance, I decide to play along.
I smile up at him coyly. “Oh, honeybun, it’s I who doesn’t deserve you. No one was more surprised than me when you proposed. You swept me off my feet, sugarplum.”
He winces.
Clearly, he doesn’t like the nicknames I came up with. Well, too bad. That’s the best I can do for now.
“I’m just getting started.” He dips his chin and looks into my eyes. “Wait until you see the surprises I have lined up for you, Ember.”
I blink. Ember. Is that a nickname? A warmth fills me. I quite like it.
Our gazes meet and hold. The air between us heats. My lips part. Our shared kiss from earlier is still fresh in my mind.
When his nostrils flare, I realize, he feels this pull between us again.
"I knew when you fell it’d be so bad, you wouldn’t see anything but the woman you gave your heart to.”
Instantly, both James and I pull back.
I look away, breaking the connection between us, then tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
“It’s…uh…it’s not like that,” I stutter out.
A part of me absently notices that I’ve lost another hair tie.
"What do you mean?" Phe looks between us again. Then pales. "You’re not— Are you pregnant?"
"She’s not," James interrupts her. "Harper is simply getting used to the idea that we’re meant to be together. It’s my fault, really.
I’ve been trying so hard not to show the rest of the team in the kitchen that I have feelings for her.
That I’ve been overtly standoffish with her.
And I’ve worked her harder than anyone else.
So, when I finally told her the true state of my heart, she found it difficult to accept it.
And then I sprang my proposal on her. It’s been a lot. "
"But—" I begin.
He takes both of my hands in his. "It’s been a long day. And it’s going to be a busy dinner service. I’m glad I got to see you between services. Especially since, I won’t be able to catch up with you until after dinner. An entire six hours without you. How am I going to last?”
Umm, he’s laying it on thick. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and pat his cheek. “I’m sure you’ll find a way, cupcake.”
I would've expected The Ice Commander to tell me off about the nicknames I’m coming up with, but all he does is frown. There’s no other reaction from him. I’m impressed.
“When are you two moving in together?” Phe asks brightly.
"We haven’t—" I begin.
"—discussed it yet." James completes my sentence. "But we’re getting married soon, so it won't be too much of an issue."
I nudge him with my elbow. Hard. Enough that he stills.
"Of course, we'll need to decide together." He looks down at me with a fond expression.
And I'm almost fooled, but I resist. Because this cad? He knows exactly how to fool his sister.
But I’ve worked closely with him long enough to know he can turn on the charm when he wants to get his way. And that is precisely what he’s doing now.
He’s trying to steamroll me with his charisma. He’s in for a surprise if he thinks I’m going to agree with everything he says.
"I’m old-fashioned that way. I don’t think we should live together until we get married.” I flutter my eyelashes at him.
He blinks.
Clearly, not thinking I’ll have an opinion contrary to his.
But then he recovers. "Of course. That’s understandable. I’m sorry if I took you for granted."
"You apologized to her." Phoenix turns to me. "Do you know how many times I’ve heard my I-am-always-right, older brother apologize to anyone?" She throws up her hands. "It’s in the low single digits."
"Yeah.” Feeling dazed, I rub at my temple.
"This must be true love." Phe bounces on her heels. "I’m so happy. I can’t believe it."
“Can’t believe what?” Her husband Connor stands in the doorway.
Phe turns to him happily. “James and Harper are getting married.”