James gets up from his crouch and sits down on the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. “Hey, don’t cry. I didn’t mean it like that. I understand now. Jett told me about how things are now. I know it’s not what you wanted and how awful this must be for you.”
She jerks back enough to crane her neck to look at him. “You do?”
He nods, unable to keep his hand from wiping the tears off her pink cheeks. “I do.”
There it is again. God, she’s so fucking sweet. And vulnerable. That urge to get her beneath him bubbles up inside him. But this time it’s to protect her from the world and give her whatever she desires. Whetherit’s pleasure or friendship.Fuck.He goes stiff as the thoughts rattle him to his core.
He’s never held a crying woman before. Perhaps this is a normal reaction that will pass once she fixes her makeup. That must be it. He never saw his mother or sister shed a tear. He assumes it happened in private, but they just raised their chins and pressed on.
If that isn’t it, he’s totally screwed. Because he can’t handle her like this. Handle himself being the one who caused it.
They sit there, searching each other’s expressions for long moments. This is why he tried to keep the distance between them. A draw like this is unnatural.
“We should probably go back in there.” Her whispered words are reluctant, as if she senses the charged pull between them and is awed by it, instead of mildly horrified like he is.
Kate pulls out of his arms, standing, but he grabs her wrist before she moves too far away. “I’m going to do it, okay?”
“Do what?” she asks, like she doesn’t already know.
Like he isn’t being vague because he doesn’t want to say it. To spell it out. Because it still feels like a surrender, even with his new understanding. “Flirt with you. And if it becomes real, and I do anything you don’t like or that makes you uncomfortable, tell me. Okay?”
She studies him for a moment. “Okay.” She walks away, keeping her back to him as she says, “Don’t worry. I understand that nothing between us will be real. I won’t get confused.”
13 – An Electrical Charge
James
An hour and a half later, Lessa finally convinces Kate to end the practice session. “It will be so much easier in a real-life scenario,” they say. The others all know they’ve been gunning for the promised cocktails. It doesn’t take much arm-twisting.
At the bar on the ground level of Tower CA26, James sits to Kate’s right, arm lazily lying across the back of her chair. She angles her body toward him, giggling at something Jett says. James isn’t listening. He is too focused on the knee that keeps brushing against his under the table. At the little jolts of electricity that make him want to angle his body away from her. To run screaming in the other direction. But he can’t, for his own sake. And he now knows if he does, Kate will think it means the exact opposite of what it actually means. Then the waterworks will start again. Then he’ll get that sick feeling againat having caused it. Really, every action he takes revolves around self-preservation.
Kate’s delicate hand waves through the air as she conveys the details of his awakening. Then it lands on his thigh. He glances around the bar, grateful to be in a corner booth, out of earshot of the other patrons. Once he feels secure, his focus goes back to her hand. Her fingers are now drawing ovals up and down the inside of his thigh.
As they trace dangerously upward, he covers her hand with his own before it can roam any further. She starts, turning her attention to him. He lets his eyes smile as he brings her hand to his lips for a kiss. Then he sets their clasped hands on the table.
“Out of character!” Jett announces from across the table.
James groans. This has become a game for them.
“A manupartner would gladly allow Kate’s hands to wander freely,” Lessa interjects.
Kate squeezes his hand, speaking low so only he can hear. “Sorry. I didn’t realize that would make you uncomfortable.”
He looks at her. Really looks at her. The concern in her shining eyes causes him physical pain. He takes her hand and places it back on his thigh, then brushes a lock of hair away from her temple. He really, really wishes her friends weren’t sitting across from them, gleefully observing the spectacle. What feels like such an intimate moment isn’t for their eyes. Still, he cups the corner of her jaw, capturing her attention. “You are perfect and have nothing to apologize for. Act natural. I’ll adjust.”
“But . . . I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Sweet, sweet Kate. Jett’s assessment was correct. He was so blinded by the shock of waking up in the future, he hasn’t been assessing her accurately. She’d never intentionally do anything to harm him. That only makes this harder. And if she pulls back because of something he does and the inspector gets suspicious, it’s his life. He shouldn’t have moved her hand. There is only one way to convey this to her. So he looks into her eyes and tells her the truth.
“Kate, when you touch my leg like that, I promise,uncomfortableisn’t what I’m feeling.” Why did his voice get low like that? And gravelly. What is he doing?
Kate’s mouth falls open, exposing her rosy tongue. He wants to slide his thumb into her mouth and see if she’ll lick it. Suck it.
Fuck. What is wrong with him? Why do his thoughts always turn sexual with her?
He drops his hand, adjusting in his seat to shift the straining fabric of his pants. Kate’s nails are digging into his thigh now. He leans and whispers into her ear, “Easy,” as he encloses her hand with his. The moment their skin touches, her fingers relax.
As the heat of the moment dissipates, Decci appears with a tray of drinks. He surveys the four of them. His voice comes out singsong as he asks, “Did I miss something?” The manupartner passes out the drinks as if he wouldn’t register the answer to his question if someone supplied it.
