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I swallowed hard, almost afraid to ask. “How bad?”
When he didn’t answer, I felt a painful lump form in my throat, my chin trembling. James moved immediately, scooping me up into his arms and taking my spot on the couch. He held me as tight as he could without hurting me.
“I’m sorry. I’ll replace everything, it’s going to be okay.”
I shook my head, choking back a sob. This day just seemed to be getting worse and worse. I curled against him, trying to soak in his calming presence. “Did you find out who?”
“Not entirely. I’m thinking it might be the guy from the convention. With the amount of damage, and the fact that they chased you, it doesn’t seem like any normal break in. It seems personal.”
I frowned. That didn’t sound like Kyle. I mean sure, he’s a douche of epic proportions, but he’s also not that stupid. And how would he have accomplished it? There was a lot more than one person there and I doubted he was in a gang or something. It just seemed way out of left field. Then again, so did the pictures so what do I know?
“For now, I want you to stay here with me. It’s safer. I brought your clothes. I also found your phone on your bed under the blankets. You must’ve dropped it when you were getting out.” He pulled it out of his pocket, handing it to me. I tossed it lightly onto the cushions by my feet. I wasn’t interested in checking my messages anymore.
James nudged my temple with his chin, kissing me lightly when I looked up at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, sighing heavily. “I’m ready for this day to be done.”
He ran his fingers through my hair, leaning his cheek against me. “I know, baby. I’m sorry. Let’s get you upstairs. You need to rest.”
* * *
I spentthe rest of the afternoon holed up in James’s room watching anime on my phone and pretending my entire life wasn’t being tossed upside down. James came in and out, spending whatever free time he had cuddling me, which made me feel a little bit better. It wasn’t until dinner that he urged me to come out and join everyone downstairs. I grimaced.
“Do I have to?”
He curled around me, kissing the back of my neck. “No, but I think you should. You’ll get depressed cooped up in here.”
I let the phone fall onto the bed, pulling his arms closer around me. “You are seriously underestimating how introverted I am. Hiding away in my room is my superpower.”
He chuckled. “You seemed fine at the convention.”
“That’s different. I was in a costume. It’s easier to pretend I am good around others if I’m pretending to be someone else. Besides, I don’t think anyone on the planet could meet Jo and not instantly be friends with her.”
I felt him shrug. “She wasn’t always that way. She had it pretty rough for a while, making friends was hard for her. But since moving in with Liam, she’s been trying harder, putting herself out there. I think it helped that everyone here accepted her and made her feel welcome. I want you to meet them too.”
I rolled over, facing him. “You always seem happy when you talk about them, even if they overwork you.”
A ghost of a smile passed over his face. “They’re my brothers.”
“What about your own family?”
His face darkened. “I didn’t have one. I grew up in the system, being passed around foster care until I met Liam. His family took me in and I’ve stuck with him since.”
I pouted. “You know, you’re making it really hard for me to hate him.”
He chuckled, kissing me lightly. “Why do you hate him?”
“Because he’s the worst cockblocker of the century. I swear, he must have some kind of radar for when we are together.”
James laughed, rolling onto his back and pulling me with him. I ended up curled against his side using his chest as a pillow.
“Don’t hate Liam, baby. He’s gotten a lot better since Jo came into his life. He used to work for days straight without stopping. That’s why he hired Marcus and Andre because he’d forget to take care of himself. He was barely eating. Now, if someone mentions work while Liam is eating, Jo threatens to shoot them. It’s effective, people don’t go anywhere near the kitchen with work stuff anymore and Liam is a lot more easy going.” His fingers trailed over my arm to my shoulder and I melted against him. James wasn’t overly chatty so just listening to him talk was perfect. It wasn’t even about lust right now, we were just enjoying each other’s company. At least, until someone knocked on the door.
I fought a scowl. He cared about the people here and he obviously wanted them to come to him if they needed him. I didn’t want to come between him and his family so I’d just have to learn to share. Or start threatening to shoot people if they bug him when it’s my turn. Maybe Jo can teach me to use a gun.
While James answered the door, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, standing slowly. My feet throbbed when I walked for too long but I wanted to be able to get around by myself, so I figured the more I walked the better I’d get. I came out of the bathroom to a scowly faced James though.
“I thought we agreed you’d stay off your feet.”
I made a face. “Pretty sure I didn’t agree with that. I can get to the bathroom by myself. I’m going to have to walk around tomorrow anyway so I might as well get used to it.” At his confused look I reminded him I had work in the morning. He scowled.
