“I’m sorry. I just... What? I’m just a little confused.”
Madison smiled gently as James glanced down to hide a bemused smile. “I said,” she continued, handing me a cup of coffee, “James came by to check on you this morning. He even made breakfast so you could sleep in. Because today was your turn. Nice of him, no?”
James set the toast toppings down and smiled at me brightly. “I feared I might be eaten by rabid dogs on my way in here.”
I glanced toward the front door, wondering if there were swarms of press outside, only to realize he was referring to dogs in a more literal sense. “Oh, that’s just the doorbell,” I said hastily before setting my mug of coffee down and looking up at him in a daze. “Wait. You came to check on me?” I then lowered my voice, hyper-aware of Madison hovering nosily in the background and wishing very much that we were alone. “What about you?” I whispered frantically. “I can’t believe Robert would do that to you! I thought he broke your leg. I can’t believe you’re even up and walking around, let alone—”
“Just a dislocation, not a break,” James said, as if that solved the entire problem. Of course, I was sure that in his unfathomable mind, it probably did. “The doctors popped it right back in, and it’s good as new.”
“But what about Robert? Did you press charges?”
“Against my own brother?”
“Yes.”
“Blood is thicker than water. I will deal with him in good time,” he said confidently, coaxing the coffee back into my hand.
The two of us shared a long look before a sardonic voice broke the peaceful quiet: “It sounds like you already dealt with him, quite nicely, I might add.”
We turned to see Madison smirking
behind us, her arms folded accusingly across her chest.
“The office is closed today.”
“Seriously? That never happens,” I said.
“You’re telling me.” She then cast her glare on James. “Had a little showdown in the CEO’s office, did you?” She sauntered forward with a wicked smile, thoroughly enjoying the drama of it all. “Tore the thing apart, eh?”
James flashed her a sweet smile. “Nothing I’m sure you haven’t done yourself...or at least wanted to a time or two”
I pictured the devastation with a little shudder, but then I remembered he was talking about Madison and realized he was probably right.
“At any rate,” she said, moving even closer, “it’s good to know that the right brother came out on top, literally. And on that note... I hope you don’t mind if I copy Della’s idea.” Then without another word, she walked straight up to him and poured the entire mug of coffee down his shirt.
“Okay, I didn’t do that!” I said. “Mine was accidental.”
My mouth fell open with a gasp as James yanked his soaked shirt quickly over his head, peeling the fabric away from his skin.
“Madison!” I cried. “What the hell are you...” I trailed off suddenly as her eyes fixed on his tattoo, glowing with satisfied triumph as she finally had the proof she needed.
“Just checking,” she murmured before she breezed out into the hall. “Let me fetch you a towel, love.”
“What the...?” James asked and stared after her in shock and some sort of odd admiration, as if he’d finally found someone who might be as unpredictable as himself. His eyes flickered twice between the hall and the spoiled shirt in his hand before he turned back to me with an incredulous grin on his face. “Is this a female thing I am unaware of?” He tossed the shirt in the sink, just as he’d done at his own house with me not long before. “Some primal quest for dominance?”
I hesitated a second, then nodded briskly. “Yep. Girl Code. Or maybe she really wanted to see you naked.”
“Then she has bad aim. She should’ve went for the pants.”
“The thought of you walking around in your undies is quite exciting.”
I glanced up with an apologetic smile, then cocked my head toward the hallway. “She has a whole bin of exes’ clothes upstairs though.”
James flashed every one of his pearly teeth, then headed off to retrieve a clean shirt. On his way out, he threw a glance over his shoulder. “I’ll try to find something depressing, nice and black, so we can match.”
I looked down at my solemn dress with a scowl of indignation, but he was gone before I could reply. Instead, I perched on the counter and sipped my own coffee, never losing my little smile.
James looked at me. “If she wanted to see my tattoo to confirm my identity that I was indeed the man who rocked your world that amazing night, all she had to do was simply ask.”