I didn’t know what to say, so I just froze in a state of paralyzed shock, staring at that dazzling exterior and picturing myself wiping a smudge of marinara from his cheek.
“We never see that one. How long has it been?” Caleb murmured, tearing his eyes away only long enough to glance at his calendar, as if there should be large red circle around the date.
“Um...never,” Madison guessed. “Has he ever been here?”
Caleb shook his head, now donning an incredulous frown. “Just that once, to celebrate the grand opening of the Western branch. And you were away in Paris. I’m surprised he even knows which building...” he began but trailed off when he heard a quiet knock on the door.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” James said as he stepped inside and swept his twinkling eyes around the room, catching traces of the devastation we’d left in Caleb’s office, like a wayward stapler and a few pens and pencils in places where they shouldn’t be. “I can see you’re busy...redecorating.”
“Not at all!” Caleb leapt to his, flushing with embarrassment, and Madison and I quickly followed suit. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Cross. I just... Well, we weren’t expecting you, so...” Finally, after some visible effort and finding the courage to avoid wetting himself, Caleb managed to offer his hand. “I don’t know if you remember me, sir, but I’m—”
“Caleb Hart,” James said, happy to give a handshake and a smile. “Of course I remember you. International business major, right? You were at Cambridge the same year I was at Oxford.” There was something irresistibly calming about James; his was a smile too warm and welcoming to be ignored.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Caleb replied, blinking in surprise, then relaxing in spite of himself.
Visibly impressed but not to be outdone, my new roommate shot her hand out as well, flashing her own signature pearly grin. “And I’m—”
“Madison Montgomery,” James finished. “I saw some of your work on the Decody deal. That was some brilliant stuff.”
It must have been the first time anyone ever complimented Madison on her brains rather than her legs, the first time someone took notice of her genuinely stunning professional track record rather than her exquisite face and statuesque figure. Her eyes lit up in shock before a slow, almost shy smile crept up her face. The hint of a rose-colored blush tinted the tops of her cheeks, and she bowed her head, looking honored and pleased as she sheepishly offered, “Why, thank you, Mr. Cross. Thank you very much.”
Caleb and I shared a quick glance of astonishment. Clearly, neither of us realized Madison was even capable of blushing, nor did we know that shyness was anywhere within her repertoire.
Before I could even begin to process that shocking revelation, though, James turned his spotlight on me, and I was up to bat.
“Let me guess. Delilah Jones?”
Hearing him say my nickname before surprised me, but the sound of my full name coming from his luscious lips sent even bigger shivers running up my spine. A blossom of heat colored my cheeks as I extended my hand. “I’m sorry. Have we met?” I pretended, with a quizzical little smile on my face.
James grinned and rolled his eyes in mock dismay. “Shit. And she’s American too. Just listen to that accent.”
“You’re one to talk, good sir,” I said, slipping into my best London dialect, elongating every vowel to within an inch of its life. “It’s as if I’m trapped on the set of Mary fucking Poppins.”
The others merely laughed, but James stepped forward with a seductive look about him, locking his eyes attentively on my lips. “Say that again.”
My heartbeat quickened at the subtle implication buried in the request, but before I could do as he asked, another voice broke through the silence: “James!”
The four of us turned around and saw Robert quickly heading our way with long strides, rudely elbowing his staff out of his way in his manic rush to meet his brother. A friendly smile was plastered on his face, but it was impossible to ignor
e the panic and fury that struggled for place deep within his eyes. Obviously, he didn’t want James there, on his turf, and he surely didn’t want him talking to me.
“What are you doing here?” Robert asked, pulling his twin in for a tight hug that we all knew was more of a confining tactic than any sort of endearing gesture. “Not distracting my employees, I hope.”
The nervous chuckle that followed did nothing to help ease the awkward joke, but James merely smiled and clapped his brother once on the shoulder before pulling away. “Your employees?” he teased lightly.
“Why are you here exactly? Was there a family funeral that no one told me about? Has our father abdicated the throne?”
Already, a light sheen of sweat had broken out over Robert’s forehead. Clever banter failed him, and he found himself completely unable to play along. Instead, he flashed that same strained smile and laughed again, sounding even more choked than before. “It’s just so strange to see you here.” He looked James up and down like a basketball player scrutinizing a much taller, much faster opponent. “You haven’t set foot in this building for almost five years, and then you show up twice in one week. Truth be told, I feared you might have forgotten our address here.”
Caleb flashed a discreet I-told-you-so look, but before James could even answer, Robert threw an arm around his shoulder again and casually steered him to the door.
“You know, we should celebrate!” His fingers tightened on the tops of James’s shoulders as that forced smile threatened to crack right off his face. “Let’s go out for a night on the town like we used to, my treat.”
They used to go out together? Nights on the town?
“I must take care of a few small loose ends here, but you are welcome to get started without me.” Robert released him only long enough to snap his fingers, and a second later, his private assistant, as loyal as any dog, appeared out of nowhere, ready to do his bidding. “Seth, send a car around,” Robert said.
Seth said nothing but nodded, and I could have sworn he almost wagged his rear end when Robert smiled his approval.