JAMES I was just busy finishing up with the forensic report I compiled when my father breezed into my office.“Glad to see you’re working for a change, Son.” He sat himself down without being invited, which of course, you can’t fault him. It was his company after all.“Well, I guess someone has to. Haven’t seen you around in a while.” I took off my reading glasses. Yep, reading glasses. Although no one has to know that.“I was taking my doctor’s advice.” he said with a smirk.You got to be shitting me. He was out galivanting with that leech Jenna. Doctor’s orders, my ass.“Uhuh?” I laid back in my office chair, giving him the I-know-what-you-did look, quirking of the eyebrow included.“Guess who we saw in town.”I sighed, really? We are playing this game now. “No, Dad, how would I know.”“We were shopping for baby furniture and happened to run into Destiny. So, you two are really going through with this?” He folded his hands together and the way his eyes narrowed told me how absolute
DESTINYJames was insatiable and I was becoming totally consumed by him. I couldn’t resist him, heaven help me, I was totally addicted to his kisses, his touch. What happened to me? What happened to not be losing my heart?My subconscious threw up red flags which I chose to ignore, even Ronan’s warning I shut away deep at the back of my mind. Maybe after we’ve raised a child together, he’ll ask me to stay.“And maybe pigs would fly, Destiny.” The girl in the mirror shook her head at me. “James will never be yours.”Downstairs James had his overnight bag packed and sat in the lounge waiting for Ronan to take him to the hospital. He didn’t want me to drive him and made me swore not to visit him, saying he wouldn’t want me to see him like that.“I’m not pleasant when I come out of anesthesia. I’ve heard it said I am argumentative and rude.”“More than usual?” I couldn’t help but tease him.“You wound me.” he touched his chest dramatically. “Come here. I’ve booked myself a room in one of
This was insane! Ronan telling me he had feelings for me. What about Lorraine? Wasn’t he seeing her? I phoned her back and made arrangements to meet her for coffee in town.“I see the post was removed.” Lorraine sat down across from me. We met at a quaint little coffee shop at the edge of town, not far from where she worked. “Do you think that would make a difference?”I thought her voice sounded a bit cold. She couldn’t blame me for Ronan’s feelings, it would be unfair.“I hope so. I wouldn’t want James to see it.” Not that there was anything happening between Ronan and I. “Are you still seeing him?” I asked, trying to sound casual.Her fingers played with the mug, moving it around on the brown leather coaster. “No, he’s not my type.” But she didn’t make eye contact.“And he’s not mine either. So, don’t make too much of it.” I said sharper than I intended.Lorraine’s hazel eyes flashed at me, her slightly upturned nose flaring a little. “I’m not. You wanted to talk about it.”“I saw
It hurt. Everything hurt. I tried piecing together what happened, but it was all a blur in my mind. Nothing made sense to me. I remember Ronan being there, but I didn’t understand what he was doing there.Concussion, the doctor told me later that evening or was it the next day. I wasn’t even sure how much time had passed. At least I knew who I was. Then I remembered James. Oh, my gosh James! Did James know where I was?I was just about to call the nurse to get her to phone him when Ronan walked into my hospital room.“Oh, thank God!” I tried to sit up, almost hanging myself with all the tubes and wires attached to my body.“Hey.” He held a bunch of flowers in one hand and the other arm was in a sling close to his chest. Then I remembered he had also been in the accident. Which I caused. Or maybe he did. My mind was fuzzy.“Ronan, we have to call James.” I winced, my head hurt when I talked. “The hospital… they called me. Then, then… something happened.”“Easy now. James is fine. I hav
JAMESWhy did I do this to myself? I must have gone totally mad. Men were not built for this kind of torture. And if this wasn’t enough, now I have to be worried about Destiny’s safety. I lay in the tub soaking my lower half in salted water. Goddamn it burned.Previously I got off the phone with the hospital. Strangely enough there was no Sister Angela working there, the Matron assured me. Well, Destiny wouldn’t have made up a story like that. What concerned me the most was that she said her car’s brakes failed.The mechanic promised me that the car was in mint condition when it left his shop, and I believed him. He’s been servicing my cars and my bikes for years and I trust him completely. Who would want to hurt her?The question should be who would stand to gain the most with her out of the picture? I didn’t like where my brain was going with this information. Because the logical explanation would be my father and Jenna. My father could be a real dick sometimes but try and kill my w
DESTINYRonan called me repeatedly, but I didn’t answer. Eventually, after the fifth call, I accepted the call.“Why do you keep calling, Ronan?” I know, I know, he helped me, and I was being ungrateful.“Well thank God! I was just about to go over there. Fucking answer your damn phone. I thought something happened to you.” He sounded concerned. At least someone was.“Sorry. I just didn’t feel like speaking to anyone. My father-in-law just left.” I know it didn’t seem like much of an explanation, but Lord Barrington had riled me up.“Oh… you could have at least just sent me a message, Destiny.”I sighed and rolled my eyes at his hurt sounding tone. “I suppose. Thank you for your concern though. Maybe you shouldn’t be. I’m fine.” My head still hurt, and I had trouble remembering some things. But I guess that was to be expected, I banged my head damn hard.A short pause followed. “You know how I feel about you.”“If you start that again I’m going to end the conversation. What do you wan
JAMESI haven’t felt this crappy since the bachelors. Pain meds and booze–deadly combination. I was still a bit drunk and fucking angry.That’s why I decided to go home. The genuine dilemma was, should I confront Destiny with the photos, or should I just wait and let my investigator do a little snooping?I wanted to stew on it for a while. My fucking head was killing me. I didn’t know what hurt more: my balls, my head, or my heart. Never expected this of her, my sweet naïve Sugar.You were a complete idiot, James Barrington, to allow yourself to be duped by a pretty face and a stunning body. Again.“Mr. Barrington, we’re here.” The driver stopped at my gate.The latter was left wide open. Which was unusual. I tried closing it with the remote control and it didn’t close. That was the first thing I noticed. The second was Ronan’s black Audi in my driveway. That set my blood ablaze.Motioning the driver on through, I checked my Rolex. Barely eight thirty a.m. What the fuck was Ronan doin
DESTINYJames had been acting strangely ever since his return. Secretive. Lately, he seemed distant and guarded, unwilling to open up to me. Despite my attempts to get him to tell me what was lying so heavily on his mind, he would just change the subject.I couldn’t help but feel hurt that he didn’t trust me enough to share what's going on. Every little thing he did seems to be cloaked in mystery: walking away when he's on the phone, refusing my help to unpack his things, and even not wanting me to shower with him like we usually did.Part of me believed that he's simply feeling self-conscious following his operation, but the other part worried that something much deeper was going on. Could it be that he might have seen the photos of Ronan and me on social media?Surely, he would have said something, though.It is frustrating that he’s making excuses to keep me at arm's length, not even letting me drive him to his doctor's appointment.Okay, not that I blame him for that. I’ve wrecked