Page 49 of Natasha
Natasha continued to regard James silently for another beat before the man let out a sigh. "You comin' over here or just gonna stare at me all night?" His grumpy response was belied by the smile on his face. It was confusing to Natasha how quickly he'd changed gears from being someone whom she'd been nervous around, skittish even, to a man who was sitting comfortably and offering to watch a romcom with her. And as much as Natasha hated admitting that her opinion had flip-flopped on him so suddenly, she found herself walking over and slipping into the spot beside James with little trepidation. She felt at ease, protected, and teased, like a big brother was looking out for her; he was a far cry from the man who had practically undressed her with his eyes from across a crowded room.
The two settled into a companionable silence with James making a snide comment or cracking a joke at the bad dialogue and predictable scenes. His timing was perfect, and Natasha found that she was thoroughly distracted and laughing more often than not. When her stomach grumbled, nearly an hour later, James pulled his phone out and gave her a look.
"What's it gonna be?" he asked, already scrolling through the offerings of a local food delivery company.
Natasha tucked her feet under her. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Not hungry," James replied, but almost as if on cue, his stomach let out a gargle.
Natasha raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
James let his head fall back against the couch. "Fine, fine. You like Chinese? Pizza? What about fried chicken? Or you healthy like Silas?"
"Well..." Natasha hesitated. Until recently, she'd been very regimented in her eating habits, but the thought of eating as she pleased excited her. "All of those sound good."
James looked down at his phone, his fingers already flying over the screen. "Fine. We're gettin' all of 'em then."
Her mouth dropped open. "What? All of them?"
"Yup."
"But that's going to be s—"
James nodded at the television. "Just perfect is what it's gonna be," he said, cutting her off with a wink. "Now pay attention, doll. It's getting to the good part."
"Is it?" Natasha asked, eyes on the screen as directed. It was easy to let James tell her what to do when she was worried about Silas. Easier to let someone else call the shots with so much stress hanging over her. She knew that if she didn't have James here, distracting her and keeping her company, she'd be out of her mind with worry. But knowing that Silas trusted him enough to leave them alone together meant that she could trust him.
Her Daddy would never put her in danger. Of that, she was sure.
