Page 48 of Natasha
Silas rolled his eyes and nodded at Natasha. "You know who she is. Keep her safe. You owe me."
James tipped an imaginary hat at Silas. "So you reminded me quite thoroughly on the phone."
"Just so we're clear," Silas muttered, giving James one last dark look. "I'll text when I'm on my way back. This shouldn't take more than a couple 'a hours."
"If it does, I'm comin' after ya," James said, stretching his hands over his head.
"You arenotleaving her alone." Silas jabbed a finger at Natasha.
"You're right. Forgot." James smiled and turned to look at Natasha. "I meant we're going after him. Ain't that right, doll?"
Natasha stepped forward, her opinion on James already swinging toward the positive side of things. "Hell, yes."
"Now, I like you." James pointed a finger at her. He gave Silas a begrudging look of approval. "Picked a good one here."
"No one is comin' after me. You're staying here. You're putting a movie on, and if she gets hungry, you're feeding her. Got it?" Silas practically glowered at James, but then he blew out a sigh. "I don't have time for this. I need to get a move on. C'mere, Tash." He held out an arm to her. Natasha practically threw herself at him and squeezed him as tightly as she could.
"Come back to me."
"Not goin' to war," Silas whispered with a smile against her ear.
"Seems like you are," she sighed truthfully.
"You'll see that this is nothing. Just going to have a friendly chat."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "A chat?"
He gave her an encouraging smile. "That's right. Nothin' to it, baby."
"Okay," she finally said, but she had a doubtful look on her face.
"Trust me." Silas kissed her again, and then he was out the door, but not before shooting James another scathing look with a gruff, "Take care of her." Once the door shut behind him, James gave her a smile that was too close to what she'd come to think of as Silas' wolfish smile. She wondered if there was a reason the men had such a similar expression, but she didn't dare ask.
"What're we watchin', doll?" He nodded at the television before he wandered over to the couch and threw himself down with a sigh.
"Um, hi?" Natasha ventured closer to James and perched on the edge of a recliner. James winked at her when he noticed that she was watching him. He leaned forward and snagged the remote off the coffee table and rolled his eyes at it.
"Silas and his damn rocket machine remotes," he told her in a commiserating voice.
Natasha laughed. "What?"
"Him." James waved a hand at the door. "Always has to have the newest tech. Look at this thing." He held it out to her with a wiggle. "Looks like it could pilot a space station, don't it?"
"It does," Natasha admitted. She tilted her head to the side and considered how relaxed and at home James appeared sitting on Silas' couch and fiddling with his electronics. This was an entirely different man than the one who had approached her at the fight. Something else was going on here, and it definitely piqued her interest.
James spared her a glance. He had just put on a movie, some romance flick, Natasha saw with a grin, and he sighed, taking in her inquisitive look. "What?"
"You've been here before."
"Many times," James replied, but he said no more.
"And?" Natasha pressed.
"And what?" James put his feet up on the coffee table and flipped the remote in his hands.
"That's all? What do you mean by many times?"
James didn't look away from the television, but he did smile. "Eh, long history there, little doll." He patted the couch next to him. "Come sit down and watch this damn movie. I'll order whatever you want in a while if you wanna eat."
