Page 64 of Degrees of Control

Charlie rolled her eyes. Right about what? Her inability to be faithful to him two months after they’d broken up? What a knob. Her phone rang. Great, now she’d have to get a new number, maybe tomorrow—

“That him?”

Fuck. She’d forgotten about James. Charlie tried to contort her features into a more reasonable expression but it was too late. With lightning reflexes, he plucked her phone from her paralyzed fingers and hit ‘answer.’

“Charlie?”she heard Dale say.

“No, asshole, it’s the man you just ran away from. Come near Charlotte again and I’ll break your fuckin’ arm.” James’ voice was cold as nitrogen and without waiting for a response, he hung up.

Charlie exhaled. “That was manly.”

“Anything’s manlier than scurrying round the corner to scare women on the phone.” James glared at the door, as though willing Dale to come back so he could deck him.

“He was just trying to get a reaction, you don’t need to worry about me.”

James seized her hand once more and looked deep into her eyes. The concern in his gaze made her whole world tilt on its axis.

“What?” she whispered.

“He did hurt you, didn’t he? I could see it on his smug fucking face.”

Charlie flushed, still so uncomfortable with the idea of rescue, of one man saving her from another. “He’s gone now. I told him if he tries to contact me again I’ll go to the police.”

James leaned even closer. “I know you’re strong, I know you could have gotten rid of him on your own and I know you’re not a fan of my caveman shit…” He grimaced. “But I let someone insult you in front of me once and it’s not ever happening again. Guys like your ex need to be told in no fuckin’ uncertain terms that treating a girl that way is gonna get them a hospital bed.” He stared at her again, an unblinking intense look that she couldn’t read and held her hand tighter. “I can’t think of a bigger insult than having a girl like you and doing her harm, Charlotte. I can’t think of anything lower.”

Charlie swallowed.

What would it be like to have you? To really be able to call you my lover? My boyfriend?

“I know between the break-in and Dale, this looks bad, but I promise I usually don’t have these kinds of issues. I lead a quiet yoga-filled life where men never bother me.”

James smiled, looking down at their entwined fingers. “Unless you want them to.”

“Exactly.”

They sat in silence for a while. Charlie assumed the waitresses were too busy gossiping about the almost-fight to come and take their order. It didn’t matter, she wasn’t hungry. “James?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you send me all that stuff today?”

He smiled at the table top. “Couldn’t stand the thought of you upset. That look on your face when I left, it nearly killed me, Blue-Eyes.”

“Sorry.”

“Not something you need to apologise for.” He exhaled. “I don’t know what I’m doing around you. You’re all I can think about.”

“You’re all I can think about, too.”

He smiled at her, his beautiful heartbreaking smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, uh—I’m flying home to Texas this weekend.” James tapped a finger on the back of her palm. “It’s my brother’s ten-year wedding anniversary. But maybe when I get back to Minneapolis we can talk about…maybe working something out?”

She smiled at him. She could only smile at him. “Of course.”

Suddenly, the last thing Charlie wanted was to be sitting in a café discussing the break-in or the flowers she’d re-gifted to a pregnant colleague. She wanted to be alone with James. She finished the last of her tea in one go. “Want to come see my studio?”

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