Page 61 of Degrees of Control

But Charlotte’s face was soft, her blue eyes warm as a tropical ocean. “I promise I’m not trying to keep you here but can we talk before you go?”

This was why she was so dangerous. James would take an ugly screaming mess where he got called a bastard over this any day of the week. You couldn’t fight with a fairy princess, you could only hurt her and by proxy, yourself. “What is there to say, Blue-Eyes?”

“Loads of things.” Charlotte brushed her hand across his chest. “I’ve had so much fun with you. Just because I don’t want to move in with you, doesn’t mean it has to be over. It was really sweet of you to offer your place to me, but I don’t want to make the same mistakes I did with Dale. Rushing into things, letting myself become dependent on someone too fast, but I do really like y…”

James shrugged her hand off his shoulder, suddenly unable to bear the weight of her palm against him. “You should have told me to fuck off in that café. We’re not right for each other and you knew it. We should never have started this.”

Without waiting to see her reaction, James stepped outside and slammed her broken front door behind him.

Chapter 15

After the most disheartening pancake breakfast in human history, Charlie was convinced James was gone forever. She sat on the floor for an hour trying to vent her nauseating emotions. She was both desperate to call him and determined they’d never speak again. She had no idea what to do.

When he first asked her to move in, she’d almost said yes like a crazy woman. Yes to seeing James every night, yes to eating dinner together and watching TV and having sex in his bed and every other mundanely wonderful relationship custom she could think of. Then a voice in her head piped up and reminded her she couldn’t be that woman twice. She’d already moved across the world for a guy she barely knew, she couldn’t just throw her lot in with James—a man she barely even understood—and hope for the best. Not when everything inside her said it was a huge mistake.

Charlie wanted to believe she’d see James again, but the look he’d given her as he’d stormed out told her it wasn’t likely. Things were finally over between them. She wished she could call Sophia and talk about it, but she wasn’t ready for the completely justified“I told you this was going to happen, you big dumb dope.”So, like any other day, she showered, packed her yoga bag and headed into work. The front door was still busted, but if some enterprising dirtbag wanted to steal her crappy kitchenware, well, Charlotte Bell had passed the point of caring about that.

Her first class of the day was maternity yoga, thirty women with beach ball stomachs struggling into poses and cracking jokes about pregnancy sex and acid reflux. They were a lovely group of women and the way they lovingly ran their palms over their bellies made Charlie’s chest ache.

She found out three of the fetuses were called Hunter and made a mental note to tell James before remembering she wouldn’t be telling James anything. He’d spoken the truth that morning, theyweren’tright for each other. She was too soft, too vulnerable, tooalternative.Girls like her didn’t pin down men like him. They took a ticket, got in line, and when their number got called, they made the most of it. At least this way, she hadn’t lived with him for a couple of weeks and watch the pleasure in his eyes turn into indifference.

With a deep breath, Charlie drove all thoughts of James from her mind, immersing herself in instructing the class until the silver bells chimed to signal the end of their session. The pregnant women filed out all chatting happily.

Okay, that’s two down, just five hundred million James-less hours to go.

She was downing coconut water in the staff kitchen when Holly the bottle-blonde receptionist handed her a key. “For the new locks on your apartment.”

Charlie swallowed the last mouthful of her drink. “What do you mean ‘new locks’?”

Holly shrugged. “Some tradesman came in and said he replaced your door and installed the new locks. Didn’t you know? Did Belinda call someone?”

This had to have been James’ work. Charlie ignored the warm rush of hope in her chest. Thiswasn’tan apology, it was a parting gift. Something kind so he could brush her off without feeling too bad. Besides, he had seemed pretty pissed about the break-in.Bossy alpha male.

Holly’s brown eyes narrowed. “It’s aman-friendwho helped you, isn’t it?”

Charlie stuffed the key in her pocket. “No.”

Holly clapped her hands. “Oh my God, you areblushing. It so is. Who’s the guy?”

“Someone who doesn’t know what he wants,” she said and left the kitchen.

After class, Holly dragged her back into the break room. To Charlie’s surprise, it wasn’t to grill her about James’ identity but to present her with a huge bouquet of tiger lilies. There was a card attached.Sorry, Blue-Eyes. Charlie couldn’t stop the goofy smile from spreading across her face.

“I knew it,” Holly shrieked.

“You know nothing,” Charlie shot back, but she was still smiling.

Lousy, bossy, obnoxious alpha male. Doesn’t know what he wants, then buys a huge-ass bouquet of flowers and I’m supposed to fold like a cheap suitcase. Which I am, because I’m silly.

She decided to deal with her feelings later, leaving the bouquet at reception where she wouldn’t have to look at it. At noon, Brave Earth Vegan Catering showed up at the studio with an order for Charlotte Bell. They wouldn’t listen when she told them she didn’t order anything and informed her the food was already paid for and she could either take it or have it go to waste. The lunch bell rang and everyone in the studio, clients and staff alike, gorged themselves on roast vegetable lasagna, coconut curry, apple crumble, Greek doughnuts and coffee cake with burnt sugar sauce.

“I don’t care who this guy you’re banging is, he’s amazing,” Holly said through a mouthful of red lentil dhal.

“Mmm.” Charlie was having a hard time deciding how exasperating or charming all these romantic gestures were and was leaning toward ‘misguided.’

“If you want my exceptional relationship advice…” Holly continued.

“Hang on, didn’t you and your ex cheat on each other fifty times?”

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