Page 90 of Degrees of Control

“I think Sophia is throwing us a party,” Charlotte said, snuggling deeper into his side. “She keeps dropping all these hints about how we better sleep on the plane because the moment we arrive, there’ll be ‘a lot of fun to be had.’”

James snorted. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Charlotte gave him an apologetic smile. “I know it’s not ideal, but we owe her. She’s letting us stay with herandshe’s the reason we’re together.”

“And she never fuckin’ lets me forget it.”

Despite being a bossy, type-A psychopath, his cousin Sophia was one of Charlotte’s best friends. She had introduced the two of them,notbecause she was hoping they’d fall for each other, but exactly the opposite.

Fully aware of his reputation, Sophia had encouraged Charlotte to use him as a cheap source of rebound dick. When they’d officially gotten together, no one had been more alarmed than Sophia. His cousin made no bones about the fact that she thought Charlotte could do better. You know, like everyone else on planet Earth.

James liked Sophia—kind of—but he had a horrible feeling she would uncover his failure to propose while they were staying with her. She was irritatingly all-knowing on subjects like that and if she found out, the pressure would multiply tenfold.

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to rid himself of the sweat that was collecting there.

Charlotte’s hand found his knee. “Babe, are you sure you’re not nervous? We don’t have to stay with Sophia if you don’t want to, we can get a hotel.”

“I don’t mind staying with Anal McGee. Long as we get four walls and a bed to ourselves, I’ll be happy.”

Truth was, he’d have loved to have spent the week at a nice hotel, alternating his mouth between minibar bottles and Charlotte’s pussy, but they couldn’t afford it. He was on the second year of a mechanic’s apprenticeship and he loved the work, but the pay wasn’t shit. Charlotte was in the process of expanding her yoga business, but it wasn’t exactly a cash cow. Right now, his trust fund helped keep a roof over their heads, but he needed that money to last at least another two years and hopefully help buy them a house. Like a lot of rich kids, he’d burned through way too much of it in his twenties. He winced every time he remembered how much he’d spent on cars, clothes and booze. The only extravagant thing he’d bought since moving to Australia was Charlotte’s engagement ring—which was proving a pretty pointless expense since he just carried it around like a clump of garlic for warding off vampires.

Charlotte sighed. “Babe, you know Sophia won’t let us spend valuable sight-seeing time in bed. Maybe we could stay at a motel six instead. There’s one right by my old apartment that’s meant to be pretty good.”

James stared at her. “Are you fuckin’ serious? A motel six? With all the spiders and bedbugs and scratchy-ass towels and murderin’? Fuck no. We’re sleepin’ at Sophia’s house and after all the fussin’ she did to get us to stay there, she damn well better be servin’ a hot breakfast every morning.”

“Don’t tell Sophia that. She’s still mad at you for making her think drop bears are real.”

“They are.”

Charlotte glared at him. “Sometimes I regret introducing you to my brother. Stop telling people about drop bears, it’s dumb and mean.”

James pressed a hand to his chest in mock outrage. “It’s every Australian’s duty to make foreigners think there are big fuckin’ bears livin’ in the trees and that they fall on your head at night and eat you. I was just tryin’ to be a good citizen.”

“Yes, well you succeeded.” Charlotte’s brow wrinkled. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

“I’m fine, baby.” James took another huge swallow of latte, trying to get her to stop looking at him. Girl was too fuckin’ perceptive by half.

“Are you nervous about flying? You’ve got your tablets right?”

James patted his chest where his seven milligram Valium tablets were waiting. Charlotte liked mindfulness and deep breathing, but he’d take pills and a few beers any day of the week. “All sorted, Blue-Eyes.”

“Then are you worried that we won’t have any time to relax? Because I promise I told Sophia we don’t want to be run off our feet all week, but I don’t think she’ll—”

He placed a gentle hand over Charlotte’s mouth. “Baby, I told you, I’m fine. I’m fine, you’re fine, we’re fine, everything is fine and when we get to Minneapolis, everything’ll be fine there, too. Aside from the shitty as fuck weather.”

And that big hunk of carbon you’re lugging around in your pocket, Jimmy-Boy, except that.

The hair on the back of James’ neck prickled. He never referred to himself by that name anymore. That name was a throwback to an old memory, theworstmemory, things he’d thought a solid year of expensive as shit therapy had drilled out of his brain. He swore under his breath. If that voice was talking, it meant shit was bad—even worse than he’d thought.

Charlotte nudged his hand away from her mouth. “James, I mean it, you were acting weird all through Christmas. If there’s something wrong, we should talk about it before we spend a week with Sophia—you know how good she is at spotting problems.”

He did know that, he was already dreading seeing her. Hell, he was also nervous about seeing his sister. Kelsey knew him better than anyone—and not in a good way. If she found out the lies he’d told, the way he left things with Will, she’d try and force him to go back to a shrink and goddamit he was done with shrinks.

I’ll be fine. This won’t last forever, it’s just until I propose.

So, forever?

Shut the fuck up, he told his disobedient mind.Just give me some space.

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