James didn’t even wait to hear Ellie’s response. He hung up after talking over her to say goodbye. She stared at the phone for a few seconds before getting up and doing exactly what he told her to. She packed up a weekend’s worth of clothes—taking a little more time over her underwear choices than she’d like to admit—then packed up all the perishable food she didn’t want rotting in her fridge the next few days. She spent the drive to James’ house with her jaw clenched tight and her teeth starting to ache from the pressure.
What turns coal into diamonds? she kept asking herself. Pressure.
It was an old mantra, one she’d developed in one of her many unsuccessful families. A high-powered couple who were overly eager to shape her young mind. A couple who firmly believed the more pressure they applied to her, the better off she would be. Sadly, she never got to find out what their high standards would do for her. They grew tired of giving so much of their time to someone else and gave up fostering altogether—leaving Ellie in another new home.
Their lessons stuck, though. She could take pressure. She could handle all the stuff piling up on her. And she would handle it with grace and come out of these challenging times better. With effort, she deepened her breath. Willed her shoulders to relax. She would calm herself by force. She’d done it before.
The simple beauty of James’ property struck Ellie as she pulled into his driveway. The clean lines of the home. The manicured landscaping. The ocean lapping the private beach and miles of clear blue sky stretching out behind it all. How could anyone stay upset in such a beautiful place?
Of course, that was a silly question.
The house was a huge source of James’ stress, which was a shame. The property was a gem.
He was waiting on the porch in a white wicker chair. He stood as she put the car in park then bounded down the steps to help her with her things. “You good, sweet Ellie?”
She smiled at the new nickname. Sweet Ellie. He’d been calling her that more and more frequently. “Yeah,” she said, grunting under the weight of a particularly heavy bag of food. “Thank you for offering me a place to stay.”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of you melting away in the dark in that tiny box of an apartment. Not when I have space to offer.”
Ellie handed him a bag of frozen stuff. “I happen to call that tiny box home. You’d be wise not to make fun.”
James looked chagrined. “I’m sorry.” He led her toward the door, glancing over his shoulder with that devilish look she loved so much. “But it is tiny, you can’t deny that.”
“It’s a roof over my head. It’s dry when it rains, and the air conditioning keeps me cool when it’s hot. What more can I ask for?”
James didn’t respond, but as she stepped onto the well-crafted porch and into the spacious house, she could think of a few more things she could ask for. Things she didn’t necessarily need, but that would certainly be nice to have. He took the bags of food from her and dropped them in the kitchen, then guided her upstairs to a room across the hall from his.
“You’ve been busy,” she said, staring wide-eyed at the clean space.
“Not being drunk all the time has opened my eyes to some things.” James hung back and let her enter the guest room first. “Like mainly, I had become a nasty, slovenly pig.”
Ellie wrinkled her nose. “You really did.”
“I’d be offended, but it’s the truth. There’s still a lot to do around here, but I’m making progress.”
James gave her a quick tour of the sparsely decorated room, pulling open empty drawers and showing her the closet. Ellie plopped down on the king size bed and fell backwards, flinging her arms out to the side. “This bed is amazing,” she said.
James shrugged and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “It’s not much, but at least you can turn the lights on.”
“Not much?” Ellie pushed herself up on her elbows. “You could fit my entire downstairs in this one room. And the bed? Let’s just say I’ve been making do with a little less. And by a little, I mean to say that I may as well have been sleeping on a wooden box compared to this fluffy cloud of a thing.”
James smiled, but Ellie saw something sad in his eyes. “Well come on then, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Doubt and mistrust fidgeted in her stomach. She hated surprises.
“Yep.” James crossed the room and offered her his hand, pulled her off the bed, and led her into the hallway past his bedroom to another door. Using one hand, he pushed the door open to reveal a bathroom lit in candlelight, a massive tub filled with soapy water, and gentle music playing over a set of built-in speakers. “There’s no better way to erase a bad day than to soak in a bubble bath.”
James nudged her into the room.
“I’ll get some dinner started. You take your time in here. Join me downstairs when you’re ready.” He closed the door behind him, and Ellie stared open mouthed at the luxurious room. Fluffy white towels stacked on a table near the tub. Candles on every imaginable surface. James had mentioned spending time with him would have its perks. She just hadn’t imagined those perks would include candlelit soaks in the tub while he prepared dinner for her after a long day.
A girl could get used to being spoiled so thoroughly.
Chapter Twenty-Five
James
James tried not to think about Ellie upstairs in his bathroom, her delicious body wet and slippery, soap bubbles hiding just enough of those tits to drive him wild for more. He tried and failed to think of something else, anything else, but
