Page 9 of James (Big Northwest #6)
CHAPTER NINE
JAMES
S HE WAS USED to waking up in strange places. When you moved as often as she did, there wasn’t time to get too used to anything about your life. But while she wasn’t thrown off by the strange lighting or unusual noises, there was one aspect of the morning she was not accustomed to.
The warm, solid man cuddling her close.
At some point in the night, they’d abandoned their respective edges of the bed and converged in the center, spooning. And Phillip had the audacity to be the big spoon.
She wasn’t one for relationships, but had been entangled a few times. In each one of them, she’d made sure to retain the upper hand. The control.
The power.
Not a single man had been privileged enough to spend the night with her. But if they had, they sure as hell would have been the little spoon.
Phillip sucked in a deep breath, the sound sleepy and relaxed. It abruptly stopped as his body tensed against hers.
“Morning, cuddle bug.” She couldn’t stop from smiling at his immediate discomfort with their situation. “You could have given me a heads-up that you’re a snuggler.”
“I’m not.” He rolled away. “I must have been cold.” He slid from the bed, his back to her as he went to the heating and cooling unit under the window, inspecting it. “This thing must have been set too low.”
“It seems fine to me.” She turned onto her back, stretching both arms above her head, settling into the warm spot he left behind. “But maybe if you slept in more than your underwear, you wouldn’t get so cold.”
Phillip turned his head, glancing her way over one shoulder. “I don’t normally sleep in my underwear.”
“That’s what I’m saying. You were cold because you’re used to sleeping in?—”
Phillip’s amused expression stopped her mouth from working as the real meaning of his words dawned.
“Oh.” Her eyes dropped down his body, skimming over the broad lines of his back to the muscular curve of his ass.
Good lord, the man was built like a brick house. He had to work out like a fiend. Likely chugged protein like water. She could probably bounce quarters off his butt. And his abs. And his pecs.
Why was he still weirdly standing with his back to her?
James sat up straight, the covers falling to her lap. “Do you have another boner?”
“I need to you stop being so fucking worried about the state of my dick.” Phillip moved away from the heating and air unit, tellingly keeping his body angled in a way that hid anything that might be happening in the front of his boxers, as he went to the built-in desk. “How about you focus on writing down everyone you can think of who saw a little more of you than they should have.” He tossed the hotel’s complimentary notepad and pen at her.
She grabbed for them, distracted enough by the flying objects that she didn’t get the chance to confirm her suspicions as he darted into the bathroom.
“Ugh.” Flopping back against the pillows, she glared up at the ceiling. She should have found a way to be satisfied with the life her sisters were building in Washington. Should have dug deep and figured out a path to retribution that didn’t involve putting everyone she cared about at risk.
But that was a big part of why she’d left. To avoid putting her sisters at risk. To take the vengeance she was set on far enough away it wouldn’t taint them.
It turned out vengeance was messier than she’d anticipated.
The bathroom door opened and she craned her neck, eyes going right to where Phillip appeared, a towel around his waist and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. He moved through the suitcase and hanging bag, methodically gathering his clothes like he’d repeated this process a thousand times.
Which made her wonder, “Do you travel a lot?”
Pulling out the toothbrush, he turned back to the bathroom. “Probably by most people’s standards.” He smirked, the line of foam framing his mouth making the expression seem almost boyish. “Maybe not by yours.”
“I don’t travel. I move.” She wrinkled her nose. “Unfortunately.”
Phillip disappeared into the bathroom, but the door remained open, allowing his voice to carry clearly. “You’ve still seen more places than most people.”
“That’s not the same as traveling.” She scooted her butt back until her upper half was propped against the headboard. “Traveling is fun.”
“Not always.” The sink switched on and then off. “Lots of people would argue that my traveling is not even close to fun for them.”
“For them .” She was tired of carrying on a conversation when she couldn’t see him, so James slid off the bed, bringing along the paper and pen. “I bet it’s lots of fun for you.”
She rounded the corner and came to a full stop at the sight of Phillip dressed in only a pair of perfectly tailored pants, arms lifted as he combed through his dark blond hair. The muscles of his chest and arms flexed with every swipe of the comb as he patiently coaxed the thick waves into place. Not a single movement was rushed or haphazard. As if he knew exactly what each hair needed to go where he wanted it to be.
Why did that have her thighs clenching?
“It’s not always fun.” His answer reminded her short-circuiting brain of the conversation they’d been having since the way his abs bunched into neat little rows had knocked everything else out.
Blinking a few times, she turned to lean against the frame, attempting to appear casual instead of like a salivating dog. “Why isn’t it always fun?”
Phillip finished with his hair, setting the comb onto the counter before turning to face her. “Sometimes the people I’m looking for make me climb out of windows and tempt old ladies.”
James smothered out a smile at the image of her neighbors setting their sights on Phillip. “You’re the one who chose to come here, remember?”
His gaze darkened, changing in a way that made her want to shift on her feet. “Oh, I remember,” he said, voice deep and low.
The rumbliness of it curled through her insides making everything warm and syrupy. It was the same way she’d felt waking up with his arms tight around her waist, his body pressed to hers.
What was it about Phillip that was fucking her up so much? Never in her life had she not hated a man. Strictly on principle. She allowed them into her bed on occasion—women had needs—but that was the limit. They didn’t get into her head, and they sure didn’t come close to her heart.
But she couldn’t make herself hate Phillip. Didn’t want to try. It was weird.
“So, what’s the plan?” She watched as he pulled one of the same T-shirts she wore over his head and tucked it into his pants. “Are we staying here?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here. We’re not that far from Vegas.” Phillip walked past her to the closet where he retrieved one of his button-up shirts and pulled it on. “Once we’re on the road, I’ll call my assistant and give him everything we know. My team can start tracking down leads while we try to stay at least a few steps ahead of whoever that was yesterday.” His eyes dropped to the blank pad in her hand. “And the more names we can give them, the faster this will be over.”
That made sense—of course it did. But handing Phillip a list of the men who may or may not be tracking her every move would be taking the target off her back and putting it on his. “The men on this list aren’t boy scouts. If you start digging around in their lives, they might not appreciate it.”
Phillip’s brows lifted, his sinfully appealing mouth twitching at the corners as he moved closer. “I’m flattered you’re worried about my safety. But I promise, I’m more capable of dealing with men like them than I am climbing out the window of a building with the worlds narrowest fucking ledges.”
James laughed, a little of her worry dissipating. “They were really fucking narrow, weren’t they?”
“And you made it look easy.” Buttoning the placket running up the center of his chest, his eyes narrowed on her. “How many times have you done that?”
She’d spent years doing her best to hide everything she could about herself. It was a task she should continue. But Phillip seemed to innately understand her. Read her in a way no one ever had.
It was strange and should have terrified her. Instead, it was almost comforting. Like she could finally relax. Finally just be.
“I practiced the escape every couple of weeks.” They’d had a ground floor apartment when she toured the place, but the fifth-floor unit held way more appeal. It would leave the more accessible apartment for one of the older renters and she’d have an escape route most people wouldn’t expect her to be capable of using.
Except the man grinning at her.
“That makes me feel a little better.” He finished with his shirt and retrieved a tie. “It’s nice to know you had practice.” He looped the accessory around his neck, then pointed at the pad of paper. “Now go do your homework.”
She groaned. “I feel like you’re going to judge me for some of the names on this list.” James went to flop down into the chair at the desk. “And I want you to know, I’m not complete shit at managing my anger.”
“Yes you are, but that’s okay.” Phillip sat at the edge of the bed and slid on his shoes. “I’m pretty sure it’s genetic.” His eyes came her way, expression sobering. “And I’m not going to judge you. Neither will my team.” He stood, smoothing down the line of his tie with one hand. “They’ll probably be excited to have something more interesting to do than looking into cheating spouses and embezzling employees.”
“Is that mostly what you do?” James tucked one foot up into the seat of the chair as she uncapped the cheap hotel-branded pen. “Investigate adulterers and thieves?” That didn’t sound boring at all. Digging up dirt on jerks and then hunting them down for proof sounded freaking amazing.
“That’s what my company primarily deals with, along with insurance claim investigations.” Phillip moved to the desk, perching on the edge. “When I first got out of the military, I went to work for a friend of mine where I did some more… questionable assignments.”
That sounded even more interesting than adulterers and thieves. “What kind of questionable assignments?”
Phillip’s brow angled as one finger came down on the still blank notepad. “You give me names and I’ll give you stories.”
“Deal.” It was an easy agreement to make now that the fear of judgment and worry for Phillip’s safety was starting to abate. From the sound of it, the PI was more capable than he looked. That was probably the point of the expensive suit and perfect hair.
It made people underestimate him.
Plus, she wanted to hear more about his life. The things he’d done. It would give her a peek into the world she’d never been able to access on her own.
That had been one of her hopes when she left Shadow Pine. To see the world she’d been denied access to. And she’d managed to explore a little of it, but nothing like Phillip had. If she couldn’t experience it for herself, hearing about it from him might be enough to satisfy her curiosity.
Turning to the paper, she started writing, filling in the bulk of the sheet with not only the names of the men she’d accidentally allowed a glimpse of the secret she carried, but anyone she knew who surrounded them. Powerful, dangerous men rarely traveled alone—they liked having their backs watched—so the list was much longer than Phillip probably anticipated.
He leaned over her, eyes skimming the page as she worked. “These guys brought their entourage into the club?”
“Usually.” She finished up one group and moved to the next. “But they only came into the private rooms to do a sweep before.” She huffed out a little laugh. “They weren’t so much worried about the girls as who might be waiting to ambush them.”
Men were stupid. Or naive. Possibly both. They believed they were each other’s biggest threat, oblivious to the real danger lurking around them. Because that saying about scorned women was one hundred percent true. And men didn’t realize how many scorned women had lists just like hers.
She finished up and tore the sheet free, handing it over. “That’s everyone.”
Phillip tried to take it, but she held firm, meeting his eyes. “I hope you know what you’re doing, because these aren’t men who enjoy being fucked with.”
A spark of something lit in Phillip’s gaze as he tugged the paper free. “I’m looking forward to it.”
She leaned back in the seat. “So was I. You see where that got me.”
Phillip tucked the list into the pocket of his pants as he pulled on a jacket, donning the costume he used to trick the world. “I know I look pretty, but you’d be surprised what I’m capable of.” His eyes moved over where she sat. “Kinda like you.”
James pursed her lips and batted her eyes. “You think I’m pretty?”
Phillip laughed, the sound rich and deep and real. “Everyone thinks you’re pretty. It’s an unavoidable fact.” He came toward her, leaning down to brace his hands on the arms of her chair. “And the least interesting thing about you.”