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Nico

“The James men are…possessive. To the extreme. And bloody damn stubborn besides. I’ll tell you what Jack’s dear mama told me the day I met her. Once a James man finds his one, that’s it, they’re done. See, every James man since the beginning of time, or so the legend goes has loved once and once only. Usually when they find their one true love, they go all caveman and claim the hell out of the poor woman.”

I snort and roll my eyes at that because she’s either forgetting that Law left me for ten years, or she doesn’t believe I’m his one…but no…

“Er, Min? You realize that doesn’t apply to me right?” I ask, wincing when she shrieks out a laugh and throws a potato chip my way.

“Silly goose! Of course, it does. See, Jack never passed on the old stories about his line to Lawson. He said that since Law found his
one
so early in his life that scaring the boy with the truth…would only serve to push him away from his fate.”

She shakes her head at this and tosses a brownie at me before taking one for herself. I bite into the gooey, chocolaty goodness and moan, forgetting for a second that we’re having a conversation as the blissfully delicious treat hits my taste buds.

I love brownies on a good day. (My ass can attest to that fact.) However, a brownie with peanut butter topping? Forget about it. Those suckers are going down.

“Anyway,” she muses, “Jack never told him, and I believe it was a good call. Law has always been, well, a law unto himself. Tell the boy the sky’s blue, and he’ll paint it green just to prove you wrong.”

I’m tracking her as I glug my drink, though honestly, she’s being so hinky I’m not sure what it is she’s really trying to say here. She thinks Law and me are soul mates?

Try telling that to him, Min
, I think, eyeing the last brownie and totally prepared to gnaw at Min’s hand if the bitch so much as twitches its way.

“Min, hun, no offense, but I’m not really understanding what it is you’re trying to say here. So you think we are what? Like soul mates? I hate to break it to ya, sweetheart, but Law doesn’t love me. He…. most days he’s glaring at me or yelling about something I’ve done wrong.” I point out, going for broke and snatching the brownie up just as Min leans over and reaches for it.

“Why you little…”

“You snooze, you lose sister,” I say around a mouthful.

She sniffs indelicately and smiles, patting at her thin hips.

“The boy loves you. I knew it the day he laid eyes on you and so unsuccessfully hid his reaction.”

I cringe because his ‘reaction’ was a boner and a grin that melted my heart and my panties clear off.

“Gross.”

“You should think how I felt seeing the two of you eye bang each other, dear. Now then, as I was saying, the James men are cursed to love only once, and when they do they become something…other than normal men. The day I met Jackson, he told me that I was his and that I was going to be his wife and the mother of his children.”

“Aaaaw.”

“Not quite, darling. You see, I was engaged to another man. I met Jack at my engagement party and ended up in the broom closet with him doing…anyway…”

“Minnie, you dog! You banged Jack in the closet while your fiancé was in attendance.”

I’m so impressed at her daring I can’t help the fist pump or cackling that ensues. And okay, maybe the booze was not a great idea, but for the first time in days, I feel relaxed and mellow.

I need another.

She frowns at me before busting into peals of laughter herself and winking at me.

“It was the best night of my life—though I’m glad to report we did no banging. We were not complete animals, Nico. We dry humped the hell out of each other while he kissed me breathless and made me promise to break things off with my betrothed.”

Okay, I am so loving this story. Wanna know why? Because I am not the only asshole in this family, and it makes me feel great. Sorta. I think.

“Oookay. So you got together.”

“Nope!” Minnie crows, giggling like a schoolgirl. “I felt like shit and told him it was a mistake and that I had no intention of dishonoring my family because of one little lapse in judgement.”

Huh?

“Let me get this straight, you told Jack, the same Jack who broke a man’s hand at last year’s Spring ball for grazing your boob…you told that beast
no
? Oh my God! Did he foam at the mouth?”

Her mouth twitches, and she gives me a glare.

“Don’t be silly, Nico. Of course he didn’t. The man is way too controlled for that sort of display. No, he simply marched out of that closet, told my father and everyone within earshot that he just diddled me in the closet, and that I could be carrying his illegitimate child.”

I hoot because I can so see Jack lying through his pearly whites to get what he wants, and I freaking love it. Love stories are great, and every now and then, I enjoy a good fairy tale, but I have to admit that I’ve always enjoyed the messed up, knock-down, drag-out, gory love stories.

You know the type where the guy is a total douche and treats the girl like crap before falling madly in love with her and doing something crazy to win her back.

For a while, after Law left, I had myself convinced that he’d do something like that to win me back. I’d envisioned those weird scenarios where he would pop out in the middle of a crowd of dancing idiots and declare his love.

Hell, I’d even thought of him skywriting our names and a heart into the sky. Blech.

When I’d realized that wasn’t about to happen, the disappointment had driven me into Brody’s waiting arms, and I’d given up. I love that Min has this story to tell, but honestly, it depresses me more to know that it won’t ever happen for me.

Sure, having a guy pop out of the broom closet with his dick still swinging while telling the world he sullied you can’t be great…but at least it has some romantic undertones.

Oh to be wanted that much.

“He was lying, of course, but no one but he and I knew that, and I found myself very publicly humiliated and forced to marry the vile toad. And then I learned of the battle I was facing. James men are strong, dominant, and devoted once they find their love, and I haven’t regretted a moment of it in all the years I’ve been married to my Jack.”

Where’s
my
Jack! I
also
want the guy who shoves me onto a floating door after the ships sinks and holds my hand while he slowly freezes to death!

So not fair.

“Min—”

“Just hear me out to the end, Nico.”

I nod and finish another round of booze, chugging as disillusionment sets in.

“Our men do not let us go.”

“Mine did.”

“Because he lost something that defined him and he threw a tantrum, which is not unlike him if you’ll recall. He’s always been spoiled and impulsive, Nico, but the boy did and has always loved you.”

Brother. How much
has
she been drinking?

I lean to the right and try to catch a peek at her glass, thinking she must be topping it off because it’s not as empty as it should be if she’s drunk-talking already.

“Minnie, I love you, you know I do, but I can’t sit here and listen to this all day. I’ll be a blubbering wreck by the time you’re done. Law loved me once, a really long time ago. He…must have stopped though because…you were there, Min. No man does that to a woman he loves.”

Bile rises in my throat just remembering what he did, and I push the memories back with a huge effort and have another go at my glass that leaves a nice warm trail spreading through my veins.

If I hadn’t been pregnant at the time of my heartbreak, I can so see myself drinking till my liver had pickled.

She sighs sadly and shakes her head again, looking at me with so much pity and sympathy that I feel a kernel of resentment rear its ugly head before I squash it ruthlessly.

No sense blaming Min for something that isn’t her fault, but the pain is still pretty fresh since Law opened up those old wounds.

“I was there. I saw a young man lose a dream and start floundering when everyone around him started pushing him at something he never wanted to do. I saw his father sweep his loss under the rug, and I saw his lover try and fail to push him in the direction of a company he never wanted.”

My gut tightens, and I allow my anger to burst free.

“You can’t seriously blame me for—”

“No, Nico. I don’t blame you. Law made poor decisions and did something to you that even I have trouble forgiving him for…but you have to admit that you weren’t very supportive after he was injured. You just kept saying that it was okay and that he still had a future with the company.”

“Because it was true! He’s one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever met, Minnie…and a man who was born to lead. He’s brilliant as CEO, and I always knew it!” I yell, slurring my words a little.

I’m pissed, but even as the rage takes flight, I feel guilt creep into the mix. Part of what she’s saying is true. I’d encouraged him to let go of his anger and sadness, reminding him that he still had…

A future he never wanted
, I think with shock and no small amount of horror.

“Oh God,” I whisper, slumping down and closing my eyes in defeat.

Minnie stays silent, but I can all but feel her sympathy as realization hits me. Law…

He’d been brilliant at the sport, a natural born leader as I said, and one of the most passionate players I’d ever met. He loved everything about his life, least of which not being that he loved the freedom and intensity of being on the ice.

Hockey had been a calling more than anything else had, and I’d devalued that because I was too insensitive to see that his heart was broken.

No wonder he ended up hating me.

Well, there’s no sense sitting here feeling sorry for myself. So I made a few mistakes, too. Learn and do better, Nic.

With that bolstering thought in mind, I turn to Minnie, and taking a deep breath, I really listen this time.

Turns out that all James men know that they will have only one love and that when they find that love that’s it. Game over. Well, all James men know—except Law—and at this point, I think it’ll take a hammer to the skull to fix the idiot.

Law

I’m going crazy, and the worst part is that I don’t quite know how to fix it or stop myself from falling into this madness. I’m officially obsessed with Nic Sharp, and I can’t say how or why it happened, that the love I only just allowed myself to feel went from simmering to a full-blown obsession that’s turning me into a lunatic.

Really, I’m going nuts.

I think about her all the time, wondering what she’s doing, if she’s happy, comfortable. Hell, I wonder if she’s thinking about me, and then I get pissed because the answer is probably
no
, and I can’t handle the thought of not being an obsession for her the way she is for me.

And then I want to punish her and…how crazy is that? Wanting to hurt her for something she hasn’t even done, something that’s just in my mind.

When I’m not pissed, I am fixated on the thought of getting my dick back in her and planting a baby deep in her womb. Most of my day is spent in meetings that I don’t hear half of because I think about her so constantly.

I hate it. I need her to be okay now because I need to distance myself, and the only way I know how to do that is by using sex against her. Sex is easy, a way to take what I want and still keep myself separate from everything. It is something that I now have to do since it seems my mind has taken a walk and left behind a possessive, crazed beast, who would chain Nic to me all fucking day if it could.

And therein lays some of my rub. I want her with me, but I have a job to do. I will take James and turn it into a bigger, better version of what Dad and Nic envisioned because I need to prove to them that—while it’s not the life I wanted—I am more than capable of being great.

I want her to see me and know that I am all-man, all-dominant, and worth her time. To do that, I need to keep my fucking head in the game and out of her pants.

Oh, and I still have a son to start grooming.

So, yeah, my plate is
hella
full right now, but all I can seem to do is sit around and moon about the damn woman. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but it scares the shit out of me…this need I have for her…and I don’t like it. Not one bit.

“Peggy! Get my dad on the line and bring me a cup of coffee!”

Okay, so I’m being a total dick today, but it’s taking everything in me to stay at work and not run home to fuck my fiancée like some green little twerp who has had his first taste of sex and is addicted.

“Law.”

I shoot a glare at the phone as Dad’s voice comes over the line and keep silent till Peggy has my coffee on my desk and is scuttling for safety.

“Close the goddamned door!”

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,” she squeaks, closing the door with a resounding thud.

“Is that any way to talk to a woman who has been part of the company for almost twenty years?” Dad growls, reminding me that I’m not alone.

I sigh and grab up the cradle, balancing it between my shoulder and ear, as I grab the coffee and swing my seat around to look out at the skyline.

“I’m having a bad day, old man. Give me a fucking break!” I growl, clenching my teeth at his chuckle.

“I remember those first days after I married your mom and got her under my thumb. Felt like I lost a limb every time I left her for work, just to prove to myself that I didn’t need to be around her every minute of every day. That shit…it’s a thing with us James men. We love once, and we love hard.”

“Uh no. I don’t do that kind of love, Dad—and we both know it. Nic and I are getting married this weekend thanks to Mom arranging the wedding as a surprise, and we’re going to settle down and do what needs doing. This marriage is only for Cody and to continue my line.”

I hear another chuckle and force myself not to respond, choosing to sip at my coffee as denials run through my head only to be swept away by my father and his nosiness.

“You keep telling yourself that, boy. Whatever it takes to keep that manly James pride. But don’t come running to me when your shit backfires on you. I love you, but that girl is the mother of my grandchild and my daughter besides. Try not to hurt her.”

And here comes the jealous resentment again. I know that blaming Nic for my parents’ loyalty isn’t fair, but I despise that she means more to them than I do.

Seems nothing has changed on that score. They took Nic’s side ten years ago and almost disowned me for my behavior, and I get the feeling that they won’t tolerate me hurting her again.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, old man.”

“Law, let me be straight with you—and just hear me out before you get all hot under the collar, okay. I love you. You’re my son, and there is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you. I let you go when you lost your hockey career and ran away to lick your wounds. I’ve kept silent as you fucked your way across Europe and spent almost all of your trust fund on booze, sex, and gambling. Your mother and I have always tried to give you time and space to come to terms with everything and live your life before you needed to settle down.”

I sense a “but” coming and finish off my coffee with a growl as the hot liquid scalds my throat.

“But…you’re better than the man you’ve become, and we both know it. If you can’t find it within yourself to be the right man for Nicolette—”

“Butt out of my love life, Dad. Nic is mine, and she always has been. Whether or not I can forgive her for her treachery and get that happy ending you and Mom are so intent on, is none of your damned business. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait! We haven’t talked about the family—”

I end the call, knowing that I’m heading for trouble with my whole family and not caring a wit about it right now.

Not only am I nowhere near resolving the obsession that is steadily growing for my fiancée, but I’ve also got to contend with the fact that my own parents are standing in
her
corner, just waiting for me to make a wrong move.

The pressure is piling up and pushing at me from all directions, and I have the overwhelming urge to run and not look back. Ever. I can do it. Contrary to my father’s opinion of me and his assumption that I blew through my trust fund, I am rich in my own right, thanks to investments and some business in the past.

So yeah, running will not be a problem for me. But it’s definitely something I can’t do if I want to prove to them that I’m more than a reckless playboy with a silver spoon shoved up his ass.

Hence the pressure and this overwhelming need to fuck with Nic as much as she’s been fucking with my head since the day I laid eyes on her again.

Goddamned woman!

“Mr. James?”

I grit my teeth against the guilt and the need to apologize, as Peggy’s stammering voice whispers over my intercom.

“Yes, Peggy?”

“Er, Miss Sharp is on line one for you, sir.”

“Tell her I’m unavailable Peg and hold all calls for the rest of the day, please.”

Why am I doing this? Simple. Nic needs to know that I am not available to her at the drop of a hat, and that no matter what happens henceforth, I am and will always be in control of our lives from here on out.

I tell her what to eat. What to wear. How late she may rise in the morning. If she sees that as my way of caring for her all the better, but the truth is that I’m slowly but surely taking over her life so that by the time I have my ring on her finger and my seed in her belly she won’t be capable of forming a thought without my permission.

That’s the only way I can think of to control this beast prowling beneath my skin, and I will do whatever I need to in order to regain control of myself. Where’s the happy, easy-going playboy who only thought about the simplest of pleasures in life?

I want that guy back so that I can save myself, and I’ll get him back.

Starting with my next plan.

A half hour later I’m in the car and driving towards my destination, feeling some of the tension ease the closer the car gets.

I’m taking control of my family.