“Let’s eat,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.
“Why did you come here?” she asked.
What was she hoping for with her questions? There were answers she expected, yet she still waited for him to speak?
****
“I’m not asking for much, Prudence. Please, sit and eat lunch with me, and then we’ll go for a walk,” James said. He’d spent Christmas with Stephen and the guys along with the New Year, but without Prudence, he’d felt alone. He couldn’t believe when he’d seen the pictures and read the reports about her getting a job. She’d got a job working for a local supermarket chain, and the thought alone made him laugh. Prudence was his woman, and he was a wealthy man. She shouldn’t have to be working at all. He wanted to laugh at the report he’d gotten about what she did with her time. Besides the job, she went to the library or visited her sister. Prudence didn’t do anything else. Her friends were in touch via phone, but she didn’t go out. None of them had gone to Ravage either. He wanted her working for him so he could keep an eye on her. The number of times he’d gotten Arthur to drive past her door was ridiculous. He’d thought about charging into her house and demanding that she work for him like he used to. Instead, he got Arthur to take him home. Speaking of a social life, he didn’t have one either. He worked at Ravage then visited his friends at Possession. Nothing else excited him, not even monitoring the Dungeon below Ravage. All of the BDSM stuff was lost on him. He’d gotten a new master to train the subs. The guy was called Gabe, and he was a good Dom. He knew what subs needed.
James would gladly pay Prudence a salary to work for him, and he’d stayed away from her as long as he could. The days apart were getting harder. He started to feel like a stalker with the number of times he passed her house.
He woke up late at night thinking about her warm sweetness and what it would be like to have her next to him. His memory was no longer good enough to satisfy the craving inside him. Only Prudence could tame this beast.
“I didn’t want to argue. What do you have?” she asked, rubbing her hands together.
He laughed then opened the basket. The deli he used had been more than willing to produce him a basket for him to take to lunch. He handed her a loaf and watched as she snapped some off then took a bite.
Watching her eat was a pleasure to him. He pulled out some cheese, cooked meats, and spreads. Once everything lay around them they both began to eat. The sun felt great against his skin. They didn’t talk about anything other than the pleasure of the food they were eating.
For the time they spent eating James could pretend nothing else was wrong between them.
When the food was all gone, Prudence helped to pack up. Each time she touched him James struggled to concentrate on the task at hand. The desire to grab her and kiss her consumed him.
He held her hand, grabbed the basket then started leading her around the park. Many of the people had left leaving only pre-school children, parents, and a few stragglers behind.
“Thank you for lunch. I enjoyed it.”
“I was wondering if you’d come to the club at some point,” he said, broaching the subject. He’d love to see her at Ravage.
She froze by his side. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about going out or anything like that.”
James kept moving with the hope she’d not try to cut short their time together. He was at his wits’ end with regard to her.
“Why? We need to move on, Prudence.”
“We need to move on? You haven’t even come to see me in the last two months. What am I supposed to think? One moment you say I’m all you want and then only call me? Do you have a woman, James? Is this just a courtesy call?” She stopped in the centre of the path to berate him.
“What the hell are you trying to say?” They were secluded from sight as the trees around them offered the privacy they needed. His anger rose as she glared at him. He didn’t like her temper or the way her questions were going.
“Two months is a long time. Are you sure there isn’t a woman at Ravage satisfying your needs?”
He saw red. James pressed her back against the nearest tree with his body on hers.
The last two months had been a nightmare. All he wanted to do was be with her and to take her in his arms. Nights of losing himself to his hand instead of her body drove him to the edge of need.
“Do you really think another woman would satisfy me?” he asked. It was a shame she wore jeans because he’d gladly show her what he needed at that moment. He took her hand then rubbed his dick against her palm. “Feel that. I only get hard for you, baby.”
Her eyes were wide as was her lips.
“There is no other woman for me. I’m doing what you f**king asked me to. I’m giving you space, and it’s costing me my f**king sanity. Don’t you ever say shit like that to me again.” He slammed his hand against the tree, annoyed with her and the situation they were in.
Picking up the picnic basket, he tugged on her elbow. James left her at the park as he walked off his frustration.
Prudence really had no clue how insane he was going over her. The women who tried to come onto him couldn’t compare to Prudence. She’d entered his life, screwed with his head, and now he struggled to find the switch to turn off his feelings for her.
He sat watching his friends find happiness. Even Tate, Kevin, and Rebecca were getting there. Leaving the picnic basket at the deli, James went straight to the gym inside his home. Exercise was the only form of activity that stopped the rioting emotions from exploding over inside him.
Chapter Nineteen
She shouldn’t be here. Prue stared around the dance floor as her nerves kept her in place by the bar. Becky and Anya had agreed to go with her to Ravage. They hadn’t been back since the place closed. She didn’t know why they stayed away. The place appeared to be thriving, and it was only eight o’clock on a Friday.
“Can I help you?” the barman asked.
“What’s your name, sweetness?” Becky asked, taking a liking to the barman.
“Gabe, sugar. What can I get you?” The charm dripping out of his mouth should be illegal. Prue ignored him and kept an eye out for the man she was really here to see.
“You were rude,” Anya said, pulling out a tip.
“You should leave a tip after he’s served you,” Prue said.
“I did. You’re too much in your own little world to care.”
Her friends sat down beside her, looking out onto the dance floor. All Prue saw was the way James took over when men tried to dance with her. She wondered if his possessive instincts had faded toward her. He no longer seemed to care about her.