Chapter 35: Let them...

James

The Queensland sun was too damn bright.

James adjusted the cuffs of his dress shirt, straightened the hem of his jacket, and reminded himself—again—that this mess needed his full attention. Not the woman he’d left in Sydney. Not the weight of her body beneath his hands. Not the goddamn sound she made when he—

He exhaled through his nose, slow. Controlled. He had to be. He was.

The meeting room was glass-walled and clinical, overlooking palm trees that only irritated him with their swaying. The board seated in front of him didn't notice the barely-contained storm simmering under the surface. They were too busy posturing, spinning jargon like it meant something, while James watched the clock, counted the days, the hours, and imagined what Kai might be doing with every tick of the second hand.

Overdoing it, probably. Pushing past her limits. Ignoring every word he'd said the night before he'd flown out.

"Take it easy."

She’d smiled at him, that defiant, sweet brat smile, and promised. Promised.

He didn’t believe her.

Which is why he'd made sure the moment his flight landed, Cam had already checked in with him. James hadn’t wanted to ask. Hadn't liked the way Cam looked at her that first day—like he saw her. But over the last few weeks, after talking, after watching the way Cam treated Kai like a sister, a friend, something purely platonic… James had cooled the irrational growl in his chest. Barely.

Chef Leo was another story. Loyal to Kai to a fault. Good man. Fierce. Protective. James respected that. So Leo had been brought in on the "Keep-Kai-From-Burning-Herself-Out-Again" team. Jason too. The kid was bright. Observant. Also slightly terrified of James, which helped.

Still. None of them were him.

None of them saw how she carried things that weren’t hers. How she put everyone else first. How she masked her pain so well it made his chest ache, remembering the way she’d trembled beneath his hands that night—trying to be strong even in surrender.

He was losing his mind.

He sat through two more hours of negotiations that grated against every instinct in his body. He signed papers. Drew lines in contracts with surgical precision. Got what he needed.

And still... his mind looped back to Kai.

What would she say if he told her the truth? That three days without her was too long. That he'd woken up this morning wondering if she'd remembered to eat, to stretch her shoulder, to stop for five minutes and breathe. That every second away from her just made the craving worse—this hunger to be the man who could carry her fire without trying to extinguish it.

He was dangerously close to falling.

Not just in lust. That had happened already.

No, this was worse. Or better. Depending on how one looked at it.

This was everything.

He rubbed his jaw, feeling the ghost of her kiss still lingering on his mouth from the night he left. He’d slammed her against that wall like a man starved—because he was—but he’d left anyway. Because he wanted this to be real. Not just another heated blur of power dynamics and temptation. He could have any woman. He didn’t want any woman.

He wanted Kai.

All of her.

Heart. Mind. Soul. Submission. Fire.

And if it took longer, if it meant waiting, proving, showing her that she could be safe in his hands even when she wasn’t falling apart—he would do it.

He’d do anything.

Friday couldn’t arrive fast enough. The plane landed at 9:27 AM.

By 9:33, James had his phone in hand, scrolling through the texts from Cam, Justin, and Leo. Every single one a carefully curated breadcrumb trail detailing how Kai had tried to take it easy… but ultimately pushed herself. Again.

He wasn't even surprised.

Disappointed? Yes.

Surprised? Never.

Kai didn't know how to stop. She only slowed down when her body gave her no other choice—or when someone forced her to. And James? James had no problem being that someone.

By 9:57, he was inside her café. It felt surreal walking through the space with its humming espresso machines and scent of fresh pastries after what felt like an eternity away. His body moved on autopilot, navigating through the back, greeted with knowing nods and hidden smiles from staff in on the plan.

Thanks to Justin’s work, her whole schedule was covered. Leo had pulled in extra hands. Cam had double-checked the delivery rosters. Every single person had come together to make this happen—for her.

And she didn’t even know it yet.

By 10:02, he was standing in the corner of her office, the one spot that let him see the whole room but kept him hidden when she opened the door.

His heart was pounding.

Which was ridiculous. He didn’t get nervous. Ever.

But this wasn’t business. This was Kai.

And he’d had three days of pacing hotel floors, distracted conference calls, and waking up to a bed that felt violently empty to realize it.

He was gone for her.

Completely.

He heard the door click open.

Kai walked in exactly like he knew she would—coffee in one hand, notebook tucked under the other arm, already muttering something under her breath like she was building a to-do list in her head. She didn’t even notice him at first.

She set the coffee down. Dropped her notebook on the desk. Turned—

Two steps. Swift. Silent.