Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(33)

It fascinated me, how his strong character shone at such a tender age. I wanted to make it into a portrait shot that he could hang on some fireplace mantle at one of his many estates. Perhaps it could be a legacy for his children.

“You were like a baby supermodel,” I said as he went back to his seat.

He shot me a wry smile. “I detested the way I looked back then. I thought it made my business associates take me less seriously. Typical fourteen-year-old reasoning. It didn’t even occur to me that being fourteen did that all on it’s own.”

I studied him, trying to hide the sympathy I felt for a fourteen-year-old James, who’d had far too heavy of a burden to bear.

“I wish I’d known you back then. I bet we would have been friends.”

He gave me a warm look. “Me too.”

“You weren’t homeless, but you didn’t have anyone, like I did, to turn to for comfort. I think I got the better deal.”

He gave me a sad little smile. “You may be right there.”

I took the printout of the photo across the room, beginning a rough sketch, loving all of the new supplies.

He’d thought of everything I could possibly need.

“Oh, I forgot,” James said. I glanced back at him. He was holding my phone. “Your reception isn’t great out here, but Stephan has been trying to get ahold of you. You can call him from my phone.”

I realized belatedly that I had forgotten I’d even had a phone since we’d arrived at the ranch.

He carried the other phone to me, already set to dial Stephan. I pushed the button, thanking him.

An excited Stephan answered after one ring. It took me a long moment to piece together his hyper chattering.

I blinked, glancing at James. He was working intently at his computer.

“It even has the white grill and the black racing stripe that I was obsessed with. It’s like he took every

piece of information he ever heard me say about my dream car and just ordered it.”

Stephan had been going on and on about the brand new Dodge Challenger that James had delivered to his driveway for several minutes, before I got a word in.

“That’s amazing, Stephan.” I listened as he added several excited details. “Yes, James is unerringly thoughtful. I’m so happy for you.”

I couldn’t get a word in for another solid five minutes while Stephan went on and on about his extravagant gift. Finally, he asked to speak to James, wanting to thank him personally.

James took the phone from me with good grace, smiling as he told Stephan, “It is the best way I could think of to thank you for watching out for our Bianca for all these years. I’m indebted to you.” He paused with a laugh as he was obviously interrupted by a frenzied Stephan. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s schedule a meeting when we’re both in New York. I want to discuss a few business matters with you.” James listened politely to the response. “That will work fine. Yes, I’ll do that. Okay, have a good one, Stephan.” With that, he hung up.

I eyed him suspiciously. “What are you up to now?” I asked him ungraciously. But I just knew that he was somehow meddling in my life.

He shrugged. “Stephan is your family. I want to take care of him. And I do feel strongly indebted to him for the way he’s protected you. Also, I’ve found that it pays to be on his good side.”

I studied him, wanting to be annoyed at his interference, but I just couldn’t. He had found something that made Stephan so happy. How could I help but be thankful to him for it?

“Thank you for doing that for him,” I finally said. “He’s been obsessed with the new Challenger since it came out. And his obsession for old muscle cars goes way back. There’s not a gift in the world that he would love more than what you’ve done.”

He just smiled at me, shrugging like it was no more than the most simple of gifts to give someone their dream car. “And what would be your dream car?” he asked me.

I gave him a warning look. “Don’t even think of it. I have a car. I bought it with my own money, and I like it just fine.”

He didn’t let up, even with the clear warning in my voice. “Eventually, you’ll realize that what’s mine is yours, and when you do, you can buy whatever you like. I want you to start growing accustomed to the idea.”

I took deep breaths as he spoke, trying to calm the panic that bloomed inside of me at his words.

Was he trying to take over my life? It was a dark, terrifying thought for me.

“I can’t,” I told him on a gasp.

His expression became more closed off, but his tone was as steady as before. “I understand that you need time. I’m trying to give you as much time as I can bear, Bianca.”

My eyes widened at his words. Clearly, the man was deranged. “We’ve only known each other for a month, and most of that time we weren’t even in contact with each other. You call that giving me time?”

His expression, his voice, didn’t alter. “The lack of contact was not of my choosing. And I’ve always been decisive about what I want. When I see it, I take action. This is just how I am. I am trying to be patient, but I have no reservations about what I want from you, what I want our relationship to be. I am trying to respect the fact that you don’t feel the same. I’m just asking you to start growing accustomed to the idea of living together.”