Chapter 15

My lips parted and my jaw immediately went slack.

There was genuinely nothing that could have prepared me for the suggestion that had just passed through James’ mouth.

My heart seized inside of my chest while I continued to openly gape at the man with a look of pure disbelief. I didn’t have any sort of answer that I could’ve easily passed on.

It was like my whole mind had been wiped clean. I’d become tongue-tied.

“I...Well...Wait, what?” I stammered.

James turned back to face me and completely invaded my personal bubble with his overly six-foot stature. He peered down at me, causing my whole body to tingle with goosebumps.

His deep, honeyed voice sent riveting chills up my spine and sweet heat to stir beneath my stomach.

“You heard exactly what I said, Mia,” he stated. His eyes grew hooded while his gaze lowered to my lips. “You and I shall experiment later tonight where I will happily and enthusiastically spend possibly hours helping you discover the difference between mate attraction and mere basic hormones.”

I stared back at him, unblinking.

“That is, of course, if you so wish? Perhaps, my Alpha presence may stimulate something within you that could stir your sleeping wolf,” he added smoothly.

‘Oh, please.’ I thought bluntly to myself. ‘Since when the hell did this man actually give thought to what I would personally want?’

Ever since I stumbled into James’ life, every personal decision that I deserved to make had been made for me without a single thought’s hesitation. At times it was beyond infuriating and drove me utterly mad.

However, there were moments like this when James gave me the actual freedom of choice that I deserved. And, still, he left me speechless. Regardless of how much sense he was making, I felt torn between reason and my inner feelings toward him.

‘I want to awaken my wolf,’ I decided. ‘But the inner teenager in me would love nothing more than to spend a real night with James.’

As much as I should have probably kept my emotions out of this, I couldn’t override the buzzing sensation that hummed beneath my skin.

“Alright,” I responded. “Let’s give it a try,”

...

When we made it back to the house, I was quietly approached by Lily who was carrying a small, mysterious package in her hands. She discreetly placed the box into my hands and gave me a subtle wink.

“Ah, Lily? What’s this?” I started to open the box and my eyes nearly jumped out of my head.

Inside, there was a variety of provocative lingerie along with a few intimate accessories. I quickly slammed the box shut and glared at the woman, waiting for some sort of explanation.

Lily couldn’t have been more jovial, even with my bewildered response to the gift.

“This is merely a little something to help embrace your love for James,” she said. “To think, after all these years apart, the two of you have come back to one another. Your reunion is bound to ignite passionate flames!”

I fought back the flush that was stamped on my cheeks as she went on.

“Honestly, it’s nothing short of a blessing that you’re here,” Lily said lightly. “Well, with James having been without a woman for so many years, it’s left his family to become very concerned about him.”

Her brief solemn look was hastily replaced with one of hope and excitement.

“But, now that you’re here, we can finally look forward to the birth of a new heir!”

I half-hazardly cleared my throat and tried to keep the awkwardness out of my voice. “Lily, as much as I appreciate this little push, I can assure you that such preparations are unnecessary,” I told her.

Likely simply waved off my remark and shook her head with indifference. “Oh, of course, of course. With James, I’m sure no props would be needed.”

Oh, sweet Jesus. Could this have gotten any more mortifying?

“No, Lily. I’m already pregnant.”

The older woman went completely still. Her brows lifted in shock while seconds later she was bouncing with joy, claiming that she wanted to spread the wondrous news.

“But, why on earth hasn’t James said anything?” she questioned. “After all, an heir is a significant matter.”

“James may have other important concerns to deal with at the moment,” I said. “Not to mention, the baby is not biologically his.”

I could tell Lily was hugely taken aback by this piece of news. Her expression was filled with worry. “Oh, my dear, do you think this child will end up affecting your and James’ relationship?”

I went on to tell Lily the truth about how James and I came to be proposed to one another, despite knowing he was not the biological father. Lily seemed truly touched and promised to come by the room later to check on me.

Not knowing what to do with the box in my hands, I made it back to my room and swiftly placed it down on the bed. I should have just placed the box away in some closet and forgotten about it. But my curiosity continued to nibble at me. And soon I found myself taking everything out and wanting to properly examine it.

Although most of the lingerie was rather revealing, it did look fairly comfortable. It was made with high-quality material and I was tempted to try some of it on in front of the dressing mirror. I’d never worn something so provocative before.

When Peter and I were still together, he never made a big show out of wanting me to dress up in any way. Then again, he also hardly made me special, to begin with...

Knock. Knock. Knock.

‘That must be Lily,’ I thought.

I quickly called out for her to come in.

When I turned to glance over my shoulder, my whole body froze on the spot. Several hundreds of mortifying chills raked over my body, causing my face to break out into an embarrassed blush. Oh. My. God.

I’d fully anticipated for Lily to be the one who was knocking, little did I know just how wrong I was...

James entered the bedroom. His steel gaze immediately locked on the lingerie and items that were spread out all across the bed.

"You seem even more eager than I imagined," he said with a smirk.