Chapter 26

The nerves in my stomach jittered and fluttered as though it was filled with a dozen butterflies when I saw the expression on James’ face. The man was perfectly stunned by my request to spend the night here.

Initially, his brows raised in surprise before curling with heated suggestion. The corner of his mouth pulled upward into a devious smirk, causing several thousands of goosebumps to rake over my body.

My breath caught in my lungs while his eyes grew hooded. “My, my Mrs. Derek,” he growled with arousal. “What did you have in mind?”

My face flushed with unbearable heat from the overwhelming wave of embarrassment that tunneled through me. I tensed up and pressed both my hands against his chest.

“I...I–wait, what??” I stammered. “No, I didn’t...James, my offer was solely based on just ‘sleep’.”

James’ expression slightly dulled with disappointment. He playfully pinched my sides, causing me to jolt and shift on his lap.

“Are you sure?” he hummed. “I’m fairly positive that you and I could find something more useful to do with our shared time than merely sleep.”

My lips parted but nothing came out at first.

“James...”

A low chuckle echoed off the walls, making my spine curl. His features lightened with amusement whereas my cheeks were touched with another blush. Hearing and seeing him so relaxed and at ease, reminded me of when we were both younger.

I wished I had the courage to tell James how handsome he looked when he smiled. He possessed a laugh that made me want to listen to it all day.

“I’m kidding, sweetheart.” He brushed my hair away from my face. “I’d be happy to spend the night with you.”

For the first time in what felt like ever, I felt a gentle easiness that came from being with James. It was like the tension between us had finally lightened up and there was no longer that unbearable unequal power dynamic.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Mia?” a soft feminine voice called from beyond the bedroom door. “Is it alright if I come in for a second?”

I let out a sharp gasp and practically flopped out of James’ lap when I heard Lily call from outside. James let out another deep laugh when he saw my flustered expression and half-hazardly caught me from falling backward.

“Stop it,” I hissed under my breath.

I got to my feet and made it swiftly to the door where I found Lily waiting along with a dark mahogany bar cart.

“Hi, Lily.”

“How are you feeling, dear?” she asked.

I raked a hand through my damp hair and struggled to keep down another mortifying blush.

“Better, I think.” She graced me with a smile and began pushing the cart through the door. “What’s all this?”

“Oh, James has requested that a few things be sent to your rooms since you weren’t feeling well enough to eat in the dining room,” she explained.

Lily reached down to uncover each covered plate. The first one revealed a freshly tossed garden salad. The second one contained seasoned, grilled chicken sandwiches. The third plate held a variety of fresh sliced fruit. All of which was accompanied by a pitcher of fresh lemonade.

‘He had the staff in the kitchens send me food?’ I thought astonishingly.

My chest swelled with warmth and compassion that he had gone out of his way. It was so sweet and rather domesticated for us.

I couldn’t help but turn to glance at James with a marveled look. This time, he was the one sporting a flustered look which nearly caused me to giggle.

James cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you know I wasn’t going to allow you to miss any meals,” he pointed out.

I turned back to Lily to thank you. She glanced between James and me before giving me a brief wink. “Let me know if the two of you need anything else,” she said sweetly.

As Lily excused herself, I went ahead and fixed both of us a plate for a late lunch. While he picked out our sandwiches and salad, I could see that there were a lot of thoughts behind his eyes.

“What is it?” I asked lightly. “I can tell when the wheels in your head are beginning to turn.”

James snorted. “You’re right...I was just thinking about the schedule I gave you before,” he started.

I quirked a brow and smirked. My voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Ah, looking for more ways to occupy my time?”

He shot me an amused look, making me break out into a series of giggles until the two of them had become swept up in the humor of it all.

James rolled his eyes and waved me off. “Alright, alright. I’ll admit, the schedule is a tad bit strict at times,” he said. “It wouldn’t be impossible to, perhaps, discuss ways to loosen up a few details, so that you may not feel so constricted.”

“Why, James, are you looking to negotiate with me?” I said, jokingly. I reached for his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. “I would really appreciate that, James.”

He nodded his head. “I mean, aside from work hours and doctor’s appointments, you deserve to have some free time to yourself, as long as there is nothing else important going on.”

For the first time in a long time, I felt satisfied and confident about our situation.

...

As the two of us got ready for bed that evening, James stood on the other side of the bed.

“Mia, are you sure you want me to stay the night?” he asked.

I bit the inside of my cheek and fought back a blush. I nodded my head and climbed under the covers. A feeling within my chest had me wanting to stay close to James.

Before we knew it, the two of us fell asleep—James on his side and me on my side. But by the time morning came around, that invisible barrier line became horribly blurred. Somehow, I ended up tucked close to James.

His arms are curled around me. His one knee was slotted between my legs, locking me in place. I was hardly aware of my surroundings. I only knew that I felt warm and safe. As I started to wake up, my body shifted and stretched

James’ strong arms tightened around me and pulled me close against his body. Feeling all of his muscles, my breath caught in my lungs when I felt his arousal pressing into the small part of my back. Something possessed me to push back against him.

James let out a low growl against my ear. “If you don’t stop doing that, I’m going to fuck you into this mattress.”