Chapter 35

“Relax for me,” James said roughly.

His deep, honeyed voice rolled over me while his hands came to rest over the tops of my thighs. Slowly, he spread my legs open, causing my whole body to flush red.

The tips of his fingers brushed against the silken waistband of my underwear. My breath caught in my lungs as my hands fisted the bed covers.

James pressed a line of soft, caring kisses on the inner side of my thighs till he reached my hot center. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he nuzzled at my core.

“James,” I whispered.

“Do you trust me?” he asked softly. I nodded my head without so much as a thought. He placed a firm kiss over my covered folds. “Then close your eyes and let me take care of you.”

By some miracle I actually let my eyes flutter shut. From there, it was like a whole world of feeling and pleasure exploded around me. James tugged my panties aside, I felt the intense heat from his breath as he leaned in and gave one long tentative lick through my slick folds.

Every nerve in my body went into shock before turning numb. “Oh my God!” I gasped.

That same strange magnetic pull returned with a raging vengeance. I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep any further sounds from spilling out. James snatched my wrist and pinned it to bed.

“Nuh-uh,” he tutted between licks. “I want to hear every single noise that comes out of that gorgeous mouth. Understand?”

I struggled to nod my head as I kept trying to close my legs. He’s touched me before, but this...This felt far too intimate to be taken lightly.

He licked and sucked my soaking entrance while the tip of his tongue played against my swollen bundle of nerves. The room was filled with broken moans and disgruntled sounds that tore from James’ chest.

My hand somehow found its way from the bed covers and snaked through the thick locks of his hair. The fire beneath my stomach started to rise. My hips began pushing and grinding against the hard edges of his face.

“Oh! J-James! I...I can’t—”

“That’s it, Mia. You’re so beautiful,” James groaned. “Come for me.”

The second James pressed the pad of his thumb against my clit, the whole world went blurry.

All the tension and stress that had been gathering in my muscles for the past few days was coming to a mindful peak. Every last bit of it dissolved into nothing and the exhausted weight of my body pulled me down into my unconscious state.

...

From that moment forward, I felt an intense shift in James and I’s relationship. White, yes, he and I were gradually becoming more physically active with one another, a big part of me was truly hoping that he felt the same growing attachment as I was.

But what really stole my attention was how that pull within me whenever James and I were intimate had somehow evolved. Usually, the sensation would only appear when he and I were physically active; however, since our last blissful moment, I found that the feeling remained fairly intact.

Whenever James and I were apart, I would feel a severe tug from the center of my chest. It felt like a deep loss that I couldn’t fathom—like I was missing something but couldn’t understand what.

Because of this newly developed feeling, I found myself missing James whenever he wasn’t around. Like tonight...

I knew well in advance that James was going to have work late this evening. I tried not to let the feeling consume me and I was grateful for the suggestion he made. “Why don’t you invite your friend Emily over for the evening? You know Kristen and Lana will have their own business to attend to...”

So, a girls night it was!

I’d texted Emily a day or so prior to make sure she was free, and sure enough, her schedule was as clear as mine for the time being. From then on, my excitement grew and I began to really plan out the night.

I set up the living room with bowls of snacks and drinks and had a small stack of movies lined up. The second I heard the doorbell ring, I rushed past the staff to greet Emily. Her smile was dazzling and wide as we pulled each other into a tight hug.

“Oh my God! How are you? I’ve missed you so much,” she gushed.

The feeling of having her back in my life like this was enough to bring tears to my eyes. “Jesus, it’s been...insane to say the least,” I humored.

Emily and I made our way into the living room where we gathered on the couches. I set up one of the movies as we fell into one of our long overdue catch-up conversations.

About halfway through the evening, I got the idea to order a few pizzas while she and I went on to paint our nails. Emily was deeply intrigued about James and I’s relationship, having read about it through all the papers.

Knowing her, she wanted all the juicy details of how our relationship was progressing. I decided against telling her about the pull that I kept feeling within me but vaguely discussed our more intimate moments.

“It still boggles my mind that he would want someone like me,” I commented.

Emily gave me a disapproving look. “Mia, how could he not? For Christ’s sake you’re beautiful, talented, and driven—”

“And currently pregnant with another man’s child,” I added dryly.

“Apparently, that doesn’t seem to bother him,” she noted.

“No, you’re right.” It didn’t bother him, in fact, my pregnancy acted as a major selling point for James. I understood that he wanted a family. But what I couldn’t wrap my mind around was why he wouldn’t go for someone else and ensure that the baby would truly be his own.

“Tell me honestly,” I started. “Am I crazy for still loving James after all these years?”

“Absolutely not,” she insisted. “But, what I want to know is where does he stand, emotionally speaking, in all of this.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Right as Emily was about to speak, I heard the front door swing open and heavy footsteps move through the main hall. My mind immediately went to James.

I got up from my spot and rushed to greet him...Only to find that it wasn’t James. It was Diana.

Diana eyes me coldly and clears her throat.

“Mrs. Der—”

“Miss Johnson, I’m going to be quite honest with you. You’re not what I want for my son. I’m prepared to offer you three million dollars to leave him.”