Chapter 48

Mia

When I returned to the hotel room after spending the whole day with my brother, James was nowhere in sight. The fact I hadn’t seen him or Matt ever since James had taken me to see Andy at the hospital didn’t put a doubt in my mind they were still busy cleaning up the mess they had made with the Mexicans.

Inside the hotel room, I headed straight to the bedroom. I was exhausted, my body weak, threatening to collapse any moment now. The lack of sleep from the previous night and the worry I had the majority of early this morning for my brother must have caught up to me. Now I only wanted to shower and then crawl straight into bed.

Sleep was what I needed most. Tomorrow I’d spend the whole day with Andy again, nursing him and doting on him before I had to leave Las Vegas for Mystic Spring, back to deal with my boss and my job as a kitchen hand at the restaurant.

In regard to that area, however, I have yet to bring the subject up with James as to how our relationship was going to work out. Honest to God, I knew I was procrastinating, knowing it wasn’t going to be pleasant. James wasn’t going to like it that I return to Mystic Spring. But I needed money to survive, and my job provided me that security. What else could I do?

Nope. I decided that I had to talk to James about that particular subject tomorrow when he was free. I needed to sort this out before I got too freaked out to bring it up, and maybe by then it’d be too late.

So tomorrow it was going to be.

With that in mind, I went in search of my pajamas James had gotten me from Fleur. Then I noted the lingerie lying on the bed with a note. My heart skipped a beat as I instantly knew who had put the items there. James! It had to be James.

I picked up the piece of paper and read, “Wear this tonight. James.”

I bit my lip, my heart racing and my tummy fluttering. I grabbed the thin, translucent garment and examined it closely in my hands. The material was sheer and soft, made of silk and lace. I noted it was a two-piece. It was designed like a very sexy bikini, only this was lingerie, with very little material to cover a woman’s skin. Just the bits that barely covered the breasts and panties area. Everywhere else was completely and utterly bare.

Oh God! James expected me to wear this tonight? My stomach knotted in dread. I was sure I’d look horrible in it. I was sure I would. Besides, I was way too shy to wear this type of outfit. No! I wasn’t going to obey him and wear this piece of useless garment.

Heading over to the walk-in closet across the bedroom, I placed the lingerie in my section among my other clothes James had recently bought me. Dismissing the lingerie there, I headed back out and then into the bathroom.

I made quick work preparing the shower because I wanted to get it over and done with and then go straight to bed. The thought of simply collapsing on that soft mattress was heaven.

Once the water was running warm, I stripped myself naked and hopped in. As I stayed there under the pounding water, I smiled. The feeling of liberation that my brother was now here safe and sound made me deliriously happy, and I started humming to myself as I was shampooing my hair. I was so deep within my own joyful world that when a manly voice said, “That’s quite a picture,” I jumped in my spot.

I shifted my eyes to the basin area to see James standing there, leaning his masculine body gracefully against the frame. He was watching me, his Prussian-blue eyes dark. Not to mention his sly smile that made my stomach flutter deliciously.

“James!” I uttered in disbelief and embarrassment. “What are you doing here?” I knew I was blushing, what with the way he was scrutinizing every inch of me from head to toe. It was as though his intense eyes were devouring me whole.

I hastily turned sideways so he wouldn’t see me totally wet and naked under the running shower, with shampoo in my hair. That didn’t seem to put him off in any way. Even more so, he seemed to enjoy the view of my back to him, my long hair wet and hanging.

He ignored my question and asked instead, “How’s Andy doing?”

His query took me by surprise. It was the first time he had asked about my brother, and I was simply elated he cared.

I smiled at him, my eyes bright. “He’s good. I just want to say thank you again for finding him and saving him. I mean I would have thought it’d take days. Weeks even just to find Andy. But you did it within only a few hours.”

I meant what I said. He and his team were certainly amazing. But then again, I told myself, James was a billionaire. He had the money, the connections, and the means to do anything and everything. This city ran under his watch. Indeed, he and his friends, and of course, those like him, ruled this city with an iron fist. So finding Andy was a piece of cake to him.

James cocked his head to one side. “You’re welcome.”

I smiled at him gratefully. Then of course I expected him to leave me alone to finish my shower after that, but he didn’t. He seemed relaxed and was definitely enjoying the moment, which of course annoyed the hell out of me.

“Er…” I began, playing with my hair as I stood there awkwardly under the shower. “You can leave now.”

When he didn’t answer, it struck me then that he was probably waiting for me to finish so he could use the shower. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? He had been out working since three this morning. Now it was eleven in the evening. He needed to freshen up and head to bed straight away. He must be exhausted. Even more so than I was.

I had to shake my head at my own inconsiderateness and stupidity at this point.

“Sorry, James,” I said apologetically. “I really am. I didn’t think how exhausted you must be. Out working so early in the morning, finding my brother and saving him and everything. I’m so inconsiderate. So sorry. I’ll be out now.” I bit my lip, blushing profusely while he still watched me, his eyes intense. “If you could just pass me the towel please.”

He did as I asked and leaned over for the towel sitting on the basin. Then he passed it to me, a smirk about his lips.

“Thanks,” I said, grateful as I turned the shower off. Then I hastily grabbed the towel in his hand and wrapped it around me securely. I stepped out of the cubicle and said, “There you go. All yours.”

I quickly walked out the door after that, my mind suddenly going into a frenzy of wild imagination. Mainly that involved James naked in the shower, his skin dripping wet and glistening. I had the urge to run my fingers along his skin, feel him against me in the shower. But of course, that was stupid. I was tired. He was exhausted. No time to think about sexy stuff like that.

I was almost at the bed when I felt a strong hand on my arm, spinning me around. Disoriented, I blinked in surprise when I faced James. In a split second, he had one hand at my towel and gently peeled it off me. Utterly naked in front of him, I gasped in shock.

“James!” I demanded. “What are you doing?”

He wrapped one arm around my waist and lifted me against him as he made me sit on the large bed.

“Your hair is still wet,” he said, placing the towel on my head and then rubbing at it. “You’ll get a cold if you don’t dry it properly.”

Good Lord! If he was that worried about my getting a cold from wet hair, he could have just given me another towel to dry it with and not pulled off the one I had wrapped around my body. Now what? I was butt naked and sitting there on the bed in front of him as if that were only natural.

He seemed to be consumed with what he was doing, because I’d never seen him like that before. Not to mention his face was a dark mask.

He continued drying my hair with the towel by dabbing along the length of it.

He knelt on the floor when he got to about my breasts. Now and again, his hand would brush lightly against my skin, enticing me to want more. When his hand brushed against my nipple, I sucked in my breath, and my belly tingled deliciously. My core, too, began to pay attention. Suddenly I felt my body turn weak and warm, ready for whatever James wanted to do to me.

As he was working on my hair, he shifted over and said softly, “I love your hair, Mia. Don’t ever cut it.”

I blushed. His compliment thrilled me, and I felt wonderfully happy. He buried his nose in my hair when he continued. “I love the smell on you. It’s a turn-on.”

I licked my lips at his statement and felt my throat go dry as dust.

When he finished dabbing the end of my hair dry, I expected him to give me back the towel so I could cover myself. I also expected him to go back into the bathroom and freshen up like he had wanted to. But those weren’t at all what he did.

He carelessly threw the towel to the floor and turned his attention to my body instead. He wrapped his warm, large hands around my middle as he continued to stare at my body, his thumbs caressing my skin.

I watched his handsome face as he gawked at me, his eyes dark. Then he smirked and licked his upper lip. In response, I felt a delicious shiver pass down my spine. My whole body suddenly started aching for more of his touches.

I licked my lips too and then managed to squeak out, “James?”

He lifted his gaze to me then. The moment I saw the Prussian-blue fire in those beautiful eyes of his, I sucked in my breath. I knew instantly he was going to ravish me full-out like he had promised me he’d do after he had returned with my brother.

I swallowed at this realization as my body shook both in trepidation and anticipation.