JAMES
“If you keep sighing like that, you’ll get wrinkles early,” Mia commented.
I glanced at Mia, who shouldn’t look adorable in a messy bun and a baggy band tee shirt. I hadn’t thought twice about buying any toys or lingerie she wanted at the sex shop and kept my glare fixated on Nate’s dark hair when he had scanned all her items, humming a tune. Mia had been a little upset about me paying everything for her, but I was her caregiver for a few days. I would buy her a yacht if she asked me to, and I wouldn’t blink an eye.
Maybe it is time to go talk to my therapist again, because I was sure that my behavior wasn’t normal when it came to a certain doe-eyed minx.
“Do I look like someone who cares about wrinkles, Princess?” I muttered, looking back at the blueprints, eyeing the dimensions and going through the various excel sheets wondering what I was missing.
We had dinner, and she was doing her homework on the kitchen island while I was going through the designs on my laptop for a new club that my PA was working on.
Despite the sexual tension hovering between us, both of us worked in comfortable silence with a few soft hums coming from her as she nodded along to songs she listened to on her earphones.
“I know you don’t care, but I do. So, unless you want to wear a sheet mask tonight before you sleep, stop sighing.” She was scolding me but instead, she looked extremely adorable. “Why are you sighing anyway?”
“Come here and help me pick a product.” She quickly stood up and walked towards my chair and I pulled her on my lap, inhaling her sweet cherry scent, and showed her the screen of the laptop. “This is purple damask wallpaper and this is red and black vinyl wallpaper. Which one do you think will suit this room?”
Her eyes were wide and glittery as she squinted at the three-dimensional model of the room and aped at me. “Is that a pole?”
“Yes.”
“In middle of the bedroom?”
“Uh-huh.”
Mia turned towards me with a raised brow and scarlet color tinting her cheeks. “What exactly are you making here?”
“It’s a secret.” I pinched her waist and nodded at the screen. “Help me choose a wallpaper.”
“I like the purple one but don’t tell me you were sighing about wallpaper for the past ten minutes.”
“Will you believe me if I said I was?”
She blinked and said, “No.”
I smiled, dipping down and brushing my lips over her ear, enjoying the way she trembled. “Good girl.” I pulled back and said, “I have to choose the lighting, jacuzzi, shower and…” I couldn’t certainly tell her aboutthatso I kept it simple, “Some furniture for the room.”
Mia sensed my hesitation. “What kind of furniture?”
I patted her ass and she stood up, “I’ll show you once you finish your homework.”
Poking her tongue at me, she watched me type for a few moments before asking, “Can I ask you a question?”
“You just asked.” I paused seeing her face and tilted my head. “Ask away, Princess.”
“Why did you decide to take this job?” She fidgeted with her fingers before adding, “Teaching, I mean.”
Partly because I want to keep an eye on you knowing half of the school board is corrupt and partly because…
“Clyde helped me finish school, did you know that?” By her stunned expression and wide eyes, I would take it she didn’t. “I wanted to drop out but he was a stubborn piece of ass—still is, and helped me. I’ve already travelled half of the world working on onsite projects and saved enough to do whatever the hell I want, so I decided to accept this teaching contract.” I looked back at the blueprints and smiled, “I like lines, colors, dimensions and space. The ability to create, build something monumental or something just for others gives me thrill. And I want to share this knowledge to others.”
When I glanced back at Mia, she was smiling. My body stiffened seeing it. It was pure, innocent and otherworldly. I didn’t know how to react and kept staring at her. She was beautiful.
“I’m glad you decided to teach us,” she said, leaning down and brushing a kiss on my cheek before settling herself on her seat and continuing her homework.
I rubbed my chest, exhaling the breath I was holding. She was going to ruin me.
After a few moments, she looked up again and I knew she was curious. Again.