MiaIt was exactly half past eight in the morning when Aria, Sophie, and I headed out the front door. Walking beside me and holding my hand, Aria just couldn’t suppress her excitement as she sang out, “It’s going to be so much fun. It’s going to be so much fun.” All the while, she was skipping enthusiastically as we made our way toward the waiting car.Sammy and Alfie were tagging along behind us, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy making them stay put. I wasn’t wrong about that. The pair took the opportunity when none of us were paying attention and barged toward the car with expectance.I shook my head in exasperation, and Aria giggled. She said, “They want to come too. How cute.”Yes, I thought it was cute too, but surely pets weren’t allowed in the vicinity of Disneyland?“Obviously, they can’t come,” Sophie said sternly, her neat brows drawing down in disapproval.She bustled past Aria and me toward the dogs and made shooing noises to get the two canines moving.“Go on. Back i
MiaAn hour later, we finally arrived at Disneyland. The moment we stepped through the bustling entryway, the excitement Aria exuded was certainly contagious, and I found I couldn’t hold back my own enthusiasm as we strolled along with the thick crowd. There were mostly kids, ranging from toddlers to young adult, along with their parents and sometimes their grandparents, which was cute.As a pro Disneyland guest, Aria was animatedly acting as my tour guide, pointing out all the different types of adventure rides, if she had ridden on any of them before or not and, if she had, whether she enjoyed them or not.Throughout the next six hours, I found myself by Aria’s and James’ sides, taking ride after ride. First we went on the Radiator Spring Racer, followed by Toy Story Midway Mania, which Aria really loved. After that, it was Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours, which I found I personally enjoyed. Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad followed that, which were fun. Then the highly r
MiaI watched James pick up his daughter and carry her to the door. Poor Aria, I thought, smiling with adoration. She must have been exhausted after a full day out at Disneyland. And now after we’d arrived home about two hours ago, showered and changed, she had fallen asleep at the dinner table.With the room suddenly uncomfortably silent, I flicked my eyes to Sophie, who was sitting opposite me. I noted her gaze was glued on James the entire time as he was leaving the room. There was that something in the expression on her face that nagged at me—the way she smiled, the brightness of her eyes, and her flushed cheeks. What is it? I was sure it meant something personal…something deep.Then it hit me. Oh. My. Gosh. Sophie is in love with James!Instantly I felt sick to my stomach and my head began to swim. The delicious dinner I’d just had moments ago protested in my tummy, churning and threatening to come back out.Oh God! What? Really?I leaned forward and rested my forehead against my
Mia“No, I wasn’t.” I folded my arms across my chest and coyly cocked my head to one side. “And what are you doing here? Suddenly appearing at the top of the stairs.”“I’ve just finished putting Aria to bed,” he said.My expression softened instantly, and a smile appeared across my lips. “She was having so much fun today. I’m glad.”“And you?” James asked. “Did you have fun?”His query made me blush simply because of the way he’d asked. His tone was deep and dark yet soft and gentle at the same time. This coupled with the question itself made it sound like he really cared about me and my happiness, as if I were truly a part of his family, which tugged deep at my heartstrings. Truth be told, it made me so deliriously happy that my knees became weak in an instant.I nodded. “Yes, I did… Very much so. Thank you for taking me.”He chuckled with amusement and said, “No problem. It was Aria’s idea, but I’ll take the credit nonetheless.”He was right that it had been Aria’s idea, but he had
MiaOnce we were inside, James shut the door with his leg with a decisive click. I found myself trapped between him and the door. Not that I disliked that feeling. In fact, I loved it. Loved that James was intimately close to me while I was leaning against the solidity of the doorframe. Loved that he was kissing me ardently while his hands were frantically ripping my dress to pieces, as if he couldn’t wait to touch me and feel my naked skin or taste my bare flesh with his hot tongue and kiss me with his sensual lips.The thrilling heat and excitement was hard-core and raw within me as I listened to the music of James’ eager groaning combined with my dress being torn from my body.“Oh, James,” I groaned in pleasure.He chuckled at my soft moaning, as if he were pleased. Then he paused and drew back a little. There he gazed down at me, his dark eyes taking in my person, scrutinizing me with so much intensity it made my core burn hot with adoration.I noted a dark smirk was playing about
Mia“Was it really?” he asked, looking doubtful as he rolled onto his back. Then he pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight.Not surprisingly, I loved being in his arms in this position, squished against him. I felt comforted and safe. It was as if I didn’t have to worry about a thing in the world, and if there were anything horrible that should affect me, I felt in my gut James would be there for me. An odd instinct to have for sure for a young woman in my unconventional situation. After all, I was merely his mistress, tied to him via a two-million-dollar debt.I sighed and frowned darkly.“What’s the matter?” he asked.I licked my lips and blushed profusely. Then I shook my head to indicate there was nothing weird I was thinking about right now.James wasn’t buying it. “You’re lying. I can tell when you’re lying.”Huh? He could tell when I was lying? How in the world could he do that when we hadn’t even been together that long?Of course, Andy, my brother, knew instantly when I
MiaAs I sat there in the park, I watched Aria enjoying herself, playing with James and their dogs Sammy and Alfie. James was currently chasing after Aria, who had a fifty-count advantage starting the game of tag.I knew James would catch up to her in no time, just as he had previously. Once he had seized her in his arms, he’d again kiss her repeatedly and tickle her, which would make Aria laugh gleefully.My eyes followed James’ lean, fit form as he sprinted across the field. I couldn’t help but marvel at how handsome he was as he laughed delightfully while chasing after his daughter. To me, this scene made me again wonder about James’ character. When he was acting so down-to-earth and carefree like this, it just didn’t feel that he was in actual fact a ruthless billionaire who ruled an underground business world and dealt with various brutal gangs.Here he was, behaving so normally, like any other father with a young child would, pampering his daughter and enjoying spending time wit
MiaReluctantly I turned to look at him, more than a little afraid.“Why do you bring up the subject?” he asked.I blinked. Shit! Why was he asking me this? Wasn’t it obvious I cared about Aria? That I cared about him? That I was head over heels in love with him and I wanted to be more than just his mistress? That I wanted to be more than just a friend to Aria?“Because I care about Aria,” I said, looking into his eyes. I wanted to tell him I meant what I said, that there was no hidden agenda.His face still a hard mask, he asked, “Why do you care about Aria?”I furrowed my brow. God, did he really need me to spell out each word and explain its meaning?“Because I love her, James; that’s why. She’s such a sweet child, and she’s your daughter. Granted, I’ve never been with children before, but with Aria, I feel we just kind of click.”Like it clicks when I’m with you, I wanted to say.“I care about her a lot, James. I’m worried Sophie is hurting her like…”“Like?” He probed.I sighed a