Chapter 0005

Oh, sweet heavenly Jesus.

Kissing James caused a series of fireworks to go off in my stomach. The warm, soft feel of his lips against my own made me feel weightless. It was like everything I’d ever imagined it would be and much, much more.

I knew I was well out of my depth when I first made the bold move to kiss James in such a chauvinistic manner. Honestly, I didn’t know what possessed me to make such an impulsive move.

I’d become so swept up in the maddening feelings of having been torn apart by Peter, that all I wanted to do was tear him down in an equal fashion. Even if it wasn’t true in the slightest, I wanted him to believe that I had found something better for myself—that I was loved and capable of being loved in return.

Unfortunately, I knew it had to end at some point. James and I were certainly not a real couple.

And to try and parade the idea around any longer would only have been torturous.

When I finally pulled myself back, I was met with the unexpected feeling of James’ arm circling around my waist and pulling me back to him. He pressed me firmly against the hard, muscled planes of his chest and bent down to capture my lips in another searing kiss. This time, it was like he’d stolen the very air from my lungs, causing my knees to bend as he took possession of the kiss and deepened it.

I felt the skillful, demanding press of his tongue sweep across the seam of my mouth. He took each one of my moans and ran his hand through the thick waves of my hair while the other remained firmly clasped around my hip.

Right when I thought I’d crossed a major line, I found myself practically melting into James’ hands. A sudden spark of heat started to simmer in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want it to end.

A low growl tore from James’ throat which forced us to end the blissful, heart-stopping kiss too soon. It nearly made me forget that we were still out in public—still standing in front of Peter.

The guy looked about as pissed off as I’d ever seen. He was utterly fuming and on the verge of potentially throwing a fist.

Still riding the emotional high of the situation, I turned back to face Peter and smiled.

“You know what, Peter? I don’t care what you have to say about me,” I said plainly. “I think our relationship should have ended a lot sooner. Had I known that James existed, I would have never even bothered with you.”

Peter scoffed. “You’ll regret that little remark. Unlike you, I actually have a promising future. I work for Crescent Moon and already I’m climbing up the company’s ladder. You’ll never find someone better than me.” James reached his hand up to remove his sunglasses, revealing his identity as well as startling the daylights out of Peter.

“Not anymore,” he stated coldly. His tone was sharp and unforgiving. “You are hereby fired from Crescent Moon. And due to your excessive insults and appalling treatment toward Mia, I can promise you that you will never receive another single offer from any other company in this city.”

James snaked his arm around my shoulder, pulling me back to him. I was stunned, but clearly not as much as Peter was.

“Oh my God—You’re James Derek! Wait. Oh, come on. You can’t fire me,” Peter stammered in panic.

“I believe I just did.”

Peter looked lost. The man was dumbstruck and perfectly tongue-tied. James muttered something under his breath before turning us away.

The further we continued our way down the sidewalk, the more the muscles in my stomach clenched with uneasiness.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. James stopped to glance down at me with a raised brow. “I shouldn’t have kissed you before. It was a rash decision on my part and a total mistake all around.” “I disagree,” he countered.

“What?”

“You’re wrong. There was nothing more correct than that kiss.”

I felt my face break out into a complete, unstoppable blush. Oh, God. It pained me to think if tonight could get any more embarrassing.

“You claim it was all a mistake, but don’t think for a single moment that I didn’t notice how well your body responded to mine,” he said. “You enjoyed that kiss as much as I did.”

I shook my head, desperate to keep focus.

“It shouldn’t matter if I enjoyed it or not. My intention was solely to back at Peter for all the horrible things he kept saying. You can rest assured that I have no feelings for you.” James raised a singular brow in partial amusement.

“Ah, so you were just using me then?”

I let my head drop a little in shame. “Yes. Believe me, I know it was completely out of line. I’m so—”

Several voices began shouting out all around us.

“Look! It’s really James Derek!”

“Who’s that woman he’s with?” My heart fell into my stomach like a ball of lead. “Did you see the two of them kiss before?”

“I saw it!”

“They really did kiss!”

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.

A sizable crowd of people started to form around us. Many started taking out their phones, trying to capture the moment of James and I. The second he and I tried to move we were instantly blocked by a slew of reporters and journalists.

My eyes grew sensitive from the ongoing flash of the cameras that kept snapping in our faces.

“Mr. Derek! What’s your relationship with this woman?”

“Is she the reason why you refused the marriage alliance with Lake Moon?” Another reporter tried to get closer. “You’d once said that you refused Miss Elizabeth’s advances because you already had a wife by your side? Is this lady your wife? Is she to be your new Luna?”

Jesus, these people were like vultures. I was tempted to find a way to weasel out of the crowd and put this whole mess of a night behind me. James, on the other hand, remained calm and well reserved. No doubt he was used to being put in the spotlight like this.

I parted my lips, getting ready to explain to everyone the truth. However, James apparently had other plans in mind.

“Yes. I am pursuing this lady.”

All of the air became trapped in my throat. James shifted back and proceeded to drop onto one knee in front of me. He looked up at me with a small, promising smile and reached out his hand to me.

“My dear, Mia. Will you marry me?”