Mia Donovan, the naive girl from the small town of Mystic Spring, with a contagious smile and sexy body, was a hot mess. Her long dark hair rested luxuriously over his naked skin, draping over him like a seductive lover. Her face was snuggled at the nape of his neck while her naked body lolled on top of him with a sort of careless abandon any man would find alluring.
She was still breathing heavily, exhausted from their unexpected morning sex. Well, unexpected on her part. For James, however, he’d known since he’d made the offer for a contract that morning sex with her was part of the deal. Honest to God, what man wouldn’t want to make love to such a beautiful, luscious body? The body that had innocently, seductively enticed him since the first time he’d met her? The body that obeyed his every command?
Sex with Mia Donovan was definitely amazing, and James hadn’t had that in a long time. Not, in fact, since his first time with his ex-wife Whitney when he had been twenty-one, after they’d had their first date.
The heat and softness of Mia’s body and breath tugged a warm feeling deep in his heart. She felt good in his arms, as though she’d always belonged there. She was a perfect fit, one that made him smile, one that made him feel complete, whole, and just awesomely content.
As instantly as those feelings came, however, he thought, Shit! What the fuck are these feelings?
He certainly didn’t want to get emotionally involved with the opposite sex—with Mia Donovan especially. She was just his mistress, after all. Their contract, and hence their relationship, was just that—sex. Nothing else.
To get emotionally involved was to ask for trouble, and James certainly didn’t want trouble where his feelings were concerned. Besides, he’d had that particular shit with Whitney, and look how it had turned out. Screwed. So fucking screwed. And that repulsive woman was still screwing with him, taunting him whenever and wherever she had the chance, provoking him with her presence and extravagant lifestyle and, of course, her refusal to see her own daughter, not even once after she’d run off with another man.
Even during the tumultuous period of their separation before the Gordian knot of their relationship was finally cut, she’d caused a lot of trouble, not only for him but for his entire family as well. She’d always disliked his old man Liam Maxwell, and even Scott and Eric were both on her blacklist.
The fact that she disliked his family background immensely shocked him. Why the fuck did she agree to marry him in the first place? Her decision and her way of thinking was a mystery to him, and he wasn’t in any mood—either in the past, now, or in the future—to find out.
Even though his thoughts were dark and dismal in regard to the opposite sex, James, without thinking, moved his hand and cupped the back of Mia’s head, his fingers and thumb intertwining with her long hair. She had lovely hair, and it was only natural he buried his nose in that long softness to inhale the scent.
What was it? That beautiful scent. He needed to find out.
Mia lifted her head then and stared at him.
James watched her with interest. She had that particular radiance on her face again, that look that James knew she wore whenever she wanted to be ravished by him. He’d seen it the first time when she ran into his room naked that first day and once again in his office back at the mansion when they’d been negotiating the deal. She’d worn it yesterday, too, after she’d signed the contract. That had been why he couldn’t stop himself from taking her, even though her words had suggested otherwise—that she had been afraid, unsure, and tired.
He knew she was afraid of him and what would happen after the contract was signed and sealed, that she was unsure of the process, and she was tired from her journey. But that particular look on her face—the please fuck me face—that irresistibly lewd expression that begged him to ravish her without her uttering a word, that was the point of no return for him. He had surrendered to the inevitable and took her. He’d known he’d been rough with her, but God, it had been great sex, even for her first time.
This morning, too, she had that please fuck me expression clearly on her face. Oh, the excitement he’d seen in her eyes and the seductive yet defying voice when she was disobeying him—that had turned him on in an instant. He felt like an elephant in heat, ready to stamp her and brand her with his kisses and bites. He’d been ready to fuck her in the most primal way. The thrill of chasing her and then aggressively taking her was exhilarating, and the sex was some of the best he’d ever experienced.
With the reminder of this morning’s game combined with that particular look on her face, James couldn’t help himself and drew his head to her again. His lips met hers with a searing kiss.
She groaned. “Mmm…”
He loved it when she made those erotic sounds. To him, they were a type of pleasure meter that gave him indication of how much she enjoyed being with him.
Encouraged, James arrogantly kissed her more passionately, his tongue wild in her mouth, stroking her, licking her, and dancing with her. God! She tasted good. He was completely addicted to Mia Donovan, and that was fine with him.
When he drew his head back, she looked beautifully dazed. Her eyes were bright, cheeks flushed, and her lips red and swollen with moisture from his kiss.
She lay there staring up at him, breathless. James couldn’t take his eyes off her as he stroked her cheek. Once she’d calmed down and her breathing evened, without a word, she pushed herself off him and moved over to the other side of the bed, intending to get up. He wouldn’t have any of that, however, and caught her arm in an instant. He easily pulled her back to him, tugging her tight in his embrace.
“Huh!” She made the sound as she pulled a face.
James couldn’t help but think how pretty she was with that particular expression. The woman was disarmingly beautiful in every countenance.
“What’s that smell on you, Mia?” he asked, burying his face in the nape of her neck. God, he loved that scent. It suited her.
Mia tried to push him away. He held on tighter as she said, “I would have thought you’d have figured that out already, Mr. Maxwell.”
The way she said it made him laugh. She was exceedingly good at making him laugh, even though he knew she didn’t intend it to be funny in any way.
“If you really want to find out that much,” she continued, “the bottle is still in the bathroom.” She even pointed toward the door, an indication for him to let her go.
Like hell he was going to fall for the bait. He licked her soft skin instead, and she gasped in response.
“Are you going to disobey your boss?” he teased. “This boss demands you tell him what that scent is.” He wanted to play with her. It was entertaining.
Mia pulled a face again. “Are we still playing that game?”
He laughed. “Nope. On to another game then.”
She stared at him. “James?”
“Hmm,” he responded as he flipped her on her back.
“We just did it, you know,” she said, blushing intensely.
“I know,” he said, his hand on the bedsheet, intending to pull it away from her body. He didn’t get very far though. Mia tightened her grip on the soft material as she glared up at him.
“What are you doing?” She sounded panicky.
Shit! James certainly didn’t want her to be terrified of him. He didn’t want her to hate the sex or him.
Thus, he gave her a smile, hoping to ease her fear. “Are you sore?”
She bit her lip as she lightly shook her head. “No, not really. Just… Is it normal? To have sex so often in a day?”
He laughed. “I can go all day if that’s what you want.”
She widened her eyes in shock and uttered quickly, “No, of course not. I’m already exhausted.”
“Such a weakling,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ll get used to it.”
“I won’t get used to it,” she said, looking very adamant. “I’m sure I won’t.”
“I know you will,” he confirmed. Without further ado, he claimed her lips once again and passionately kissed her.
Mia couldn’t fight him off. The handsome billionaire was too strong for her to battle with. Not to mention the fact that he was also too bloody tempting for her sake, and in the end, she succumbed to his ardent lovemaking once again.
MiaI didn’t think I’d ever get to see Andy today, and I decided that billionaire James Maxwell was a shameless liar. I shouldn’t have believed his word even though he’d promised he’d take me to my brother. I should have asked for a signed contract for a specific date and time for the requested meeting. It should have been written in the clauses of our contract. But I was stupid and had never thought about that. I was too naive and trustful.Oh God! My mind was going numb again.“James,” I groaned. “James.” I had to stop him before I was too far gone, before I lost myself to him again. Thus, I pushed him away from me, my puny palms against his massive broad chest. When he finally responded and eased his weight from me, I slipped off the bed, intending to run to my own room.I only managed one step before he swiftly caught my wrist. I jumped the moment I felt his hot hand on my skin, because I knew I wasn’t getting away.When I turned my gaze to him, there was no pleasant grin on his f
MiaWhen next I woke up, my body was so heavy I didn’t even have the energy to raise my head. I gazed up at the ceiling in confusion, my mind numbed.Where am I? I asked myself.I noted the sun was just setting on the west side of the room. The orangey glow gave out a most beautiful picture of the city.I groaned and wondered why I felt so tired. Then everything came back. The hard sex I’d had with James today.Wait. Was it still today? I bit my lip, and my mind quickly flicked to my brother. I was supposed to see him today. Had we missed the appointment?I turned over, and that was when I realized I was naked and my long hair was damp. I made myself sit up, my body protesting wholeheartedly, screaming in pain.“Hey,” came the masculine voice at the door.I widened my eyes at the handsome man standing there. James had a smirk about his face that made my belly tingle.“Hi,” I managed. I felt my mouth was as dry as dust, and I was thirsty as hell.“Hungry?”I nodded and added, “And very
MiaA private jet? What were we doing here at a private airport, heading toward a private jet? I couldn’t help myself as I stared at James, my eyes large in confusion.“James?” I asked, clutching my backpack in front of me tightly. “What are we doing here?” I flicked my eyes back to the sleek plane before us, all set to take in passengers. I noted a steward in his mid-forties, dressed immaculately in a gray uniform, walking briskly toward us.“To see your brother,” James replied, turning off the car engine.“Huh?” I couldn’t help myself. I was more than a little lost and confused. “Hold up. Why are we in an airport to see my brother?” I knew I sounded stupid.He chuckled. “Or don’t you want to see your brother at all?”I scowled. “Of course I do,” I snapped. “But it would help if you could at least explain why we’re at an airport?”“Ah, Mia.” He stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. “Your reactions always please me.”I didn’t like the sound of that and wondered if he was teas
JamesIt had been fifteen minutes since the plane was airborne, and the moment they were allowed to take off their seat belts, Mia took off in the direction of the sofa. Now James watched her as she sat there crossed-legged and enjoyed another set of treats. This was mostly sweets with an assortment of cupcakes and cake slices.It was odd that since he’d met her, his mostly sober world seemed to have change a little, especially when she was around. It was odd, too, that he enjoyed watching her, and even now was no different. Though he’d admit she seemed oblivious to his attraction toward her.“Do you want some?” she asked from the distance, a piece of chocolate cake in her hand.He chuckled. “No, thanks.” Then his phone rang.Mia returned her attention to her cake while he reluctantly paid attention to his phone.“Hey, what’s up?”“So you’re going to Las Vegas?” Scott asked in greeting.James wondered how Scott had found out. After all, he hadn’t told anyone about the plan. It was onl
Mia“I didn’t go through your stuff,” James said, his eyes on the road. He chuckled low as if he found my jumping to conclusion amusing. “Give me some credit, Mia.”I blushed. What was I supposed to think? He’d bought me clothes that fit me perfectly. If he didn’t go through my stuff to figure out my size, then how did he know?“I notice everything about you,” he explained. There was a hint of teasing within his deep voice that I didn’t miss.I turned my gaze to him. I couldn’t help but admire his profile. He was indeed a very handsome man with a long, straight nose, perfectly high cheekbones, and a firm jawline. I was surprised there wasn’t a queue of females clinging to him even for a one-night stand. I myself wouldn’t mind having a one-night stand with him, even though I did vow to myself I would never do such a thing.Talking about a line of female fans… Perhaps I had yet to find that out. After all, there were still a lot of things I didn’t know about James Maxwell. Such as that
MiaWe were in front of a door in no time, and James rang the bell. In an instant, it was drawn open widely, and I was greeted by one of the most intimidating men I’d ever met. James was intimidating, too, on first meeting, but at the same time, I felt drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I felt a type of an attraction to him that was difficult to break or explain.This man standing before us, on the other hand, was just plain intimidating. He was tall and muscularly toned, with sandy-brown hair and steel-gray eyes. His aquiline features were darkly handsome, and I was pretty sure every female found him attractive. I guessed I wasn’t one of those females as I stared up at him, wide-eyed, like a child who had just met her first Santa Claus.He smiled at James, and they shook hands. Suddenly, he turned his attention to me. I felt a little uneasy as his eyes roved over me. I didn’t utter a word as I stared up at him. Slowly, a hint of a smile played across his lips, and then he laughed.
MiaMy whole body started shaking uncontrollably. I could just imagine the chaos with the shooting and people dying in that dark underground parking lot. And what about the police? Why didn’t Andy go to the police in the first place?But James’ reaction on that first day back at the motel when I’d suggested the police made me pause. Were the police not to be trusted? I had no doubt those powerful underground groups had the police under their thumbs, working secretly for them. Any eyewitness such as Andy would be dead in an instant, with full explanation such as an accident or suicide.A shiver ran along my spine at that dark, disturbing thought.“What about Matt?” I asked. “How does he come into play?”Andy raised his eyes to mine and chuckled, a tint of a blush creeping across his cheeks. He licked his lips and said, “That casino those bastards lost the money in? That was this casino. It’s Mr. Maxwell’s and Matt’s place. They both own it, and Matt runs the place. When I found out tha
MiaWhen the elevator door dinged open, I slowly stepped in. James wasn’t far behind and stood close to me when it shut again. He pushed the button, and the lift ascended.My whole body was still tense from the meeting with Andy as my mind wandered off about the whole situation. Ever since our parents had passed away, neither of our lives had ever turned out the way we had expected. This whole story of him leaving our small town of Mystic Spring in New Hampshire to come all the way to the West Coast, first to Los Angeles and then to Las Vegas, to find fortune and freedom, to live the American dream, was nothing but that—a dream. Reality, it seemed, was a bitch, killing a young man’s dream of having a better future, both for himself and his sister.I suddenly felt the warmth of a body against me, and strong, powerful arms wrapped around my slender shoulders. Those inviting, dependable arms lured me into a comfortable embrace. I couldn’t resist and leaned against that hard, muscular wal