Chapter 81

Mia

I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing to see James do a double take the moment he walked into the living area. It had been the first time I’d seen him do that. Surely I wasn’t wearing something so glamorous it was worthy of such avid attention from him this evening. It was just a simple white dress that wasn’t showing much of anything. My hair was French braided, and my makeup was done neutrally. When I’d had a glance at myself in the mirror, I thought I looked like some innocent girl on her way to church.

James had a dark look on his face that made me nervous. It wasn’t the usual spark I’d seen so many times when he saw me in something sexy, like the erotic lingerie or the silk cocktail dress. This was something more. It was deeper and, quite frankly, notoriously wicked and iniquitous.

His stare made my stomach flip in both dread and excitement. There was a sort of hard line to the features of his face that made him look like a devil in heat.

I licked my lips and said, “Hi. You’re