Chapter 214: The More You Look, The More You Crave
Before the kiss could land, Mia raised her hand to block it.
Her body language clearly showed rejection.
The two were pressed tightly together now.
She could certainly feel his need at this moment.
But—
"What's wrong?"
James didn't get his kiss and looked up.
His deep eyes, tinged with desire, showed confusion.
During this time, after learning to respect Mia's wishes, he had become increasingly precise at reading her moods.
He had mastered perfectly when his advances wouldn't be rejected.
He was always right on target.
In their current state, she shouldn't be refusing.
It had been nearly ten days since they'd seen each other.
And they were both lying in bed without clothes.
Sex should have been the natural next step, right?
But now, he'd already taken off his pants.
And she was rejecting him.
"In two hours, I have an important business meeting. I need to get up and prepare now. I don't have time for you, don't mess with me!"
Mia was serious.
James knew it.
Because he knew, he didn't continue.
But he didn't get off her either.
He just looked at her quietly.
Full of resentment.
Mia's eyes were full of smiles.
She was happy that he had come specially to see her.
In the past, it was always him on business trips and her giving him surprises.
She reached up with both arms to wrap around his neck, looked at him, and said soothingly, "Let me kiss you first, and when I'm done with work, I'll make it up to you, okay?"
When Mia said kiss, she didn't mean a perfunctory peck.
Instead, she leaned down and gave him a deep, sincere kiss.
After the kiss, she pressed her hand against James's hand that was instinctively sliding downward, grabbed it and pulled it up, and bit his restless hand lightly.
Then she got up from under him.
James didn't keep pestering her.
Between them, he could occasionally be bold in bed.
But when it came to her work, that was his untouchable boundary.
He couldn't be bold about that.
He knew the root cause of Mia's dedication to work was him.
It was his hurtful words from the past that had become thorns in her heart that couldn't be removed.
After getting out of bed, Mia went straight into the bathroom, quickly showered, and came out wrapped in a towel.
James lay in bed with a thin blanket casually draped over his lower abdomen, showing off his nearly perfect body, his gaze fixed directly on Mia.
She noticed but only glanced at him briefly before walking to her suitcase.
Last night, James had moved all her things from her room over here.
Having a more comfortable room to stay in, she was happy to enjoy it.
With time being tight, Mia didn't bother turning back to the bathroom to change. Instead, with her back to James, she simply pulled off the towel and started getting dressed.
James watched, his whole body burning up.
Since she started running, Mia's figure had gotten better and better, and her lines more and more attractive.
Now that he couldn't do anything, James could only look with his eyes to satisfy his craving.
Satisfy his craving, he said.
But the more he looked, the more he craved.
Clearly, he was torturing himself.
But even if it was self-torture, he couldn't bear to look away.
He could only try to distract himself with other topics. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Valeria on business when I called you the day before yesterday?"
Mia was buttoning her shirt. After finishing, she put on her jacket, turned around, and glanced at James showing off his good body. "James, you're still on probation!"
Just on probation, not really boyfriend and girlfriend, so she didn't need to report her schedule to him.
James was at a loss for words again.
Seeing him like this, Mia was in a great mood.
After changing clothes, the breakfast James had ordered while she was showering arrived just in time.
She quickly finished breakfast, took out her makeup bag from her suitcase, and went out to do her makeup.
With nothing left to watch, James threw off the blanket and got up.
He casually grabbed the towel Mia had just used and wrapped it around his waist, then followed her out of the bedroom.
Leaning against the wall, he watched Mia skillfully applying makeup.
"You look best without makeup."
James seriously shared his opinion.
He liked Mia's bare face the most—that looked best.
Without stopping her movements, Mia casually replied, "Isn't it nice that you're the only one who gets to see me at my best?"
She was used to wearing light makeup when going out now.
Her bare face was really only for James.
"What time will you finish this afternoon?"
It was 10 a.m. now.
"Ten p.m."
"Why so late?"
A full twelve hours!!!
James's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
Mia was curling her eyelashes. After finishing, she glanced at James in the mirror and raised an eyebrow at him.
In their current relationship, his domineering nature hadn't actually changed. His daily words and actions would occasionally reveal his true nature.
His being domineering didn't matter.
It's not like he could decide anything anyway.
Whenever Mia encountered such moments, she just gave him the cold shoulder.
Too lazy to deal with him.
Being ignored, James, after she finished applying lipstick, deliberately pressed her down on the chair and kissed off all her lipstick.
After playing around for a bit, Mia reapplied her lipstick, straightened her clothes, and left.
......
At 9:30 p.m., James came to pick her up, waiting for her at the entrance of the hotel where Mia was entertaining clients.
From a distance, he saw Mia holding a little girl.
It was the daughter of the client she was meeting with today.
A child just over two years old, very cute.
It was also because of this child that today's business deal went exceptionally smoothly.
Mia had always been good with children. The little girl hugged her neck, acting cute and affectionate with her.
Clearly, she really liked her.
When it was time to part, she was reluctant to let go.
Only after making a pinky promise that her parents would agree to let her visit Imperial City when she had time did she finally release her little hands and let her mother hold her as they left.
The hotel where they were staying wasn't far from here, so the two walked back together.
Watching Mia lost in thought, James pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead lightly.
"What's wrong? Didn't the meeting go well?"
"No, it went very well."
Mia shook her head in his arms, tilted her head slightly, and looked at James's handsome profile.
"Tired?"
He reached up to stroke her head.
"Yes."
Mia nodded gently.
Hearing this, James let her go, suddenly stepped forward, bent down halfway, and looked at her sideways. "Get on."
Mia's eyes curved with a smile as she climbed onto James's back.
He steadily carried her on his back, walking forward with stable steps. "If you're tired, sleep for a bit."
"Okay."
Mia pressed her face against the side of his neck, looking at this James with whom she had such a complicated love-hate relationship.
A blurry outline involuntarily surfaced in her mind—an outline she had drawn countless times in her head before.
Their child.
Before the business trip, touching Alice's belly, the ripples in her heart.
The cute child she met today made her heart even softer.
If she could have another child...
She had the thought of wanting a child.
A child of hers and James's.
She nuzzled against him affectionately and called out softly, "James."
It had been a long time since she had acted cute with James.
When she acted cute, James's whole heart melted.
He knew that he was no longer her only support, that she was independent enough now.
But as long as she was willing to lean on his shoulder when she was tired, he felt content.
......
She had worked all day and was exhausted. When they got back to the hotel, James helped her shower and carried her back to bed.
He didn't have sex with her.
The two slept in each other's arms.
The next day, Mia wrapped up her work, held a video conference, and after it ended, went out on a date with James.
She didn't wear makeup, her bare face making her look even younger than her actual age.
She glanced at James beside her and, before going out, beckoned to him with her finger.
James cooperatively bent down.
Mia reached out and ruffled his perfectly combed black hair.
After messing it up, she used her hands to casually style it, creating a fluffy look that made him look several years younger.
Satisfied with how James looked, she extended her hand toward him.
James smiled and intertwined his fingers with hers.
The two walked through the unfamiliar streets of a foreign country, holding hands, hugging, kissing.
When Mia got tired of walking, James would consciously bend down and carry her on his back.
It wasn't until evening that they found a very romantic restaurant for dinner before heading back to the hotel together.
Entering the room, Mia went into the bathroom to take a bath.
The bathroom, specially designed for couples, wasn't completely transparent, but you could clearly see what Mia was doing.
With her back to the door, she was taking off her clothes one by one.
She had just half-undressed when the door was pushed open from outside.