Chained to You (Dark Billionaires 3, 4)

"Aria, it's time for your bath. Please hang up with your friend."

"Just another minute, Sophie?" Aria asked.

"No," I heard Sophie say sternly. "Hang up, Aria."

I heard Aria gave out a big sigh, and then to me, she said, "I have to go, Mia. See you soon."

"All right, take care, sweetheart," I replied, trying very hard to ignore the see you soon she had uttered.

A moment later, the line was dead. I put the phone on the coffee table and headed around to the kitchen to see how Andy was getting on.

He'd just finished cleaning the dishes and said, "You've made another friend. I'm glad for you. Although, this one is a bit young."

I chuckled. "I don't think age matters where friendship is concerned. Thanks for doing the dishes."

"There wasn't a lot," he said. "Anyway, I'm gonna go. Feeling like I'm about to collapse all of a sudden."

I panicked instantly. "Are you sick?"

Andy chuckled and shook his head. "You're jumping to conclusions again. I'm just tired."

I nodded. "Don't overexert yourself." I walked him to the door. "Good night, Andy."

He waved, and once I saw him getting into the lift, I shut the door and sighed.

"Time for a bath," I said to myself.

I lay there comfortably in the tub filled to the rim with warm water. I stared long and hard up at the ceiling, thinking about how far I'd come and the fate that led me into James's life.

It had all started with Andy, hadn't it? When he first decided he'd come here to the West Coast of America, searching for a better life and a better future.

I smiled at the thought. Yes, despite all the shitty, unpleasant experiences I'd been though during my young life, there were still some beautiful moments I'd enjoyed. And many of those had been with Andy, siblings supporting each other. And more recently, James, of course.

I'd been intimidated by him at first. How could I not? What with his dark, billion-dollar looks and his no-nonsense demeanor. I wasn't used to people like him. His type used to made me want to run in the opposite direction and hide. He was both sexy and dangerous, the kind a girl like me should steer clear of. Though, I couldn't deny the fact that, at the same time, I was overwhelmingly attracted to him. It was something I could never explain or fully understand myself. Attraction worked in mysterious ways. Why I found James so attractive and not William and Matt, though they were extremely handsome in their own rights, was beyond me.

For James, the closer I got to him, the less I was able to hold myself back and keep myself guarded. Gradually, I'd gotten so used to him, so used to being with him and having him around, in fact, that I had no idea it could be so lonely now that he wasn't around.

I shook my head. Hadn't I told myself to stop thinking about James tonight? Tonight was a James free night.

I chuckled at myself for being silly.

Determined not to think about the handsome billionaire, I ducked my head under the water and stayed there for a couple seconds, holding my breath. When I popped my head back out, I felt a little better. Once again, I relaxed back, and slowly, I closed my eye as a smile played about my lips.

Chapter 29

Mia

I felt warm, cozy, and at ease, as if I were floating in the ocean on a pleasant summer day. It was just like that one time when Mom, Dad, Andy, and I had gone on a weeklong holiday. Dad had managed to save up enough money to afford one, and Andy and I had been so elated we couldn't sleep a wink the night before we were due to depart. Indeed, it had been a wonderful holiday, with our small family spending every waking moment together. The beach had been beautiful and the sea warm and inviting. So much so that I'd spent most of my time floating in the water.

Yes, it had been the one and only best holiday I'd ever had... That was until the drive back when the accident happened. When a large truck carrying goods drove straight into us on Interstate 93 on our way back to Mystic Spring.

Instantly, memories came rushing back, flooding my mind with so much terror I couldn't escape, like always. I was left there alone and afraid, facing the wrath of my past full on.

It was so clear, as if it had only happened yesterday. Oh God! How I tried to shut away the memories of that horrendous day. But the images seemed to have a mind of their own, flashing before my eyes stubbornly and insistently like a movie where I had no remote control to pause or shut it down, to allow me a breather. More desirably, an escape.

My heart raced and my body tensed as I held myself against the onslaught of my memories, the past that could not be undone, the one moment that unwelcomingly changed my life forever.

In the car, I'd been sitting in the backseat behind Dad, who was driving. Mom was in the front passenger seat, and Andy in the back beside me, sound asleep with his head resting against the comfortable cushion. I remember staring up at the bright-blue sky as the car sped along the highway. I remembered how I admired the vastness of the space above us, of our planet, the solar system, and the universe itself, which had been the subject we'd been studying in school that year.

My young mind wondered at how beautiful the sky was, at the blue that seemed to stretch into the endless beyond. I felt as though that blue was something I wanted and desired most, but it was something I could never attain. It was something that didn't belong to me, and I felt a little sad about that. I wanted that color to be my own, something that belonged to me alone, like a pet of sorts that I doted on and loved unconditionally.

"What are you doing?" Mom had asked, curious of me with my face so close to the window and my eyes gazing up at the sky, all sparkling.

"The sky is so blue today," I had said. "It's beautiful."

Mom bent her head and looked up at the sky, too. She chuckled. "It is beautiful, isn't it?" she said. "It's Prussian blue.

"Prussian blue?" I turned to look at her in question.

She nodded. "That's the name of that blue," she said. "Prussian blue."

I smiled and returned my attention to the sky, my eyes gazing at the unique color.

"Prussian blue," I said softly. That had been the moment I decided the beautiful, fascinating color was my favorite.

Suddenly, the sound of loud honking came our way, and I tore my eyes reluctantly away from the sky. I turned my attention to Andy, who was still half asleep in his sitting position. Then I flicked my eyes to Mom. Something I saw on her face made my stomach knot in dread. She was pale and looked shocked, staring at the road ahead.

Curious, I cast my eyes in that direction, and that was when I saw it coming. The humongous truck, red and silver, heading our way at high speed from the opposite lane, followed by ear-deafening honking.

It was too much for me to bear, and I panicked. I whimpered and forcefully fluttered my eyes open, terminating the flashback of my past, forcing the memories to stop.

The moment I opened my eyes, I found myself starring at a pair of beautiful Prussian-blue eyes. I looked at them for a moment, wondering contritely if I were still back there, staring up at the sky, and that I hadn't yet escaped my own nightmare.

No, I told myself. This was the blue of a pair of eyes, not the vastness of the sky. It is definitely not the sky. This was the present. This was now. This pair of blue eyes belonged to James.

Instantly, I sighed in relief.

James was staring back at me, too. I noted his hand was cupping my face. His touch was warm and comforting. It helped ease the tension in my body, and slowly, I came back... back to reality, back to the present, back to James.

I tried to calm down by taking deep, slow breaths. Finally, I closed my eyes for a breath of a second, just to make sure the images and horrible memories had faded back to nothingness where they were kept locked away in the deepest, darkest corner of my mind.

Once I was sure I was safe from their intrusion, I opened my eyes again. This time, I found I was staring at James's sensual lips. Instantly, I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to feel the firmness and the warmth of his flesh against me. I w

anted it so badly, in fact, I thought I was a loon.

I felt James caressing my cheek, which drew my attention. In response, I flicked my eyes to his again. The moment I met his gaze, the moment I saw that Prussian blue, my stomach knotted and my heart raced. A mixture of both pure delight and agony coursed through my being the longer I stared at him. At that moment, I felt I could talk to him about anything. I felt as if I wanted to tell him about my past, about the car accident and my parents' death. I wanted to spill everything I held close to my chest, which was weighting me down. Especially, I wanted to tell him--

No. Confide. Yes, I wanted to confide in him about certain things. And most of all, I wanted to tell him about Uncle Herbert and what horrendous things he had done to Andy and me. I wanted to tell him I was quite dirty, that I wasn't as innocent as he thought, and that maybe...

The moment passed, and I cast my eyes away from him. I touched his hand still cupping my face, feeling his warmth. Then, of course, I couldn't help myself and rubbed my face in comfort in his palm, begging to be loved and caressed. I knew I acted like some lost, injured little pup, but I couldn't help myself.

"James," I whispered, wondering suddenly if I were dreaming. Wondering if it were merely a figment of my imagination to help ease my loneliness and pain. Surely, I was dreaming. James couldn't be back from his important dinner with his clients this early.