#CHAPTER 6 An Insane Deal

My heart slammed violently against my ribcage in utter panic as I glared down at James in sheer disbelief. “James,” I hissed between my teeth. “What the hell are you doing? You know damn well we’re already going to end up on the front cover of tomorrow’s newspaper.” “Sweetheart, the longer you hesitate to give an answer, the more the reporters are going to have a field day with this story,” he told me under his breath. I carefully tore my gaze from James to glance around at the large sea of people that surrounded us. The crowd was practically silent in overwhelming suspense, eagerly awaiting my possible answer. Their cameras were raised up, ready to capture whatever image they could of the situation. My nerves were spiraling out of control. Out of pure panic, I reached out to take James’ hand, hoping it would act as some sort of lifeline. Never in my life had I ever gathered so much attention. That wasn’t who I was. I was the girl who lived in the shadows of everyone else. I’d never thought in a million years that something this outlandish would happen to me. It sort of ticked me off in a way. All I was looking for was a job that could offer the security I needed to properly take care of my baby and me. I just wanted to go about my life and not be bothered by anyone else—at least not now. James and I kept our heads down, hoping to evade the crowd’s prying eyes. We swiftly slid into the back seat of the dark-shaded vehicle and made off down the road. The moment I knew it was safe, I turned to glare at James. “Alright, you’d better tell me just what the hell that scene was back there,” I insisted. “Why are you doing this? Have you any idea the kind of storm this is going to cause for the two of us?” James appeared as unothered as anything. "It'll show the world that I'm not single anymore." My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I continued to stare at him incredulously. “I don’t like being the talk of the town,” I told him angrily. “Especially, when it involves something as big a deal as marriage. You should have said something to me first before making a total spectacle of us both.” James merely shrugged which almost caused what was left of my patience to dissolve. “I just made the best and most efficient decision, considering our compromised situation from earlier. Since I'm already being pestered by reporters, I figured I might as well stop them in time and take the lead into my own hands." ‘Considering our compromised situation’...James had been referring to the scene in which I first laid that impulsive kiss on him. Oh, who the hell was I kidding, this was all essentially my fault. Had I not made the impetuous decision to confront Peter in the first place, none of this would have ever happened. James was no more than a casualty of my verbal lashing. And yet, he’d gone through the trouble of sticking up for me regardless. I felt my chest swell with a deep sense of guilt that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to shake myself from. From that point on, I just kept my head down and remained quiet. After a long pause of silence, James turned to speak to me. “Look, Mia. Perhaps there’s a silver lining to this whole situation after all.” My brows drew together in question as I gave him a dubious look. “What do you mean?” “I want to make a deal with you,” he stated. “Marry me and I will take care of both you and the baby.” Had he completely lost his mind? My jaw went slack while my eyes bugged out of my head. I was speechless but I was determined to hear James out. “I’m not exactly new to the whole marriage ordeal,” he said. “As you know, my previous marriage was brief. My ex-wife passed away about five years ago, and my family has been on me ever since, trying to arrange a new marriage for me.” How had I never known that James was previously married? Surely the news would have covered something as big as that. “I still don’t understand where I’m fitting into all of this,” I admitted under my breath. “In about three months, I’m expected to attend an Alpha gathering where I am required to bring my partner,” he explained. “As I said before, my family has been hoping that I would find a new wife and produce an heir as soon as possible to carry on the line. I’ve grown exhausted from their ongoing attempt at match-making, so I’m looking to strike up an arrangement of my own that will get them off my back once and for all.” I was certain I’d be at a loss for words. How the hell was I supposed to respond to such an idea? “But why me, James?” I whispered helplessly. “Surely, there are at least a dozen other women that would be better suited to this sort of arrangement.” “Because you're Chris’ sister. We’ve known each other for a long time and I know that I can genuinely trust you,” he said. Again, my brows pinched together. The man wasn’t leaving me with any possible choice. I felt like I was being pinned between a rock and a hard place. “I don’t know, James. I don’t think I have what it takes to act as ‘Mrs. Derek’.” His features softened. “You don’t have to worry about anything. All you need to do is go along and trust my judgment.” Right as I was about to reply, the driver slammed on the brakes, causing the car to forcibly swerve as a means of avoiding an unexpecting figure in the road. Due to inertia, I was jerked out of my seat and tossed across the back seats. James instinctively wrapped his arms around me, locking me in place. James's cologne-scented chest lulled me into a trance. A strange sensation swirled in my chest, making me crave more. “J-James. I really don’t think this is a good...” My voice trailed off when the realization hit me that both my hands were pressing against James’ inner thighs. Apart from feeling up his hard muscles, my fingertips grazed ever so gently over the stiffening length of his cock. Oh my God! My face flushed beyond control.