Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 188

She was so embarrassed she could have melted right into the floor. Stammering, she managed, “Are… are you okay?”

He just let out a low, teasing laugh, his warm breath brushing her ear. “If you keep moving like that, I might not be.”

Emmy went silent and froze, not daring to move another inch.

She could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, through the thin layers between them.

A few seconds later, James suddenly let go of her and sat up, swinging his legs off the bed. “Come on, get up. Breakfast is ready, I’ll drive you to work.”

Emmy practically bolted from the room.

It wasn’t until she’d locked the bathroom door behind her that she noticed her hands were clammy with cold sweat.

When she finally came out, the smell of bacon and eggs filled the air, making her mouth water. Morning sunlight spilled into the kitchen, where James was flipping toast at the stove, the apron tied crookedly around his slim waist.

For a second, Emmy just stood there, watching his broad, straight back. He looked so at home, so solid and real, that she felt a little lost.

In her past life, she was always the one up early, bustling around the kitchen, the one calling Dean down to eat.

But now… someone was here first. Someone was making breakfast just for her.

A wave of bittersweet emotion hit her out of nowhere, making her eyes sting. Before she realized it, she’d wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

It didn’t even feel like she was hugging James. It felt like she was holding that sad, lonely version of herself from her last life, the one stuck in a cold marriage.

James froze, then quietly turned off the stove and set down the spatula.

He turned around, his dark eyes meeting hers. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Emmy snapped out of it, embarrassed, and tried to step away.

But he caught her hand and kept her arms right where they were.

He looked down at her, his gaze warm and steady. “I’m your husband. Hug me whenever you want.”

He leaned in, and Emmy noticed the way his eyelashes made soft shadows across his cheeks in the sunlight, like little butterflies.

He grinned. “Want a good morning kiss?”

She instinctively turned her head, dodging his lips.

Her ears went hot. “You haven’t brushed your teeth.”

James just laughed, his breath tickling her ear. He didn’t seem offended at all. Instead, he pressed a quick, gentle kiss to her cheek, his voice soft and spoiled. “Alright, I’ll save it for later.”

Emmy escaped to the living room, her fingers brushing the spot on her face where he’d kissed her. It felt like it was on fire.

But then her phone rang, cutting through the moment.

James pulled away abruptly, resting his forehead against her shoulder, his breathing still rough.

It took a few seconds before he could pull himself together enough to start the car, his voice low and a little hoarse. “You should answer that.”

Emmy glanced at the screen. Seeing Dean’s name, she frowned and hit decline.

“Spam call,” she said casually.

But the phone rang again, persistent.

She silenced it without looking.

The car pulled smoothly up in front of her office building.

Just as Emmy reached for her seatbelt, James caught her wrist.

He slid a platinum ring onto her finger, the simple band glinting in the morning sun.

She stared down, then looked up at him. “When did you get this?”