Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1153

Emmy pressed her lips together, feeling helpless. How could he still have thoughts like that when he was so banged up?

“I wasn’t thinking that at all!” she blurted out, cheeks burning with embarrassment. She gave his chest a gentle punch. “I just wanted to check your wounds…”

James suddenly started coughing, his breaths ragged and strained. Emmy panicked, instantly sitting up and awkwardly patting his back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I swear I didn’t hit you that hard… Where does it hurt?”

Before she could figure out what to do, James pulled her straight back into his arms, hugging her even tighter.

“Don’t move,” he murmured, taking a few seconds to steady himself. “It’s nothing. Really. I just got winded, it’s got nothing to do with my injuries.”

Emmy went completely still. She barely dared to breathe, afraid that even the smallest movement would hurt him. “Really? You’re not just saying that, right?”

James let out a soft laugh, his chest rumbling under her cheek. “I promise, it’s just a scratch. I’ve had worse. If I couldn’t handle this, I would’ve washed out of this job a long time ago.”

He made it sound like it was nothing, his tone light and easy, but Emmy just felt her heart sink even more. She looked down and absently twisted his shirt in her fingers.

“You must be exhausted,” she whispered. “Come on, try to sleep. I won’t bother you anymore.”

James didn’t look the least bit tired. Truthfully, he didn’t want to close his eyes, not with her in his arms. She was so warm, her scent so familiar. Just holding her was better than any painkiller. Besides, after years in special ops, he knew how to grab sleep whenever he could. He’d already dozed through most of the helicopter ride back. Right now, he felt wide awake.

“Okay, I’ll tell you,” he finally said, letting out a long breath. He picked out a few things he could share, leaving out the worst of it. He made the gunfights sound almost routine and skipped over the blood and close calls. Still, Emmy listened with her heart in her throat, especially when he talked about sneaking into the stronghold alone and taking out the guards.

She gripped his shirt so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I heard… after you got inside, the whole place exploded. You were still in there… You…” She trailed off, unable to finish. Just the thought of it made her cold all over.

James’s face grew serious. “Stop listening to those rumors. We’re trained for this. I jumped out three seconds before it blew. An explosion like that can’t touch me if I’m fast enough.”

He tried to sound like it was no big deal, but Emmy knew how close it must have been. That tiny margin between life and death. If he’d been even a little slower, she might be holding nothing but memories. She let out a shaky sigh, wanting to hug him as tightly as she could, but then remembered his injuries and loosened her arms again. In the end, she just held him gently and pressed her face to his chest, her voice muffled.

“I’m just glad you’re really here. I’m so glad you made it out.”