Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 39

James stayed right where he was, his long legs stretched out and almost swallowing up the tiny living room.

His concentration caught her off guard.

Without really thinking, Emmy blurted out, “You actually get… adversarial neural networks?”

James looked up from the book, his dark eyes steady and impossible to read. “The team’s working on drones for fire rescue. We need to use them.”

“For vision-based obstacle avoidance? Or is it for building 3D models of the fire zone?” The question just slipped out.

“For now it's the obstacle avoidance. The data for 3D mapping is almost impossible to get.”

He set the book aside and looked at her, those deep, wild eyes suddenly focused. There was real curiosity in his gaze—and maybe, just maybe, a flash of admiration.

Emmy’s heart stuttered for no reason at all.

The kitchen timer went off. The smell of braised pork filled the air.

Their little dining table was set for two.

Emmy stared at the man sitting across from her, feeling weirdly out of place. This was her first time having dinner at home with a man who wasn’t Dean.

The air was thick with an awkward kind of tension. Emmy gripped her fork, suddenly unsure what to do with her hands, every movement feeling clumsy.

James, on the other hand, looked completely comfortable.

He picked up a piece of pork, took a big bite, and chewed like he had all the time in the world. Every mouthful looked like it actually made him happy.

Dean always ate so slowly and neatly, every motion careful, almost formal. James was the complete opposite.

Emmy watched in a daze, her mouth suddenly dry. She hadn’t even been hungry before, but now her stomach started to rumble.

James noticed she was just poking at her rice and not touching the food. He frowned. “You don’t like your own cooking?”

She nearly choked. “I’m, uh, trying to cut down on calories and fat.”

“Seriously? Lose any more weight and you’ll get blown away in a stiff breeze. Stop acting like you’re on some diet. Eat some real food.”

She blinked and glanced down at her plate, almost surprised.

James pushed two more pieces into her bowl. “If you want more, take it. No need to be polite.”

Emmy stared at him. Was he seriously taking over her dinner table? She’d made the food, but he was acting like he owned the place.

She ended up eating more meat than she usually did in a whole month. When she couldn’t take another bite, she set her fork down and sighed. “I’m seriously full. If you give me any more, I’m going to burst.”

James had no such problem. He cleared out every last bit of meat, leaving the vegetables untouched.

Emmy couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a carnivore, you know that?”

He grinned, his voice dropping, rough and teasing. “Guilty.”

He leaned back, eyes catching hers with a lazy spark that felt a little dangerous.

“Salad’s never been my thing. I’m all about the main course.”