The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 356 - 363: Done My Best

Chapter 356: Chapter 363: Done My Best

"Don’t you see I’m cooking?" James Brown directly declined Emily Lopez’s tempting proposition.

Emily Lopez grabbed James Brown’s arm, puckering her lips and pleading, "Just for a little while, it won’t affect your cooking. Besides, my sister said half an hour, with her workaholism, who knows if she’ll even be back by then. Please, brother-in-law, just give me a quick rub, I’ve already done you and my sister such a big favor. You’re like a groom on the wedding night, ignoring the matchmaker once he’s over the wall."

James Brown was both amused and annoyed, saying, "I’m your brother-in-law, what would it look like for me to rub your feet?"

With her neck sticking out and head held high, Emily Lopez retorted, "Then why do you nudge my feet with yours when we play mahjong?"

James Brown’s face turned a shade of purple, having secretly done this multiple times. Afterwards, Emily Lopez acted as if nothing happened, but bringing it up now was extremely embarrassing for James Brown.

"Come on, brother-in-law, I’m not settling scores with you, just asking for a massage. I’ve been teaching kids to dance all day, hardly sat down at all, and my feet are both sore and painful. Don’t you feel a bit sorry for me?" continued Emily Lopez, swaying James Brown’s arm and sweet-talking him.

James Brown, really worn down by Emily Lopez’s persistence, put down the vegetables he was cutting and said, "Alright, I’ll rub them for a bit, but then I have to get back to cooking."

"Great, just a bit." Emily Lopez immediately dragged James Brown toward the living room, but halfway there, she let go and said with a chuckle, "I’ll wash my feet first so you can’t complain about them being smelly."

James Brown, charmed by Emily Lopez’s playful demeanor, couldn’t help but laugh, his earlier embarrassment easing.

Soon after washing her feet, Emily Lopez sat on the sofa and rested her clean, soft little feet on James Brown’s legs, smiling, "I even used soap, take a sniff, there shouldn’t be any smell, right?"

James Brown leaned down to sniff and said with a straight face, "What do you mean no smell? It’s quite strong."

"Ah! There’s still a smell?" Emily Lopez sat up quickly, lifted her foot, and sniffed it closely, saying, "Doesn’t smell at all, right?"

With a smile, James Brown said, "I was talking about the fragrance, not a bad smell."

Emily Lopez burst out laughing and said, "Brother-in-law, you’re so naughty, teasing me." Then she lay back on the sofa, tossing her feet back onto James Brown’s lap.

James Brown laughed heartily, grabbing Emily Lopez’s left foot in his hands. The foot was freshly washed and still a bit cool to the touch, silky and soft, it felt like high-quality satin in his hands, as if it would slip out if he loosened his grip.

James Brown didn’t have a foot fetish, but he had to admit he really liked Emily Lopez’s feet. He had sneaked in a few foot touches under the mahjong table numerous times, but holding her feet in his hands had only happened when they first met because she had twisted her ankle.

The sensation of touching with hands was wholly different from touching with feet. The tactile sense on hands is much more sensitive than on feet. Moreover, touching her foot with his foot meant his eyes couldn’t see, but now, with his hands feeling and eyes watching, the impact was much more intense.

"Brother-in-law, what are you doing? You’re not supposed to just hold it, you should massage it," Emily Lopez’s feet gently wriggled in James Brown’s hands.

James Brown quickly began massaging seriously. He had good technique, which he had practiced in the army. As he massaged attentively, he could feel Emily Lopez’s feet were indeed exhausted, with tight muscles that must have been uncomfortable. This made James Brown realize that Emily Lopez wasn’t attempting to seduce him, and he became even more earnest in his efforts.

Emily Lopez, eyes half-closed, placed a bowl of cherries on her abdomen and popped one into her mouth, mumbling as she ate, "Mmm, brother-in-law, your massage feels so good. Would you massage my feet every day?"

"Massaging your feet is not a big deal, but if your sister saw us, she might get angry."

"Why would she be mad about a foot massage... Oh, you’re right, any woman would be unhappy if their husband massaged another woman’s feet." After spitting out the cherry pit, Emily Lopez giggled and said, "But it doesn’t matter, we can do it secretly. She’s always busy and comes home late anyway. When she’s not around, you can just massage mine."

"Alright, as long as your sister doesn’t find out, I’ll massage them for you," agreed James Brown, at this point without any ulterior motives. Emily Lopez, his adorable little sister-in-law, got along with him quite well, and as long as she wasn’t deliberately seducing him, he didn’t mind pampering her.

"I knew you were the best, brother-in-law. All my efforts to get you to marry my sister weren’t in vain. Here, have one," said Emily Lopez as she leaned forward and offered a cherry to James Brown’s lips.

James Brown grinned and opened his mouth, and Emily Lopez pushed a cherry in with her finger, which also brushed against James’s lips.

Normally, such an action should be considered quite intimate. If it were between two people who had just met or were not very familiar with each other, they would undoubtedly be feeling flutters in their heart. However, James Brown and Emily Lopez were already very familiar with each other, so the gesture felt justified and nobody thought much of it.

This is how James Brown massaged Emily Lopez’s feet while she occasionally fed him a cherry, and the two were quite cheerful together.

"Alright, it’s been over ten minutes, your sister will be back soon, I have to go cook," James Brown said, patting Emily Lopez’s calf and moving her feet off his lap.

Emily Lopez also drew back her feet, swinging her cute little toes and said, "Not bad, not bad, it’s really comfortable, my feet aren’t sore or hurting at all anymore, having a brother-in-law like you is just great."

James Brown laughed and said: "You just love to take advantage of me, I haven’t even massaged your sister’s feet yet."

"Then you should give her a massage; after all, you two are a couple, and whatever you do is normal." As she said this, Emily Lopez’s face suddenly erupted with a strong sense of amusement, as if she was thinking of something particularly exciting.

James Brown, puzzled, looked at Emily Lopez and said: "Why are you so excited about your sister and me being together?"

"Because I have a great brother-in-law," said Emily Lopez as she sat up, grinning and placing the plate of cherries on the coffee table. "Watching TV with my brother-in-law taking care of me is just so comfortable."

James Brown didn’t buy that reason, but seeing that Emily Lopez was not forthcoming, he didn’t press further. After all, everyone has their privacy, and it’s especially rude to pry into a girl’s privacy.

When Gina Lopez was almost finished cooking, she returned home feeling anxious. She had talked with Sunny Nguyen earlier that day and knew what James Brown had said to Sunny the day before. She was aware that James Brown intended to spend his life with her and also that James was still unable to let go of Emma Campbell and Melody Yoody.

Gina Lopez had mixed feelings about James Brown wanting to live with her. Even though they had spent a lot of time together and she admitted she liked him, James Brown’s desire seemed to spring from a sense of responsibility. She would still firmly choose to separate from him. Gina Lopez had her pride and didn’t want their relationship to be the sole reason for James to stay with her.

However, given James Brown’s firm stance, she felt that his decision was not purely due to their history. Thus, she decided to really try and make things work with James.

As for Emma Campbell and Melody Yoody, Gina Lopez wasn’t even angry. Had James Brown been a fickle man, she would have looked down on him. Since he could not let go of Emma and Melody, she believed that if their relationship deepened in the future, James would treat her well.

Gina Lopez also had her designs on how James Brown should deal with Emma and Melody. She didn’t believe she couldn’t hold onto James’s heart. If she and James were happy together in the future, his relationships with them would naturally fade. After all, knowing James already had a wife, could they really cling to him forever?

So when Gina Lopez returned home, her heart was at ease and even a bit expectant. This was not like the past pretense when James acted as her boyfriend; this was a real marriage. Never having experienced married life, she was naturally full of longing and anticipation.

She smelled the delicious aroma of food as she opened the door, and Gina Lopez’s heart was overwhelmed with an indescribable happiness. Walking straight into the kitchen, she heard James moving around and turned to her, saying, "Go wash your hands, dinner will be ready shortly."

Gina Lopez replied and immediately went out. The feeling was really nice, and James’s attitude towards her had changed significantly from yesterday.

After a quick wash, Gina Lopez changed into her pajamas and when she came out, James Brown had finished preparing the meal and was sitting with Emily Lopez, waiting for her.

"Sis, hurry up, I’m starving. I wanted to start eating, but your husband insisted we wait for you," Emily Lopez pouted, complaining to Gina Lopez while picking up a piece of braised pork rib with her chopsticks.

James Brown certainly hadn’t said that, but Emily Lopez’s vivid portrayal and her aggrieved expression made Gina unable not to believe it. Grateful, she looked at James and said: "James, just start eating next time you finish cooking. You don’t have to wait for me."

Since Gina Lopez had said so, there was no need for James Brown to argue that he hadn’t made that comment. He just smiled slightly and said, "We’re a family, it feels more like a home when we eat together."

Gina Lopez was taken aback and then broke into a radiant smile, and already there was the feeling of home.