Amaya sipped her coffee as she glanced over her iPad, catching up on company emails as she walked to the spacious living room of the mansion, where her son Tommy and Chase were engaged in a lively card game. Earlier, before getting up from the shared bed, she told Tommy about marrying Chase, and the little boy was over the moon. He didn't even bother to question her; he was just happy to have a father. Yes, it was very selfish of her to keep a secret from her son, but Amaya was just as scared of losing him, and the idea of risking something she couldn't live without didn't count on her bucket list of risks to take."Mom, guess what!" Tommy exclaimed with excitement, his face lighting up as he held his cards close.Amaya looked over with a warm smile. "What is it, sweetie?""I just got the rarest Pokémon card in the whole game! Daddy Chase is losing!" Tommy said, showing off the card in his hand to Amaya.She frowned when she heard him calling Chase Daddy. "Tommy, did you ask Mr. Johns
"Not at all." She forced a smile. "The meeting went well; I’ll write up a report and get the information to you. And also, Justin mentioned Daphne Rogers. He said you’ll know what it was.""Okay, but I wasn’t talking about that meeting." Chase frowned. "Is anything wrong?""Nothing," Amaya said, then realising what he’d seen, she relented. "I’ve got a bit of a headache, that’s all."Chase raised a brow, "Have some medicine and coffee, okay?""Yeah. Thanks.""By the way, Amaya, um, my butler, is not well.""Oh! Um, so you need something?" Amaya blinked, reaching for the phone. "Do you want me to ring the agency and arrange a replacement?""I’ll survive for a day without Juan," Chase said magnanimously, "but I am going to be flying to L.A. this afternoon and be back the next day, just an hour before Donna’s wedding, so can you go over to my room and pack for me? I'm... clueless about that thing. Juan knew everything, and without him, I didn't know if I'd survive—""Sure. It's no bother.
"Here." She was back, holding out a glass of water and punching out two tablets from a blister pack. "Take these, um, for the headache.""Only if you do."Amaya punched out two for herself, and they shared the glass of water. Funny that he noticed a little thing like that—funny that to Chase it mattered that she didn’t go and get another glass."We’ll feel better in twenty minutes." Amaya smiled, glad that they seemed to be talking normally again after the strain of the past few weeks. "It says so on the box."She zipped his suit holder and picked up the phone to summon his driver as Chase downed a quick shot of espresso from his coffee machine. He stuffed files and papers into his briefcase as he gave her a few last-minute instructions that would take about a couple of hours to execute."Any problems, ring me. It doesn’t matter what time it is there—things have to be in place for tomorrow.""Sure!" He watched her bristle slightly, and inside Chase smiled."And tell Tommy, I'll win ov
As Chase's private plane lifted off for Greece into the early morning sky, all Amaya wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep. Donna had a sudden change of heart and wanted a Greek wedding instead, and it wasn't a miracle what money could do with the sudden shift of mind of the bride.However, Tommy had been misbehaving the past two nights without Chase, and she was surprised how easily he was attached to him. And her Sunday night had been spent packing, planning, dreading, and finally weeping. Weeping for a father she resented.She was resilient, though she had always had to be, so she hid her swollen eyes behind huge Prada sunglasses and pleaded for another headache when Chase commented on them. She had, after a night of weeping, pushed away yesterday’s worries and left her son to his nanny again, which she hated but needed and was, in a bizarre way, actually glad to be getting away for a few days and leaving all her fear behind her.They were served a sumptuous breakfast of eggs,
Landing at Chase's father’s mansion, Amaya had enjoyed the helicopter ride that had taken them on the final leg of their journey to his small coastal village—and everywhere Amaya looked, the view was stunning. Houses perched on top of houses were all staring out to the twinkling ocean, and the mansion was the jewel in the crown—the massive home had been lavishly extended, and every room was angled to take in the spectacular sea view.Donna’s welcome was warm and effusive, pulling Amaya into an embrace and kissing her on both cheeks, then guiding her through to a large terrace that ran the length of the house while chatting non-stop in her rich accent, alternating between English and Greek."Chase!" The squeals of delight from Donna had Amaya smiling, and he was far more pleased to see his sister than Amaya’s own father ever was—hugging her warmly, teasing her about the face pack she was wearing, and introducing her to Amaya, whom Donna eyed with the same suspicious navy eyes as her br
Her first birthday cake, her first birthday party—well, at least the first she could remember"Oh, Amaya, happy birthday! And I'm so sorry," Donna said. ‘Daddy wanted to stay up, but he was tired." Amaya could see the mood in the mansion was actually better without him, and then Donna apologised that the cake was home-made, which made Amaya’s eyes well up. "Chase only told me yesterday, there was no time to order one—and—""Yesterday?" Her head whipped around to him—that he had known all along, before she’d even told him, and that he had thought about ringing ahead and arrange all this for her..."Did you really think I’d forget your birthday?" Chase murmured behind her ears, which made her blush."Oh, my! I can't believe this. I didn't expect this at all. I don't know what to say."She opened her gifts—first, a stunning white lace nightdress from Donna. "Trust me, Amaya, my brother will love that," she hinted. There was an expensive set of body lotion and perfume from Donna, and from
And now, lying in bed, Amaya felt as if she were falling.Anger for all the things she had missed out on was seething inside her. Pain for her father and anger for not telling Chase about Tommy. Anger for everything. Regrets and exhaustion for keeping her emotions at bay all the time.And she lay in a strange land in a strange bed with a playboy boss who didn’t deal in emotions when hers were exquisitely raw.Why would he marry her if he wanted nothing but shows? She wanted it to be real; she wanted him to tell her that he wanted to marry her because he loved her, needed her, and wanted her.She actually felt sorry for him.Chase's hand was still patting her in a sort of there, there motion, with this slight note of horror in his voice as he felt her shiver at the prospect of the grief she must hold in for now. Yet it was leaking from her eyes and from her breath—this scream inside that was building, the tension in her muscles where she wanted to just run—to curl up, to howl, and to w
Amaya had never been more ready for something in her life.He was staring down at her with surprising tenderness in his eyes—a gentleness that she had never seen. And she felt as if they were starting something, as if they were going somewhere together. It wasn’t just her body she had never trusted to another, but her mind too—and in that moment she let him in, she could feel the first slow, shallow thrusts, the stretch of her body as it tried to accommodate him, and the barrier of resistance, and she told herself over and over that she had to remember not to love him.It hurt, this searing, this moment, and then it was gone—and whatever it was she had just lost, she had found so much more.The feel of him inside her, the wonders of her own body, rising to greet him as he entered and then resisting each withdrawal—her hips moving to meet his. There was this pull in her stomach and little licks of heat in her thighs. She couldn’t keep her eyes open, she was lost in the dark with him, a