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
Their day at the beach had brought a glow to her skin, and on the morning of the wedding, Amaya massaged in body oil, glad of the peace in their bedroom and the chance, for once, to take her time getting ready without Chase snapping his fingers and telling her she looked fine as she was.Most of the mansion had been commandeered by the bride and her entourage. The whir of the hairdryer had been continuous since eight a.m. and there was a constant stream of flowers, including the traditional arrival of flowers for the bride from the groom, which Amaya was summoned down in her dressing gown to witness.As Raul was conserving his depleted energy for the wedding, Chase had stepped into father-of-the-bride duty, and Amaya had a little giggle to herself to see the usually unruffled Chase, who could handle the most difficult client or tense boardroom meeting with ease, just a touch frazzled as he dealt not just with his sister’s theatrics but vases and flowers and the hairdresser, who was tr
It was the most gorgeous and moving wedding.Even if she couldn’t understand much of what was said, even if she was here under false pretences and was supposed to be playing a part, the tears that filled her eyes weren’t manufactured as the proud, frail father of the bride walked his glowing daughter down the aisle.There were only two dry eyes in the church, and they both belonged to Chase.He stood taller than the rest, his back ramrod straight, and though he did all the right things, there was a remoteness to him—an irritable edge that Amaya couldn’t quite define, perhaps an impatience for the service to be over. For the second time, the first moment that he could, she felt his hand tighten around hers as he led her swiftly outside."These two will be next!" Donna teased, holding her husband’s hand and laughing and chatting with her relatives."When?" Raul’s eyes met his son’s."Soon," Chase said before making a smile at the rest of the guests, "I’m sure it will happen soon."As Ra
Amaya's orgasms had, till now, been slowly coaxed from her, a learned thing, this gradual build-up as he taught her to let go, as he urged her on to lose her mind, herself, to new sensations. But this night in his bed, she was swept into a maelstrom of sensation that was as desperate and urgent as Chase’s fierce need.The shudder of him inside her was met with sweet beats of her own—it wasn’t sex, it was devotion, and the intensity of her orgasm startled her. Her hips moved frantically upwards to escape from the relentless throb of her body, but Chase was in instant pursuit, his last throes tipping her to a place there could be no coming back from—to true abandon, to utter trust.They slept together—the third night in his bed—and this time they truly slept together, coiled around each other in a fierce embrace that didn’t abate with sleep.*****Never did Chase just glance at his step-sister in the morning.He could never just accept that greeting and coffee without thought.He always
"Amaya, um, I’m staying for a few days here." Chase walked into the bedroom, where Amaya lay on the bed, staring upwards. He could feel her pain and sense her confusion, and he could see the purple marks his fingers had left on her tender skin. He flinched inside but let nothing of his horror show on his face or in his voice. "You and Tommy should pack." Chase’s head inclined towards the wardrobe. "I’ll arrange the transport to my mansion, and I want you to cancel my diary for a week—I will stay on for a while. When you’re back, report to Justin. I already called him, and don't worry about the wedding; it's all handled, including the contract." And he reeled off his orders, spoke of nothing but work, and even managed to look her straight in the eyes as he did so.Amaya sighed. "Does it mean business as usual?" Amaya got his point—oh, she got the point, alright!"Yes. I'll take care of everything about our wedding. Just fit the wedding dress. And don't give me that tone! That was what
Amaya just stared at him and raised her brow."Are you going to ask me in?" Chase eventually broke the silence. It took some effort. He had wanted to catch her by surprise and had been driven by sheer curiosity to see her somewhere—anywhere—that wasn’t to do with the office. Yes, they shared a house, but they seldom saw each other here. Not without them pretending to be a couple so in love in front of everyone here in the mansion.But he hadn’t expected this.This wasn’t the starchy woman who occupied her own inspiring range of suits in various shades of colour; this was a different woman altogether. It was the face of a sad and defeated woman.This was the woman he had glimpsed before; she looked happy, but he knew, deep inside, that she was alone and sad as hell.Oh yeah, it was all his fault. Like what happened in Greece, it was nothing but a mistake."What do you want?" She asked.She was in a pair of shorts and a small top, and her hair was long and tied back in a ponytail that s
Thomas drove her to the city, exceeding all speed records to reach the private hospital in time. They were too late for anaesthesia. She’d just barely settled into her private suite, and Dr. Bartlett had just rushed in to check on her, before their baby was born.Thomas held her close as their son came into the world, protecting them. And in the instant their newborn baby was placed in her exhausted arms, both their lives changed forever.Thomas kissed his wife’s sweaty forehead, then tenderly cradled them both in his arms. Their love was newly reborn in that single instant, brilliant and flashing like a comet illuminating the dark night, shining like a star that would always last.*****Mommy….mommy, they’re here!”Four-year-old John was running up and down the hallways, screaming like a banshee when he heard the helicopter land on the other side of the island. Leah smiled down at her son, even as she tried helplessly to hush him before he woke his two-year-old sister, who always got
Leah knelt, brushing the earth off the grey marble angel before placing half the daisies on her grave. “I’m going to have his baby any day now. And I forced him to promise to stay away from us.” She gave a harsh laugh. “I guess I never thought he’d stay so true to his word. Perhaps he’s not the liar I thought.” She wiped the tears that left cold tracks down her cheeks, chilling beneath the brisk spring wind as she said softly, “What should I do?”Her father’s grave was silent. Leah heard only the sigh of the wind through the trees as she stared down at the words on the gravestone.No. Her throat suddenly hurt. Sometimes love and passion can be equally joined, like a mutual fire. She’d felt it.The desire between Leah and Thomas had been explosive. She’d been so lucky, and she hadn’t even known it. For all her adult life, she’d been focused on the wrong thing. On revenge. On regaining a memory that had ultimately caused her nothing but grief.A bitter laugh stuck in her throat.Hearing
“No!” Leah jerked away from him. “Don’t touch me!” She turned away, heading for the door, desperate to get out of the bedroom, away from the soft, mussed sheets that were still warm from the tender passion of their bodies, away from the scent of him that still clung to her. Away from the happiness of the innocent, explosive joy she’d experienced moments before.“I don’t blame you,” he said quietly behind her, causing her to halt. “When I found out you were Justin De Nero's stepsister, I already knew I was falling in love with you. So I brought you here to the island.” He took a deep breath. “I thought if I kept you safe and hidden from the world, you wouldn’t remember. I prayed you never would.”She whirled around with a gasp, and the breath suddenly knocked out of her.“To punish me?” she said, wanting to cry. She lifted her chin. “To claim your victory?”Thomas bowed his head. “To be your husband,” he whispered. “To love you for the rest of my life.”His words crept into her soul li
Thomas pulled off the soft pink cotton dress with its innocent eyelet lace. Removing his own black T-shirt and jeans, he dropped them to the floor. His eyes greedily drank in the vision of Leah in her translucent white bra and panties.Looking into her eyes, he finally spoke the words that had long ago been written across his heart.“I love you, Leah.”She sucked in her breath, her gaze searching his. Wanting to believe. Needing to believe.Then he kissed her.Her lips seared him to the core. With every beat of his heart, he loved her. And all he wanted to do was make his vow of a month ago true; he wanted to spend the rest of his life kissing her.She moved beneath him on the white blanket of the bed. Above him, he could hear the soft whir of the ceiling fan, hear the cry of the morning birds outside, and feel the soft breeze against his naked body.He touched her naked skin, bronzed from so many days spent outside. He stroked her body all over, worshipping her with his fingertips, wi
After she had slept, he reached his breaking point. Getting up from the bed, he gazed through the open French doors onto the terrace, where the gentle breeze swirled the curtains. He observed the full moonlight dancing on the black waves of the Aegean, resembling lost spirits ensnared in invisible webs to the earth.He had believed he could shield them here, far from the world's reach. He was mistaken. To protect his family, he could never again be intimate with his wife, not even a kiss. For if he did, she would remember everything, and he would lose her.Thomas was consumed by pain, his breath catching in his chest. He stole one final glance at his pregnant wife, peacefully sleeping in their bed. He cherished her beauty, even as he agonized over the tear stains on her face. As the pink hues of sunrise began to fill the room, he clenched his fists and left her to sleep alone.How had it all gone so wrong?A month later, Leah remained baffled. She resided in a breathtaking Greek villa
“Two?” Thomas pouted.“Six?” she countered good-naturedly.He looked down at her, his dark eyes smiling. “We can compromise. Three.”“All right.” She leaned against him with a contented sigh. “I’m so happy here,” she confessed. “I never want to leave.”He flashed her a grin. “Then we won’t.”“Just what do you have in mind?” she teased. “A honeymoon that never ends?”He bent to kiss her lightly, tenderly on the lips. “Exactly.”He went to the white granite table, removing the two lunch plates from the tray. He set them out with silverware and linen napkins. He brought the two glasses of sparkling water to the lounge chairs and handed one to her.He held up his glass. “To the most beautiful woman in the world.”Flushing with pleasure, she clinked the glass against his. “To the most wonderful man in the world,” she said softly. “Thank you for telling me the truth. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for putting it all behind us and bringing me home.”His dark brows creased, and he look
Thomas was blown away by her openness and vulnerability. Leah had accepted blame for a betrayal she could not even remember. She’d chosen to believe him. To trust him when all he’d done was lie to her, trick her, and punish her. It was enough to bring any man to his knees.Thomas started to walk toward her, but he’d gone only a few steps before the phone in his hand rang. He saw his lead investigator’s number and answered. “That was fast.”“I can tell you about your wife’s father right now, Mr. Alexander.” Barr paused. “Do the names Chase Johnson and Justin De Nero mean anything to you?”Thomas’s entire body went hot, then turned to ice.He was only dimly aware of the ebb and flow of people around him as his hand clenched around the phone.“Johnson and Justin De Nero?” he repeated in a strangled voice.“The owner of Johnson Inc. is the best friend of Leah’s stepbrother, Justin De Nero. They are close friends... very close friends.”Thomas’s heart pounded in his throat. He saw black bi
“And so I’ve been waiting for you to remember. Every place I’ve taken you, every memory I’ve hoped to reignite, was so you could tell me why.” Suddenly, she understood everything. “Not just that,” she whispered. “You wanted to punish me. It’s what you’ve wanted since the day you found me in London. You wanted revenge—” “Justice,” he corrected coldly. “But when you found out I was pregnant, that changed everything, didn’t it?” She gave a choked laugh, then covered her mouth with an intake of breath. “You felt you had to marry me because I was pregnant with your baby. You never loved me. All you wanted was to hurt me.” “I spent months trying to find you before you resurfaced at your father’s funeral. You’re a wealthy woman, Leah, so you couldn’t have betrayed me for money. So you must have done it out of love. You’re in love with Jake Skinner. It’s the only explanation.” She thought of the playboy with his bleached-white smile and shook her head. “I could never love him.” “Then wh
Cradled in Thomas’s strong arms, beneath the soft dawn spilling from the windows, Leah hadn’t wanted to wake up. She’d pressed her head against his naked chest, relishing the feel of his warm skin laced with dark hair.His body was so much larger than her own. Snuggled against him in the enormous bed, she’d felt protected. Safe. Loved. There was so much about him that she still didn’t understand. But still, she was falling in love with him all over again.Drowsy and content, she’d listened to the beat of his heart against her cheek. The beat grew louder, like the sound of heavy footsteps stomping in unison against a hard stone floor. Step. Step. Step.She felt suddenly cold as she looked at the blurry faces around her. Her father’s sobbing face came into sharp focus. She clung to Leah, wailing as they watched her mother’s and sister-in-law's coffins pass out of the church on the shoulders of old men. Leah clutched her father’s hands in her own, suddenly terrified that her mother’s and