Chase hadn't had a holiday for months, so he kept telling himself that was why he was feeling so relaxed after a week sailing around the islands. He’d chosen a couple of private hideaways he was familiar with, where he and Amaya had swum in quiet coves with the fish darting below them or lain on pristine beaches. But if he were honest with himself, he knew it was because Amaya was proving to be the best thing that had happened to him in a long time.Maybe ever. He woke each morning with a tick of excitement in his blood. Not just because the sex they had was getting better and better, but because the companionship they’d developed had settled into friendship, unlike anything he’d had before with anyone else. He looked forward to discussing things with her—current affairs or business things that came through on email. She had a good mind and sound common sense, and he enjoyed listening to her take on current issues. They cooked together, read together, walked, swam, and snorkelled toge
“If you ever had the pleasure of getting in bed with me again..." Chase narrowed his cold eyes on hers. “You would be the one to catch fire, and we both know it.”“I don't think so. You did all the work on the yacht, remember? ”He frowned.“Oops! Did I hit some nerves, husband, dear? ”With that, Chase curled his finger, motioning her into the conference room. People had begun to trickle straight into it with their coffee cups and sleepy eyes. Amaya obeyed, her catlike, limber walk telling him she knew he was looking.Justin opened the door for them before he walked in.“Hey, lover boy. How's the honeymoon?" He clapped his back.“Call me that again if you want a one-way ticket to early retirement,” Chase muttered.“Mrs. Lover Boy?” He winked at Amaya.“Lover boy, my ass," she saluted.They shared a knowing smile. Chase punched him in the face. Internally, of course. His limits were few and far between, but they were there. Besides, Justin had just another fling, the morning show’s la
“Yes, Chase, I'm not that stupid, but I was expecting you to be so civil with me. The people around here will talk about our marriage. Had I known, I never would have touched you. Just because you don’t have any morals doesn’t mean I don’t, either.”“Know what? Morals? What the hell are you talking about?”Yes, I don't know what I'm talking about either. She thought. “Tell me more about your morals, Mr. Johnson." There, she was being crazy again, changing the subject.He raised a brow, “I don't know what you are trying to ask here, woman, but—you confuse me.” His eyes travelled along her body with boredom. He dragged his long fingers over his jaw.I was foolish for marrying you, but that wasn’t something I was eager to correct him on.She waved a hand at him. “Just say what you want to say and let me get on with my day.” The lies were so smooth, she swore it felt like durian ice cream, kind of smooth. “You said your life is none of my business. I tend to agree with that sentiment, esp
Chase smiled, his thumb pad stroked over her beauty spot, his eyes still holding hers in a penetrating tether. “But I have a feeling you’re not as ambitious as you make out, wife?”Amaya forced herself not to shift her gaze but to hold him without wavering. How could he know how conflicted she felt about her career? Of course, the specialist department can wait, but yeah, being his assistant is considerably her career for now. She thought to herself.She had barely acknowledged it to herself. She hadn’t even talked about it with Mary. She’d played the ‘career girl’ card for years. Work had always been her top priority before Tommy. But if she interrupted her career path with a baby again, what would happen to her place on the ladder? And did she even care? Amaya slipped out of his hold and held on to the side of the table.“Did you even talk about this Chicago plan of yours to Tommy?" she asked.“Not yet; I just got the email earlier. I haven’t even had time for a call yet. But guess
Chase leaned his head back on the headrest once he’d boarded his plane and closed his eyes, wishing he could close off his thoughts as well. The truth was, he could have sent someone else to Paris, but he needed some distance to sort out a few things in his head. Why was everything suddenly so complicated? He had a filthy headache and a gut full of worry over Amaya and her many questions. Of course, he meant that he said to stop acting, and he was stupid enough to even suggest it. He wanted her to not act but to treat him like a real husband and not glare at him when no one was watching.Yes, they shared wonderful moments on the yacht, and it was a memory he would never be able to forget. For once, he had forgotten his thirst for vengeance, yet here he was again, searching for it.Now it unnerved him how easily likeable and wonderful Amaya was. Now he’d upset Amaya over her brother. Besides, he didn’t want to live in her territory of beautiful, lustful nights, warm beds, and warm meal
Chase frowned. “Tell me about what?” A muscle tightened in the lower quadrant of his jaw.He thought sleeping with Amaya again was a bad idea, but he couldn't help himself.Not that there’d been much sleeping involved. Their cataclysmic honeymoon had changed everything.“About Tommy,” she said, tugging his hand as she sat at the couch’s edge, leaving Chase no option but to follow.And follow he would, to the ends of the earth if she asked, for the last few days had shattered any illusions he had about this marriage being all business.With every kiss, with every caress, and with every gut-wrenching moan, she’d stripped away the years, catapulting him straight back to a time he was so crazy for her he couldn’t see straight.Nothing had changed—absolutely nothing.Even that was a lie.A few years ago, he’d been a fool, kidding himself; all he felt for Amaya was lust.Now he knew the truth.What they’d shared had never just been about lust; it was more than that, so much more.And their
It had been weeks since Amaya's confession, yet Chase still felt the pain in her eyes as he closed the door behind him that day. He had been ignoring her since then; he didn't even bother to see Tommy. Just yet. It was shocking; he had never anticipated nor thought of the possibility, but he was lying to himself if he wouldn't admit that somehow, deep inside him, he longed for Tommy to be his.Amaya betrayed her. She kept Tommy away from him for so long. She knew that he didn't want a child. He was an heir to his father's curse, but was he sad? was he disappointed? He didn't think so. He was just confused.He knew the risk of telling him the truth, yet the ache inside him still bothered him so much that he wanted nothing but to turn back time. Could he even do that? That was impossible. Could he forgive Amaya?Yes.Was he a hypocrite?Yes.So he decided to talk to her today. Going to his mansion again wasn’t the most constructive thing to do, Chase thought, considering the little fixa
To hell with her common sense. Amaya thought. To risk or not to risk her heart again. It doesn't matter now. All she ever wanted was to forget her problem with her father.“Chase…”Her wanton plea made his hard-on throb as he lifted her top, ducked his head, and captured an erect nipple between his teeth, plucking at the lace covering it. Her low moans fired him to flick the clasp and allow the tempting lushness to fall into his hands.But the garden had other ideas, as the raucous cackle of a nearby kookaburra pierced the silence and reminded him of where they were.Reluctantly tugging her top down, he brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “Maybe we can talk more later?”She nodded her head. To hell with her pride.“I think so.”“Good, but you used to love those damn birds. Too bad this one has shocking timing.”She laughed, a clear, joyous sound that had him chuckling right along with her. “Remember the time we made out the first time we met?”“Can we change the subject?”He took a
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