Gabriel De León had heard a lot of lies in his life, particularly in relation to his beautiful, ruthless ex-mistress. But this one topped them all.
“No, it can’t be true,” he said in shock, staring at the doctor. “She’s lying.”
“I can assure you, it’s absolutely true,” Dr. Levi replied gravely. “She really has no memory. Not of you, not of me, not even of her accident yesterday. And yet there’s no physical injury.”
“Well… That’s because she’s lying, doctor!”
“She was wearing the seatbelt when her head hit the airbag,” Dr. Levi continued. “There was no concussion.”
Gabriel stared at the doctor with a scowl. He had a reputation as a doctor of great skill and integrity. He was rich from a lifetime of serving wealthy, aristocratic patients, so he couldn’t be bought.
He was known as a family man, still completely in love with his wife of fifty years, an adored father of three and grandfather of eight, so, he couldn’t be seduced. This must be true then… The doctor honestly must believe Calleigh Swanson had amnesia.
Amnesia… This was absurd… Gabriel’s lip curled. After all of her devilish cleverness, he would’ve expected more of her. Eleven weeks ago, after stabbing him in the back, Calleigh had vanished from Marbella like a ghost.
His men had searched for her all over the world without success until two days ago when she’d suddenly resurfaced in London for her stepfather’s funeral. Gabriel had dropped a billion-dollar deal in New York, ordering his men to trail her until he could reach London on his private jet.
Miguel and Rafael had been right behind Calleigh yesterday afternoon when she’d left the private clinic in Harley Street. They’d watched her tuck her long, glossy dark hair beneath a silk scarf, put on big black sunglasses and white driving gloves, and drive away in her silver Aston Martin convertible. Right into a red postbox on the sidewalk.
“It was so strange, patrón, (Spanish for ‘boss’)” Miguel had told him that morning when he’d arrived from New York. “She seemed fine at the funeral. But leaving the doctor’s office she drove like she was drunk or something. She didn’t even recognize Rafa and me when we helped her back into the hospital after the accident.”
Now, Dr. Levi looked equally stunned as he scratched the back of his wispy white head.
“I held her overnight for observation, but can’t find anything physically wrong with Calleigh.”
Gabriel ground his teeth.
“Because she doesn’t have amnesia. She’s playing you for a fool! This is all just an act.”
The elderly doctor stiffened.
“Mr. De León, I don’t believe Calleigh is lying. I've known her since she was fourteen when she first came here with her mother from the States.”
He shook his head as he mused.
“All the tests came back negative. The only symptom seems to be amnesia. Leading me to wonder… Maybe the accident was merely the catalyst… The trauma was an emotional one.”
“You mean she brought it on herself?”
“I wouldn’t say it in these exact words. But this is outside my area of expertise. This is why I’ve recommended a colleague, Dr. Green.”
“A psychiatrist...”
“Yes, and a very good one.”
Gabriel latched on to the one valuable bit of information.
“So, if there’s nothing physically wrong with her, Calleigh can leave the hospital this very day.”
The doctor hesitated.
“She’s certainly strong enough. But as she has no memory, perhaps it would be better if a member of her family…”
“She has no family, doctor,” Gabriel interrupted him. “Her stepfather was her only living relative, and he died three days ago.”
“I did hear about Mr. Swanson, and I was very sorry. But I hoped perhaps Calleigh might have an aunt or uncle, or even a cousin in Seattle…”
“She does not,” Gabriel said evenly, although he had no idea.
He only knew nothing was going to keep him from taking Calleigh away with him today.
“I’m her…”
What was he? Ex-lover bent on revenge?
“Boyfriend,” he finished smoothly. “I'll take care of her.”
“This is what your men told me yesterday when they said you were on your way.”
Dr. Levi eyed him as if he didn’t quite like what he saw.
“But it doesn’t sound as if you even believe she needs special care.”
“Doctor, if you say she has amnesia, I have no choice but to trust your professional word.”
“But you called her a liar…”
Gabriel gave a crooked grin.
“Her imagination is the source of her… creative fabrications. They are part of Calleigh’s charm.”
“So, you two are close?” the doctor asked, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. “Do you intend to marry her?”
Hearing his last question, Gabriel knew the answer the man wanted… the only answer that would release Calleigh into his power. And so, he told the truth to the doctor.
“She is everything to me, doctor. My absolute everything.”
Scrutinizing Gabriel’s expression, the doctor stroked his beard with something like satisfaction, then nodded in a sudden brisk decision.
“Very well. I’ll release her into your care, Mr. De León. Take good care of her. And please, take her home.”
Take her to Illa de Tagomago (A/N ‘Illa’ means ‘Island’ in Spanish)? Gabriel would die before he would pollute his home that way. But Marbella… yes. He’d lock her up in one of his twelve rooms and make her thoroughly regret betraying him.
“You will release her to me today?”
The doctor nodded.
“Yes. Make her feel loved,” he warned. “Make her feel wanted and secure.”
“Loved and secure,” Gabriel repeated, barely able to keep the sneer from his face.
Dr. Levi frowned.
“Surely, Mr. De León, you can appreciate what these last twenty-four hours have meant to Calleigh. Now, she has nothing to cling to. No memory of family or friends to sustain her. No sense of home or memory of belonging to a place. She didn’t even know her name until I told her.”
“Don’t worry,” Gabriel said grimly. “I’ll take good care of her.”
But as he started to turn away, the doctor stopped him.
“There is something else you should know.”
“What is it?”
“Normally I would never disclose this information. But in this unique case, I feel it’s important for you to know…”
With a muttered curse in Spanish, Gabriel tapped his foot impatiently.
“What is it, doctor?”
“Calleigh is pregnant.”
At that word, Gabriel’s head shot up. His heart literally stopped in his chest.
“Excuse me?” he choked. “She’s… what?”
“Pregnant?” the doctor replied.
“How… far gone is the… pregnancy?” Gabriel asked.
“When I did the ultrasound yesterday, I estimated conception in mid-June.”
June… For nearly all of that month, Gabriel had barely left Calleigh’s side. He’d kept tabs on his business almost unwillingly, resenting every moment of his life that wasn’t spent in bed with her.
Their affair had burned him through, blood and bone. Like a complete fool, he’d thought that he could trust her. Because lust had seized his mind and will. In those days, he was thinking with some other part of his body that wasn’t his brain.
“If I’d had any idea how upset she was at the news of her pregnancy, I would never have let her drive away from the hospital. But don’t worry,” he added hastily, “your baby is fine.”
His… baby. Gabriel stared at him, hardly able to breathe. The doctor suddenly gave a hearty, cheerful laugh, patting him on the back.
“Congratulations, Mr. De León. You’re going to be a father.”
********
Around her, Calleigh was dimly aware of a whisper of voices and the distant hum of a heater. She felt someone sweep a cool cloth against her forehead. Maybe it was a nurse.
The soft sheets against her skin felt heavy. She stubbornly kept her eyes closed. She didn’t want to wake up. She didn’t want to leave the dark peacefulness of sleep, the warmth of barely remembered dreams that still cradled her like an embrace.
Calleigh didn’t want to return to the nothingness of existence, where she had no memories. No identity. Nothing to cling to. Just emptiness that was far worse than any pain.
And, since this wasn’t enough, the doctor had told her three hours ago, that she was pregnant. She couldn’t remember conceiving the child. Couldn’t even remember the face of her baby’s father. At least one problem less since she would meet him today. He would be here any minute.
Covering her head with her pillow, Calleigh squeezed her eyes shut. She was racked with anxiety and fear at the thought of meeting him for the first time… Meeting the father of her unborn baby! What kind of man would he be?
She heard the door open and close and held her breath. Then someone sat heavily next to her, causing her body to lean toward him on the mattress. Strong arms suddenly were around her. She felt the warmth of a man’s body, breathed in the woodsy musk of his cologne.
“Calleigh, I’m here.”
The man’s voice was deep and low, with an exotic accent she couldn’t place.
“I’ve come for you.”
A thrill rushed through her. With an intake of breath, she pushed aside the pillow. He was so close to her. She saw the sharpness of his cheekbones first. The dark scruff on his hard jaw. The tawny color of his olive skin.
Then, as he drew back, Calleigh saw his whole face. He was... breathtaking. How was it possible for a man to be at once so masculine, and so beautiful?
His black hair brushed the top of his ears. He had the face of an angel. Of a warrior. His Roman nose had been broken at least once, from the tiny imperfection of the angle. He had a full, sensual mouth, with a twist of his lips that revealed arrogance and something more… Cruelty, perhaps?
His eyes gleamed down at her, dark as night. And beneath their black depths, for a moment, she saw a devastating fire of hatred, as if he wished she were dead, as if she were a ghost, he’d long ago sent to hell.
Then Calleigh blinked, and he was smiling down at her with tender concern. ‘I must’ve imagined that fiery hatred,’ she thought in confusion. Not surprising considering how screwy her head had been since the accident… an accident she couldn’t even remember!
“Calleigh,” he whispered as he caressed her cheek. “I thought I’d never find you. That I’ve lost you forever.”
The touch of his rough fingers against her skin burned her. She felt a sizzle down her neck to her breasts, making her nipples taut and her belly spiral in a strange tightness.
With an intake of breath, Calleigh searched his face, hardly able to believe the evidence of her own eyes. This… this gorgeous man was her lover? He looked nothing like she’d expected.
When Dr. Levi had told her that her boyfriend was on his way from New York, she’d imagined a kind-looking man with a loving heart, a sense of humor. A gentle man who would share his troubles while they washed dishes together at the end of the day.
She’d dreamed of a loving partner. An equal. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined a dark god like this, cruelly beautiful, masculine and so powerful that he could no doubt slice her heart in two with a look.
“Aren’t you glad to see me?” he said in a low, unsettling voice.
She searched his face, holding her breath. But no memories rushed through her, no recollections of the hard curve of his cheek or the slightly wicked twist to his sensual lips. No memories of a thousand little intimacies between lovers. Nothing! He helped her sit up. His hands lingered possessively on her back, causing a sudden heat across her body. A heat she couldn’t understand. Calleigh licked her lips nervously.“Um… You are… You must be… Gabriel De León?” she ventured, giving him a shy glimpse. After saying those words, Calleigh almost hoped he would deny it, and that her real boyfriend, a kind-faced man with gentle eyes, would walk through the door. The Spanish tycoon’s hands on her back paused and she felt ice going up and down her spine.“So&hellip
Beneath heavily lidded eyes, Gabriel watched Calleigh as he led her to the black limousine purring on the street in front of the hospital. She wasn’t faking her amnesia. In spite of his initial incredulity, he now had no doubt. She had no idea of who he was or what she’d done. And now she was pregnant with his child. This detail changed everything. He gently helped her to the car. She had no luggage. One of his men had taken her smashed Aston-Martin to the garage, while the other had gone to make quiet amends for the smashed postbox. Calleigh wore the black silk dress and carried the black clutch purse from her stepfather’s funeral yesterday. The black dress clung to her breasts and hips when she walked, the silk shimmering and sliding against her hips and breasts. 
Marry him? ‘Yes!’ Calleigh thought in a daze, looking up into his handsome face. Feeling his strong, rough hands against the softness of her skin, the warmth of his touch seared her, tracing down her neck to her breasts and lower still. How could any man be so masculine, so beautiful, so powerful all at once? So perfect? Gabriel was everything her tore, empty, frightened soul had desired. He would protect her. Love her. He would complete her life. ‘Yes, I will!’ But even as the words rose to her lips, something stopped her. Something she couldn’t understand made her pull her face away from his touch.“Marry you?” she whispered.&nbs
Sunlight reflected off the water as Calleigh and Gabriel took the motoscafo, a Venetian private water taxi, from the Marco Polo Airport. The September weather was bright and warm as they crossed the lagoon, passing by the Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge on the way to their hotel. Italy… Venice… Memories started to pierce his heart. Gabriel had never expected to return here again. But he said to himself that sometimes a man had to change the cards in the middle of the game. He swore to himself that he would do whatever it took, be as romantic a fool as any man could be, in order to lure Calleigh into marriage before her memory returned. It was the only way to make her pay for the wrong she had done to him. Gabriel loo
They stood on the dock as his bodyguard-assistant, Miguel, paid the young Italian taxi driver and organized the luggage. But all Calleigh could see was Gabriel. He was so breathtakingly handsome, tall, and strong... He seemed a demigod… like he left Heaven and came to Earth only for her… At this thought, she smiled slightly, almost imperceptibly. He really was there for her, to help her remember their wonderful love story, to recall how it has been between them before she lost her memory. Seeing her wardrobe in her stepfather’s house, Calleigh knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that she had been extremely hard to handle before the accident. The way she dressed, all the useless parties, her continuous running around from one city to another… It was time to put that aside and embrace this strange, ne
The sun was starting to set, giving the twilight a pink-and-orange glow with a rapidly chilling autumn bite in the air. As a light fog blew in from the lagoon, Gabriel reached for Calleigh’s hand. His hand wrapped around her smaller one, their naked palms pressing together, and she gave an involuntary shiver that had nothing to do with the cooling night. He paused on the walkway between the piazzetta and the canal.“Cold?” She nodded, because… how could she tell him the truth? How could she tell him that his every touch exhilarated and frightened her in equal measure?“Then we should do something about it.” Behind his head, Calleigh could see the Byzantine white domes, arches, and sharp
She swallowed, staring at his profile, very aware of what he just said and the bed behind her.“Well, um… Not anymore…” Calleigh whispered.“You won’t be hearing me complaining…” Gabriel said and a little mischievous smile appeared on his lips.“Nope… Thank you very much. New me… new habits.” Anxious, she looked at the bed and the couch.“You take the bed,” he said and the smile was now long gone. Standing up, he closed his laptop. His dark gaze, which had been so hot when he’d nearly kissed her near St. Marco’s Piazza, had suddenly cooled.“I’ll work in the office so I don’t disturb you. I’ll sleep on the couch when I’m tired.”&n
Calleigh had been smiling at him, but now she felt suddenly shy and kinda frightened. She put her hand to her hair, which yesterday had hung past her breasts and was now touching slightly her collarbone.“What?! What it looks like? I just had cut my hair. I felt it was time to make some changes about myself, about my image. So, I decided to start with my hair… These romantic waves caught my eye in a magazine and… here’s the result! A new wonderful haircut.”“I can see that…”“So, since it’s so obvious, why are you so mad about it? Was I supposed to ask for your permission?” she retorted pertly, squaring her shoulders. “Come on, Gabriel! Get used to it! It’s not like I cut an arm or something. It will grow back.” H
Those words hit her deep in her soul… Calleigh always thought her mother had died of a broken heart. She must’ve known that… The way her mother was behaving, her state of mind, her depression. Reading her father’s letter showed everything in a new light, so different from the one she imprinted in her brain for all those years. Endless minutes, hours, days of planning a revenge against someone that had nothing to do with her family’s tragedy. She’d been so wrong… ‘You never named your source. Who was it, Gabriel?’ ‘I can’t say. I gave my word I wouldn’t reveal that.’ Now Calleigh knew that the source was… Leona Medlock-Swanson, her own
Five months later, Calleigh was standing alone by her mother’s grave. It was only the first week of March, but already the first blush of early spring had could be seen. The weeping willows were green and gold beside the lake, splashing the season’s first color over the graveyard of the old gray church. In her white coat and green wellies, Calleigh felt hot and out of breath after crossing the hill from the Swanson estate. Not that it was terribly far, but at nine months pregnant, every move was a huge effort. Even bringing daisies, her mother’s favorite flower, to her grave. Calleigh glanced at the daffodils poking through the cold earth nearby. Just a few weeks ago, the ground had been covered with snow. How had time fled so fast? Why was her pain still very much present in her heart and didn’t go away
He saw the light of joy in her eyes, and was astonished to suddenly taste the salt of tears… His own. Gabriel held her tenderly, moving deeply and slowly inside her until he felt her tense. Until he felt her shake. Whatever happened, he couldn’t stop. Whatever happened, he prayed he could love her always. Closing his eyes, he thrust into her one last time. Gabriel felt her coil around him, heard her gasp.“I love you,” he cried. And as the force of his words slammed through his soul, Gabriel threw his head back and poured his seed into her with a shout of pure happiness. Collapsing back on the bed, he held her tightly. She was his love… his life. Gabriel kissed her temple, pressing his hand against her sweaty face. Praying that
A month later, Calleigh still couldn’t understand where things went wrong between them. She lived in an amazing Spanish villa on a private island. She was married to the most handsome man on earth and expecting his child. She was healthy, living in blissful luxury beneath the Mediterranean sun. Even so, for the last month, Gabriel hadn’t touched her. She’d been alone in her marriage… in her life. She’d never felt so miserable. Though they lived in the same house, they lived separate lives. Gabriel worked nights in the office, coming to bed only long after she was asleep, or worse, not coming to bed at all, just sleeping on the couch in his office. She spent her days preparing for the arrival of the baby. She’d done everything she
Gabriel carried her up from the beach as if she weighed nothing at all, walking back to the villa. He took the stairs two at a time as he whisked her upstairs to the master bedroom overlooking the ocean. Behind her husband’s handsome face, Calleigh barely noticed the high ceilings, the open balcony doors, and the white translucent curtains waving in the hot breeze off the Mediterranean Sea. She was shaking with longing, limp with desire. They never even made it to the bed. As they passed the balcony doors with its view of the wide blue sea, Gabriel kissed her. She twisted in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as the kiss intensified. Pushing her against the sliding glass door, he slipped off her yellow bikini as her trembling hands pulled off his swim tr
The sunlight was bright, almost blinding against the amazing white villa. Looking between the sky and sea, Calleigh thought she’d never seen so many shades of blue… Turquoise, cobalt, indigo. Was like living in a magical world. This island was a fairyland. As she stretched out on the lounge chair beside the infinity pool, the sky seemed to blend with the sea below. Putting down her pregnancy book, Calleigh watched the wild surf of the Mediterranean Sea crash onto the white sands below. She could stay there forever, just watching the hypnotic dance of the waves. They had only been here a few hours, but Calleigh had already happily changed into a new yellow floral bikini and pretty, translucent pink cover-up with a loose belt. She now had a closet full of comfortable, pretty clothes, brought here by her very own personal assistant. Courtesy of her wo
His assistant’s voice was too well-trained to register surprise. “Investigate Mrs. De León?” “Yes. Have Johnson find out how her real father died. See if there’s any reason it might be tied to me or to my company. Tell him to let me know as soon as he finds out something.” As Gabriel hung up the phone, his gaze lingered on Calleigh, so beautiful and natural in the pink top and short cotton skirt. Instead of stiletto heels, she was exploring this city, and her new life, in flat sandals absolutely made for walking. Her bright, happy face, once so pale, was starting to tan in the Spanish sun. He’d once thought to use her amnesia against her. He’d never imagined that her innocence and warmth would affect him so damn much. Gabriel f
His eyes were dark as they fixed on Calleigh. It was time… “This past summer, I almost lost my business,” Gabriel said in a low voice. “A very important document was stolen from my house which suggested I might be cheating my stockholders of a great deal of money. Of course, that was a huge lie, since I wasn’t. But it cast the company’s finances in a sordid light.” Calleigh stared up at him, shocked. “Oh, God… That’s terrible! Did you find out who did it?” He looked at her, his eyes glittering. “Yes, I did.” “I’m so relieved… I hope you put them in jail! For a long, long time.” Gabriel took a sip of black coffee. “I won’t because it’s not my style.” “Okay… Still, I don’t understand what does that have to do with me…
As Gabriel felt her body tighten, he knew he couldn’t last. Touching Calleigh was pure heaven. Her skin was even softer than he remembered. She tasted sweet, so incredibly sweet. The very first time he slid inside her, he nearly lost control. With every thick thrust, he watched her full breasts sway from the force of his possession, and he gasped out each breath. How long had he wanted her? How had he denied himself for so long? With each slow thrust inside her, Gabriel shattered a little more, until he was coming apart like a castle of cards in front of the sea breeze. His whole body shook with the agony of holding himself back when all he wanted to do was bury himself in her completely, to lose himself in the ecstasy of making love to his Calleigh.