Amaya paused on the threshold of her father’s room, focusing on the man who had made her life a living hell, propped up in bed.He didn’t deserve this; no one deserved to suffer like this, mind and body wasting away, sapped of dignity, no matter what their sins.She’d rushed here out of what? Obligation? Caring? It certainly wasn’t love. He’d wiped away any semblance of that emotion the first time he’d raised his hand to her. She also paid him. So what was she doing here anyway?”Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room.Whatever sense of familial duty had made her come, she didn’t want to stay. If he hadn’t wanted to broach the gap between them a few weeks earlier, there was no way things would’ve changed now. If anything, being incapacitated would sour his mood further, and she had no intention of bearing the brunt of his temper. Never again.“Father?”She tiptoed to the bed, reaching a hand out to touch his arm before letting it fall to her side when he turned his head sligh
hase could’ve wasted time and energy cursing Amaya’s father, but instead, he put his plan into action.When he’d initially heard what Amaya had said—that he’d wanted the old man dead—his hatred obliterating the temporary guilt of his visit might have caused another stroke.The old man was vile, determined to ruin his own daughter’s happiness. What sort of father did that to his only child, trying to wreck their relationship?He knew from his private investigator that the old man was a menace and Chase had never been his favourite, especially when he’d started making it big in the district, but what about Amaya? Didn’t the old guy love her at all?Probably not!Something niggled at his conscience, wedged like a spur, digging and needling—something about Amaya not knowing his father. And he sighed. Just like his own father, her father didn't deserve her kindness.He’d put it down to her father not giving a damn about her, not bothering to inform Amaya about something so trivial in his h
Amaya stepped into their suite, the air whooshing from her lungs as she clutched at her chest, rubbing the sudden ache centring over her heart.Every detail of the incredible room, from the sheer ivory chiffon draping the open-air French doors leading to a crystal-horizon pool to the raised alabaster king-size bed, from the countless tea lights shimmering in the dusk to the heady scent of frangipani lingering in the air, all screamed, he remembered.Chase remembered.Her gaze lingered on the picnic blanket spread in the middle of the spacious room, on the feast of chocolate-dipped strawberries, double-roasted almonds, petit fours, and a bottle of chilled Muscato in an ice bucket.All her favourites, in her ultimate fantasy room.When had she told him? Their first meeting? Their second? Their tenth?It was irrelevant, considering he’d remembered her island fantasy and recreated it to perfection in this breathtaking suite.“I’m glad you came," Chase said with a small smile.What little
Gone!She was gone.Chase knew it the second he woke, not needing to open his eyes to know Amaya had left.She was always a part of him. He hadn’t been kidding when he told her about this room and his hopes she’d come back.She was the only woman for him, and now she was his wife, and they loved each other. Well, nothing would stop them.Then why was he lying here alone, and she was winging her way to the other side of the world again?He’d let her get away once. Shit! Could he let her go again? “Fuck!”Never again.But he couldn’t control Amaya, couldn’t hold her back any more than let her go. He understood her drive, her ambition, and the same need for success pounding through his veins.So why the crazy feeling she’d left for good?They hadn’t resolved anything last night. He’d planned to and had wanted to talk, but his good intentions had crashed and burned around the time he’d been unable to keep his hands off her. From there, all bets had been off as they’d pleasured each other
Chase’s first instinct was to rush to Amaya, sweep her into his arms, and forget the agony of the past month.That was before he saw the stubborn set of her mouth and the angry ocean blue glint as she fixed him with a haughty stare.He smirked, “Hi, wife!”He’d flown around the world to be with the woman he loved, and she was angry?Thrusting his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the window sill.“What? No welcome kiss for your husband?”Amaya picked up her bags and placed them on a nearby table, too cool and controlled for his liking. He wanted her off guard, nervous, so he could bully the truth out of her as to why she bolted and why she’d given back his ring. Instead, she smoothed a too-tight hound’s-tooth skirt, tugged on the hem of a matching jacket, and perched on the table’s edge.“What are you doing here, Chase?”“Business.”“Of course.”Her slight nod annoyed him as much as her clipped response.“Unfinished business.”Unable to control himself, he crossed the room in fo
“He hit me. Hurt me!” she said, biting her lips. It wasn't a pleasant memory, and remembering those moments made her shiver from the pain and from fear.“Fuck! That bastard! I’ll kill him!’Amaya didn’t know what she’d expected when she finally told someone the grimy truth after all these years, but seeing Chase furious, bristling with rage, and ready to defend her, she suddenly knew she’d made a mistake by bottling all this up.If he hadn’t told her the truth when she’d left, she'd have done him the same discourtesy, and if they were to have a future, she needed to tell him everything.“When I left home, it wasn’t out of some misguided selfish dream notion. I had to leave. His escalating violence left me no option.”He swore viciously and voraciously, clenching his hands as if he’d like to thump something, preferably her father. How could her father do such a thing? Well, of course he could relate to her fear; after all, he had the same past with his own father.“He changed the moment
Allena Jasmin took a deep breath, clutching the resignation letter between her fingers. Quitting was never easy. And she knew her boss wouldn’t take it well. There would be questions. Demands. And annoyance and irritation, too. Actually, it probably wouldn’t even register since irritation was classified as an emotion and Justin De Nero was a robot. A self-made billionaire who retired from his former work at the CJ Johnson Software company and made a name for himself.Of course, he wasn’t really a robot. He was a flesh-and-blood man. She’d worked as his nanny for over four years. And, in truth, Allena loved the work. She especially loved his kids. Jayden and Cassie were wonderful children, and being their nanny was a joy.But…I can’t do it forever.Because Allena wanted her own life, not one that revolved around Justin and his adorable children. She was thirty-three years old and hadn’t had a boyfriend since forever. And that wasn’t going to change if she spent every waking hour think
Justin Caster De Nero was rarely at a loss for words. But Allena’s stunt shocked the hell out of him. Maybe he should have seen it coming. Maybe the way she’d been quieter than usual lately, almost distracted, should have gotten him thinking that something was brewing. But…it was Allena. Reliable. Steadfast. A rock. The best thing that had happened to him in the last four years. Well, not to him, he corrected himself immediately. But to his family. And specifically, to his kids. They adored her, and rightly so. She was an angel sent to help when life was at its worst. He’d lost his wife and his mother…the whole family was grieving and dealing with the profound loss and his children hadn’t taken to any of the other nannies he’d employed. But Allena Jasmin was different. Younger, certainly, and with less experience than the prison warden who’d come before her, and who had lasted only a week before he’d told her to leave. Allena was like a breath of fresh air compared to that. Funny and