- Amelia -

I had to get a hold of myself. I could still feel his hands on my neck and in between my thighs, his warm breath caressing my ear and neck. It was as if he'd never left the room.

Had he even been here? Or was it all in my head? His cologne shrouded me in a forestry blanket of manliness and that, I couldn't conjure up. That woodsy scent was unique to him alone.

My eyebrows dipped in as frustration jumped on the wagon of emotions I was riding. No invitation was necessary.

Letting out a long breath, I turned to look at the mirror. My almond-shaped eyes stared back at me and I knew I wasn't the same woman that left my father's house a couple of days ago.

My hair was a hot mess and my nipples, oh my, I didn't think I'd ever seen them this proud before. Most importantly, physicalities aside, I was no longer desperate to be loved by Willem. Nor did I feel the need to love him in return. I always had a one-track mind when it came to our marriage.

It had to be him and no one else.

For a long time, a part of me wanted to honor my mother's choice, but it was time I made my own choices. Choosing Willem as my husband was the last significant thing she'd done for me before passing away. I missed her and I knew it would hurt her to see us like this, two birds circling each other in a hurricane and hoping not to crash on the rocks below.

But the man I'd gotten married to eleven years ago wasn't the same one standing before me today. Old Willem was kind and supportive. New Willem was manipulative and a womanizer.

I didn't like that he could do this to me, rattle me like this. He made me feel things I could only dream about experiencing. Made me want things that were too good to be true. . . Me and him riding off into the sunset together, two happy birds joined at the feathers.

Where was my brain when I needed her?

I swore my brain only worked when it came to medical related things.

But right now, I needed her to see past the delusions and sift through the lies. I may not have had much experience in the relationship department, but I thought I was smart enough to know when something wasn't right.

And something wasn't right here.

Earlier this morning I'd wanted to fight back and gave Willem a piece of my mind. But one glimpse of his arresting eyes and I had turned into a pudding, food for the toothless. He had a way of softening my edges and I hated it.

I'd never had a man put his hand around my neck like that. Like he owned me; like he had every intention of using my body to his liking, his every touch heavy with possession.

I stared at the wooden tray of fruits and French toast laying forgotten on the bed. That was a nice gesture on his part. It was good to know that he was thinking about me, but this madness had to stop. I was going to find him and tell him that he was delusional. That there was nothing between us, nothing meaningful at least.

His bedroom eyes and his blondish curls did things to my body, but that wasn't enough to carry a marriage through health and sickness, worldwide pandemics, burnouts, and the terrible twos.

Being married to a doctor was no joke. It would take a special kind of man, one with broad shoulders for me to cry on, and one who wouldn't mind sleeping alone at night.

I liked the way Willem carried himself with so much confidence and his voice with that rich accent got my attention every time. But all those things were superficial.

He was leading with sex, whereas I just wanted someone to talk to about the deep stuff. Someone to accept me for me, flaws, gray-streaked hair and all.

I ate my breakfast quietly while staring at the gorgeous view outside. I'd never had cream cheese strawberry filled toast before and it was the diggity bomb. I couldn't eat it all, so I left what I assumed was Willem's portion on the tray.

As I sat there munching, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful of a day it was. The expanse of blue where the nearly cloudless sky met the ocean seemed endless. It was a perfect day to do something outdoorsy. I should ask Hunter about that. Kayaking sounded amazing. I wanted to get in the water and forget everything until this much needed vacation was over and I had to get back to my kids at the hospital.

Two of them had operations planned for today. I made a mental note to call them later this evening. Then I went on to ignore the pang of guilt I felt for leaving them in the first place.

As if on cue, Oreo sauntered into the bedroom and aimed straight for my legs. I hadn't even noticed that he'd gone missing, but I was delighted to see him now. Grabbing him by his middle, I brought him to my chest, my fingers rubbing the soft spot behind his ears. He purred and I smiled.

His paw reached out to touch my hand and I noticed tiny grains of sand stuck between the fur. "I see you found the beach before me. You could have invited a lady to join you."

After five minutes of petting him, which also doubled up as my zen therapy, I fed him a can of moist cat food that he gobbled down in five-point-three seconds flat.

I donned blue shorts and a white tank top, braided my hair, and eventually headed downstairs to find Willem. I was going to tell him how I felt. After that, Hunter and I were going to find something fun to do.

I breezed into the kitchen, carrying the tray and the pitcher from breakfast, not expecting to find anyone there. But as usual, my instincts were off and three pairs of manly eyes lifted to look at me. Silence reigned as I struggled to find something smart to say.

"Oh, hey," I finally managed, "I was just returning these." I trained my eyes on a rack of stainless steel pans hanging over the kitchen island, avoiding Willem's all too bright eyes.

Francois scurried around the counter and took the tray and pitcher from me. "I hope breakfast was to your liking."

"Best French toast I ever had. Thank you."

Omar cleared his throat and glanced at Willem before talking to me. "Nice to see you again, Amelia. You look good."

"Well, yeah, the last time we met wasn't exactly under cheerful circumstances. I tend to look a lot better when I'm happy." I stared directly at Willem as I spoke, but I could have been talking to a rock under the ocean at this point.

His face remained stoic, but his grey eyes never left my face. They burned me with their intensity, burrowing deep. I felt seen. I felt... alive.

"Have you guys seen Hunter?" I asked, my voice sounding a lot sweeter than it should.

The mood in the room shifted at once. Omar and Francois regarded Willem in silence and that silence said a lot. If tension could be solidified, it would be Willem in the flesh. Right now, he was a block of tense muscles.

He leaned back almost casually and with the top few buttons on his white linen shirt undone, I caught a glimpse of his hard chest. He tapped his fingers on the wooden table before speaking, his voice deep and direct. "Hunter is working. If you need something, you should come to me."

I crossed my arms. "And what if you can't provide what I need?"

His smile was small but forthcoming. "I know what you need."

"And what's that?" He sounded so sure of himself that I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"You're dying of boredom. That's why I had Francois prepare us a basket. I thought we'd go hiking and then have a picnic on the beach."

I swallowed and stared at the woven basket sitting pretty on the counter. Could he read me so well, or was this just a coincidence?

"I have other plans," I said, hiding the fact that I was actually excited to go on this hike followed by a picnic on the beach.

"With Hunter?" Willem demanded.

I raised an eyebrow at his gruff tone. "Maybe."

He eased out of his chair, his long legs striding across the floor. My pulse quickened as he came to a stop in front of me. His torso touched my breasts as he leaned forward, his lips near my ear. "Hunter is using you. He frolics around with all the guests."

I chose to ignore the vibrations of arousal coursing through my body like a virus in my bloodstream. But the more I ignored the sharp pangs of desire, the more they multiplied. The man smelled amazing and I was a sucker for a good smelling man.

"And you're telling me this because?" And there I went, licking my lips like a hussy.

"May I remind you that you're still my wife?" He grounded out, his hand extending to squeeze my hip. "I need you to start acting accordingly."

"Get your hands off of me."

His gaze darkened as he clenched his jaw. "You think this is a game? I want you, Amelia, and I'm going to have you. Fighting me is useless, you're only delaying the inevitable."

I looked down at where his touch was burning a hole through my body. "Your hand, move it. Now."

"And where should I put it next? On your neck?" He ran two fingers down my neck to my collarbone leaving a trail of fire in his wake. "Or on your lips, in between your legs, on your clit? You can't deny how affected you are by my touch."

I peered at Omar And Francois over Willem's shoulder. Both men didn't seem to be paying us any attention. Francois was back to chopping vegetables and Omar's eyes were locked on the laptop screen in front of him.

"I'm not playing this game with you," I said in a stern voice. "This madness needs to stop. This, you and I, it's not happening." I pointed between us to get my point across. "Might I remind you that we're married in name only? There was never anything more between us and let us keep it that way for both our sakes."

Willem shoved the hand that was touching me in his pocket, displeasure written all over his face. "I apologize. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You're not what I expected, Amelia... when I sent for you. I'm attracted to you like no other. I'm sorry I gave up on us a long time ago, but right now, I'm trying."

"Hmm," I snorted. "Groveling looks good on you."

"I love a challenge. And you're going on this date with me this afternoon even if I have to drag you there."

"So now it's a date? And that's kidnapping, sir."

"Picnic, date, whatever. All the same to me as long as you're there," he drawled in that sexy accent of his. "So cancel whatever you have planned with Hunter. Jealousy doesn't look good on me."

I smiled despite myself. "Yeah, green is not your color."

"I'm glad we agree. Omar, can you pull the car around? I'm taking my lady out on a date."

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