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“Sorry…. I have a lot of nightmares. It’s a side effect of one of my medications. But, this was worse, way worse. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” There’s an edge to his voice, but when I look into his eyes, they are soft and he squeezes me against him.
“The last thing I remember is you laying with me on the plane…oh, God.” Fear gathers down low. “Paris, though. I need to be in Paris…”
“No.” Damon shakes his head and eases us back onto the bed, still holding me tight against him. “I’ve taken care of everything. I told the agency you had a reaction to your medication on the flight. You’d be a few weeks…everyone is aware and everything is fine. The agency even contacted your father per my instructions. He was hard to reach, but we tracked him and his girlfriend to Tibet. I’ve taken care of it all. Your job now is to rest and recuperate, then we will see about getting you to Paris.”
Guilt and relief wash over me when he tells me they’ve already contacted Melany and my father, and everything is okay. I’m sure if I had called and told them I was sick, Melany would have told me to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get myself to Paris, or my dogs would be forfeit.
The last of the terror from my dream evaporates as Damon’s lips touch mine. His hand cups the side of my neck and I realize I’m naked, covered only by the white sheet. Damon is shirtless but wearing a pair of jeans, and his new casualness is surprisingly even sexier than his usual impeccable suits.
His kiss is soft as his tongue swipes the seam of my lips, and I open to wind my tongue with his, feeling warm and safe.
“Where are we?” I ask when he pulls his lips from mine.
“A little island in the Caymans called Dove’s Point. It’s private. Just us and my staff. I flew my private physician in. He’s staying in one of the villas down the road.” There’s a knock at the door and Damon glances over at the nightstand where a clock shows nine PM. “That will be him now, here for your evening checkup.”
“Checkup?” I’m immediately sitting up in the bed, trying to hold the sheet around me.
He nods and calls out: “One second.” He eases out from behind me, grabs a fluffy white robe from a chair and wraps it around me, then walks over to open the door.
“Hello.” A roundish gentleman with salt and pepper hair and Harry Potter style glasses smiles as he approaches the edge of the bed. “So happy to see you awake. You’re looking much better.”
Damon shakes his hand then turns to me. “Baby, I’m sorry, but when you passed out like you did I had no choice but to go through your things. I found all the pill bottles. Doctor Phillips says a lot of those meds should not be taken together. A lot of them are for pain, anxiety, ADHD…”
“I know. Melany’s been treating me for years, ever since she finished treating my father. She keeps prescribing more and more medicine trying to make me better.” I meet the doctor’s eyes, feeling embarrassed. “I know I should but I don’t take them most of the time, I hate how they make me feel. Mostly I pretend.”
“Are you in pain?” The doctor asks and I shake my head.
“No.”
“No past injuries, chronic conditions, trouble concentrating, panic attacks…?”
“I get nervous flying.” I see Damon raise his eyebrows. “Well, I usually do. I wasn’t yesterday with Damon. But, Melany was afraid I would have a panic attack and get sick, so she made sure I had something that would help me sleep and stay calm.”
“Well, sleep you did.” He and Damon exchange a knowing look, then he sits down on the edge of the bed. “Let’s just check your vital signs and get you on the mend.”
A HALF AN HOUR LATER, Damon has fed me, made sure I’ve drunk a quart of water, and is brushing my hair as we sit on the terrace outside the bedroom. He’s already given me a complete tour of the house and I think I want to live here. It’s enormous, but inviting. Open to the outside where there’s a courtyard with fruit trees and birds and monkeys.
Damon owns the entire island and there are eight other villas for guests down a dirt road, each one with its own private beach. The only access to the island is by boat or helicopter. His private plane is at a small airport on the closest larger island, which you can barely see across the expanse of blue ocean.
“This place is amazing.”
The sound of the ocean is soothing and peaceful. I stare out over the ocean, and a phone starts ringing from inside the house.
