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Zeph watched her execute a perfect dive into the sea, his breath uselessly shortened by the impact of her stunning body. Surfacing several dozen feet away, she cut lazily through the water before flipping to float on her back.
After watching her for several minutes, and attempting to resist the impossible, he did what he’d been doing since he walked onto his yacht.
He rose and went after his wife.
Imogen didn’t need to look to know when Zeph entered the water. She was beginning to fear this hyperawareness would become fused into her psyche. Hell, she was living in a state of mild panic about everything to do with her husband.
That realisation was what had sent her into the sea instead of the swimming pool. The need to lose herself in something bigger than herself. Than Zeph.
If that was even possible.
The sea...
She jerked up from her floating, her gaze searching for Zeph. Although his strokes were powerful and confident, her heart continued to beat wildly as he cut through the water towards her.
When he reached her, she blurted, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t think...’
Another stroke brought him within touching distance.
His legs tangled with hers beneath the waters, effortlessly keeping them both afloat. ‘Calm yourself. I don’t see the sea as a place of trauma. It had a chance to take me. It didn’t.’ His lips quirked. ‘I returned to it as a fisherman for the better part of a year.’
Imogen snorted, then smiled. ‘I’m still wrapping my head around that. The billionaire turned fisherman, hauling his daily catch to make a living.’
His teeth flashed, highlighting his chiselled perfection. ‘A feast for the tabloids should it come out, I think.’
‘There’s no doubt it’s going to come out. I was forced to announce who you were in a church full of people, remember? It’s only a matter of when it comes out.’
‘We’ll handle it when the time comes.’
She nodded, her insides melting at the sound of the ‘we’. They bobbed around in the water for another minute before she glanced up at him. ‘Did you enjoy it? Were you...happy?’ she murmured.
His expression was contemplative for a minute before he answered. ‘I had nothing else to compare it to, so I made the most of it.’
A more practical answer than she’d anticipated. And yet, it was exactly the kind the old Zeph and perhaps even this new Zeph epitomised. Taking the raw ingredients handed to them by life or circumstances and turning them into something invaluable.
Wasn’t that what he’d done after the horrific destitution brought on by the Callahans? Zeph Diamandis, at the tender age of nineteen, had turned his family’s fortunes around. Built a global empire out of the ashes of acrimony.
‘But there were always questions. Beyond my missing memories.’
Her gaze sharpened on his face, her heart dancing around in her chest at the seriousness of his expression. ‘Questions?’
He shrugged. ‘I’m no neurological expert but a grown man having recurring dreams about a childhood version of himself in distress definitely raises a few questions,ochi?’
Imogen strove to keep her feelings from showing. To keep herself from tensing within his arms. And it took everything she had to execute a small, understanding nod.
While her heart dropped into her stomach at the knowledge that once he regained his memories, Zeph would surely damn her for keeping this from him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THATATEATher for the next two weeks.
Weeks during which they explored their way up and down the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Where they visited four of his homes and she watched him take pleasure in such simple things as manning a barbecue on the terrace of his mansion in St Tropez or drinking a beer on a beach in Montenegro while watching the sunset.
Of course, they took time out of their day to take care of pressing business. It started with Imogen calling a meeting of their high-echelon staff and his press office.
‘Forgive me if I don’t remember names,’ Zeph said without elaborating why he didn’t. ‘But I’m back and I wanted you all to see me since the rumours are swirling around.’
She watched as their eyes widened and they discreetly exchanged looks before they surrendered their attention to their boss.
