←Amelia →

The tension in Bradley's hospital room was the kind of tension pediatric surgeons avoided.

Unhappy parents usually meant we hadn't done a good job in their eyes.

Willem rose from the chair, taking me along with him, holding me steady as he did so. He pulled me close by his side, his fingers digging into my ribs.

I placed my hand on his chest, worried about the sudden shift in his mood, and found that his heart was racing faster than usual.

I didn't know the man making his way to Bradley's bedside, but I'd recognize those steel grey eyes anywhere.

He was the unhappy parent I was talking about earlier.

"Father," Willem addressed the man who had come to a standstill on the other side of the bed.

Willem's dad simply grunted in reply and continued to stare at Bradley. "Filo told us over the phone that he needed surgery. What's the holdup? And why wasn't I informed of his condition earlier?"

"Don't act like you care about him," Willem retorted. "Piet is all you ever cared about. How many times have you called to talk to Bradley since he was born? He doesn't even know who you are. Sometimes I wonder if you even cared about Piet because you can't be bothered to look after his son."

"You don't know who I am, either. Do you, son? It was you who cut ties with me and your mother." Mr. de Vries talked slowly, his Dutch accent a lot thicker than his son's.

"You didn't show up at my wedding. What was I supposed to do? Smile like everything was okay and then sit down to eat oliebollen with you at Sinterklaas?"

Mr. de Vries looked up at his son with shrewd eyes. "I strongly advised against that union. That girl and those restaurants were nothing more than a liability. Restaurants fail everyday and she had no valuable assets to her name."

"Did it occur to you that maybe I didn't marry her for the money?"

I stood there frozen in my shoes. Willem hadn't let go of me and I didn't want to move and alert them of my presence.

I had to become the quiet fly on the wall. No flying or buzzing aloud if I wanted to see how this confrontation between father and son regarding no one else but myself was going to play out.

"Enlighten me. Tell me why you chose to marry a total stranger instead of Tessa, a woman who's madly in love with you and is also independent and wealthy," Mr. de Vries challenged.

Willem let go of me and took a step closer to the bed. "I married her because she wasn't Tessa. Marriage to that woman wasn't going to work."

"And your marriage, it worked out so well, didn't it? Where's your wife? Last I heard, you left her with her father all those years ago never to look back."

"You don't get to talk about my wife. What happened to my marriage is none of your business."

"Right, and who is this girl?" For the first time since he entered the room, the old man regarded me with slanted eyes and an air of haughtiness. "Didn't think she'd be your type. She reminds me of your mother when she was younger."

"This is my wife, Amelia," Willem said. He opened his arms and I stepped reluctantly into his warm embrace once more, taking in the fresh scent of his cologne. I was uncomfortable, to say the least.

As I leaned more into Willem, I felt my heart getting heavy. In that moment, thoughts of the past and emotions I longed to bury washed over me. Pangs of loneliness and feelings of inadequacy, of being unlovable gripped me.

"You remarried, then?" Mr. de Vries asked, a hint of disdain coating his voice like sticky slime.

"No, I did not." Willem shook his head, disappointment written all over his face. "I thought you'd at least know her name."

Mr. de Vries shrugged and I could tell that Willem was doing his best to keep his emotions at bay.

"Where's mother?" Willem asked.

"Outside, talking to Tessa."

Willem nodded curtly. "We're leaving. If she wants to see me, she knows where I live. And if you want to know what's going to happen to Bradley, talk to his doctors."

Willem kissed his son on the forehead and without exchanging any more words with his father, he led me out of the hospital room.

I wanted to speak with Bradley's doctor today, but I guess that would have to wait for another time.

As we navigated through the full parking lot, I made a mental note to call him later today and make an appointment to discuss Bradley's impending surgery.

Omar uncrossed his bulky arms and leaned off the car when he saw us approaching.

"Is Bradley okay?" he asked, serious brown eyes worried.

"No change," Willem answered.

I looked inside the car for Filo, the only kind face I've met in this place so far, but I didn't see her gray head anywhere. I needed more insight into Willem's parents and she was the best person for that.

"Where's Filo?"

Omar held the car door open for me and I got in the backseat. "I dropped her home. She wasn't feeling well. Something about the heat."

I nodded as Willem settled in next to me.

The car turned in the parking lot and headed toward the main street. I stared out the window at the passing coconut trees, admiring the ocean in the background when I felt his fingers tracing the back of my hand slowly.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all of that back in Bradley's room. My father brings the worse out of me sometimes," he whispered.

"I can see why," I whispered back. "He scares the shit out of me and I don't scare easily."

We drove the rest of the way in silence and I wondered if I would ever fit into Willem's family dynamic. His parents seemed like a weird bunch and I hadn't even met his mother yet.

Willem simply held my hand along the way, his lips a tight grim line as we approached the looming structure that was his childhood home.

On the first floor, I stopped to look at him. His normally clear eyes were clouded over and the fine lines under his eyes stood out against his fairer skin.

He ran his hand through his blondish curls, and I could tell that he was searching for the right words to tell me.

When he spoke, it wasn't the words I was expecting.

"Move into my room with me. I don't like being this far from you."

I smiled. "Since when?"

His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, but he didn't. "Humor me, schatje. I promise I'll be respectful."

"Not too respectful, I hope."

He placed one hand on the wall next to the guest's room door, his proximity tantalizing me.

"I don't want to cross any of your boundaries, Amelia. Not until you want me to, and right now, all I can think about is taking you hard and fast. Right here, right now."

"I was thinking somewhere more private," I supplied, barely recognizing my voice.

"That sounds like a spectacular plan. The best thing I've heard all day." He leaned over and took my lips in a ravishing kiss and I forgot about the uncomfortable encounter with his father back at the hospital. "Okay, I must admit it's the second best thing," he murmured in between kisses.

I had a vague idea of what he was talking about, but I couldn't bring myself to dig deeper.

He ran his hand down the side of my back, stopping at my hip before going further to palm my butt.

His hand lingered there, causing heat to penetrate the fabric of my jeans. The more we kissed, the more heat spread throughout my body, igniting dormant cells in erogenous zones, banishing all thoughts of resisting.

"Have I told you how much I crave to see you naked?" His voice was deceptively calm and husky.

"Undress me, then," I whispered against his sinful lips.

I wondered what part of my body he'd touched first after stripping me naked.

My core reacted just thinking about it, tightening and releasing, craving to be filled by something big and hard.

I barely registered when he turned the knob and we fell into what I assumed was his room, scrambling to take off our clothes. I caught glimpses of grey and hints of dark green furniture in the background as my shirt flew over my head.

A second later, his lips were back on mine, tasting, demanding that I gave him more.

I fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, gaining confidence because I knew I was in the spotlight of his sexual desire. I knew this because the stiff sword I felt pressing into my thigh was all the evidence I needed.

He snapped the button on my jeans open, pulled down the zipper in one swift move, and with increasing urgency in his fingertips, he dragged the jeans down over my hips and thighs.

Our lips separated and his shirt fell off his shoulders, revealing sculpted abs and toned arms just as I kicked off my sneakers and stepped out of my jeans.

"Omar said he'd be up in a moment with our suitcases," I said. "Should we wait until he gets here before we, you know, before we do this?"

"I'll shoot him a message asking him to stay away." A boyish grin lit up his face as he took his phone out of his back pocket and proceeded to type.

I took that moment to get rid of my bra and panty. Aroused by the state of my nakedness, I bit my lip and waited for him to look up.

He did and his eyes blazed with heat and something more when they landed on the soft patch of curls at the apex of my thighs.

A soft groan escaped him and I watched him palm himself through his pants.

"Come here, schatje."

Once I was directly in front of him, he took my hand and placed it on the buckle of his belt.

I instinctively knew what to do and a few seconds later we were both naked as the day we were born.

He grabbed me close and bent his head to my breast, his hand cupping me like a precious offering. My nipples hardened, loving the attention when he alternated between them, sucking and pulling, his only intention to drive me mad with need.

"Is your tight little cunt wet for me yet?" he demanded gruffly.

His seduction was dark and I wanted it to corrupt me. I wanted him to fuck the loneliness out of me. I wanted to feel him in my pulse and my heart.

"Dripping," I answered.

"Show me."

I crossed the short distance to the bed and lay down on it on my back. I spread my legs apart, reaching between them to run my fingers over my slickness.

I held a finger up to the light coming from the windows for him to see.

He climbed on the bed next to me and the mattress sunk in under his weight. "Let me taste."

His left hand closed around my wrist and he brought the finger covered with my juices to his mouth.

I closed my eyes when I felt his tongue rasping and licking the evidence of my arousal. There was no hiding how much I wanted him at this point.

"Amelia, look at me."

My lashes swept up, but I didn't get to meet his eyes as I was distracted by his right hand stroking up and down his thick shaft. That was the most mesmerizing thing I'd seen in a long time. There was something incredibly sexy about a man who knew how to pleasure himself.

"My eyes are up here."

"But I like the view down here."

He climbed on top of me, balancing his weight on his arms. "Do you know what's better than that view by a long shot? The view of my cock buried deep inside your pussy."

I got wetter every time he spoke, and the wetter I got, the more I hungered for him. "Where do you keep your condoms? I need you inside of me this instant."

"In a drawer somewhere, but we won't be needing them just yet." He positioned his face between my legs and I studied the intense look of desire burning behind his bright dilated eyes before he lowered his mouth to the delicate folds of my womanhood.

I gripped the sheets and my hips rose slightly off the bed when his tongue ran down my slit.

I turned myself over to his ministrations, following his lead in this ravaging sensual dance. When he pushed, I receded, and when he pulled, I came forward willingly.

His finger settled on that spot inside me and it caused a low moan to slither out of me as my eyes rolled to the back of my head.

"There's nothing sexier to me than hearing you moan like that." He smiled, making his way back up my body, stopping at my breasts, his kisses hard, wet, and slightly biting.

I felt his arousal pressing against my leg and I held on to his shoulders until it was rubbing against my pussy.

My hips started moving on their own causing Willem to groan in my ear. He grabbed me by my bun and his mouth descended on my lips passionately.

I wrapped my legs around him and we started rocking to the rhythm of our out of controlled hearts.

"Will?"

"Hmm?" He nibbled my jawline while his large hand covered my breast, thumb and forefinger tugging at my nipple.

"I want you. Please."

"You have me," he whispered. "Take me."

Reaching down between our bodies, I circled my fingers around his girth, guiding him to my entrance.

The sound of a ringing phone cut through our low moans and I paused, loosening my grip on his shaft.

Willem reached over and stopped the call short. Two seconds later it rang again.

"Godverdomme, wat is dit?" Willem muttered in Dutch.

He grabbed the phone off the dresser and was about to shut it down when a message popped up on the screen. It said: pick up the damn phone.

I fell back on the pillow as Willem continued to hover over me. Omar's voice came through loud and clear through the phone.

"Your mother is on her way to your room and there ain't no stopping her. Sorry, bro," he said. "She'll be at your door any moment now."

"Thank you for the Intel, Omar."

My eyes widened and Willem smirked.

"Your mom is coming here? Right now?" I asked as I wiggled to get out from under him.

"Hmm, it looks that way." He fell back on the bed, one hand going behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

"Why aren't you getting dressed?"

"She can't get in here with the door locked."

I picked up my underwear on the floor next to the bed. "So you're not going to answer the door when she gets here?"

He shrugged.

"She knows you're in here," I said.

"Yeah, with my wife. She should respect that and come back another time." He patted the sheet next to him. "Come back in bed, schatje."

"Not happening."

I found the rest of my clothes and quickly got into them. I walked over to the bathroom to watch my face in the mirror when a timid knock sounded at the door.

I poked my head out the door and glared at Willem who hadn't moved from his spot on the bed. His dick was still hard and I just wanted to get back into bed with him.

"Are you going to get that?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Not in this state." He smiled charmingly, his feathers unruffled by his mother's untimely appearance.

"Do whatever it is you men do and get rid of it. How about you start by putting on some pants."

The knock came again, but louder this time followed by several others.

"Your scent is on my sheets and in my nose. This boner is not going away anytime soon."

"Fine." I stomped out of the bathroom and threw the throw at the end of the bed over his naked body. "I'll get the door."

If my heart used to race professionally, it would be winning. My hand paused on the doorknob for a long moment before I pulled open the door to greet the short, gentle-looking lady on the other side.

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