Page 72 of The Shifting Sands Beneath Us

Rose

When I woke up in the morning, I felt completely different, but I wasn’t entirely sure it was a good thing. With the sunlight streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows, I could almost make myself believe I was back on the island, but as I looked around the luxurious, modern apartment, it was clear we were back in New York.

I sat up and pushed the hair back from my face, wondering where James was. On the island, he always woke me with kisses, so it was strange to wake up in a cold bed, alone and wondering where he’d gone. But just as I thought that, the door to the bathroom opened and James walked out.

“Good morning,” I smiled, hoping to hide my feelings about this place. I’d checked it out last night as I sat around waiting for him. I wasn’t impressed, but then again, huge apartments that could never truly be filled with happiness weren’t my kind of thing. I’d been born in this life, and I never liked it.

“Morning.” He walked over and placed a kiss on my lips, but it wasn’t the kind of kiss I normally received. Chaste and sweet, but definitely not earth-shattering.

He dropped his towel and pulled out some boxers. As long as I was laying there with nothing to do, I might as well admire the view. He still looked the same, though maybe a bit more stiff as he moved around. It was almost like he came home and had a steel rod inserted in his spine.

“What time is it?” I asked as he walked over to his closet and slipped inside.

“Seven-thirty,” he shouted from inside.

“You should have woken me up. I would have showered with you.”

He returned with a suit, white collared shirt, and a tie. “You were sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“You used to wake me up all the time on the island.”

“Yeah, but we had a late night.”

I watched as he quickly donned his attire, transforming him into a powerful CEO, and taking away the man I fell in love with. I personally didn’t care for the strong CEO. I wanted my man back.

“What are you going to do today?” he asked as I flopped back on the pillows and continued to watch him.

“I don’t know. Clarissa is going to want to see me.”

“How is she?”

He knotted his tie, staring in the mirror, but I knew I didn’t have his full attention. His mind was already in his office, sorting projects and curing cancer.

“She’s fine—just as shocked as I was about who my real husband is.”

He made a noise of acknowledgement in his throat, but continued to dress for the day. He grabbed his watch off the nightstand, and then his phone. He already had it in his hands and was firing off texts or answering emails.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his shirt off the floor. “I think I’ll just head home.”

“Sure. I should be home at seven tonight.”

I turned around and stared at him, wondering if he even noticed I was there, but his face was still buried in his phone. “I think I’ll just stay at my place.”

His fingers still danced across the phone, his eyes focused intently on whatever he was doing. He hadn’t even heard me. When he was finished, he finally looked up and smiled at me. Walking around the bed, he pulled me into his arms and finally gave me the kiss I’d been wanting.

When he stepped back, promises for later tonight simmered in his eyes. “I’ll see you tonight.”

And then he walked out of the bedroom. Moments later, I heard the elevator ding and he was gone. Sinking down on the bed, I tried not to get discouraged. He was busy. After all, he was running a business, in charge of hundreds of employees. In fact, I wasn’t quite sure that I even knew just how big our combined businesses were. I wasn’t exactly allowed in on the meetings. Dad had always treated his business like the boys’ club.

I decided before I made any rash decisions, I needed coffee. I walked out into his living room and stared at the apartment with a sigh. How was I supposed to live in this place? The elevator dinged and hope bloomed inside me. I rushed to the elevator, thinking he’d changed his mind and wanted to stay home with me today, but instead an older woman stepped off the elevator.

She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw me. If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of disgust in her eyes. Probably because I was in James’s t-shirt and traipsing around his apartment.

“Um…”

She sighed, storming past me. “Well, I should have assumed this would happen,” she muttered.

Mortified, I rushed off to the bedroom and pulled on my clothes, not bothering to shower first. I grabbed my ponytail holder out of my purse and yanked my hair back out of my face. I quickly gathered my things and headed for the elevator.