53__Setting fire

The low vibration of a phone was what stirred Amelia out of sleep.

Used to getting startled awake at work, her eyes opened instantly, but she could do little more than blink cluelessly as she tried to put her head together.

The first thing she registered was the masculine scent of shaving cream and then the heat she was surrounded by.

Slowly, Amelia raised her head to look over her shoulder and came face-to-face with a sleeping Marc Aryan. Blinking, she looked down at his arms around her body and paused to process it.

Last night rushed into her head like a record of reckless living captured in a long series of motion pictures. Amelia bit her lip, not moving an inch.

She’d slept with Marc Aryan again. Deliberately, this time. Or these times, considering that they’d done the deed several times during the night.

Her heart thudded with the memory of it and she gulped. She’d never been so completely and overwhelmingly devoured before and she was convinced it wouldn’t feel that way with anyone other than Marc.

She looked at him again. He was looking at her.

Jolting, Amelia shrieked.

He blinked sleepily. “You’re awake.”

She swallowed, nodding. “Y-yeah, uhm… so are you?”

He said nothing, simply looking at her.

“Your phone’s ringing,” Amelia said.

Like he heard it for the first time, he frowned and then rolled onto his back, taking her with him as he reached for his phone.

He got it and rolled them back into position, missing how she went wide-eyed at being rolled about like a burrito.

Answering the call, he put the phone to his ear. “What?”

He was silent for a moment and then, “No.”

Amelia watched him nervously, finding it strange to wake up in his arms but being insane enough to admit to herself that she liked it. A tiny smile pulled at her lips as she watched him.

He was big and warm and it felt comforting to be held by him.

“Fine,” Marc said before hanging up.

She looked at him with a content smile. “Is everything okay?”

He sighed, resting his cheek against her shoulder. “Depends.”

“On?”

“Arson’s coming upstairs right now. It depends on whether or not you mind him knowing we’ve been making love.”

Amelia gasped, shooting upright. “What?”

Marc’s head smacked the bed when she moved and he groaned.

“No!” She rolled herself up and dove under the covers, clutching them around herself. "He can't see me here!"

Marc watched her round bottom shake as she trembled animatedly.

"You really think he'll come into my bedroom?"

She paused her trembling. With loud rustling, she poked her head out and looked at him. "He won't?"

Marc studied her face for a moment, experiencing an odd feeling that he didn't recall ever having felt before.

Her thick, brown hair was loose, falling about her face in a charmingly haphazard manner.

She blinked her gold eyes at him, waiting for his answer. Her little nose was pink over the bridge, the colour sprinkled onto her cheeks too.

Amelia Parker was suddenly even more stunning than before.

He sat up and, leaning towards her, pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

When he pulled away, she was staring at him, seemingly shocked.

"What was... what was that for?"

Marc frowned, thinking about it. "I don't know."

She blinked, but couldn't say a word before he suddenly moved.

Pushing off the covers, he got out of bed and stood.

With a squeak, she ducked back under the covers. "Uhm, hello?! Clothes..."

Marc paused and glanced down at himself. He raised a brow. Was she shy? Now? After everything they did to each other? Cute.

"Odd. I’m the one who was a virgin until recently, why would *you* be shy?"

Glaring in the direction he was standing in, she stayed under the covers until she heard him walk away.

The bathroom door opened and clicked shut and Amelia finally emerged from under the covers, collapsing on her back to catch her breath.

There was no time to breathe, she had to move.

Arson was probably walking into the house right at that moment.

She bit her lip staring at the ceiling. Why was she afraid to have him know she and Marc had practically scrapped their contract? They'd broken every single rule so far, the thing was barely valid anymore.

It wasn't so much that she was worried they'd see her in a bad light for sleeping with him as it was that she didn't want to be known as the girl who slept with someone responsible for her mum's death. Or at least someone connected to those responsible.

With a giant sigh, she rolled over into his pillow and was surrounded by his scent. What would she do?

She hadn't accomplished a single thing since she came here, but she'd managed to become unbearably attracted to Marc Aryan, letting herself go as far as sleeping with him several times..

James.

Amelia shot upright, clutching the covers to her chest.

She'd nearly forgotten, she had to check on him.

She sighed, getting out of bed. It was one thing to get side-tracked on her plans of revenge, but it was another to let herself be distracted from her duty as a doctor.

She hadn't checked on James even once during the night.

This wouldn't do. It was time she snapped out of it, snatched her head out of the clouds and did what she came here for.

That certainly wasn't Marc so last night would have to be the last time she ever did him.

***********

Arson was eyeing Amelia from across the living room, his arms crossed over his chest.

She tried to ignore it, passing James red and blue blocks to build the tower in the center of the room.

“That one’s green,” James said.

Blinking, Amelia looked at her hand to see a bright green Lego. “Oh!” She handed him a red one.

Her gaze nervously darted over to Arson, wishing Marc would call him back up to the office.

“I don’t know what it is,” he started crisply, piercing her with his stare. “But you seem even more suspicious today.”

She blinked, frowning at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Marc’s being strange. What did you do to him?”

She had the audacity to look offended. ‘What could I possibly have done to him?!”

“Are you and daddy cross with each other?” James asked in surprise.

Amelia looked at him. “No, of course not! Arson’s…” She glared at him. “He’s just joking.”

Arson raised a brow as though to say ‘Am I?’.

Amelia heard the sound of high heels and raised her head. “Oh, Jamie! Lily’s here!”

“Lily!” James shouted, abandoning his growing tower to run to Elizabeth.

Amelia took the chance to march over to Arson. “What’s your problem? You’ve been glaring at me since you came downstairs.”

“Because I don’t trust you. Marc isn’t always the best judge of character; I’ve been doing that for him since we met at the age of thirteen.” He pointed a finger into her face. “You… are giving me huge warning bells.”

Arson couldn’t put his finger on it. It was true that he suspected Arthur could be responsible for Vincent losing his daughter, but he had no proof yet and he didn’t think it explained why Amelia was in Marc’s house.

If she knew what Arthur had done, then she was here for some sort of revenge? But that was just the thing. He didn’t think the poor girl had a clue about anything. Additionally, Marc had been the one to approach her and had practically forced her into this contract.

That only meant she’d agreed to the contract for a reason outside of saving her father. His senses were tingling. If there was one thing Arson was obsessed with, it was puzzles. He loved putting them together.

Amelia gulped. “If… if this is about Christopher—”

“Good morning!”

Amelia spun around at the sound of that voice and froze.

Christopher was walking in with Elizabeth, that plastic charming smile on his face.

She stared, watching him approach as she slowly blanched.

“Thames?” said Arson. “What are you doing here?”

“I told him to come,” Elizabeth said. “Marc can’t fire him just like that, not over something so petty. I’ll ask him nicely and he’ll rehire you, don’t worry.”

Christopher sighed. “I had no idea Marc Aryan was so temperamental. I would have been better prepared otherwise.”

“He’ll give you your job back, you did get his wife’s husband out of prison.” Elizabeth said, holding James. She smiled at Amelia. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Amelia managed to say.

“He’s upstairs?”

She nodded. “Yeah, in… in his office.”

Elizabeth nodded at Arson and headed for the stairs. “Should we go up, Jamie?”

“I want a biscuit,” James said. “Don’t you want a biscuit, Lily?”

Elizabeth laughed. “Okay, let’s go to the kitchen.” She glanced at Christopher. “You head up first.”

Marc’s sister took James to the kitchen and, giving Amelia a long meaningful look, Christopher made his way upstairs.

Her throat had dried up. Turning away, she released a shaky breath and gulped. Why was he back here? She thought Marc had fired him; she’d completely let her guard down because she’d thought he wouldn’t be around as much.

Arson was back to staring in silence.

Amelia glanced at him. “God, you’re judging me so hard.”

He looked bored. “I just don’t know why the hell you allow that insufferable arsewipe to intimidate you. The list of charges you could press against him is endless.”

Of course, he knew why. She was worried Thames would tell Marc about their past. Now, why that had to be kept a secret, was what Arson really didn’t know.

She slowly looked away, sighing. “I have no choice. For now.”

He raised a brow. “You know… if you tell Marc who he really is and what he did, I guarantee Marc will lose his shit.”

Amelia blinked, looking at him. “Lose his shit? Why?”

“Nothing Marc hates more than doing business with any kind of scum. As far as I’ve heard, Christopher Thames is as big a piece of scum as they get.” He smiled, but it was cold. “Call Marc right now, I’m excited to see his reaction.”

Amelia thought he was mad. “No! I’m not… I’m not telling Marc about Christopher. Are you nuts?”

Arson’s smile didn’t die. “Oh, dear. I can’t seem to let go off the idea now.”

Her eyes widened. “No. Please, Arson, why’re you doing this? Give me time, I’ll tell Marc myself. Telling him now could cause some problems.”

“Problems?” Arson scoffed. “If my suspicions about… you two… are right, it’ll cause more than some problems. It’s going to cause an explosion and I am rather tempted to see it.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, holding it out to her. “Do it, Dr Parker. Tell Marc. Don’t you want to be free from Thames and his blackmailing?”

He was serious. Amelia’s heart started pounding. “Arson, seriously, not right now!”

*“Mmm…”* He shook his head, a small glint off malice sparkling in his cold, grey eyes. “I can’t resist setting things on fire, Dr Parker. If you won’t light the match, I’ll do it for you.”

He dialled Marc’s number.

Gasping, Amelia gripped his arm. “Wait! You can’t!”

Arson couldn’t stop now, he was dying to see just how Marc made Thames crap his pants. He had to do this. The alternative would be to continue watching Amelia get uselessly intimidated by Thames and that was boring, to say the least. This would be so much more fun.

“Yes, Arson?” Marc’s voice said on the call.

Amelia jumped away from the phone, clutching her hands together as terror turned her face even more pale.

“Marc,” Arson began, the glee in his eyes heightening. “I have an interesting piece of information to share.”

“Can it wait?”

“No. Is Thames there?”

“Yes.”

His mouth curved into a smile. “And your gun? Is your gun still under your table?”

Amelia’s face dropped with shock.

“Yes,” Marc said simply.

“Good. Marc, what if I told you…”

“Arson, please,” she whispered.

“That Christopher Thames isn’t just Elizabeth’s friend?”

Amelia froze.

“What would you mean?” Marc asked.

“That before he even became friends with your sister… he dated your wife.”

There was silence on the phone.

Arson’s smile widened. “During her years in med school, Dr Parker dated one Christopher Thames. The man before you. They didn’t just date… he was abusive, Marc. He hurt her. He’s only recently reappeared in her life and has been blackmailing her ever since.”

Amelia couldn’t move, her eyes blurred by tears as she stared in disbelief at Arson.

Marc didn’t say a word and Arson didn’t say anything further.

The call ended.

Her heart was beating so fast, Amelia was starting to feel dizzy. “I c-can’t believe you—”

*“Shh.”* Arson held a finger to his lips. “Listen.”

She frowned at the silence, but then Arson held up five fingers.

One by one, he slowly dropped each finger.

She watched in confusion but then, the moment he dropped the last finger, the quiet of the house was shattered.

The unmistakable sound of a gunshot cracked through the silence.