Adapting Desires (Endangered Heart Series Book 3) Read online

  Adapting Desires

  By: Amanda Lance

  Adapting Desires

  Copyright © 2015 by Amanda Lance.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: June 2015

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-184-3

  ISBN-10: 1-68058-184-8

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 1

  In the case of Kasper and Emilia Zafar, the idiom that time flies when you’re having fun had leaned further away from cliché and closer to bittersweet truth.

  In the three months since they had sealed their nuptials, the happy couple found time passing twice as quickly as it normally did. Though, perhaps this wasn’t an unusual feeling for any happy couple who spent all their days making love, to have the overwhelming desire to slow time and bottle it up like some rare elixir. Emilia suspected she felt this way more frequently than Kasper, but she had to admit she still wasn’t used to seeing him happy. More than once she wished he permitted pictures of him to be taken—the idea of having his smile with her at all times was very appealing.

  They had married in mid-May, as soon as Emilia had finished her spring finals. It had been an extremely small ceremony, consisting only of Mr. Shiraz, Mrs. Levkin, and the clerk from the commonwealth who had approved the marriage license 48 hours prior. Despite the insistence of both bride and groom, Mrs. Levkin had decorated a small banquet table for the occasion, ordering an oversized cake with blushing pink icing, and overwhelming the garden of Iram Manor with jars of white candles and paper lanterns—assuring that the light was just right when the sun fell and the moon began to rise.

  Between the cherry blossoms and the ivory-white dress Emilia wore, Kasper appeared overwhelmed at the beauty more than once. And Emilia, who wore a crown of irises and roses, was so giddy that she barely even noticed her spring allergies. Standing in her bare feet under the tallest sycamore tree in the garden, she played with the oversized engagement ring on her finger. Since hand jewelry was forbidden to lab students, she was happy to finally have an opportunity to wear it. Nevertheless, her hands were sweating so profusely she was surprised the ring didn’t fall off altogether.

  Her relief was twice as powerful when she saw Kasper emerge from the manor without his mask and prosthetics—the only wedding gift from him she had wanted. Within a few minutes, they were married in the eyes of their friends and the law, neither one of them taking their eyes off each other, with the exception of blinking. So elated was Kasper that he even indulged Mrs. Levkin in the cake cutting ceremony and participated in the pictures Emilia obviously wanted but would not ask for. For those, however, he had worn his mask and hid his face in her hair just prior to every flash going off. Even so, anyone with a concentrated eye could see the shadow of a smile beneath the artificial features, his joy evident in his body language.

  The day after, they left for London, Kasper incredibly eager to show Emilia the beauty of the rainy season and the wonder of the English countryside. From there, they went to Paris, hardly leaving their large hotel room except to walk the cobblestone streets at night and indulge in fine wines and foods. Kasper answered phone calls and dealt with the occasional client while Emilia visited the Eiffel Tower and spruced up on her French, her language capabilities not nearly comparable to Kasper’s, but her willingness to learn just as great.

  They spent the most time in Milan, both eager to experience one of the world’s greatest opera houses and Emilia just as excited to see the canals as Kasper was to show her the architecture that so often inspired him.

  There had even been a week in Cyprus. After nearly two months of skulking in the city streets at night, Kasper was looking forward to being secluded with his new bride. He also wanted to teach Emilia the thrill of horseback riding on white beaches just as much as she wanted to learn, her exploration of the Mediterranean a distant second to making love to him on every inch of their hillside bungalow.

  As time flies when you’re having fun, all must good things come to an end. Emilia met the return to Massachusetts with mixed emotions. There was no question that she relished every moment with Kasper, each day only highlighted by her new love of travel and the long deserved break from school. Still, she missed the manor, Tut, and her weekly hour-long phone session with Claudette. It was exceptionally hard to keep up with given the time differences. Similarly, Kasper had expressed that as much as he wanted to delay her school year (and the five hour drive between them) the same obligations that provided her with all the things Kasper wanted her to have required attention. Proposals needed to be planned, contractors needed to be dealt with, and clients needed to be manipulated.

  “Of course you are aware you’ve done too much?” Emilia felt him watch her from the other side of the backseat. She smiled as she rummaged through her carry-on. More than once she had ignored Kasper’s comments about her persistence when it came to securing souvenirs for everyone. While he seemed willing to indulge his peach, he had said more than once that he suspected she was setting a bad precedent. The last thing Kasper wanted was for Aasif to get spoiled.

  “I know you don’t really mean that. Mrs. Levkin was thoughtful enough to throw us a wedding.”

  He sighed and tangled a finger around her hair. “We were thoughtful enough to let her…”

  Emilia continued as if she hadn’t even heard him. “Aasif has been essential to your business, and Claudette…” She paused and considered herself. “Well, all the designer scarves in the world can’t make up for what I did to her.”

  “You didn’t do anything. Besides, from what I understand, she never put blame on you for the incident to begin with. If she did, I’m sure a year is enough time to forgive any indiscretion anyone could have against you.”

  Leaning back, Emilia rolled her eyes. She would give up on her search for Mrs. Levkin’s Earl Grey tea until they got home. Perhaps the gesture of walking in with presents was just as immature as Kasper claimed it to be.

  “Not everyone is as forgiving towards me as you are.” She leaned in closer to him and Kasper put his arm around her. She inhaled the scent of his cologne as she closed her eyes against him. The driver of the town car glanced back at them from the rearview mirror, his brow narrowing in confusion. With Emilia snug and safe next to him, Kasper shot the driver a warning glare, but otherwise said nothing.

  “I doubt there are many people in the world capable of holding a grudge against you, my love. You have a knack with human beings as you do with animals. How many friends did you make in Paris alone?”

  Emilia smiled and wrapped her arms around him. It was as though
embracing him was not, could not, ever be enough to satisfy her. “Arguing with backpacking undergrads is hardly making friends. And don’t use flattery to change the subject.”

  “But I’m so good at it.” He brushed back a wisp of hair from her forehead and smiled.

  “Even if I didn’t have anything to make up for,” she giggled, “it’s important to do little things like this for the people you love.”

  “I think you could have stopped with one bottle of wine per individual,” he mocked.

  “I thought so too at first, but then Claudette convinced me that by depriving her of a bachelorette party I owed her a memorable girl’s night.”

  “Oh dear, am I going to have to supervise you?” He glanced down at her wry smile, one of his own forming when he realized she was teasing him

  “Maybe not right at this moment, but when we get home…”

  Kasper chuckled into her ear and she sighed happily.

  He mused that perhaps the only downside of honeymooning away from Iram Manor was missing the flowers of June and July. The unveiling bloom of the roses was one of his wife’s favorite things in the world to watch. As the chauffeur pulled up to the gates, they could see the first bed of red alternated by the ones of pink and white. For the first time since they had left the airport, she pushed her way out of Kasper’s arms and leaned toward the front seat. Vaguely, Kasper was aware of the roses themselves, but his true focus remained on the look of wonder and joy that crossed Emilia’s face. It never ceased to amaze him how easy she was to please, her love for the slightest sight of beauty contagious. With some amusement, he wondered how she didn’t become transfixed by her own reflection.

  “I didn’t even realize how much I missed home until just now. Do you think Tut missed us?”

  His laugh seemed to surprise even Emilia. Didn’t she know how much it moved him for her to consider her home his own? How important it was to him for her to call her life theirs?

  “I highly doubt it. Considering he has been in Mrs. Levkin’s care for the last two months, he has probably been fattened to the point of obesity.”

  “She does have a tendency to pamper him, huh?”

  “Since she treats him better than either of us, I’d say yes to your question.”

  Emilia rolled her eyes once again. “Better than you, you mean?”

  Sighing deeply, Kasper prepared to tip the driver. He had to admit that he had not been incredibly keen to Emilia’s suggestion of the dog staying with him while she attended school (even after the service the dog had done them), but as she had once left him her Mp3 player as collateral for her return, Kasper thought that perhaps the mutt was a similar item of exchange. For at any given minute she might have changed her mind about marrying him, yet there was no doubt that she would come back for her dog. And when her new apartment in Ithaca did not allow pets, he knew he scarcely had a choice in the manner.

  Kasper nearly expected her to begin digging through the suitcases again once the car pulled to a halt in front of the house. Instead she flounced out of the car, bubbly and giggling as she ran for the front door. He shook his head and proceeded to collect the bags, exceptionally eager to get rid of the driver and his judgmental stares.

  He could hear the mongrel before Kasper even brought the first set of bags to the door, the laughter of the two women in his life filtering between the barking. He placed the bags by the stairs and proceeded to the kitchen. Not to his surprise, the women were still embracing when he entered, Tut jumping around them playfully.

  “Honestly now.” He sighed and removed his burdensome fedora and gloves. If this August weather persisted, it was likely he would not step outside again until October. “You act as if one of you rose from the dead.”

  “Well,” Mrs. Levkin said in a corrective tone. “Maybe I didn’t miss the both of you.”

  Emilia laughed as the older woman released her from her hug. Instantly, Mrs. Levkin’s eyes went to inspecting, turning over Emilia’s hands in hers and gazing with scrutiny at her eyes and face. “Let me see you now,” she insisted. “Have you been taking care of her, Kasper? She looks much too thin and pale to be returning from a holiday.”

  “It’s easy to avoid sunburn when you only go out at night,” Emilia scoffed, but she gave Kasper a wink to emphasize her joke. Even on his happiest days, Kasper only felt comfortable going out at night, an incident over his appearance that much less likely. And considering his willingness to travel for a non-work related occasion, Emilia was content to make this compromise.

  “Maybe,” the older woman said. “But what about this figure of yours? I thought for certain that a few weeks of eating French and Italian food would fatten you up! You know, when I was growing up, where I was growing up, women were consider sophisticated—”

  “The only people who care about the prehistoric era are scientists and historians. Emilia and I are neither.”

  Mrs. Levkin narrowed her eyes at him but kept her comments to herself. Kasper was certainly more intrigued by Emilia’s silent scolding than anything, that expression of hers that crossed between reprimand and humor.

  “Ignore him,” Emilia insisted, and kneeled on the floor to acknowledge the impatient Tut. As both Emilia and Kasper had imagined, the pitbull had plumped up slightly, his eyes bright and his tail wagging uncontrollably. “No matter what his figure says,” Mrs. Levkin said after reading Emilia’s expression, “Tut missed you both very much.”

  Kasper scoffed, but they all continued to ignore him while Emilia gave the dog a long-deserved belly rub. She was secretly relieved that Tut was so happy to see her, the fear of abandoning him not having left her completely on their honeymoon.

  “I might not be able to make up for my husband’s rudeness,” she said, reaching over for her carry-on. “But I think presents are a good start.”

  Much to Kasper’s distress, Emilia had to return to New York within a week of arriving home from their honeymoon. Yet with only another year remaining in her schooling, he consoled himself that it would be a mere twelve months before he had her in his bed seven nights a week. With any luck she would not have any trouble securing the work she so desperately wanted within the Weston area. Of course, if it came down to it, Kasper knew he would buy her a veterinarian practice of her own if he had too, anything to keep her close.

  In the meanwhile, he felt secure with her new dwellings for the school year. Frequently, Kasper thanked Allah she had not argued with him about securing a new living space. After the incident with Cyrus, Kasper, assured that the large upscale apartment had security cameras in the lobby, the stairwells, and that a sufficient doorman was on duty every hour of the day. Additionally, Kasper himself was there in person to watch the deadbolt being installed, and had background checks run on every neighbor on her floor.

  Emilia herself was looking forward to her final year of veterinary school. Having completed the required foundation courses and the majority of her distribution electives, she was going to spend most of the academic year participating in her clinical rotations—a highlight for every nerd. Despite all she had been taught, there was still a great deal she had to learn. And without the pressure of juggling a full-time job, Emilia had to admit that she was thoroughly excited about being able to devote herself entirely to her studies.

  She hadn’t originally liked the idea of Kasper supporting her during this final year, but his persistent reminder that financial assistance was an astute benefit of being married to him made her give in. Pride aside, Emilia was intent on making herself financially comparable to her husband as soon as possible, and, with only an undergraduate degree and a half-finished doctorate in veterinary medicine, there was little chance that she could secure the career she wanted, let alone pay off her student loans.

  Still, they did occasionally argue about the car. Emilia felt uncomfortable accepting such a lavish gift, her self-respect constantly reminding her that she had done nothing to deserve it. When it came down to his wedding present for her, Kasper reminde
d her that he could have purchased her something far more obscene than the new Honda Accord. Additionally, if she refused to use the vehicle for her commute to and from Massachusetts, then he would simply have to drive her.

  “It is similar to that current heap you drive, is it not?” he had asked her. “I did not think that the fact that it is safer and merely looks nicer would concern you.”

  “It’s too expensive, you shouldn’t have.”

  “Isn’t that a phrase you women commonly employ?”

  “In this case I mean it,” she said with an eye roll.” You really should not have bought me a car.”

  He chuckled freely. “Did you really expect me to let you travel back and forth without so much as functioning airbags?”

  “My Civic had airbags…I think.” Emilia pouted and stared at the playful blue of her new car. If he didn’t see her smile, then hopefully it wouldn’t be obvious how much she liked her wedding present.

  ***

  Settling into the apartment was admittedly easier with a car where all four doors and windows worked properly. But even so, Emilia felt a twinge of loneliness that first night alone. She considered that perhaps over the summer she had become over indulgent, spoiled with having Kasper at her side every night. How was it that after a lifetime of being alone, one could become so used to being happy and in love within a fraction of that time?

  It would be difficult to continue their long-distance relationship, as it had been the last two semesters before. But Emilia would have been lying if she said she didn’t think it would be even more difficult to maintain a long-distance marriage. After all, she and Kasper were more than lovers; they were best friends, and the idea of going a day without talking to him—let alone a week or more—turned on her misery exponentially. Still, she ventured, it would only be a year. Who knew what would or would not happen within a year?