Timeline for Part 13:

This chapter sets entirely between 11x16 and 11x17. After Omelia's last scene on 11x16 (when they are again interrupted in the on call room), Derek arrives home. Since it's not mentioned on the show when exactly after this last Omelia scene he arrived, I let my creativity take over. I didn't plan to end this chapter right where it did, but I had to, otherwise it would be too long. All I can guarantee is that, as always, I am not changing anything that happened on the show :)

The Journey – Part Thirteen

Amelia hurried from the Neuro ICU to the OR, trying her best to get over with what was left of her work obligations so she could make it back home in time. She hadn't scheduled any elective surgeries for that Thursday, hoping to have an early finish at the hospital so she could get properly dressed and ready to go on her first date with Owen later that evening. But much to her dismay, not only she had been paged to the hospital at an ungodly hour earlier that morning, an MVC with four victims had also extended her workload, jeopardizing the entirety of her plans.

At first, Amelia had realized she was probably not going to have any time to even take a nap before the event like she'd planned right after her pager had buzzed at four am. But as the hours progressed, she started to wonder just how much time she'd have to actually get ready for the dinner party.

Men had no idea about this, but getting ready for such an event demanded a lot of time and energy. Unlike Owen, who would probably just shave, shower and put on a suit, Amelia had a lot to work on. He had told her he'd meet her at the front porch of Derek's house at eight thirty and it was almost past seven when Amelia finally arrived home.

Going straight to the bathroom, Amelia showered and washed her hair in a hurry, blow-drying it right afterwards. She carefully inspected her legs to see if there were any missing spots from the waxing session she'd gone to a couple of days before and quickly moved on to work on her make up. She had just finished putting on her dress when, through the window, she saw her boss crossing the yard towards the house.

Looking at the clock by the nightstand, Amelia realized it was eight thirty on the dot. Damn Owen with his military punctuality. She made her way downstairs, wondering about her looks. The neurosurgeon believed to have made a very satisfactory job with the little time she had to pull off an evening look, knowing she could have done a lot better had she more time.

"Hey…" Amelia opened the front door before Owen could ring the doorbell, excited to see him.

Owen opened his mouth to reply but after seeing her, every word instantly vanished from his mind. His eyes lingered a little longer than usual, obviously in appreciation. Amelia was barefoot, wearing an amazing midnight blue long sleeve dress. The cleavage was very modest, with a mid rise V neck that exposed her shapely neck. She had on a discreet single pendant necklace, giving the neurosurgeon a classy look. The soft fabric of the gown outlined her waist, suggesting her feminine forms without actually exposing them, adding a sexy touch without any traces of vulgarity. And as she turned slightly to the side, Owen noticed the exposed skin on her back, small enough to be discreet, but big enough to accommodate the touch of his hand. He thought she'd never looked more perfect.

"You look amazing." He managed to say, encouraged by her bright smile.

"Thank you," Amelia felt like a silly schoolgirl, something she'd never felt before. Not even when she had been a schoolgirl.

The neurosurgeon turned her neck inspecting the room behind her, trying to make sure no one would see them. The reason why she hadn't let Owen ring the doorbell was because her sister in law was at home. She knew her niece and nephew had recently been put to bed and not long before she'd seen Meredith disappear into the kitchen, in the back of the house. Amelia still needed to put on her shoes and give her make up a final touch. Her initial plan involved asking Owen to wait a couple of minutes, but she couldn't risk letting Meredith see him, or else too many questions would arise.

"Is that… Is that Derek?" Owen frowned heavily, distractedly looking at the entrance of the land across the yard where a cab had just pulled up.

Amelia narrowed her eyes, trying to get a clearer view, but a sudden noise of the coffee maker interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, shit!" She inadvertently exclaimed, pulling Owen by the hand. Before he could realize what was happening, Amelia was sneaking up upstairs, dragging him along the way. "Don't make any noises!" She contained a fit of laughter as she pushed him inside her bedroom, noticing the smile on his face.

"What is happening?" He chuckled heartily, trying to figure out the confusing situation. "Are you… Are you hiding me?" He asked with an amused tone, unable to believe it, fully expecting her to deny it.

"Of course I am hiding you!" She shamelessly confessed, looking at him like he was the unbelievable one. "I can't risk letting Meredith see you, let alone my brother."

"I didn't know he was back," Owen casually commented, completely ignoring the importance of Meredith knowing or not about them.

"Shh!" Amelia put her forefinger on her own lips, making an adorable scowl as she asked him to be quieter. "I didn't know either." She confessed with a whisper, swiftly making her way to the corridor.

Through the stairs' banister, Amelia spotted Meredith sitting on the couch, with a couple of notepads surrounding her as she drank coffee from a large red mug. Her sister in law was obviously engaged with what she was doing, explaining why she seemed startled when the front door lock tried to be opened from the outside, undoubtedly by Amelia's brother.

"Damn it, even when Derek doesn't want to he gets in the way! How are we getting out of here?" She walked back and forth in the room, grabbing a pair of stilettos and skillfully putting them on under Owen's fascinated gaze.

He had sat on the edge of her bed, looking at everything around. This was the first time he'd been in Amelia's bedroom and he had to admit everything inside looked just like her.

"How about we walk out the door, like two adults?" Owen raised his eyebrows, playfully reprimanding her.

"Hm, how about no?" Amelia rebelled, still looking at him like he was out of his mind. "Are you crazy? If my brother and Meredith see you here they will obviously think that we are…"

"We are." Owen interrupted her.

Amelia stopped walking around to get her lipstick and turned around to face him. The certainty with which he said the words was seductively confident and slightly alarming. Seeing the change of expression in her eyes, Owen explained:

"We are two adults, Amelia, we don't owe anyone any satisfactions." He smiled, changing his voice to a gentler tone. "I know you probably don't want to draw too much attention, especially from Derek and Meredith who live with you, but we are not doing anything wrong. There is nothing to be ashamed of, or to hide."

Amelia picked up on the trace of insecurity in his voice and rightfully assumed he feared she wasn't serious about what was happening and therefore was treating him like a disposable fling.

"It's not that. Of course I am not ashamed." She explained, walking in his direction and offering one hand for him to hold. "It's that if my brother sees you, he will start to ask questions, and I am not sure wehave the answer to them." She explained. "I agree with you that no one has any business in our lives," She smiled affectionately. "They really don't. So how about we keep it just to ourselves for the time being?"

Owen took a deep breath. The idea of having to hide or lie every time he went to see her at the house didn't please him that much. Derek was his close friend and of course it felt a bit awkward to tell the guy he was dating his baby sister. But Owen was fully invested in dating Amelia regardless of how Derek took the news.

"Alright." He tried to sound convinced. If left up to him, Owen would go down the stairs, say hello to the couple in the living room and leave with Amelia. But he wasn't the one who would have to come back home to a bunch of questions. So, for her sake, he agreed to the plot. What Owen wanted least was for her to feel uncomfortable with anything regarding the two of them.

Amelia saw the consideration in his eyes and it totally won her over.

"We already knew you can pull off the suit and tie," The neurosurgeon bit her lower lip, gently letting go of his hand. "But tonight, you've outdone yourself." She added in a lighthearted tone. Whenever Amelia felt like she was getting close to being too emotional, like seconds before when she realized the way Owen had been looking at her, it was automatic to resort to humor and bantering as a defense mechanism.

He let out a chuckle that widened her smile. Without paying much attention to what she was doing, Amelia moved forward to where he was sitting on her bed and stood between his legs, gently fixing an almost imperceptible wrinkle on his tie knot. She always felt like whenever Owen was around, there was this strong invisible force that pulled her nearer, and it became nearly impossible to not touch him.

"Can we go now? We'll be late." Owen commented casually, smiling when their eyes met. His hand swiftly traveled from her arm to her shoulder, gently touching the few brown locks that were let loose. She was wearing her hair up in an elegant messy bun, with a few loose locks hanging from the sides. Amelia's dark hair created a vibrating contrast to her fair skin and magnetic silver blue eyes, and Owen couldn't get enough of how beautiful she was.

"Yes," Amelia smiled, looking at the clock and realizing it was already eight forty five. She looked at the window suggestively and then back at him. "I guess this is the only way out…"

"What?!" Owen asked in disbelief.

"We can't go downstairs without the risk of being seen." She calmly explained.

"Amelia, I am not going out the window." Owen looked at her with fierce determination.

"Well, what do you suggest, then?" She defied him, obviously not finding her initial idea as absurd as he did.

Owen approached the window, giving her the impression that he had changed his mind and was about to embark on her plan, but before Amelia could stop him, he grabbed a toy duck that had been left on the floor by one of the children.

"Don't touch that, it's gonna…!"

Amelia didn't have time to finish her sentence because the toy started to squeak incessantly. The neurosurgeon had stolen the yellow duck from Zola and Bailey's play box earlier that week, after spending a full afternoon having to listen to the insanely annoying electronic gadget playing repeatedly, making a scandalous quacking sound.

"Did you see what you just did?" She frowned heavily at Owen, trying to figure out why he looked so calm. "That damn thing won't stop playing for hours!"

"I know," Owen smiled with the corner of his mouth, and seeing the surprise in her eyes, he clarified the situation. "I was the one who gave it to Bailey for his first birthday." He noticed the shock on her face and explained, "but of course I had no idea that it was this annoying."

"Are you crazy, why did you throw it there? They're going to hear it!" Amelia pointed out, obviously talking about her brother and Meredith.

"Good." Owen simply stated, grabbing her hand and taking her from the room, like that had been his plan all along.

Only after they'd snuck down the stairs and left through the back exit of the house, Amelia fully understood the plan. By throwing the loud duck out the window into the front porch, Owen had caused an uproar outside, making Meredith and Derek leave the house for a few seconds to check what was going on. That gave them the opportunity to go downstairs and leave through the kitchen door without being seen.

"You know…" Amelia still pondered about the quick, intelligent move as Owen drove his car through the city streets toward the Hotel. "That was actually pretty strategic." She frowned harder and then looked at him, almost as if she should be surprised but really wasn't. "Do they teach you that kind of stuff in the army?" The neurosurgeon added provocatively.

Owen chuckled and gave her a quick look before turning his attention back to the road.

"Only after they make sure we know how to properly exit through the window." He teased in a lighthearted tone.

Even though she knew she was being made fun of, Amelia laughed along, contaminated by his mirth. Soon after, they arrived at the prestigious hotel, and she watched as Owen handed the car keys to a valet before turning around and taking her hand in his as they walked inside.

.

"Gee, this is a fancy place," Amelia casually commented with a smile when they reached the Hotel's lobby. Everything around them was luxurious. She was particularly marveled by the chandelier inside the main atrium. The enormous structure was not only wide and large, but was filled with hundreds of tiny crystal prisms, matching perfectly well with the twin staircases and dark marble floors.

"Yeah?" Owen didn't realize his voice sounded hoarse. He was delighted that she seemed to have approved of the place because unbeknownst to Amelia, he planned to have them stay there until the following morning.

The main lobby was particular busy that evening, undoubtedly due to the charity event. Amelia was just about to explain why she'd liked the place so much when, as soon as they entered the bar area to the right of the front desk, a familiar face came to greet them.

"Mr. Pratt," Owen politely offered his hand, which the man took for a firm handshake.

"I'm glad you could make it, Dr. Hunt." The company director replied, obviously satisfied. His eyes then traveled to the woman standing beside Owen and a smile grew on his lips. "Dr. Shepherd! What a pleasant surprise!"

Amelia instantly recognized the man who had donated an insane amount of money to her department. She gracefully greeted him back, before asking the guy about his two year old granddaughter.

"Bella is doing amazing," The senior replied with an affectionate smile. His granddaughter was the light of his life and he couldn't imagine anything worse than losing her. "She will be three in a couple of months and is living and learning like any other kid her age… And all thanks to you, Dr. Shepherd."

Amelia blushed, embarrassed with genuine modesty.

"Actually, it's all thanks to you Mr. Pratt." The neurosurgeon replied with an encouraging grin. "You never gave up on Bella and it was your stubborn wish to see her cured that made you find me."

The man seemed genuinely touched by her words and quickly made both surgeons follow him to the bar area, where a few other men stood with their scotch glasses around an elegant counter. One by one, Oliver Pratt introduced them. Amelia noticed how the company director was treating the duo of doctors like they were his guests of honor. The three other businessmen were obviously close to Mr. Pratt personally, because they all seemed to be aware of his granddaughter's brain tumor operation when Pratt explained who Amelia was.

"Well, Dr. Hunt, before we talk business, let's get you two set up." One of the men slightly waved with his head, to which a waiter instantly materialized in front of them. Owen joined the men in their choice of drinks; Amelia asked for a club soda. "Dr. Shepherd, not much into scotch, I see. " He noticed with a polite head nod. "Are you sure you're willing to endure this," He used his ability to easily point out things with his head and signaled towards the conference room where the auction would soon be taking place, "without a single glass of alcohol?"

"I'll take my chances," Amelia smiled brightly in return. "Might be a rookie mistake, I know." She added, making the atmosphere lighter around them.

Amelia was the only women among four important businessmen and the chief of surgery of Seattle's most prestigious hospital. She knew she should feel intimidated and out of place, but she felt strangely confident. All of the guys around them were in their sixty or seventies, but Owen's full head of strawberry blonde hair stood out amongst the grey of their suits, ties and thinning hair. Amelia had to contain a smile when she realized what a great metaphor that was.

Ever since he'd walked into her life, Owen had brightened her days with a lot of color. The biggest reason why Amelia had moved from Los Angeles to Seattle had been to focus a little more on her career. For the past two years, her personal life had been so messy that Amelia had neglected her passion for surgery a bit. But once in Seattle, working in a big hospital with a busy influx and so many challenges in her everyday routine, slowly she'd come to rediscover the pleasure that operating and teaching gave her. Her job had become an important source of happiness for her, and her new status had been extremely important to help her feel established in the city, giving her life some much needed stability. Amelia now felt like she was moving forward and that she finally had some control over her life after a couple of hectic years.

But then there was Owen… With his warm smile, his tender touch and the way he would simply look at her and make her feel understood. With Owen, she didn't feel so in control anymore, but instead of feeling unnerving, the new-found situation felt strangely… balanced. The way he had been there for her several times in such a natural, compassionate way made Amelia see him as one of the most decent and humane people she had ever met. And those feelings inspired her to allow her true self to blossom, often putting down her walls and giving back to him as much as she got.

"So, Hunt, Pratt has told me many good things about Grey Sloan, but I'd like to hear it from you. Tell me…" One of the guys in the group took a long sip of the amber liquid in his glass before asking. "Why should I invest my money in your hospital?"

Even though it hadn't been more than fifteen minutes since they had been in the company of those men, Amelia had already noticed how they lived and breathed business. Even when a casual comment was inserted into the conversation, it quickly ignited a new topic to discuss money, investments, firms and corporations.

"I think the real question is, why shouldn't you?" Owen replied with the same easy confidence as the man who'd started the conversation. Amelia turned her head and noticed his chiseled profile as the man who caused so many different emotions inside her heart casually carried on with his impeccable line of thought. "The only certainty in life is that at some point, we are all going to die. At some point, everyone will get sick, or suffer an accident, or even see a beloved one going through those." Owen spoke brutally, making Amelia frown. But the lack of such a scandalized reaction from the other men let her know that it wasn't a coincidence that Owen was taking such a rough approach. Those guys standing next to them were business sharks and probably didn't have a lot of respect for people who appeared to be soft. "And when that does happen, when you're at your most vulnerable, who would you like to have treating you?" Owen looked around, on purpose making eye contact with each man, one by one. "Some random ordinary team…" He took a pause on purpose, letting the information sink in. "Or a service known by its excellence? At Greys Sloan we think not only about the patient who's there with us, but also about the ones yet to come. Our residents not only learn from the best," He suggestively nodded his head in Amelia's direction, making her bite her lower lip to hide an amused smile. "They also become the best. And it's not a coincidence that they do."

The guys exchanged silent looks, but Amelia could read in their eyes that they were obviously impressed. By their startled expressions, it was clear none of those men had ever dared to think about that subject. They were used to being in command of every aspect of their lives. So to hear from a chief of surgery that they were susceptible to death and disease just like any other ordinary person must have really shaken their minds.

"And what do you think, Dr. Shepherd?" One of them stopped conjecturing with the others, giving Amelia a challenging glance. "Dr. Hunt here has made absolutely obvious that injecting money into the health care business might turn out to be good a investment later in life." He summed up with grace and gave Amelia a smirk. "But I'd like to hear it from you. Why should we be convinced that Grey Sloan is indeed the best choice of hospital if we do decide to venture in the business?"

"Well," Amelia crossed her legs, surprised at the question. She really didn't expect to be included in the conversation, at least not in a topic like that. Keeping a straight face, she stared back at the men, who were obviously delighted to be looking at her. "For instance, we have the best coffee."

Her unexpected reply completely swept them off their feet, inadvertently causing a general round of laughter. Contaminated by the lighter atmosphere, the neurosurgeon added with a wide smile:

"I promise you, this might not seem like a relevant information, but hear it from someone who's lived in the four corners of this country," She glanced at them sideways and gave a quick, almost imperceptible wink. "You won't find better coffee anywhere in the States." Her effusive joy and charismatic smile completely won them over and seeing she had their full attention, Amelia continued, under Owen's amused watch. "Okay, I have to be honest now…" Her grin slowly faded but she maintained a captivating sympathetic expression on her face. "I don't know the first thing about finances, business or even about running a hospital." Amelia quickly looked at Owen with admiration before resuming her speech to the men who carefully listened. "But I do know a lot about treating patients." She humbly added. "And I can assure you that you won't find a more humane or dedicated surgical service than ours." Amelia explained. "Not only is our boss extremely committed to making sure of that," She and Owen exchanged a warm smile that meant much more than anyone else there could ever know, "I can assure you that every single one of the employees in his team follow his good example."

The four men once again nodded in approval and resumed talking among themselves, but Owen was too fascinated with Amelia to pay any attention. Soon after, Mr. Pratt's wife came looking for them and after warmly greeting Amelia and telling the others about how the neurosurgeon had been incredible to their family, which only added to the good impression that they already had, the small group was escorted to the main conference room, where the auction would take place.

As the evening went on, the gentlemen resumed talking about business and Owen was introduced to more people. Just like he'd expected, it didn't take long before the guys swiftly started a polite conversation to disguise the competition they were sneakily proposing to boast about their wealth. He heard about golf fields, ownerships of large corporations, yachts and racing cars, things brought out with the obvious intention to impress.

By his side, Amelia remained in silence, paying attention to the items in display at the auction. After noticing her focused expression and delighting himself with a vision of her slim neck and feminine shoulders, Owen was instantly reminded of the way she'd joined his cause just minutes before. Amelia didn't have any obligations to withstand boring business conversations, and it wasn't her job to try to get more funds for the hospital. Nonetheless, she had loyally shown her support, quickly figuring out the intentions in Owen's speech and partnering with him at his own game.

The more he discovered about her, the more fascinated he became. Owen wasn't very used to having people standing by his side, especially not at their own initiative. Amelia was different to anyone else he'd ever met and every day more, she proved that with actions instead of empty words. Those guys surrounding them that night could have as many digits in their bank accounts as they wished, but as the minutes progressed, Owen became more convinced that he was actually the one holding the biggest treasure that night. And Owen wouldn't trade her for any of the things those guys seemed to so highly value.

"What is it?" She asked with an affectionate smile, noticing the way he had been staring at her for the past seconds.

"Nothing," Owen dismissed her concern with a warm grin and gently took the empty glass of club soda from her hand, putting it on top of an empty tray. Slowly, he walked beside Amelia, studying the items that were soon to be auctioned.

"Look at this thing," Amelia pointed to a small painting framed by a faded gold metal. "It's horrible." She whispered in his ear, giggling at his mortified expression. "Who would ever buy that?"

"Apparently, it dates back from the Civil War and was painted by a soldier who died in the field." Owen read the small box that contained information about the item. "He painted it in his dying bed once he realized he wasn't ever going to see his lover again, and asked that it was sent to her." He finalized the tragic story, bringing his eyes back the picture and slowly analyzing it. A large cow was depicted in front of what was supposed to be a farm house, next to a piano. "But I have to give it to you," Owen admitted with grace. "Horrible doesn't begin to define it." He added, obviously talking about the painting. "Maybe the guy was hallucinating when he painted it?"

Amelia's laughter intensified as she strode beside him, feeling the warm comfort of his large hand gently guiding her lower back, exactly on the spot where her dress exposed her skin. One by one, they inspected the remaining items, and the neurosurgeon had an amazing time making fun of most of them for Owen's delighted amusement.

"So, you never told me why exactly Oliver Pratt invited you here," Amelia casually commented, noticing Owen's gaze was fixated on a sculpture made entirely of onyx. "Did you keep in touch with him after he donated all that money to my department?" She asked, obviously interested.

The way Owen slightly hesitated made Amelia know he was carefully measuring his words.

"Not exactly…" She heard his evasive reply and raised her eyebrows in question. "Okay, but you have to promise you'll be discreet about this…" Owen informed her, making Amelia even more curious. At his insistence, she quickly promised not to say anything, driving her boss to finally confess. "He came to the hospital looking for me a few weeks ago."

"What was wrong with him?" Amelia asked, picking up on the hint that the visit had been caused by a medical reason.

"He had a rectal bleeding."

"He what?"

Amelia's words had been spoken in a louder tone of voice, attracting a lot of attention. Owen reprimanded her with his eyes, waiting until everyone went back to what they were doing to patiently explain:

"Hemorrhoids." The trauma surgeon informed the diagnosis, obviously not too pleased to be talking about it. "I booked an OR late at night, had a team and a fellow from proctology joined me and we took care of it." He added, leading Amelia to finally understand why the guy had been so interested in helping Owen back, after all.

"Really?" She asked, obviously amused. Owen glanced over his shoulder, noticing the signature childish grin on her face and anticipated the bunch of jokes that were about to come. Against his will, he laughed when she fired the first one. "That must have been a pain in the ass."

"Amelia…" Owen playfully rolled his eyes, seeing where that was going.

"I bet surgery turned him into a perfect asshole."

Owen struggled to keep a straight face.

"Ok, that's just…"

"It was a good crack, wasn't it?" She interrupted him, laughing at her own joke.

Owen gave up reprimanding her and just laughed along, having too much fun to care about anything else other than the gorgeous smile on that incredible woman's face.

"Wait, I got one more," She informed him just as Owen thought they were done talking about the subject. "I bet he couldn't take the news sitting down."

Owen laughed even harder and watched as she finally kept a straight face.

"Ok, now I am done." She smiled mischievously at him. "We can put this 'hole' thing behind us."

"Will it ever end?" He gave up trying to tame her, too overwhelmed with the obvious joy shown in her eyes. Leaning forward, he smelled the fresh scent of vanilla shampoo on her hair, feeling completely seduced by her witty humor, gorgeous figure and sharp intellect.

"Did you say 'end' on purpose?" She pestered him. "Because if you did, this officially makes you the worst player at this game."

Owen was just about to reply when a guy in his mid thirties went up on the small stage nestled on the back of the room, obviously with the intention to start the auction. The chief of surgery then led Amelia back to the seats they'd been assigned and she had a lot of fun casually talking to him while people placed their bids.

Amelia didn't realize exactly when it had happened, but before she could even think about it, her chair was already a couple of feet to the left, closer to his. His right arm was lazily wrapped around her shoulders as the upper part of her back rested against his solid chest.

The neurosurgeon was too immersed in her own thoughts about that cozy proximity that it took her a while longer than usual to realize that, when the horrible cow painting was sold, Owen had been the one to place the highest bid.

"I can't believe what you just did!" Amelia playfully smacked his arm minutes after the auction had ended and he received the item he'd purchased. "You actually bought this horrendous thing?" She chuckled, too amused to care to hide it. "I mean, I get that its charity, but really?" She frowned.

"I got it for you." Owen teased her, noticing the laughter in her eyes. "Now you're going to have to take it home and hang it on your bedroom wall."

"Why?" Amelia defied him with a teasing tone.

"Because," Owen leaned over and took advantage of the darkness inside the room to gently brush his lips on her cheek before whispering in her ear. "This is the first gift I ever got for you and first times have a whole special meaning."

Amelia held her breath at the sound of his words, feeling Owen's free hand skillfully wrapping around her waist. They were standing in a corner inside the hotel conference room, and a lot of people were coming and going, making them almost imperceptible to the other guests. The moment she slightly turned her head, Owen lips brushed on hers with such contained intensity that her knees felt instantly weak.

"Is this over?" She eagerly asked, referring to the event. Amelia wanted very much to finally have him all to herself.

"I think so," Owen nodded in approval and then stared straight into her eyes. Amelia noticed how he took a deep breath and kept his passionate gaze upon hers. "I have to tell you something," he confessed, hoping she would be on board with his plan. "Let's not go home yet, Amelia." Owen bent forward and slowly breathed her in, delighted by her fresh smell. His lips hovered over the smooth skin and he gently kissed the column of her neck before finally confessing. "I have a room upstairs booked for us if you want to stay…" Owen intensified the grip around her body, possessively pulling her closer. "I am tired of interruptions," his hoarse voice along with the trail of kisses his lips were tracing on her neck completely convinced Amelia that they should definitely stay. Her face was captured between his strong hands as Owen looked deeply into her eyes and confessed into her ear, "I want you."

Amelia felt a shiver running down her spine at the sound of his words. Owen was bold and he didn't waste any time with games or empty provocations. Judging by what she'd seen in him, including the purpose of that evening there, her boss was a guy who went after what he wanted and claimed it as his own. To have him do the same thing to her, seductively whispering in her ear that he wanted her made Amelia completely on board with his idea, too turned on by the display of masculine possessiveness.

She looked into his eyes and smiled very suggestively before standing on the tip of her toes to steal a kiss without any reserve. Owen smiled against her lips, feeling her delicate body pressing against his as she forced her way into his mouth. Her answer had been better than his highest expectations.

"Let me just go to the restroom," Amelia said with a smile as they pulled apart. "Go check us in. I'll meet you at the lobby."

The last thing she noticed was the anxious and delighted expression on his face as she went inside the ladies' room. Amelia used that time to compose herself, fixing her hair and cleaning the stains of lipstick that Owen's kisses had caused around her lips.

Less than five minutes later, she made her way to the front desk, quickly spotting Owen. Amelia noticed the heavy frown on his face. In a matter of minutes, he had gone from charmingly anxious to obviously cross.

"What?" She looked into his eyes, searching for an answer. "What happened?"

Owen let out a heavy sigh before explaining with frustration:

"Pratt was just here while you were inside." Amelia noticed he didn't seem too happy about it. "He insisted that I join him and the other guys for drinks back at the hotel bar."

"Owen, that's good!" Amelia smiled effusively, doing her best to encourage him. The businessmen had listened to Owen's points a couple of hours before and if they insisted on talking to him again, it was obvious there was more to unfold where a potential investment was concerned. "They were probably convinced by what you said and want to hear more about the hospital because they're interested," Amelia rightfully predicted. "Of course you should go."

"The problem is," Owen hissed between his teeth, controlling his anger. "Now is really not the best timing." He added, suggestively looking at her and descending his eyes across her face all the way to her neck.

Owen planned to thoroughly explore that wonderful slim neck with his lips during the next minutes, until she was melting in his arms and asking him for more. But of course that wouldn't happen if he had to join four senior guys in boring conversations about finances at that late hour.

"Look, don't worry," Amelia considerately rubbed her palms on his chest, trying her best to make him see it was actually a good thing. "You go see what they want." She proposed with practicality. "And I will go upstairs and wait for you." She promised, gently playing with a button case on his shirt. "Don't worry, I am not going anywhere. Take your time."

Owen was really in a sour mood but her words made him regain some of his good mood.

"Alright," He was finally convinced, mostly by her wonderful smile. "We're in room 802," he took a keycard from inside his pocket and handed it her. "I brought a small case in the trunk of my car and asked to have it sent up to our room. Feel free to make yourself comfortable," He gave her an apologetic smile, gently holding her chin with his free hand. "If you're hungry, order anything you like."

"Owen, go," Amelia smiled contagiously at him, too touched by his considerate thoughtfulness.

"I don't want to." He affirmed with conviction.

"I mean it," She chuckled, nearly pushing him. "You have the hospital to think about." She reminded him. "I'll still be here when this whole thing is over."

"You better be." He touched his forehead to hers, gently nudging his nose against hers.

"Go," Amelia splayed her open palms on his chest, knowing soon enough she would have to be convinced to let him go if Owen kept looking at her like that. "But wait, first give me my painting!" She chuckled, stealing the forgotten wrapped item from his hand.

"Oh, so now you want it?" Owen teased her, delighted to see the happy expression on her face.

"I said it was ugly as hell," Amelia informed him with a smile. "I never said I didn't want it."

"Fine," Owen chuckled and finally relinquished the object. "I knew you'd eventually acknowledge my grand romantic gesture."

"Romantic?" Amelia raised her eyebrows in defiance.

"You can't have romance without a stomping cow playing the piano in front of a farm field." Owen informed her before stealing a kiss. He then took a deep breath, watching as she slowly moved in the direction of the elevators. "I promise this won't take long." He whispered, knowing that Amelia could still hear him.

She smiled and gracefully entered the elevator, carefully turning to face the Hotel lobby while holding the ugly painting. Owen caught one last glimpse of her face before the elevator doors finally closed, reading on her lips the answer that made his blood run faster inside his veins:

"I'll be waiting for you."

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