Leo hesitated, and her swift glance didn’t aid her in reading him. “You were hurt,” he said. “There’s plenty of time.”
She blinked against the brighter light as her husband gestured at a pair of clogs. Once she donned them, he guided her outdoors. Strange, his accent didn’t strike notes of recognition either, and it should, given how the rough sexiness made her shiver and imagine interminable nights of decadent passion.
“Have we been here before?” She frowned, searching her memories, finding emptiness. A deep, endless vacuum. “What happened? How did I injure my head?”
Leo tucked his arm around her shoulders when she teetered, his wintergreen scent filling her gasping breaths. “Easy there with the questions, my lodestone.”
My lodestone. Had she heard the particular endearment before? Puzzled, she let him guide her along a short path, their footsteps muffled by pine needles. They halted before a small building, not much bigger than an old phone box. This one was constructed of logs and matched the main dwelling.
“The long-drop is in there.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“You could pick a tree.” Humor glinted in him, and his smile took him from handsome to breathtaking.
“I’ll use the restroom. At least it doesn’t smell.”
“A friend from a neighboring island designed it to become one with nature. Should I wait for you?”
“Please. I feel as weak as a kitten.”
“Once you’re done here, I’ll get you the potion to help your headache. I was lucky to have the correct herbs on hand.”
Herbs? Gwenyth wanted to ask questions, but the pressure on her bladder urged her to speed. She took care of business and washed her hands using a thick, soapy substance and the warm water running into the scooped-out center of a rock. After drying her hands on a thick chocolate-brown towel, she exited the restroom.
“That wasn’t so bad, my lodestone?”
Her heart melted at the gentle teasing. She shook her head and moaned, the dart of pain almost bringing her to her knees.
Leo scooped her off her feet, his rapid steps carrying them back to the cottage. Inside, Leo removed the clogs and set her on the bed. “Wait there while I get you the potion for your head. Are you hungry?”
This time, she knew better than to communicate with the nod of her head. “No, I don’t want food.”
“Get into bed. I won’t be long.”
She slipped beneath the covers, exhausted after her trip outside. Why couldn’t she remember the accident? Crazy as it was, she hadn’t even recalled her husband’s name. Leo. She stared at the green meadow, the bright color bringing a hazy memory of…something. When she tugged at it, the recollection dissipated, leaving a yawning hole.
She focused on the bedroom, and certainty blazed through her. She hadn’t visited here before. Positivity filled her, although she couldn’t say why.
The second Leo appeared carrying a steaming pottery cup, she asked for confirmation. “Have I been here before?”
“To my cottage? No, this is the first time.”
“I thought so,” she said with satisfaction.
“We haven’t known each other for long,” he said as he handed her the potion. “Drink this. It should help with the pain in your head.”
She sipped the liquid with suspicion. It tasted sweet rather than tart, and for a potion, it wasn’t objectionable. “We had a whirlwind courtship?”
He smiled. “We did.”
She stared at the crinkles that formed at the corners of his eyes. He was still bare-chested, and her gaze took in the dragon tattoo. As she studied the beast, it winked at her, and a puff of tattoo smoke formed rings above its head. She gasped.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your tattoo moved.” She blinked before focusing on his chest again. This time, the tattooed dragon waved and swished its tail.
Leo glanced down, then back at her. He rolled his eyes. “He is my other half. My dragon likes you. In fact, he saw you first.”
