“I’ll remember—eventually.” He exhaled, long and slow, then drew her close again, tucking her head beneath his chin. “Will you think me a selfish bastard for not being sorry fate brought me to you?”
“No.” If he was selfish, then what was she?
Daisy squeezed her eyes shut, holding him tighter despite herself. “At least no one knows about you.”
“Except your neighbor.”
She let out a shaky laugh, pulling back just enough to look up at him. “True. But not even Mrs. Farley could imagine I was secretly harboring a duke. I think we’re quite safe.”
But even as she said it, fear licked at her heart.
Because she was eventually going to lose him.
Even if she kept him safe, even if she protected him from whoever wanted him dead, she would still lose him in the end.
Because he would remember.
And then he would leave.
And yet, if anything happened to him before then, she would never forgive herself.
She didn’t want to hold on, but she couldn’t let go.
“Promise you won’t leave until you remember.” She nearly choked on her own words. “Don’t go home until you know who your enemy is.”
A sad smile curved his lips. “What if my memory never returns?”
“Then you stay here with me.”
Her smile was just as sad. Just as foolish.
And before she could pull away, this time, it was Alastair who kissed her.
THERE IS MORE
He kissed her softly at first. Because he was a guest. Because he was a gentleman. Because, despite the way she set her own course in the world—running a business, raising her brother—there was a vulnerability beneath her strength. One she had no doubt worked hard to conceal.
And he wanted to know why.
Likely, she hadn’t even realized she’d exposed that part of herself, but when she had stated, so simply, that he could stay with her… something had cracked open in him.
And now, here they were.
He caressed her arms, his touch deliberate, sliding slowly up to cradle her heart-shaped face. She was warm beneath his hands, the scent of honeysuckle and soap surrounding him like a memory just out of reach.
“Alastair,” she whispered against his mouth.
She parted her lips, and he took his time—exploring, savoring her taste like a man starved.
When her arms wound around his neck,his control began to slip. When she pressed her body against his, it slipped even further.
Daisy’s enthusiasm fired his own, sending heat racing through his limbs, coiling tight in his gut. His body responded in ways that would make any honorable man take pause.
Because they were alone.
Because she was trembling in his arms.
And because, even though he had no memory of his past… he knew himself well enough to recognize that this woman—this moment—deserved… all of him.
