Adam
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“I’M STARTING TO REMEMBERhow audacious you are, little girl.”
She laughed as she spun back to face me, her lips parted in feigned surprise.“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
It was the strangest thing.There must still have been considerable gaps in my memories of what had gone on between us.I couldn’t recall leaving Britain, and aside from the beautiful woman in front of me, I had no idea why I’d chosen to leave such a privileged position, or what we’d been through to see me end up in a Swiss hospital bed, but sitting there, holding her hand, the interaction between us seemed so normal.There was no awkwardness when I tugged her closer, nothing but a comforting, familiar intimacy and a visceral need to know her better.
“It was your suggestion that Kaspar leave, Sir.”She inched closer until I could wrap my arms around her.
“Yes.”My hand shifted to draw her luscious dark hair from her face.“It was, wasn’t it?”
She smiled, and I knew instinctively that, unlike her pretend innocence, the gesture wasn’t fake.Caroline was pleased to be alone with me.That’s why she’d advocated so hard to achieve it.That’s why she edged closer along the covers.“I’m glad you did, Sir.I missed you.”
I held her against me, enjoying the warmth of her embrace, and even though I couldn’t technically miss what I couldn’t remember, I sensed the tug of need there, too.We belonged together.I just needed to shift the pieces in my mind to know exactly why.“I wish I could say the same, little girl, but the truth is, I didn’t even remember you until Kaspar mentioned our relationship.”
Her brows knitted as she drew away.“That’s hard to hear.”
“I’m sorry.”I leaned closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead, suddenly grateful that Elsa had taken the time to help me brush my teeth that morning.“But I want to be honest.Not knowing who you were when you walked in doesn’t mean I don’t recognize my feelings.I love you, Caroline.Even having this limited time together has assured me that much is obvious.”
“Thank God.”Her eyes fluttered closed at the caress.“When I heard you had amnesia, I was terrified you wouldn’t remember us.”
Stroking the side of her face, I tried to take in every line and curve of her countenance.“Not even amnesia can stop this thing between us.”
“I’ll help you fill in the gaps, Sir.”Her lips stretched wider as her gaze found mine.“Whatcanyou recall?You said you remember us being at Fortorus.”
“Yes.”I breathed in the smell of her hair as I strained my memory.“I rescued you from two sentries, right?”An image of their faces burst into my mind as I mentioned them, as did their callous motives for capturing Caroline in the first place.“They were idiots.”
“That’s right.”She sounded excited about the progress.“Walker and Sorosson.”
“And you stayed with me at my quarters.”My cock throbbed at the myriad of scintillating recollections of the things I’d done to and with her there.“You enjoyed it more there.”A throaty chuckle left my lips at her disgruntled expression.
“You were a swine to me there.”She pushed my shoulder playfully.
“Not all the time.”The memories of that time seemed clearer then, as though they’d happened only the day before.Not that I could actually recall what had happened the day before, or many of the days in between.“I loved you there, too.Ifell in lovewith you there.”
My words halted at the conclusion, a wave of that same warming emotion washing over me, and in the depth of that consuming feeling, my intentions for fleeing with her became crystal clear, even if I still didn’t recall all of the details.“I do love you.”
“Yes.”She blinked away tears as her smile somehow grew wider.“That’s right, Sir.I love you, too.”
For a few magical seconds, we stared at each other, hoping that the shared sentiment was enough, but all too soon, the reality of our predicament gnawed at me.
“So, the contents of my deposit box is where?”I despised being the one to break the spell, but Kaspar had been clear about our time restraints.We only had a couple of minutes left in privacy.
“At the house you leased from Fabian,” she started.
“Fabian?”I frowned, irritated to hear yet another name I couldn’t place.
“Someone we met at a café.”She shrugged.“We had nowhere to stay, and he offered us one of his houses.”
I glanced at the window, concentrating on trying to recollect any of what she was telling me.“What was this house like?”
“Clean lines and white and beige spaces.”Her lips twisted.“Nothing special, Sir, but to us, for a few days at least, it was like heaven.”
“If I got to be with you alone, then I can understand why.”My gaze raked over her.She was wearing unflattering leggings and a sweater, but I knew how good she looked out of those clothes.“I want more of that, little girl.More time for the two of us.”
