“You’re Ami Donovan,” he murmured close to her ear, the words, his voice, soothing. “Whoever you were before is gone for good.”
CHAPTER TWO
SHE WAS DREAMINGofhimagain. Only this time he pulled her into the shadows with him. Not a threatening gesture, but one of fierce need. He whispered to her, his voice deep and alluring, the words soothing, sensual, and in some foreign language she somehow understood.
He kissed her and fire rushed through Ami’s body. Her fingers splayed over his chest. Warm skin, stretched taut over powerful muscle, sent her every nerve ending on alert. She knew instinctively that he could kill her in an instant, but instead he was making her come. Her loins ached from his masterful touch. Pleasure cascaded over her as his lips tasted, teased, and his hands skimmed her body. His long, dark hair brushed against her skin like a medieval warrior’s. And his eyes were even darker…almost bottomless, but deeply sensual and alluring. She wanted nothing but to be with him…forever.
Ami jerked awake. For a moment time and place escaped her. Her skin was hot and damp with sweat, her heart pounding in sync with her ragged breaths. The lavender sheets were tangled around and beneath her. Her feminine muscles throbbed with the receding waves of orgasm. She reached out to find the other side of the bed cold and empty. She turned her head and stared at the pillow next to hers, confirming the lack of a warm body beside her. Robert had left for the office without waking her. She frowned. That was odd, he always—
A cry pierced the morning silence.
Nicholas.
Ami sat straight up and peered at the digital clock on the bedside table—6:15 a.m. Damn. She was late. Nicholas cried out again.
She bounded out of bed and rushed down the hall to her baby’s room. He stood at the foot of his crib, his face flushed from crying, huge tears flowing down his cheeks. Ami lifted him into her arms. He was wet and hungry and she’d overslept.Damn.
“Oh, baby, Mommy’s sorry,” she cooed. “Let’s get this diaper changed and we’ll get you some breakfast. Okay?” She tapped his nose and a smile finally peeked past the tears. “That’s better,” she murmured, happiness blooming in her chest. Late or not, holding her son always put her in a good mood.
“Good morning!”
Ami’s good mood drooped like a summer flower after an early frost at the sound of Mrs. Perry’s greeting. She didn’t want the epitome of punctuality to know she’d overslept and would still be sleeping if Nicholas hadn’t cried out or the dream hadn’t been so…
She shook off the lingering sensations of the too vivid dream. She’d analyze that later. Right now she had to get her baby fed, both of them dressed, and herself off to work.
“Oh, my, you aren’t dressed.”
Ami looked up to find Mrs. Perry in the doorway. “I overslept,” she said lamely. God, why did she have to sound so guilty? It wasn’t her fault she’d dreamed of making love with some raven-haired stranger. Nicholas’s dark features nagged at her as if she should remember something. Was she dreaming of his father? Could the man be an actual memory slipping through the wall her mind had erected between her and her past? Or was it just that, a dream?
“Here, I’ll take him. You’d better get dressed.”
Before Ami could protest, Mrs. Perry had taken Nicholas and headed to the changing table. Ami started to snatch him back and to tell the woman that she was capable of caring for her own child, but common sense prevailed. She was late. She should get dressed and get going. Mrs. Perry had done the right thing. As always.
But Ami didn’t have to like it.
UNBELIEVABLYAmi arrived at work ten minutes before her scheduled shift began. She grabbed a cup of coffee from the nurse’s lounge and headed for the bank of elevators. According to Jane, Mr. Olment had been moved from ICU to a room on the fourth floor late last night since he was stable and they needed his bed. Apparently the full moon had caused two major pileups, both with serious injuries. Jane had ended up working the entire second shift last night. The dark smudges under her eyes this morning told the tale of how little sleep she’d gotten after going home. Pulling a double shift in the ER was just plain dumb, not to mention against hospital policy. But sometimes it just couldn’t be avoided. And the extra money would buy school clothes for Jane’s kids.
Ami stabbed the elevator call button. She knew it was foolish, but she had to know. She had to see if the man would react the same way now that his condition had stabilized.
Robert would tell her that she was feeding her own paranoia by going to the man’s room or even allowing herself to continue thinking about him. But she simply had to know. She would never stop playing that awful scene over and over in her head until she reconciled herself to the fact that it was, as Robert had said, trauma-induced hallucinations and nothing more.
On the fourth floor the three nurses at the station were busily preparing for their shift to end. Ami was relieved to see Kathi Stevens on duty. She knew Kathi from a CPR recertification course they’d taken together a few months ago. Kathi had a daughter about the same age as Nicholas.
“Good morning, ladies. Did you have a good shift last night?” Ami propped on the counter and sipped her coffee.
Kathi smiled and winked. “Oh, we had a glorious night. We always do when there’s a full moon.”
A heavyset lady Ami knew only as Ginny, glowered at Kathi and then at Ami. “It was the shift from hell.”
Ami took another sip of coffee to prevent a giggle. “That bad, huh?”
The youngest of the three, a new girl Ami had never met, piped up next. “The man in four-twelve ranted the entire first half of the shift.” She shook her head ruefully. “It must be really frightening to be in a foreign country and in the hospital.”
Mr. Olment, Ami presumed.
Kathi lifted a brow at the girl’s naiveté. “I would think the frightening part was when someone was shooting at him.”
The girl blushed. “Well, you know what I mean.”
