by Erika Wilde
He remained by her bedside until her breathing grew deep and he knew she’d fallen asleep before leaving her room. He stopped at the nurses’ station, flashed his PI badge and gave them adamant orders that other than personnel, no one was to go into her room without someone calling and asking him first.
He wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.
* * *
Hands on his hips, Noah glanced around what had once been his masculine bathroom, but now shared space with Natalie’s feminine toiletries, and knew his cherished bachelorhood as he’d once known it was over—at least temporarily. The thought of trading in meaningless flings for a day-to-day intimacy with a woman didn’t bother him as much as it should have, though—because it was Natalie, a woman he’d been chasing for so long. A woman who intrigued him and evoked the kind of emotions that, with other women, had sent him running in the other direction, but with her seemed so perfectly, inexplicably right.
At the moment, he refused to analyze his changing emotions, because he had a job to do and his feelings for Natalie couldn’t get in the way of higher priorities, like keeping her safe and protected. Once she regained her memory and was no longer in danger, then they’d focus on them.
He headed back into his bedroom, made room in his closet for her stuff, and finished putting away the clothes he’d taken from her apartment. While going through her belongings, he’d learned that she favored jeans and sweats, loose shirts, and bulky sweaters. There wasn’t a sexy outfit to be had in all of her attire, or the kind of clingy, flattering clothes most women with her kind of figure would have worn. It was as if she’d sought to hide her assets, rather than accentuate them.
That had been an interesting eye-opener, and he’d found the rest of her small studio apartment equally revealing. Instead of the warmth and intimacy he’d expected to find upon entering, the accommodations she called home had felt cold, sparse, and lonely. Her apartment was a compact place where she slept, ate meals, and studied, as indicated by the pile of books stacked on a corner table near the only window in the room. There was nothing to indicate she led anything more than a quiet, solitary life.
The apartment had been filled with only the bare living necessities—a box spring and mattress in the combo bedroom-living room, along with a nightstand and dresser drawers that were old and scarred and didn’t even match. An older model TV sat on a plastic crate, and her small dining table was flanked by two wooden chairs. Even her cupboards and refrigerator only held a few staple items.
He’d gotten the distinct impression that she could get up and go at a moment’s notice and not miss anything she left behind. There was nothing permanent to indicate she’d settled down for good in Oakland. Her belongings were meager, and he hadn’t found anything to disclose who she was beyond what he already knew.
He’d even gone so far as to search drawers, hoping to find some kernel of information to help him better understand what had frightened her, but the only intriguing tidbit he’d discovered was an outdated woman’s magazine she’d subscribed to with her name and a Reno, Nevada, address on the mailing label. He’d confiscated the item to help him find out about the life she’d led before moving to Northern California.
He emptied the final bag of clothes onto his bed to sort, and her intimate apparel tumbled out. He grinned as he picked up her underwear and rubbed the smooth fabric between his fingers, then inhaled the clean, powdery scent of fabric softener. He’d been surprised to find that she favored simple cotton panties when she had a body made for “barely there” lingerie, but she’d allowed a hint of femininity in the strip of lace around the waistband. Her bras were plain, unadorned covering for her beautiful breasts.
There was nothing overtly sexy about any of her undergarments, and he’d no doubt seen racier, more provocative stuff in his years, but there was something about her no-frill approach that did it for him in a major way, if the raging hard-on straining against his jeans was any indication. Natalie was all woman, and she didn’t need silk and lace to emphasize her attributes.
She was also a woman with deeply buried secrets, and he planned to discover what she’d been hiding.
Stuffing her panties and bras into a drawer he’d cleared for her, he also mixed a few articles of her clothing into his hamper just for good measure. Her college textbooks were now on his kitchen table, and he’d set a couple of the novels he’d found at her place on his bookshelf.
Satisfied that his two-story house looked as though a woman lived there as well, Noah took a quick shower, shaved, and made a quick call to Bobby and Cole to update them on Natalie’s status and to remind them to play along with his cover of being her fiancé for the time being. He returned to the hospital with a fresh pair of her sweats, socks, underwear, and her well-worn Converse to change into.
When he entered her room, Natalie was up and talking to the doctor, and when she saw him, she graced him with a smile that quickened his pulse and made him feel like a teenager with a bad case of infatuation.
“Hi,” she said, and motioned him over to her bed, her expression reflecting excitement. Once he was there, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Good news. The doctor is going to release me today.”
He noticed that the IV had been taken off, and she was no longer hooked to the other monitors in the room. “That’s great.”
The doctor jotted a note on her chart, then glanced at Noah pointedly. “She needs to take it easy for the next few days and get plenty of rest.”
“Not a problem.” He set her clothes on the side table, right next to a huge floral bouquet that must have arrived in his absence, then grinned down at Natalie. “I’ll make sure she gets all the TLC she needs.”
“Very good, then.” The older man nodded his approval and slipped his pen back into his lab coat pocket. “She can change and get ready to leave, and I’ll have the nurse bring in her discharge papers.”
The doctor exited the room, and Noah returned his attention to the gorgeous floral arrangement scenting the room, curious to know who had sent them. “Nice flowers,” he commented, hoping his voice didn’t reveal the tinge of jealousy he felt. Hoping, too, that she’d reveal their origin.
“Yes, they are beautiful.” She reached out and fingered a pink rose petal, then met his gaze, her features softening with adoration. “Thank you for sending them. That was incredibly sweet of you, and the sentiment was very reassuring.”
He swallowed not only his surprise, but the words of denial that immediately sprang to his lips. Whatever sentiment was written on the card attached to the bouquet had given her the impression that he’d bought the flowers for her, and his fingers itched to pluck the envelope from the center of the arrangement and read the attached note for himself.
Schooling his expression and summoning restraint and a grin, he played along with the scenario. “You’re welcome.”
With a long, lingering sigh, she sat up in bed and carefully swung her legs over the side of the mattress. “Well, I guess I’d better get dressed so you can spring me out of this joint.”
He helped her stand with his hand encircling her arm, waited to make sure she was steady on her feet, then handed her the clothes he’d brought for her. He watched as she headed toward the small bathroom, and nearly groaned at the sweet, delectable view he caught sight of.
Trying to preserve a bit of modesty, one of her hands clutched at the open folds at the back of her hospital gown to hold them closed. While she did a decent job of covering herself, he was still treated to tantalizing glimpses of the rounded curves of her ass that gave way to her slender, smooth thighs.
Once she disappeared behind the closed door, he inhaled a deep, steady breath that did little to ease the tightening in his dick, and focused his attention back on the floral arrangement. Knowing he only had minutes before Natalie returned, he removed the envelope, withdrew the florist card within and read the note someone had written specifically for her.
You’ll always be mine.
B
rief and succinct, that’s all the inscription said, with no name or signature to go with the very personal, possessive comment. Unease prickled through Noah, along with a healthy dose of fury that someone would prey upon Natalie so brazenly. And just how far was this crazed lunatic willing to go to stalk her?
The answer to his own question upped his inner rage a few notches and instigated another fierce surge of protectiveness toward Natalie.
Thank God she believed that he’d sent the flowers, and he didn’t intend to correct her assumption. He supposed in her frame of mind she’d taken the remark to mean that Noah still considered her his, despite the accident and amnesia. She’d taken the note as a reassurance and had no idea just how threatening those words were.
Whoever had been following her last night knew that she was in this hospital and was keeping tabs on her, which was a scary prospect. Noah was grateful that patient information was privileged and wasn’t given out to just anyone, because Natalie’s amnesia was something someone with sinister intent would no doubt use to his advantage.
Taking his cellphone from his front pocket, he took a photo of the envelope the card had been tucked inside, which gave him the name, address, and phone number of the florist who’d delivered the arrangement. Another piece of evidence he planned to follow up on later. He hoped he’d be able to learn the identity of the sender through the shop and hunt him down from there.
If this creep wanted to play cat and mouse with Natalie, then Noah would be the Doberman pinscher in the scenario, because he was determined to catch this guy before he caught Natalie.
CHAPTER SIX
Sitting across from Noah in a small, cozy kitchen nook, Natalie reached for her second slice of pepperoni-and-cheese pizza, still absorbing the fact that she and Noah lived together in his two-story house.
So far she’d only seen the lower level, and she had to admit not only to herself, but to Noah as well, that nothing looked familiar. Not the leather sofa and big-screen TV in the living room, nor the kitchen where she was certain they’d eaten many meals together. She’d racked her brain for a niggle of recognition and hadn’t been aware of the distressed sound that had escaped her until Noah had gathered her in his strong arms and told her to be patient and give it time.
His closeness, warmth, and arousing male scent was all it took to soothe her frazzled nerves. She’d clung to him because he made her feel safe and secure, and as though she belonged in his embrace. In his life. From there, she’d relaxed and told herself to enjoy the man so willing to cater to her every whim and desire. A man who inspired decadent fantasies and a hunger that had nothing to do with the food she was feasting on.
Natalie took a bite of her pizza and moaned her appreciation of the delicious, savory taste filling her mouth. True to his word, Noah had ordered a large pizza for her as soon as they’d arrived at his house, and compared to the bland breakfast and lunch she’d been served at the hospital, the delicacy was like ambrosia to her taste buds and she couldn’t seem to get enough.
Noah grinned at her as he washed down a bite of his own pizza with a drink from his bottle of cold beer. “I take it your stomach is happy?”
Surprisingly, she felt happy, despite every reason she had to feel uncertain. “Very,” she said, and darted her tongue out to catch a string of cheese from the corner of her mouth. His dark, lazy gaze watched the slow slide of her tongue, setting off a fluttering sensation in the pit of her belly. “The flavor is better than I remember.”
He chuckled, a low, pleasant rumbling sound. “You’re very easy to please.”
Before she could stop herself, she slanted him a flirtatious glance and asked seductively, “Am I?”
Slowly, he sucked smears of sauce from his fingers. “Yeah, you are.” Sexual connotation deepened his sexy voice, and a naughty twinkle glimmered in his eyes.
A smoldering heat flared through her, a sensation she didn’t bother to fight. “You’re a tease.”
The corner of his mouth hitched with a wicked grin, and a sable brow lifted with amusement. “You started this, sweetheart, not me.”
Unable to argue, she ducked her head and brought up an issue on her mind. “Noah, I’ve been meaning to ask…since we’re engaged, how come I don’t have a ring?” It seemed like such a forward question, but one that had become necessary in order for her to fill in more blank memories. “Or is it with my personal belongings from the hospital?”
He shook his head and took a long drink of his beer before answering. “No, you don’t have an engagement ring. We’d talked about going to pick one out together, but that was before the accident.”
She smiled, accepting his answer without questioning him further because it made so much sense, and they finished their dinner with a keen awareness swirling in the air between them. The more she was around Noah, the more she wanted him, with an intensity that kept growing stronger, and more insistent. And if she couldn’t remember being with him intimately, then she wanted new memories to replace the ones she’d lost. That much she knew for certain.
Standing, Noah tossed their empty paper plates into the trash and cleared the table, putting the leftover pizza into the refrigerator. He came back with a glass of water and two white pills.
“Here’s some Motrin to help keep your headache away.” He gently brushed a finger across her cheek, then urged her to take the tablets. Once she’d swallowed both of them, he asked, “Can I get you anything else?”
A loaded question, and one she handled with restraint. “I’d love a long, hot bath.”
He swept into a gallant bow that made her smile. “Your wish is my command.”
As she stared up into his gorgeous face, she wondered if she requested her true heart’s desire at the moment if he’d obey and take her right there in the kitchen. On the table, on the floor, up against the wall, she didn’t care, just so long as she felt his need for her in return. The naughty, scintillating thought tantalized her, teased her, and caused a pulsing knot of anticipation to pull tight in her stomach, and lower.
He grabbed her hand, led her upstairs, and she followed him into a large, spacious room decorated in navy-and-beige tones and furnished in dark oak. A king-size bed dominated the area, covered by a soft, rumpled comforter in a masculine design. She tried to remember making love to Noah there. While she couldn’t recall specific memories, her mind had no problem conjuring images of their naked limbs entwined and Noah’s strong body moving over hers, filling her, thrusting hard and deep as she arched beneath him.
The mental image was so realistic her panties grew damp, and much to her chagrin a whimpering sound caught in her throat.
Noah glanced at her, concerned. “Hey, you okay?”
If he only knew the truth…that around him she couldn’t get sex off her mind. Had this man always had such an instantaneous effect on her libido? If so, she was in big, big trouble because she didn’t know how long she could resist the urge to give in to the provocative fantasy that had just filtered through her head.
“I’m fine.” Her voice was husky.
“Okay.” He stared at her a moment longer through narrowed eyes, as if to make sure she was truly stable. “Go ahead and get yourself something to sleep in, and I’ll run you a hot bath.” He slipped through an adjoining door, leaving her alone. Seconds later she heard the rush of running water.
She released a deep breath that did little to ease the throbbing ache in intimate places. No, she didn’t think anything would be able to relieve that shameless, reckless longing except for Noah’s touch.
Feeling a bit lost, and not certain where to start her search, she began opening dresser drawers. The first one was filled with his socks and boxer briefs, the second with his white undershirts. Peeking from beneath the cotton shirts was a glint of steel, and upon closer inspection she was shocked to find a gun in a leather holster. She frowned, wondering why he had such a lethal weapon stashed in his drawer.
“Is something wrong, Natalie?”
She jumped a
t the sound of his voice, so close. She’d been so absorbed by the revolver that she hadn’t heard him come up beside her. She looked up at him. “You have a gun?”
“I’m a PI, sweetheart,” he said simply, gently. “Owning a gun is part of the job. I have a conceal carry permit for it.”
A very logical explanation. She shook her head. “Of course. I just don’t remember you carrying one.” The story of her life, lately. She wondered if she’d ever get used to the various voids in her memory.
“I wear it pretty much on a daily basis, and I took it off when we got home. But right now it’s not loaded, though the clip is right there beside it.” He shut the drawer and opened the one below it. “Your stuff is right here.”
“Thank you.” She pulled out a fresh pair of undies, hopelessly frustrated that he knew right where her things were located while she was floundering just to find her panties.
Walking over to the closet, he grabbed a long chemise hanging from the back of the door. “And here’s your nightgown.”
“Are you sure I don’t wear one of your shirts to bed?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a hidden request. She wanted to feel as close as possible to him, even while sleeping. A security blanket of sorts, no matter how silly it seemed.
He stopped in his tracks, her cotton gown fisted in his hand, his entire body tense. “Would you like to?”
He’d answered her question with one of his own, which didn’t tell her what she wanted to know. Hell, maybe she slept in the nude and he was just trying to preserve her modesty until she felt better.
It wasn’t necessary. “I’d love to sleep in one of your shirts, as long as you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Back at the dresser, he withdrew an extra-large white T-shirt and gave it to her, his movements quick and efficient. He disappeared back into the bathroom, turned off the water and returned seconds later. “The tub is full and waiting for you. Can you handle things from here, or do you need help?”
