The Princess Has Amnesia! (Crown & Glory Book 5)

by Patricia Thayer

  He raised his gaze. “You like that?”

  “Oh, yes,” she sighed.

  He gave attention to the other breast, causing her to shiver with need. “Please…don’t stop.”

  He continued his assault as he came back to her mouth. “You taste so damn good, chère. You cause a craving deep inside me.”

  His words made her daring. “Then why deny yourself.” She leaned forward and offered him her mouth.

  He gave her a brazen grin and pulled her against him and began slowly rotating his chest against her breasts, causing a sweet abrasion, and sending tingles through her. Making her want…making her need more.

  “Jake, please…”

  “Please what?” he asked, taking teasing bites along her lower lips. “You want more of this?” His lips closed over hers in a heated kiss, then all too soon he released her. “Or this?” His mouth lowered to her breast and sucked the sensitive bud until she cried out.

  Suddenly he pulled away. That was when Ana finally heard Max whining and scratching at the cabin door.

  Gripping the counter, Jake pulled himself out of the tub as water splashed over the sides and onto the floor. Unashamed, Ana’s eyes traveled over the magnificently built man standing before her. Seeing the evidence of his desire, she suddenly lost her ability to breathe. Her heart wasn’t doing very well either, skipping several beats before it began drumming in her chest. Then her eyes locked with his intense gaze as he reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He leaned down to her and whispered, “Don’t move, chère. I need to check on Max.”

  As if she could. She only nodded.

  Jake turned and walked to the door. “What is it boy? You hear something?” Max made another whimpering sound and Jake opened the door and followed the dog onto the porch.

  A few minutes later, he reappeared along with the dog. “Damn, it’s cold out there.” He shut the door.

  She tried to gather her composure. “What was out there?”

  Ana swallowed, gripping hold of her shirt.

  He didn’t look at her, just walked to the fire and added more wood.

  “Jake…”

  “No one, Ana. You should go to bed.”

  He was dismissing her. “Jake, what about what happened between us?”

  “Was wrong. It should have never started.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “It’s what we both want.”

  He stood and came to her, but didn’t touch her. Instead he raked his dark hair away from his face.

  “I learned a long time ago,” he began. “We can’t always have what we want. When I take you back home, I don’t want to have to face your family and know that I took advantage of the situation. You’re still confused, Ana, and I’m here and handy for you.” He touched her face. “But mostly, I don’t want you to regret anything that happened between us.” His voice lowered. “I couldn’t stand that.” With that, he walked to the bedroom and closed the door.

  Ana sank down on the floor, more alone than ever. Everyone else seemed to know who she was and what was good for her.

  All she knew was she was going to lose Jake. Not because he didn’t care about her, but because he wanted nothing to do with a princess.

  Chapter Nine

  Jake shielded his eyes from the sun. Sun?

  He raised up on the couch and stared out the window facing east at the bright morning light. He knew the rain had stopped some time during the night because he’d been awake for most of it. But he’d never expected the sunlight this morning.

  He tossed aside the blanket, stood, reached for his shirt and slipped it on. He crossed the room in his bare feet, opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Looking up at the sky, he found lots of blue and a few billowy clouds mixed in. He turned his attention to the ground. There were still puddles, and mud but all in all, it didn’t seem too bad.

  “Looks pretty good, huh?” He glanced down at Max, who’d followed him out. “A couple days like this one and we could get the truck going and take Ana out of here.”

  With a forlorn look, the dog started to whine. “Sorry, fella, she’s going home…where she belongs.”

  Jake was going to miss her, too, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it. He thought back to last night, remembering how good she felt in his arms. How sweet she tasted…how badly he wanted her. His body stirred to life, confirming his desire. But from the start it wasn’t meant to be; Ana was going to leave. She had to. She didn’t belong here—her life was somewhere else.

  Did he belong here anymore? Did he really want to stay here…without Ana. He needed to figure out what his plans for the future were going to be.

  Over the past two weeks, so much had changed. Ever since one beautiful, stubborn woman had dropped into his life, invaded his space, his thoughts, he’d found himself dreaming about things he never thought he wanted.

  Never before had he even considered sharing his life with anyone. Until Ana. She made him painfully aware of everything he’d missed in his solitary life. The closeness, the sharing…the love.

  The past two nights, he’d nearly given in to her, but he’d guessed Ana was inexperienced, probably had never been with a man. Yet she’d been willing to give that precious gift to him. That humbled him. No one had ever cared that much. Even if he’d had foolish thoughts about starting something, that all had gotten nixed when he discovered she was a princess. Talk about throwing cold water on a blazing fire….

  He had to push aside any hopes he might have because there could be only one option now. To keep Anastasia Penwyck safe and find her a fast exit off the mountain. That wasn’t going to be easy. They’d been here nearly two weeks and with the discovery of the diamonds, Jake knew they were in danger. Someone was going to come. He only hoped it was someone from the Penwyck government and not the Black Knights.

  Ana didn’t want to get out of bed. The rain had stopped. She would be leaving soon. So why wasn’t she happy? She probably had a good life on Penwyck. After all, she was a princess. She was more than likely spoiled and had gotten everything her heart desired. None of that mattered to her now. As far as she was concerned, her life had begun the moment Jake Sanderstone found her.

  Now, she had to leave him.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Go away,” she called. After last night, Jake Sanderstone was the last person she wanted to see this morning or any morning.

  He felt differently. The door swung open and Ana felt her heart race. He was dressed in his usual attire, faded jeans and a flannel shirt. There was a small nick on his clean shaven jaw.

  “Are you ever planning on getting up?” he asked.

  “Why? Do I have some pressing engagement?” she grumbled and rolled over. She didn’t want him to see that she’d been crying over his rejection. Pity was one thing she didn’t need today.

  Suddenly the blanket was yanked off her, leaving a lot of her exposed to him. The shirt she’d slept in had ridden up her legs during her restless night.

  Under the heat from his intense scrutiny, she fought the urge to squirm. “If you were a gentleman you wouldn’t stare.” She jerked down the shirttail and got some satisfaction from seeing the longing in his eyes.

  “After last night, there isn’t much either one of us hasn’t seen.”

  She felt the heat rise to her face.

  “Besides, who ever said I was a gentleman?” He drew a breath and released it slowly. “And although you are tempting, chère, I have something else in mind, so you might want to get some clothes on.”

  “Why? Are you taking me fishing again?”

  “We could do that, but I thought you might like to go riding.”

  She sat up. “Riding. Horseback riding? You’re really going to take me?”

  He shrugged. “Well, yes, I thought you might like to go with me, but if you’d rather sleep…” He turned and headed for the door.

  “Wait!” Ana scrambled off the bed and rushed to the door before him, to block his way ou
t. “You can’t leave me here.”

  “Says who?”

  “Me. I’m a princess…I outrank you.” She drew herself up straighter. “And I command you to take me with you.”

  He folded his arms over his chest, but his mouth twitched. “Oh, really?”

  She nodded, having trouble looking into his beautiful black eyes. “Yes.”

  “I’m not a citizen of Penwyck so you have no authority over me.”

  “Well, ah…as soon as you return me to my country the people will be so grateful to you, they’ll…they’ll probably make you an honorary citizen.”

  “What if I don’t want to accept?”

  “Oh, but it’s such an honor. How could you not?”

  He studied her. “You really want to go riding don’t you?”

  She nodded enthusiastically.

  He sighed. “I’ll take you. But there are conditions.”

  “Anything.”

  “We wait until afternoon so the sun can dry the ground. The terrain is still pretty unstable, but Toby and Maisie are used to this area. In the meantime you can help me muck out the stalls.”

  She gave him her most endearing smile. “I’d love to. Just allow me a few minutes to dress.”

  Jake didn’t want her dressed, not when there were so many things they could do naked. Slow down, he warned himself, recalling last night and his out of control hormones. No more close calls with this woman, only light and friendly today.

  “You have time,” he told her. “I meant it when I said we’re not going far. But I think we both would feel better doing something besides hanging around the cabin.”

  She hesitated. “I take it the road down the mountain still isn’t safe to travel.”

  He nodded. “I don’t want to chance us getting stuck. If the weather holds, maybe tomorrow.”

  She lowered her head. “Do you think someone will come up after the diamonds?”

  Jake saw her fear and wanted so badly to comfort her. “The chances are slim unless they know the area and have packed mules. Besides, it will be hard to find us. There’s a lot of rugged terrain to cover. Now that the weather has cleared, they’ll come looking for what they lost. Greed makes people do desperate things. But remember, Princess, a rescue team from Penwyck is searching for you, too. And I won’t let anything happen to you, Ana.” He hoped he didn’t have to prove that.

  “I’m not worried, Jake.” She smiled, then opened the door. “Now, leave so I can dress.” She shoved him out.

  He grinned. “You sure are a pushy broad,” he teased. Their time together was coming to an end. Today was it. Then Ana would be gone. And he wouldn’t have anything to smile about.

  Just like before she came.

  Ana was tentative as she took Maisie through a few simple commands. Not having ridden the horse before, she wanted to make sure they understood and trusted each other. It didn’t take long to learn the animal was gentle and surefooted.

  Heading out on the trail, Ana couldn’t help but look up at the sky, the sun felt warm and comforting against her face. She didn’t need a jacket, but Jake insisted she wear a flannel over her T-shirt. She had on a pair of his jeans, far too big for her. Luckily he had a slim waist and with the aid of his belt, she managed to keep them up. Ahead of her Jake was on Toby. He wasn’t what you’d call a natural horseman, but still looked good sitting in the saddle. His posture was erect, his arms relaxed and he had a good seat.

  How did she know of these things? Suddenly more knowledge of horses started popping into her mind. Then the picture of children leaning against a paddock fence, cheering her as she rode around. She was seated on the back of a beautiful chestnut roan with a black mane and tail. Fair Lady! The horse’s name was Fair Lady.

  She gasped. Oh, Lord. Lady was her horse. She tried to hold back her panic as she waited for more images. And slowly more came to her. Recognition hit her hard. Along with the children there was a man. He was handsome, with wavy blond hair and kind blue eyes that always held a smile. Rory.

  At one time she wanted his love. That youthful infatuation had quickly turned to friendship. Now he was dead.

  “Ana, what’s wrong?” Jake asked.

  “I remembered…I remembered more about Rory. Not only was he my friend, he used to go riding with me.” More tears flooded her eyes.

  Jake climbed off his horse. He came to her and helped her down. “It’s okay, Ana. It’s okay.”

  “You were right,” she said, blinking. “I did love him. He was my bodyguard for the past three years. He’d been assigned to me just after I returned home from college.” She tried to laugh. “I developed this awful crush on him. I don’t know how he put up with it. But Rory never made fun of me, just sternly told me one day that we would be friends—good friends, but nothing more.” She laid her head against Jake’s chest, needing his strength and warmth. “And we were best friends. Oh, God, he’s dead. What am I going to do?”

  Jake knew it was terrible to feel jealous over a dead man. But Rory had known Ana for three years. They’d shared so much together. All he’d had was two weeks. “What else do you remember?”

  “His smile,” she told him. “His kindness. He loved children.”

  “What children?”

  “The children at the orphanage. One day Rory asked me to go with him for a visit, then he convinced me how nice it would be if the kids could learn to ride.” Ana raised her head and looked at Jake. “I remember helping him build a training paddock so we would have a place for the lessons.”

  “That was a pretty nice thing for you to do.”

  “Rory could talk me into anything. Besides, he’d been raised in an orphanage so he knew how much these kids needed people to care.” She shrugged. “I was only helping out. Oh, Jake, what are they going to do without him?”

  “They still have you. When you get back, you’re going to help them through it. That’s why you have to return home.”

  She nodded. “There are still so many missing pieces to my life.”

  “Do you remember why you were flying to London?”

  She closed her eyes, then a moment later she smiled at being able to remember. “Just what was written in my calendar book, to see the orthopedic surgeon, a Dr. Thor Havenfield. I was going to convince him to see a child at Marlestone House. Catherine. She was six years old and crippled, in the same automobile accident that killed her parents.” Ana’s eyes grew wide. “Isn’t it amazing that I can remember some things but not others.”

  “Ana, those other memories will come to you.”

  “Why can’t I remember my parents, my sister and brothers?” She shook her head. “Instead I remember my horse.” Maisie suddenly gave her a nudge in the back, nearly pushing them over.

  “Looks like someone is jealous,” Jake said.

  Ana turned around and stroked the animal’s muzzle and murmured soft words of reassurance.

  If you don’t feel up to riding, we can return to the cabin,” Jake said.

  “Not on your life. You promised me a ride…and lunch.”

  He shook his head. “I never met a woman so set on eating,” he teased.

  Ana sighed. “I think the fresh air is helping me remember. I love being outside.”

  “I think it agrees with you, too.” Jake touched her face, resisting the urge to kiss her. “You have color in your cheeks.” He then picked up Maisie’s reins and handed them to her.

  He took Toby’s and they continued along the trail edged by huge pines. Sun filtered through the tree’s branches, casting a dapple light over the rocky hills. The long, wet grass dampened the bottoms of their jeans as they strolled toward the rise and looked out over the lush meadow below. The sky was so blue that it seemed to go on forever.

  Ana didn’t want to think about what was on the other side. She would forever be haunted by the tragedy of the crash and the good friend she’d lost. Today, she wanted to concentrate on making happy memories of her brief time here with the man she had come to love.


  “They call Wales a walking paradise,” Jake said. “In this area the trails aren’t that easy to maneuver on foot, but the scenery is some of the most beautiful in the world.”

  They moved a few yards away and Jake took a canvas sheet from his pack and spread it on the ground to protect them from the dampness. Then he placed a blanket over that and set out their lunch: some of Ana’s biscuits from last night’s dinner and a couple of cans of tuna. They sat and ate in silence, just enjoying the view and being outdoors with each other.

  Ana was the one who spoke first. “I wish I could remember more about my life before I return to Penwyck.”

  “When you see your family, it’s bound to trigger something.”

  “What if it doesn’t, Jake?” she asked. “What if I go with these people and never remember who I am?” She looked at him. “I know I’ve been a lot of trouble for you, but can’t you just let me stay a few more days?”

  Ana was trouble all right, but not in the way she thought. Jake hated to see her hurting, but he had to send her away. It would be for her own safety.

  “Ana, it’s not a good idea. No doubt, you have an entire country searching for you. Do you really want to keep your family worrying and wondering if you’re dead or alive?”

  She shook her head and bit down on her lip. “I shouldn’t have asked. You’re right of course. And besides you don’t need me hanging around, eating up all your food, sleeping in your bed.”

  He shrugged. “Food is not the problem, chère.”

  “If I hadn’t come along and taken so many of your supplies…”

  He pulled her into a rough embrace, making her look at him. “Dammit, Ana. Don’t you know that I don’t care about the stupid food. You being here with me these past two weeks was the only thing that mattered to me….” He paused as his grip tightened on her.

  She put her arms around his waist and held him. They both knew their time together was about over. She would go on with her life, he would go on with his, but nothing would ever be the same.

  “Are you trying to tell me you’re going to miss me?” she asked.