Remember Me

by Jo-Anna Walker

  Kane Stohl stared down at him. Brett’s beast of a bouncer was normally a nice guy, but piss him off and you’d get a mouthful of cement.

  The bouncer’s eyes narrowed. “Garrith, I like you, my man, but right now you need to back the fuck off of this bottle before I put my fist through your head.”

  It took a lot for Garrith to be nervous about a guy but Kane was huge. As he was well over six-four and two hundred and fifty pounds, even Garrith had to admit the guy shook him. “Kane, I’m sorry. I lost my head.”

  Kane’s pale blue eyes softened and he clapped a hand on Garrith’s shoulder. That’s one thing he liked about the guy. He didn’t call him a pussy for admitting defeat.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen?”

  Garrith and Kane both turned to the sound of a deeply accented voice. A large man dressed in a tailored suit with slicked back jet-black hair gave them a tight smile.

  “Can I help you?” Kane asked.

  The man’s smile widened but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yes, I’m—”

  “Looking for someone,” Brett finished for him as he walked up.

  The man turned to him. “Yes. I see you got the message. Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

  Brett raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond, waiting for him to continue.

  The man’s eyes darkened, the air crackling around him. Garrith had seen men like him before while on the job. Men who reigned power and control. Took what they wanted when they wanted it and didn’t care who they had to go through to get it. Most of those guys worked for someone; not this guy. He worked on his own. Garrith would bet his house on it.

  “I’m looking for Lucas Crane. I heard that he may have stopped by,” the man explained.

  Garrith and Brett looked at each other and then back at the man.

  “Who the hell is Lucas Crane?” Brett asked.

  The guy sneered. “An old friend. I take it you haven’t seen him?”

  Brett leaned against the bar top. “Even if I had, why the fuck would I tell you?”

  “It would be very wise of you to tell me if you have seen him,” the man said, his voice lowering.

  Kane stepped up beside Garrith, tension rolling around the four of them.

  “Are you threatening me, asshole?” Brett took a step towards the guy, who didn’t flinch.

  “No. I’m not threatening you. I don’t threaten small-time business owners. If I wanted something from you, I would just take it.” His voice was calm and collected and it made Garrith’s skin crawl.

  Brett’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know who this Lucas guy is.”

  The man placed a card on the bar top and looked at Garrith. “I know you can find out where he is, so you might want to get on that. If you find out anything, here’s my number.” The guy turned around and left.

  Garrith picked up the card. Gold letters spelled out Mathis Verlinden, Business Owner. Business owner. Yeah. Right. Garrith thought a moment. Something tugged at him. For some reason that name sounded very familiar; how the hell did he know that Garrith could find out who this Lucas guy was?

  Brett rubbed a hand down his face. “This is fu—”

  A loud bang erupted through the club as the electricity shut off, leaving everyone standing in a sea of black. People screamed, yelled, and shuffled as they tried to leave the club.

  “Shit!” Brett shouted just as the generators kicked in.

  Garrith’s first thoughts went to Keisha. Where was she? “Brett, where’s your sister?”

  Brett pulled out his phone and glanced at Garrith. “She went out the back way.”

  Garrith let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she was safe.

  Kane and Garrith got the customers out of the club safely as Brett called his electrician. Luckily no one was hurt. Just a couple of bruises here and there. People were mostly scared. A club losing power, especially one with an anal retentive owner like Brett MacLean was not normal… Garrith frowned and thought a moment. “Mathis.”

  “What?” Kane asked as they got the last couple of people out of the club.

  Garrith glanced at him, realizing that he accidentally spoke out loud. “Nothing.” Garrith would keep his suspicions to himself first but he knew that Mathis would be back.

  Garrith started to clean up around the bar, needing a distraction, when a commotion came from the hall.

  “Garrith, Keisha…she’s…” Evvie cried, running towards him frantically.

  His stomach dropped. “What?”

  Evvie placed her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths. Looking up at him, her gaze was wild. “Fire.”

  ***

  Before leaving the club, Keisha headed to the washroom. There was no point hurrying back to the apartment when she would just be alone anyway. She couldn’t believe that Garrith still wouldn’t talk to her. It was like he was scared of her or something. She tried. Oh, God, did she ever try. Please help me remember him.

  Hot tears burned her eyelids as she gripped the bathroom sink. She glanced at her reflection and almost burst out laughing. Her brown curly hair was a mess and her green eyes, usually bright, were sad. She would be sad until she could get through to Garrith.

  Keisha sighed deeply and was washing her hands when the power went out, making her scream. Her heart raced and she bolted to the door. A strong burning smell invaded her nostrils and lungs, making her choke. She opened the door and headed down the hall to the exit, but when she pushed on the heavy door, it wouldn’t budge.

  Keisha heard screaming and yelling from the club area and she was sure that Brett was trying to get everyone out safely. As she headed into the storage room to get something to open the exit, the door slammed shut behind her. “Hey!” She wiggled the handle but it wouldn’t budge, so she banged on the door. “Somebody let me out!”

  A bang erupted in the room and Keisha’s eyes widened as flames started spewing out of the generator. Oh God, this is it. I’m going to be burned alive.

  She turned back around and banged on the door harder, screaming with everything in her. Smoke surrounded her, choking her, burning her lungs and her throat. Please, God! After everything she had lived through, she didn’t want to die without making everything right with Garrith. Her arms ached as she continued banging on the door.

  The fire in the room slowly grew, eating everything in its path. Keisha’s skin heated, sweat poured down her back, and her eyes burned from the smoke.

  “Keisha,” a deep voice sounded from behind the door.

  Her eyes widened when she realized who it was. “Garrith, oh God, help me.”

  “Stand back, love.”

  Her heart swelled at his term of endearment.

  Keisha moved away from the door before it shot open. Garrith grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room as someone else ran in to extinguish the fire.

  Keisha coughed and choked, tears running down her face as she gasped for fresh air.

  Warm, solid arms lifted her, holding her against a hard chest. “Don’t worry love, I got you. I always got you.”

  Her body relaxed some at his words and she squeezed her eyes shut. Trying to force back the burning pain of the smoke that felt etched into her skin, she gripped his shirt tightly. A moment later, cool air washed over her body as fresh air surrounded her. Taking a deep breath, she coughed as her lungs burned.

  “Keisha, are you alright?” she heard Brett ask.

  She opened her eyes and stared up into Garrith’s deep blue gaze before turning to the sound of her brother’s voice. They were sitting in the back of an ambulance. “I’m fine.” Her voice came out raspy, like she had been screaming for hours.

  Garrith moved back further, sitting behind her as she sat between his legs. She was surprised he didn’t leave but she would take it. It was a start.

  The EMT placed an oxygen mask on her and she took small breaths, the burning in her lungs slowly going away.

  “What happened?” Keisha asked, placing her hand on Garrith’s knee. She felt him t
ense under her touch and it broke her heart. Swallowing past the hard lump in her throat, she looked up at Brett.

  He ran a hand through his short brown hair and sighed. “I have no fucking idea. Some asshole came in looking for a guy by the name of Lucas Crane…”

  Keisha frowned. “Lucas…isn’t that Sebastian’s friend?”

  Brett scowled. “Of course he is. Shit.”

  “How do you know that, lo…Keisha?” Garrith asked, clearing his throat.

  She pulled off the mask and sighed, sad he didn’t use his nickname for her. Apparently he had always called her it, even from the first time they had met. She just wished she could remember. “Tori told me that they went to New Jersey to see a friend of Sebastian’s and she mentioned that name.”

  Garrith ran a hand down Keisha’s arm. “Good girl,” he said quietly, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. Her heart stuttered at the praise as tingles spread over her body.

  “Looks like we’re taking a road trip,” Garrith told Brett.

  Brett crossed his arms under his chest. “Like hell. You go. I want nothing to do with this.”

  “Brett, the guy came into your club asking you where this Lucas guy is,” Garrith said, his deep voice thick with frustration.

  Keisha looked up at Garrith, examining his features, firm and hard. God, he was gorgeous. “It’s fine. I’ll come with you. I haven’t seen Tori and Antonio in a while anyways.” She missed the little guy.

  I can’t believe that I have competition with a toddler…

  Keisha gasped as she remembered Garrith’s teasing voice in her mind. When had he said that to her?

  “What’s wrong?” Brett and Garrith asked at the same time, worry filling their voices.

  She shook her head. She didn’t want to get her hopes up but that was the first time she remembered anything about Garrith since before being shot. She squeezed Garrith’s knee. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  Garrith pinched her chin. “Are you sure?”

  Keisha squeezed the bridge of her nose as a sharp pain erupted behind her eyes. “Yeah.” She couldn’t remember anything else Garrith had said to her months back, but this was a start. She realized then that he was definitely a trigger for her memories; she needed to be around him whether he liked it or not. Keisha would make him see that, make him see that whatever they had before was worth fighting for.

  Chapter 3

  Garrith reveled in the feel of Keisha sitting so close to him again. As she squeezed his knee, memories were rampant in his head of her strapped to their bed, spread open for him. But that was a long time ago and it would probably never happen again. His heart ached, knowing that she would never feel for him what he had felt for her or what he still felt for her. Now they were taking a road trip together? Being alone with her might be good for her getting her memory back but it wouldn’t be good for his self-control.

  Lucas Crane. Sebastian never mentioned him. Sebastian Chelios never mentioned a lot of things. His fiancée, Tori McLeod, was the only person he had ever opened up to. Garrith’s stomach twisted and his chest burned. He wanted that. He wanted what his friends had. That happiness. That stability.

  “I have to finish up some stuff here. Will you take Keisha home, Garrith?” Brett asked, a twinkle flashing in his eyes.

  Fucker. “Yup,” was all Garrith could get out. His body stirred, aching for her. He hadn’t been alone with Keisha since before she got shot. This would be interesting.

  Keisha rose from between his legs and hugged her arms around Brett’s middle. Garrith finally noticed that she was wearing a short black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. She was wearing his favorite dress. He wondered if she knew that.

  They said something softly to each other and Brett looked at him over her head. It was that brotherly look of don’t hurt my sister or else I’ll gut you while you sleep.

  Keisha pulled out of Brett’s embrace and turned to Garrith. Her brown curly hair was pulled back, the ringlets framing her beautiful face. Black marks from the smoke marked her skin and images of him washing her clean bounced around in his head. His dick twitched as he pictured her naked in front of him.

  Garrith cleared his throat and rose from his seat at the back of the ambulance. “We done here?” he asked the EMT who stood nearby.

  “We just have to take some vitals and Keisha needs to sign a refusal form before I can let her go,” the EMT responded.

  Garrith nodded and waited.

  The young EMT checked her blood pressure, heart rate, and her oxygen saturation. After giving her a clean bill of health, Garrith and Keisha said goodbye to Brett and walked to Garrith’s car.

  The cool night breeze washed over them, making Keisha shiver. He wanted to wrap himself around her, dive under her skin, make her feel good like he used to. If only she knew the kind of relationship they had. No one knew how deep their connection went and now that Keisha didn’t remember him, he wasn’t sure if he could ever get that connection back. Garrith wasn’t a pussy by any means but the thought of never getting her back made his stomach churn.

  He placed a hand on the back of Keisha’s neck and shook himself from those thoughts. He needed to take her home, make sure she was safe, and leave. Maybe for good this time. He thought being in the same city would be fine but he could still feel her presence everywhere he went. He needed her and he had to have her again, but it was too soon. He needed to give her space. God, she almost died tonight. He almost lost his love again. His chest ached.

  As they approached his black SUV, Keisha turned to him. Her small, five-foot frame stiffened.

  His heart thumped hard. He remembered that look all too well. She may not have remembered him but the heat in her eyes told him that she definitely wanted him. Garrith was a good man and he would not take advantage of her even though he wanted to throw her up against the side of the vehicle and bury himself deep in her core.

  “Garrith?” she whispered.

  He looked down at her as her eyes filled with sadness. She chewed on her bottom lip and reached for the door handle, hesitating.

  Garrith shoved his hands in his pockets and was about to turn on his heel when Keisha wrapped her arms around his waist. His breath caught at the unexpected movement and like an idiot, he froze. You’d think he never hugged a woman before, but this wasn’t just any ordinary woman. It was Keisha. His love. His life.

  Feeling Keisha’s small, warm body pressed up against his brought back many memories of pleasure and ecstasy as well as a sense of familiarity. He took a deep breath and brushed his fingers to the back of her neck before pulling her tight against him. The soft swell of her breasts pushed into him. She may have been short compared to his six-four frame, but one dark look from her and he was on his knees.

  “Garrith,” she repeated.

  “Yeah?” he grumbled. His tongue felt thick and his throat was dry. Nervousness swam around in his belly. He hadn’t been nervous in years when it came to her. Remembering their first kiss when they were kids, he wasn’t even nervous then. Keisha practically threw herself at him. He almost laughed at the memory.

  He looked down, staring into Keisha’s deep green depths.

  “Thank you for saving me.” Her eyes glossed over and a tear leaked out one corner before rolling down her cheek.

  Garrith rubbed it away with his thumb, making her eyes flutter closed. Her beautiful tanned skin glowed from the light of the street lamps and he itched to kiss her full lips. Mine.

  Of course he would fucking save her but the stupid ass that he was couldn’t even come up with a decent response. It was like his tongue had swelled, no words formed on his lips.

  Keisha opened her eyes slowly and took a step back, still keeping her hands wrapped around his waist. He followed, unable to control the movements of his body. It was drawn to her. Keisha ran her hands up his back to his chest, smoothing them down to his waist. His skin hummed at her soft touches and his dick stirred. Trying to control his urges, he breathed slowly t
hrough his mouth.

  She sighed and leaned against the SUV door, playing with the buttons on his shirt. “You know, even though I don’t remember everything that happened—”

  “Keisha.” Garrith’s stomach twisted.

  Keisha’s eyes darkened but she continued. “The things I do remember, I still feel like they’re memories from another person. Like I’m dreaming or someone’s telling me a story.”

  Garrith swallowed hard. They hadn’t talked about her being shot at all. He only heard about her memory problems from the doctor or their friends. He was a pussy and he ran away from talking about her amnesia. He couldn’t deal with it.

  Garrith gripped her arm. “Keisha, I—”

  “I know you don’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to get that out there.” She sighed.

  He nodded, running his thumb over the soft skin of her arm.

  She gripped the waistband of his pants, clutching it tightly and pulled him against her. Garrith bit back a groan as their pelvises met. He instantly hardened, needing to be touched by her. Never needing someone’s hands on him so bad before, without even thinking, he grabbed her waist and lifted her. He stepped between her legs pushed into her hard, making her gasp.

  Keisha grabbed his shirt, ripping it loose from his pants and squeezed him tight with her thighs. Digging her heels into his ass, she rocked against him.

  He couldn’t believe she was wrapped around him. He never thought it would happen again. It had been months since he had any sort of physical connection with anyone and as he held Keisha tightly against him, if he didn’t get control soon, he would end up fucking her against his SUV.

  She licked her lips and brought a hand up to his cheek. He leaned into it, kissing her palm. He ran his hands up Keisha’s thighs and under her dress, his fingers humming, wanting to rip her panties off of her and devour her completely. He cleared his throat, moved to take a step back when Keisha tightened her hold on his hips.

  “No, Garrith,” she panted.

  He hesitated. “Keisha.”

  She gripped his shirt, pulling his face down to hers. “Please.”