Bound By Her Ring

by Nicole Flockton

  Luciano tried to stop himself from thinking anymore. He didn’t want to remember their whirlwind island wedding, but he’d brushed it aside for so long that maybe it would be cathartic to remember and then let it go.

  For a brief time Luciano had thought he’d found happiness. He should’ve known it was too good to be true. From the moment he first saw Jasmine he knew she would be dangerous to his emotions. He tried to fight them, tried to ignore them but her lure had been too strong. When he’d slid the specially designed engagement and wedding rings on her finger he’d thought for once his instincts had been wrong, and he’d found his soul mate.

  He clenched his fingers tighter on the steering wheel as the next memory washed over him, the vividness of the scene unfolding in his mind.

  It was as they were lying entwined in each other’s arms, after making love for the first time as husband and wife, that Jasmine had announced she was expecting their child. Love washed over him, well what he thought was love, and he’d kissed her soundly and then proceeded to show her how much her news meant to him.

  He never knew just how quickly she could change. How she could go from being so ecstatic to so cold and unfeeling in the space of a few days. He’d then wished he hadn’t been so impulsive in suggesting marriage. The bubble of love had been shattered by her callousness and now, whenever he saw baby furniture or baby clothes, his heart twisted in pain at the thought of what he’d lost and what he’d never had the chance to know.

  A hand on his thigh jolted him out of his painful thoughts. The warmth of the touch radiated through his soul, soothing the hurts and he had to tamp down the fierce desire that was so at odds with his tumultuous thoughts.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He resisted the temptation to entwine his fingers with her. He gave the small, delicate hand a squeeze before removing it from his thigh and placing it back in Jasmine’s lap.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I’m running through the logistics and possibilities of a partnership between us and Fierro’s.”

  “You expect me to believe that? That you were thinking about a business deal?” she scoffed at him. “Lukas, from the look on your face, business was the last thing you were thinking about.”

  He pulled the car into a car bay and switched it off. “Look it doesn’t matter what I was thinking, we’re here let’s enjoy lunch.”

  He heard her groan of annoyance and chose to ignore it. He had to remember all she’d done to him, but with each passing hour spent in her company it was becoming more difficult to remember. His body wanted him to forget the past, believe her and move forward. But his head was warning him that she couldn’t be trusted. He’d followed his heart once. It was now time to follow his head.

  The staff clearly remembered them from before and whether it was the air of wealth that surrounded Lukas or they were just very good at their jobs, the service they received was impeccable. The food delivered to the table was delicious and cooked to the way they’d requested. The restaurant was bursting at the seams, but the staff was cool and controlled.

  As she glanced around, Jasmine took in the ambience of the room. The interior designer had taken all the facets of a pearl and its origins into account. The bottom three quarters of the walls was painted in washed out black, signifying the outside of an oyster shell. The top section was brushed in the softest, luminescent cream that seemed to glow with the same luster as a pearl.

  Through the windows the blue water sparkled and shimmered under the sunlight. The rows and rows and rows of wire showing above the water hid the real riches of the oysters lovingly nurturing their secret treasures underneath. The whole concept of how a pearl was cultivated amazed her. That a parasite entering the oyster could turn into a gorgeous gemstone.

  “It really is a beautiful sight isn’t it?”

  She dragged her gaze from the window back to the man who’d asked the question. They had somehow managed to recreate a semblance of their previous relaxed atmosphere, but she could still feel some tension, the conversation in the car was never far from Jasmine’s mind.

  “Yes, peaceful on top and a buzz of activity not far beneath the surface.”

  “So what’s your impression of the operation now?” he asked.

  “The way they’ve handled the lunch crowd only reinforces my initial impression. They’ve trained their staff well and are very organised.”

  “I tend to agree, but it’s easy to become complacent.” He smiled up at the waitress as she set down the folder containing their bill. “So are you ready to have a look at the jewellery?”

  “Sounds good, I don’t think we’ll be too disappointed with how they run the store. It’s the main reason people come to this place.” She stood and collected her purse.

  As they were making their way out of the restaurant a small toddler barrelled into Jasmine’s legs, almost causing her to fall. She regained her balance and squatted down until she was eye to eye with the child.

  Her breath caught and her heart stopped beating, as a dark haired boy, with mischievous brown eyes, smiled up at her.

  Is this what her and Lukas’s child would look like?

  The unbidden thought darted in her mind and just as quickly darted out.

  “Oh I’m so sorry. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  The words penetrated the stupor Jasmine had fallen into making her aware of her surroundings and the interest she and the child were attracting from passers-by.

  Jasmine straightened up and smiled. “No he’s fine, didn’t hurt me at all.” She placed her hand gently on his head, the soft fine hair tickling the underside of her hand, causing gooseflesh to break out over her arms. “He’s gorgeous, you’re very lucky.”

  The other lady smiled indulgently and hugged her son close. “He sure is and he knows it too. He’s a handful but I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”

  With those words she and her son wandered off and Jasmine stood there watching as they drifted into the restaurant.

  She sighed and rubbed her arms briskly, confused at her reaction. She looked up and connected directly with Lukas, his gaze dark and serious and foreboding and for a moment, painful.

  Had they argued about having children? Could that have been the reason she’d left him?

  “You don’t like children?” she asked.

  “I like children fine,” came his clipped reply. “Shall we make our way to the gift shop?”

  And with a few quick words the tenuous rebuilding of their relationship took another two steps back. Each time when she thought they were making headway, an obstacle bounded onto the path to block their way.

  Disappointment filled her like a torrential downpour fills a drain. Lukas hadn’t wanted children. That must have been the reason why they’d been apart at the time of her accident. But how could she ask him that? Did she even want to ask him the question burning on the tip of her tongue? Could she push aside her dream of having a big family and spend the rest of her life childless?

  “Jasmine, are you coming or are you just going to block everyone’s path?”

  Lukas’s impatient tones forced her feet into action.

  “Yes I’m coming,” she said as she reached his side.

  Together they made their way to the shop, her hand itching to reach out and entwine her fingers with Lukas’s, but holding back for fear of him rejecting her touch.

  The confusing thoughts left her the moment she walked into the confines of the shop. Her feet were engulfed by plush carpet, the type that made you long to take your shoes off after a hard day and curl your toes into the pile. The cleverly placed down-lights glinted on the treasures in the crystal clear glass cases.

  She glanced around not knowing which tempting treasure to look at first.

  She let her feet guide her, and was drawn immediately to a diamond and pearl necklace. The pebble sized pearl was surrounded by alternating deep pink and brilliant white diamonds. Each diamond cut in a way that no matter which angle you looked at it, every facet glowed a
nd enticed you closer.

  It should’ve looked gaudy with the amount of diamonds surrounding the pearl but it looked delicate and fragile and precious.

  “Exquisite isn’t it?”

  She had to stop herself from pressing her hand on the glass to try and touch it. “Absolutely, it’s something you’d find in a high class jewellery store and not in a small tourist town.”

  “The designer is local and will only display his designs here. It’s his way of supporting the local community.” He moved onto a cleverly designed broach. The body of the broach was a crocodile, encrusted with tiny round pearls. “His reputation is worldwide and people travel from far and wide to be able to say they own a piece of Jeffery Courteux jewellery.”

  “I’ve heard so much about him and have spent ages pouring over some of his spectacular pieces in magazines.” She gazed back at the necklace. “I’d have to say I’d be amongst those people saying they’d give anything to own one of his pieces. I like that he supports the locals, but surely he mustn’t sell that much here. Everything would be out of an everyday mom and dad’s budget.”

  “No, not really. He does make some modest priced pieces, but don’t forget a lot of the people visiting this region are quite wealthy.”

  “I see,” she murmured as she continued making her way around the shop, observing the way the retail staff handled the clientele. “It seems you know quite a bit about the designer.”

  He paused before answering. “I do my research. I told you I was looking for some high end jewellery for my hotels.”

  “Is he your only option or do you have others in mind?” she asked, something teasing the recesses of her mind. “Because you don’t like having just one option. You prefer at least five, even I know that.”

  “Really and how did you come to that conclusion?”

  “It’s the way you always work, Lukas. You’ve told me that many times. But I don’t know why you need options. You know exactly what you want and how to get it even before you enter preliminary negotiations.”

  He reached out a hand and ran it softly down her face. Her skin warmed to his tender caress and how she stopped herself from leaning into his touch she didn’t know.

  “Do you realise what you’re saying?” he asked softly.

  The skin that was once warm chilled, and it wasn’t from the air-conditioning, it was from the realisation that another memory had been unlocked.

  “It’s happening again isn’t it? I’m remembering something about our past life together.”

  “So it would seem, and it appears you are right, I am the catalyst for your memory returning, Jasmine.”

  He voiced the thought that had been churning through her mind since the night of the opening. Lukas was her key.

  “Yes maybe you are.”

  She saw the look on his face and knew what he was about to say. She held up her hand, “Don’t. Don’t even think about voicing what I know is going through your mind.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Her shoulders slumped in defeat. She’d never get him to believe her. “You think I’m still faking my amnesia.”

  He pulled her into his embrace, running his hands slowly up and down her back. Reigniting her chilled blood and her desire for him.

  “I do believe you, how can I not. You can’t fake the look of despair that crosses your face every time you remember.”

  He kept an arm around her shoulders as he maneuvered out of the shop. “I think we’ve seen enough.”

  She didn’t have the strength to argue and let him lead her back to the car. She waited until they were on the open road before she spoke.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?” he countered back.

  “Why am I now starting to remember when before no matter what I did, what questions I asked, what pictures I looked at nothing, nothing triggered a flashback?” She fiddled with the hem of her top. “Yet I’ve spent less than a week with you and each day I remember something.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply, she barrelled on, the need to express herself taking over her common sense. “Geez, I even had a flashback the night we met. How amazing was that.”

  “You remembered something the night of the opening? When?”

  Did she really want to share with Lukas what her first memory was? Did she want to open herself up to his raised eyebrows and questions? Did she want to take the risk?

  “Umm, when I was back in my room.”

  “And what was this ‘flashback’, cara?”

  “Nothing of importance,” she said, hoping he would be satisfied and wouldn’t keep asking.

  “Somehow I don’t believe that. You wouldn’t have mentioned it if it wasn’t important. So how about you share?”

  As she’d thought, he wasn’t going to let her off the hook. He was going to keep chipping away at her, like a miner chips away at rock until he uncovers his treasure, until she, like the rock, gives up her secret.

  She sighed heavily. “I remembered a bath we shared, okay?”

  It was out there and she just wanted the earth to swallow her up. Why couldn’t her first memory have been of their discussion over his name? Or why couldn’t it have been the argument of why she’d left him? Why couldn’t it have been of anything other than something so intimate as a shared bath?

  If she was truthful with herself the first couple of memories she’d had were of them being intimate. Was that all there was to their relationship? Sleeping together?

  “A bath? An interesting first memory, I wonder what it means.”

  She looked over at Lukas, his eyes intense and the heat flaring out from them warmed her skin. She wondered then if he was recalling a bath they’d shared. Had they only ever shared one bath or had there been more? The connection was broken when he reverted his gaze back to the road.

  There were so many layers to be uncovered, like peeling away an onion skin. With each layer more flesh was exposed. More secrets laid out for all to see. She felt exposed and vulnerable.

  “I don’t know what it means and I don’t care.” The lie tripped off her tongue. She did care, but she didn’t want Lukas to know how much she cared.

  “I think you care more than you’re letting on.”

  He’d voiced her exact thought and she felt her cheeks heat at being caught out. She knew mentioning the bath was going to be a big mistake. How she wished she’d had control of her tongue before blurting it out.

  “Look, can we just let it go? I’ve had enough talking about my amnesia for one day.”

  “You can’t run away from this Jasmine. We have to discuss it at some stage.”

  “Why? Why do we have to discuss it at all?”

  “Don’t you want your memory back? I thought that was what you wanted more than anything, and it’s clear I can help you achieve that.”

  “Yes, but do I want to remember? What if I’ve forgotten for a reason,” she replied, bitterness lacing her voice. Right at this very moment she never wanted to recall her lost memories, it all seemed too hard. All she wanted to do was build new memories.

  “I think you want to remember, but right now you’re scared.” He reached over and laid a hand on her thigh, squeezing gently. “And you have every right to be.”

  Chapter 7

  “Pardon?” she asked, her stomach contracting at the tone of his words. “What do you mean I have every right to be scared?”

  “Simply, you don’t know what those memories are and what remembering them will mean to you.”

  His words should have provided comfort and reassurance, but all they did was increase her anxiety. Something about the way he was talking didn’t feel right. She felt in her gut he was hiding something. Had he done something so horrendous to her? Was that the reason she couldn’t remember him?

  No more, she told herself. No more questions. The suspicion that everything he did was tied into her memory loss or the reason behind it was tiring to her. She had to let it go.

  “I don’t want to talk anym
ore.”

  She folded her arms, and turned her head to gaze out the window at the scenery rushing by. How much longer would she be in the close confines of a car with him?

  The rest of the journey passed in silence and the moment they reached their suite she changed out of her clothes and into her bathing suit and shorts.

  “I’m going for a walk and then a swim,” she told Lukas as he walked into the room.

  “I’ll join you.”

  She held up her hand, that was the last thing she wanted. “No. I need some space.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply, just gathered up her towel and walked out.

  She needed some time alone. Time to assemble all the pieces of the puzzle that was her life. Time to try and find a solution she could live with.

  She needed to work out if the time had come for her to open herself up to her memories, or close herself off from the past and look to starting a new future with Lukas.

  The urge to stride out the door and follow Jasmine was strong but Luciano held back. He could appreciate her need for time, but he didn’t have to like it.

  He walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. Taking a slow sip of the sparkling water he contemplated the past twenty four hours and just how far he had moved away from his original reason for the trip.

  When he’d walked onto his jet yesterday, everything had been so clear in his mind. He’d engineered so many similar situations to their last trip together he’d hoped to catch her out somehow, but she’d not remembered one thing. Hadn’t commented on the similarity between now and then. Not even when he mentioned Jeffrey Courteux’s name did even a glimmer of remembrance highlight her expressive eyes.

  What would she say if she knew the rings on her finger had been designed by Jeffrey especially for her? He’d thought for sure that would produce a crack in her amnesia game. He may have told her he believed she wasn’t faking it, but there was still part of him that had needed to test her one last time. But there was nothing. No cracks appearing, no stuttering and stumbling over words. He had no choice now but to realise her amnesia was very, very real.