A Royal Amnesia Scandal

by Jules Bennett

  “Make love?”

  A pink tinge crept across her tan cheeks. “Yes. You’re injured. You need to rest and relax. Per the doctor’s orders.”

  Luc snaked his arms around her waist as he pulled her flush against his body. “I plan on relaxing, but I want you lying beside me. It’s obvious we came here to get away, and I don’t want to ruin this trip for you.”

  Delicate hands slid up his chest, fingers curling up over his shoulders. Just her simple touch was enough to have his body quivering, aching. Everything about her was so familiar, yet so new at the same time.

  “You’re not ruining anything for me.” She offered a tired, yet beautiful smile. “Let’s just concentrate on getting you better, and everything else will fall into place.”

  “So no sex, but you’ll lie down with me?”

  Her eyes held his as she nodded. “I’ll lie with you.”

  He hadn’t recalled her name at first, but he’d instantly felt a pull toward her. No wonder they were engaged. Obviously, they shared a special, deeply rooted bond. Their chemistry pushed through the damage to his mind, and that alone would help him pull through this.

  “I’ll just go shower in the guest bath, real quick,” she told him, easing away from his embrace. “Give me ten minutes.”

  Confused at her need to retreat, Luc crossed his arms over his chest. “Why not just use the shower in here? The other bathroom hasn’t been renovated and this one is much more luxurious.”

  She looked as if she wanted to argue, but finally nodded. “You’re right. A quick shower in here would be better. I just didn’t know if I would disturb you trying to rest.”

  “You won’t bother me. You can take advantage of the sunken garden tub, you know.” He took her hands, leading her farther into their bedroom. “No need to rush through a shower. Just go soak in a tubful of warm water and relax.”

  “I’ll be quick in the shower. Why don’t you lie down?”

  He leaned forward, gently touching his lips to hers. “Don’t take too long or I’ll come in after you.”

  She shivered beneath his touch, and it was all Luc could do to keep from hauling her off to the bed and taking what he wanted, throwing every reason he shouldn’t straight out the window.

  Retreating into the bathroom, she closed the door. Luc frowned. Was she always so private? Why did some things seem so familiar, while other, mundane things had disappeared from his mind?

  As he stripped down to his boxer briefs, he heard the shower running. An image of a wet, soapy Kate flooded his mind. He couldn’t wait to get beyond this memory lapse, beyond the annoyance of the headache, and make full use of that spacious shower with her.

  He would make this up to her, somehow. His Kate was exhausted, and still worried about him. She was sacrificing, when this was supposed to be a romantic trip away.

  As of right now he only remembered they were engaged. He recalled some buzz about wedding invitations and upcoming showers. He’d let his assistant handle all of that...but he couldn’t recall who his assistant was at the moment.

  Raking a hand down his face, Luc sighed. Now wasn’t the time to think of staff, not when he was about to crawl into bed with his fianceé. Right now he wanted to focus on Kate, on their trip and somehow making this up to her.

  * * *

  Kate showered quickly, constantly watching the door she’d closed. She should’ve known he’d want her in his room, that he wouldn’t even question the fact.

  But sleeping with him under false pretenses was an absolute no.

  No matter how Luc made her body tingle and the nerves in her belly dance...she couldn’t let her thoughts go there.

  She was still Luc’s assistant, which meant looking out for his best interest. And it was in the interest of both of them to keep their clothes on. Easier said than done.

  Kate dried off, wrapped her hair up in a towel and slid into her chemise. She truly had no other option unless she asked Luc for a T-shirt, but she didn’t know if he was one of those guys who would be even more turned on by seeing a woman in his clothes, so she opted for her own gown.

  Rubbing the towel through her wet hair, she got all the moisture out and took her time brushing it. Perhaps if she stayed away a few extra minutes, Luc would get tired and fall asleep before she went back out there.

  Their argument before his fall had taken on a life of its own, and she still couldn’t get that kiss from her mind. Of course, if her lips weren’t still tingling, maybe she could focus on something else. Such as the fact that the man was suffering from memory loss and was scared and angry over this sudden lack of control with his own mind.

  Still, between the toe-curling kiss and the fact she was about to slide between the sheets with her boss, Kate didn’t know how to act at this point. What was the proper protocol?

  After applying some lotion on her legs and shoulders, Kate hung up her towel and faced the inevitable: she was going to have to go out into the bedroom and get in that bed. The sooner she moved beyond the awkward, uncomfortable stage, the sooner she could breathe easily. All she needed to do was go in there, lie beside Luc and wait for him to fall asleep. Then she could get up and go to the sofa or something. No way could she lie nestled next to him all night. The temptation to pick up where their kiss had left off would be too strong.

  But the doctor had been adamant about not saying too much, to allow the memories to return on their own. Kate didn’t want to do anything that would cause Luc more damage.

  Somehow she had to abide by his no-fraternization rule and still manage to play the doting fiancée. Was that combination even possible?

  Taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door. The darkened room was a welcome sight. At least this way she wouldn’t have to look him in the eye and lie. Now the only light spilled from the bathroom, slashing directly across the bed in the center of the room as if putting all the focus on Luc and his bare chest. The covers were up to his waist; his arms were crossed and resting on his forehead.

  “Turn off the light and get in bed.”

  The memory loss didn’t affect his commanding ways. The man demanded, he never asked, and he expected people to obey. Still, the low, powerful tone he used was enough to have her toes curling on the hardwood. This was her fantasy come to life, though when she’d envisioned Luc ordering her into bed, she never imagined quite this scenario.

  What a way for fate to really stick it to her and mock her every dream with this false one.

  “Is your head still hurting?” she asked, remaining in the bathroom doorway.

  “It’s a dull pain, but better than it was.”

  Kate tapped the switch, sending the room into darkness, save for the soft moonlight sweeping through the balcony doors. The pale tile floor combined with the moon was enough to light her path to the bed.

  Pulling the covers back, she eased down as gently as possible and lay on her back. On the edge. As stiff as a board. And the ache for him only grew as his masculine scent surrounded her and his body heat warmed the minuscule space between them.

  The bed dipped as Luc rolled toward her. “Are you okay?”

  His body fitted perfectly against hers. Just the brush of the coarse hair on his legs against her smooth ones had her senses on alert...as if they needed to be heightened.

  Was she okay? Not really. On one hand she was terrified. On the other she was completely intrigued...and spiraling headfirst into arousal. And arousal was taking the lead over so many emotions. With his breath tickling her skin, she was fully consumed by the one man she’d wanted for so long. It would be so easy, yet so wrong, to roll over and take what she wanted.

  “I’m fine,” she assured him.

  With the darkness surrounding them, the intimacy level seemed to soar. She should’ve insisted on a small light or something. But then she would see his face. Honestly, she had no clue what was more torturous.

  “You’re tense.”

  Understatement of the year.

  Luc’s hand tr
ailed up her arm, moving to rest on her stomach. If he thought she was tense before, he should just keep touching her. She was about to turn to stone.

  She needed to regain control of her body, her hormones. Unfortunately, her mind and her girlie parts were not corresponding very well right now, because she was getting hot, restless, as if she needed to shift toward him for more of that delicate touching he was offering.

  No. This was wrong. Her even thinking of wanting more was wrong. Just because he’d kissed her earlier didn’t mean a thing. He’d done so to shut her up, to prove a point and to take charge as he always did.

  Yet given the way he’d masterfully taken over and kissed her with such force and passion, there was no way he’d been unmoved. And she would’ve called him on it, but now she was dealing with a new set of issues surrounding her desires.

  “If you’re worried about me, I’m fine,” he assured her. “I just want to lie here and hold you. Scoot over against me. I feel like you’re about ready to fall out of the bed.”

  Just as she started to shift, her knee brushed against him. His unmistakable arousal had her stopping short.

  “Ignore it,” he said with a laugh. “I’m trying like hell.”

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Kate sighed. “I can’t do this.”

  Five

  Luc grabbed Kate around the waist just as she started to get up. Pulling her flush against him, her back against his chest, he held on tight. Her silky gown slid over his bare chest, adding fuel to the already out-of-control fire.

  “Don’t,” he whispered in her ear, clutching the silk material around her stomach, keeping her body taut against his own. “Just relax.”

  “You need to be sleeping.”

  Her body was still so stiff, so rigid beneath him. Something had seriously freaked her out and she wasn’t telling him what it was. Damn it, was it something he already knew but couldn’t recall? Or was this not about her at all, but something to do with his fall?

  A sliver of fear slid through him.

  “Did the doctor say something you’re not telling me?” he asked.

  “What? No.”

  She shifted, relaxing just a touch as she laid her hand over his on her stomach. The first contact she’d initiated since climbing into bed.

  “He didn’t say much when I walked him out,” she went on. “Just that he felt it necessary for you to remember on your own.”

  “The only thing I want to do right now is to get you to relax.”

  Luc slid his hand out from beneath hers, to the lacy edge of her silk gown. Her body stiffened briefly, then arched as if she was fighting her own arousal. When she sucked in a breath, Luc knew he had her.

  “Luc, you need to rest.”

  Her shaky voice betrayed her, indicating she was just as achy and excited as he was. He pushed one of her legs back, easing his fingers beneath the silk until he found the delicate elastic edge on her panties.

  “What I need to do is pleasure my woman,” he whispered in her ear, pleased when she trembled.

  Kate’s back arched again and her head fell against his shoulder. “Luc, you don’t have to—”

  He nipped at the tender flesh of her earlobe as he eased his hand inside her panties to stroke her. “I want to.”

  Her soft moans, her cry when he found just the right spot, left his mouth dry. It didn’t take long for her body to give in and shudder beneath his touch. She gasped, trembled all the while Luc trailed kisses along her shoulder, her neck when she’d turn just so and the soft spot below her ear.

  Yet nothing triggered any memories.

  All the same, he didn’t regret giving her pleasure. Everything about this private moment only made him want her, yearn for her more.

  “Are you always this responsive?” he whispered.

  Slowly, she rolled toward him, rested a palm on his chest. With the pale glow from the moon, he didn’t miss the shimmer in Kate’s eyes.

  “Baby, don’t cry.”

  She blinked, causing more tears to slide down her flushed cheeks. “You didn’t remember, though, did you?”

  He smoothed her damp hair away from her face. “No.”

  When her hand started down his abdomen, toward the top of his boxer briefs, he gripped her wrist.

  Kate had been through a rough time, and even though he was the one suffering the medical concern, he wasn’t about to let her think he’d given her pleasure only to get his own. This moment was all about her, reassuring her that he—no, that they—would be okay.

  “We both need to rest right now,” he told her, dropping a kiss to her forehead. “You’re exhausted, I’m recovering. We’ll make love tomorrow and I’ll make this up to you, Kate. Our trip won’t be ruined. I promise.”

  * * *

  So stupid. Foolish, careless and flat-out irresponsible.

  First she’d let him touch her, then she’d cried. The tears came instantly after she’d crashed back into reality after the most amazing climax she’d ever had.

  The moment had been so consuming, so mind-blowing. That’s when she knew Luc hadn’t remembered anything, or he would’ve been angry to be in that position with her.

  So when the tears fell, she’d had no way to stop them.

  What should’ve been a beautiful moment was tarnished by the situation. She hadn’t expected Luc to be so powerful in bed. She truly had no idea how she’d hold him off from becoming intimate now that they’d shared such passion.

  Kate had eased from the bed early this morning. Her vow to leave and sleep on the couch as soon as he fell asleep had gone out the window. After his mission to relax her had been a success, she’d been dead to the world.

  How had this bizarre scenario spiraled so far out of control? She’d just spent the night in her boss’s arms, a boss who was a prince, a boss who thought she was his fiancée. He was a man who prided himself on control and keeping his professional and personal lives separate. The rule was very clear at the palace.

  Everything that had happened in the past eighteen hours was a colossal mess.

  Kate had hurried back to her cottage early this morning while Luc slept. She’d managed to smuggle a couple sundresses and her swimsuit over. That should get her through the next few days, though she prayed she wouldn’t be here that long.

  Her cell phone vibrated in the pocket of her short dress. Pulling it out, she was thankful the service seemed to be holding up. The doctor’s name lit up her screen.

  “Good morning, Dr. Couchot,” she said, as if she hadn’t had the most life-altering night she’d ever experienced.

  “Kate, how is Luc this morning?”

  Glancing over her shoulder toward the open patio doors, she saw him still sprawled out on the bed, asleep. She kept checking on him, but he’d grumble and roll back over. She had to assume he was fine, since he was resting so well.

  “He’s sleeping in today,” she told the doctor, turning back to watch the gentle waves ebb and flow against the shoreline. “He was exhausted last night.”

  “I imagine so. Still nothing new to report? No change in the memory or new symptoms?”

  Kate leaned against the wrought-iron railing and wondered if the toe-curling intimacy was worth reporting. Probably best to leave that out of the conversation.

  “No. He’s the same.”

  The same sexy, determined, controlling man he always was, just with a sweeter side he was willing to share. And he was oh so giving between the sheets...

  Dr. Couchot reiterated how Kate was to just let Luc think on his own, let the memories return as slowly or as fast as his mind needed them to. As if she needed reminding. Nearly all she could focus on was keeping this colossal secret.

  Once she hung up, she turned, leaning her back against the rail. Watching him sleep was probably wrong, too, but why stop now? She hadn’t done anything right since she’d gotten here. In the span of three days she’d fought with him, kissed him, come undone in his bed and played the part of the doting fiancée. How could she make thi
ngs any worse?

  Kate just prayed he’d get his memory back so they could move on. The lies were eating at her and she didn’t know how she could keep up this charade.

  Luc was a fighter in every way. He wouldn’t let this memory loss keep him down. He’d claw his way back up from the abyss and then...

  Yeah, that was the ultimate question. And then...what? Would he hate her? Would he fire her? Would he look at her with disdain?

  A sick pit formed in the depths of her stomach. Would her parents lose their jobs? Surely her mom and dad would be disappointed in her for breaking the royal protocol.

  This couldn’t go on. Luc had to remember. So far she hadn’t given Luc any extra information regarding his past, and she didn’t intend to because she didn’t want to make his issue worse. But there was only so long she could go on not telling him things. The man wanted to sleep with her.

  How did she keep dodging that fact when she wanted it, too?

  The way he’d looked at her, with affection, was so new and so tempting. And all built on lies.

  Luc called out in his sleep. Kate straightened as she slowly moved closer. When he cried out again, she still couldn’t make out what he was saying. She set her phone on the nightstand and eased down on the edge of the bed. His bronze chest stared back at her and Kate had a hard time not touching him, not running her fingertips over the tip of the tattoo that slid perfectly over one shoulder.

  The sheet had dipped low, low enough to show one hip and just the edge of his black boxer briefs. She’d felt those briefs against her skin last night. More impressively, she’d felt what was beneath them.

  “Tell me,” he muttered, shifting once again. His eyes were squeezed tight, as if he was trying to fight whatever image had him twisting in the sheets.

  Kate froze. Was he remembering something? Would his memory come back and play through his mind like a movie?

  When his face scrunched even more and his chin started quivering, she knew he was fighting some demon, and she couldn’t just sit here and watch him suffer. She might not be able to fully disclose the truth, but she didn’t have to witness the man’s complete downfall, either.