So now here she was, wearing her favorite blue halter dress, letting the wind blow her hair around her shoulders and face while Luc steered his boat to the main dock of the island’s small town. Most people traveled by boat to the village, where scooters were the preferred mode of transportation. The marina was lined with crafts of various sizes and colors. As they’d made their way toward the waterfront, they’d passed by other boaters and waved. Kate really liked this area. Too bad she’d probably never be back after the mess she’d created came crashing down on her.
Through her research she knew the locals would line up along the narrow streets, set up makeshift booths and sell their goods. From what she’d seen online, she might find anything from handmade jewelry and pottery to flowers and vegetables. She was excited to see what caught her fancy, perhaps taking her mind off the fact her body was still tingling from Luc’s touch.
She’d never be able to shower again—especially in that master bath—without feeling his body against hers, his breath on her shoulders. Without hearing his demanding words in her ear as he fully claimed her.
Then he’d let his guard down and opened up to her about his feelings. Slowly, she was falling in love with the man she’d been lying to, the man who was off-limits in reality. She’d opened up about her past, wanting to be as honest as she could in an area that had nothing to do with what was happening right now.
Luc secured the boat to the dock, then extended his hand to help her out. With a glance or simple touch, the man had the ability to make her stomach quiver, her heart quicken and her mind wander off into a fantasy world. Still, that was no excuse to have let the charade go this far.
There was no going back now, though. The charade may be all a farce, but her emotions were all too real.
Kate knew she should’ve told Luc about the false engagement when he’d hinted that he wanted to make love to her. She should’ve told him right that moment, but she hadn’t, and now here she was on the other side of a monumental milestone they would both have to live with.
She was falling for him; there was no denying the truth to herself. What had started as physical attraction long ago had morphed into more because of his untimely incident.
How did she keep her heart protected, make sure Luc stayed safe until he remembered the truth on his own and keep hold of the man she’d come to feel a deeper bond for? There was no good way this scenario would play out. Someone was going to get hurt.
“You okay?” Luc asked, hauling her onto the dock beside him.
Pasting on a smile, Kate squeezed his hand. “Fine. Let’s see what this island has to offer.”
Other boats bobbed up and down in the water on either side of the long dock. Luc led her up the steps to the street. Once they reached the top, Kate gasped. It was like a mini festival, but from all she’d heard about this quaint place, the streets were always this lively.
Brightly colored umbrellas shaded each vendor. A small band played live music in an alcove of one of the ancient buildings. People were laughing, dancing, and nearly every stand had a child behind the table, working alongside an adult. Obviously, this was a family affair.
Kate tamped down that inner voice that mocked her. Her dream was to raise a family, to have a husband who loved her, to watch their babies grow. Maybe someday she’d have that opportunity. Unfortunately, with the way her life was going now, she’d be looking for a new job as opposed to a spouse.
Suddenly, one of the stands caught her eye. “Oh, Luc.” She tugged on his hand. “I have to get a closer look.”
She practically dragged him down the brick street to the jewelry booth. The bright colors were striking with the sun beating down on them just so. It was as if the rays were sliding beneath the umbrella shading the area. The purple amethyst, the green jade, the yellow citrine—they were all so gorgeous. Kate didn’t know which piece she wanted to touch first.
“Good afternoon.”
The vendor greeted her in Portuguese. Kate easily slid into the language as she asked about the wares. Apparently, the woman was a widow and the little girl sidling up against her was her only child. They made the jewelry together and the girl was homeschooled, oftentimes doing lessons right there at the booth.
Kate opened her small clutch to pull out her money. There was no way she could walk away and not buy something from this family.
Before she could count her cash, Luc placed a hand over hers and shook his head. He asked the lady how much Kate owed for the necklace and earrings she’d chosen. Once he paid and the items were carefully wrapped in red tissue paper, they went on their way to another booth.
“You didn’t have to pay,” she told him. “I don’t expect you to get all of the things I want, Luc.”
He shrugged, taking her hand and looping it through his elbow as they strolled down the street. “I want to buy you things, Kate.”
“Well, I picked these out for my mother,” she said with a laugh.
Luc smiled. “I don’t mind buying things for my future mother-in-law, either. Really, think nothing of it.”
What had been a beautiful, relaxing moment instantly turned and smacked Kate in the face with a dose of reality. A heavy ball of dread settled in her belly. This was getting all too real. Kate’s parents had been inadvertently pulled into this lie. They would never be Luc’s in-laws, and once he discovered the truth, they might not even be employees of his family.
They moved to another stand, where the pottery was unique, yet simple. Kate eyed a tall, slender vase, running her hand over the smooth edge. Before she knew it, Luc had paid for it and the vendor was bagging it and wrapping it in several layers of tissue for protection.
“You don’t have to buy everything I look at,” she informed Luc.
“Did you like the piece?” he asked.
“I love it, but I was wondering what it would look like in your new house.”
Luc kissed her softly on the lips before picking up the bag and moving away. “Our house, Kate. If you like it, then it’s fine with me. I’m not much of a decorator.”
“No, you prefer to demolish things.”
Luc laughed. “Actually, our little project was my first experiment in destruction, but I did rather enjoy myself. I really think I’ll tackle that kitchen before we leave, and give the contractors a head start.”
They moved from place to place, eyeing various trinkets. Kate ended up buying a wind chime and fresh flowers while Luc was busy talking to another merchant. She wanted to liven up the dining area in the house, especially since the room was in desperate need of paint. The lavender flowers would look perfect in that new yellow vase.
Once they had all their bags, they loaded up the boat and headed home.
Home. As if this was a normal evening and they were settled in some married-couple routine. Kate shouldn’t think of Luc’s house as her home. She’d started getting too settled in, too comfortable with this whole lifestyle, and in the end, when her lie was exposed and his inevitable rejection sliced her in two, she would have nobody to blame but herself.
These past few hours with Luc had been amazing, but her fantasy life wouldn’t last forever.
Nine
Sometime during the past hour, Kate had fully detached herself. She’d been quiet on the boat, quiet when they came into the house. She’d arranged fresh flowers in that beautiful yellow vase and placed them on the hideous dining room table without saying a word.
She’d made dinner, and the only sound he’d heard was her soft humming as she stirred the rice. Now they’d finished eating, and Luc couldn’t handle the silence anymore.
He had something to say.
“Kate.”
She stepped from the kitchen, wiping her hands down her dress. Luc remained standing, waited for her to cross to him.
“I know you’ve got a lot on your mind right now,” he started. “But there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Wait.” She held up a palm. “I need to go first. I’ve been trying to figu
re out a way to talk to you about your amnesia.”
She sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t even know how to start,” she muttered. “I’ve racked my brain, but nothing sounds right.”
“The doctor said not to prompt me.” Luc reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet pouch. “While you’re thinking about the right words, why don’t you take this?”
She jerked her gaze up to his, then stared down at the present in his hand. “What is it?”
“Open it.”
Her fingers shook as she took the pouch and tugged on the gathered opening. With a soft gasp, she reached in and pulled out an emerald-cut amethyst ring.
“Luc.” She held the ring up, stared at it, then looked to him. “What’s this for?”
“Because you don’t have a ring on your finger. It hit me today, and I don’t know why you don’t, but I didn’t want to wait and find out. I saw this and I knew you’d love it.”
When she didn’t say anything or put the ring on, his nerves spiked. Strange, since he’d obviously already popped the question. Unless she just didn’t like it.
“If you’d rather have something else, I can take it back to the lady and exchange it. When I saw that stone, I remembered something else about you.”
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
A tear slipped down her cheek as she blinked. Luc swiped it away, resting his hand on the side of her face. “I remembered your birthday is in February and that’s your birthstone. I remembered you have this amethyst pendant you’ve worn with gowns to parties at the palace. That pendant would nestle right above your breasts. I used to be jealous of that stone.”
Kate sucked in a breath as another tear fell down her face. “You say things like that to me and I feel like you’ve had feelings for me for longer than I ever imagined.”
Taking the ring from her hand, he slid it onto her left ring finger. “There are many things I don’t remember, but I know this—I’ve wanted you forever, Kate.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Luc enveloped her in his arms, pulled her against him and claimed her mouth. He loved kissing her, loved feeling her lush body against his. Nothing had ever felt this perfect, as far as he could recall. And he was pretty sure if anything had ever felt this good, he’d remember.
Kate’s hands pushed against his shoulders as she broke the kiss. “Wait.”
She turned, coming free from his hold. With her rigid back to him, Luc’s nerves ramped up a level. “Kate, what’s wrong?”
“I want to tell you,” she whispered. “I need to tell you, but I don’t know how much I can safely say without affecting your memory.”
Taking a step toward her, he cupped his hands over her shoulders. “Then don’t say anything. Can’t we just enjoy this moment?”
She turned in his arms, stared up at him and smiled. “I’ve never been happier than I am right now. I just worry what will happen once you remember everything.”
His lips slid across hers. “I’m not thinking of my memory. I only want to make up for what we did this morning.”
A catch in her breath had him pausing. Her eyes locked onto his.
“I want to make love to you properly, Kate.”
Her body shuddered beneath his hands. “I’ve wanted you for so long, Luc.”
Something primal ripped through him at the same time he saw a flash of Kate wearing a fitted skirt suit, bending over her desk to reach papers. He shook off the image. She’d already said she was his assistant, so that flash wasn’t adding anything new to the mix.
Right now he had more pressing matters involving his beautiful fiancée.
“I want you wearing my ring, the weight of my body and nothing else.”
Luc gave the halter tie on her neck a tug, stepping back just enough to have the material floating down over her bare breasts. With a quick yank, he pulled the dress and sent it swishing to the floor around her feet. Next he rid her of her silky pink panties.
With her hair tossed around her shoulders, her mouth swollen from his kisses, Luc simply stared at her, as if taking all this in for the first time.
“Perfect,” he muttered, gliding his hands over her hips and around her waist. “Absolutely perfect and totally mine.”
The breeze from the open patio doors enveloped them. The sunset just on the horizon created an ambience even he couldn’t have bought. And everything about this moment overshadowed all that was wrong in his mind with the amnesia.
Guiding Kate backward, he led her to a chaise. When her legs bumped against the edge, Luc pressed on her shoulders, silently easing her down. Once she lay all spread out for his appreciation, he started tugging off his own clothes. The way her eyes traveled over his body, studying him, did something to his ego he couldn’t explain. He found himself wanting to know what she thought when she looked at him, what she felt. All this was still new to him and he wanted to savor every single moment of their lovemaking.
“I’ve dreamed of this,” he murmured.
Her brows quirked. “Seriously? You don’t think it was a memory of something?”
Luc rested one hand on the back of the chaise, another on the cushion at her hip. As he loomed over her, his body barely brushed the tips of her breasts.
“I’m sure,” he whispered. “You were on my balcony, naked, smiling. Ready for me.”
A cloud of passion filled her eyes as she continued to stare up at him.
“Maybe I had that fantasy when I first looked at this place, or maybe I had that vision since we’ve been here.” He nipped at her collarbone, gliding up her exposed throat. “Either way, you were meant to be here. With me. Only me.”
Kate’s body arched into his as her fingertips trailed up his biceps and rested at his shoulders. “Only you,” she muttered.
Luc eased down, settling between her legs. The moment his lips touched hers, he joined them, slowly taking everything she was willing to give. This all-consuming need he had for her only grew with each passing moment. Kate was in his blood, in his heart. Was it any wonder he wanted to marry her and spend his life with her?
Kate’s fingertips dug into his skin as she rested her forehead against his shoulder. Luc knew from the little pants, the soft moans, that she was on the brink of release.
He kissed her neck, working his way up to that spot behind her ear he already knew was a trigger. Her body clenched around him as she cried out his name. Before she stopped trembling, he was falling over the edge, too, wrapped in the arms of the woman he loved, surrounded by a haze of euphoria that kept away all the ugly worries and doubts.
All that mattered was Kate and their beautiful life together.
* * *
His hand slid over her flat stomach. There was a baby, his baby, growing inside her. He hadn’t thought much about being a father, but the idea warmed something within him.
Dropping to his knees, he kissed her bare stomach. “I love you already,” he whispered.
Luc jerked awake, staring into the darkness. What the hell was that? A memory? Just a random dream? His heart beat so fast, so hard against the wall of his chest. That had been real. The emotions, the feel of her abdomen beneath his palm, had all been real.
Luc wasn’t one to believe in coincidences. That was a memory, but how could it be? Kate wasn’t pregnant. She’d said they hadn’t made love before the shower, so what the hell was that dream about?
Glancing at the woman beside him, Luc rubbed a hand over his face. The sheet was twisted around her bare body, and her hair was spread over the pillow. Luc placed a hand on her midsection and closed his eyes. That dream was so real he’d actually felt it.
Surely it wasn’t just a fantasy of the day he and Kate would be expecting in real life.
He fell back against his pillow, laced his hands behind his head and blinked to adjust his eyesight to the darkened room. No way could he go back to sleep now. There was too much on his mind, too many unanswered questions.
Something involving a baby had happened to
cause such a strong flashback, for the second time now. It just didn’t make sense. His mind was obviously the enemy at the moment.
“Luc...”
He turned toward her, only to find her eyes were still closed. She was dreaming, too. Her hand shifted over the sheets as if seeking him out. Instantly, he took hold of her hand and clasped it against his chest. Tomorrow he would have to seek some answers. This waiting around was killing him, because tidbits of his life weren’t enough. He wanted the whole damn picture and he wanted it now.
Maybe if Kate talked about herself, her personal life, that would trigger more memories for him. He was done waiting, done putting his life in this mental prison.
How could he move on with Kate when he couldn’t even remember their lives before a few days ago?
Ten
She should’ve told him. No matter what the doctor said, she should have just told Luc that they weren’t engaged. Everything else he could remember on his own, but the biggest lie of all needed to be brought out into the open.
Of course, now they’d slept together twice, and she still hadn’t said a word.
The heaviness of the ring on her hand wasn’t helping the guilt weighing on her heart, either. Instead of trying to make this right, she’d let every single aspect spin even more out of control.
Stepping from the bathroom, Kate tied the short, silky robe around her waist. As soon as she glanced up, she spotted Luc sitting up in bed, the stark white sheet settled low around his hips. All those tanned, toned muscles, the dark ink scrolling over one shoulder, the dark hair splattering over his pecs. The man exuded sex appeal and authority.
“You needn’t have bothered with that robe if you’re going to keep looking at me like that,” he told her, his voice husky from sleep.
Kate leaned against the door frame to the bathroom. “Did you know you never wanted to marry?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Luc laughed, leaning back against the quilted headboard. “That’s a bit off topic, but no. I didn’t know that.”
A Royal Amnesia Scandal Page 8