Twin Souls

by D. M. Mortier

  The men still maintained strict guard over her and Rico since Samir’s escape. They were not taking any chance of him returning to inflict more harm, especially with Rico being so vulnerable. As far as they knew, Samir still had no idea he was looking for Neo.

  When Cherone walked into the hospital room still wearing the pale blue dress she wore to her graduation, she was shocked to see Rico sitting up in his bed, alert. Dominic and Sean stood next to the hospital bed.

  “Oh my God, Rico, you’re awake! How are you feelings?”She wanted to fling herself into Rico’s arms but didn’t dare because his stare was cold, forbidding. “When did this happen?”

  Both men looked at her silently and then looked at Rico.

  “What’s going on? Why aren’t you answering me?” Cherone asked.

  Neo cleared his throat. “Glad to see you finally decided to rejoin the living, old man.” He walked over and gave Rico a bro hug and fist pump.

  Rico briefly smiled at Neo, but his cool gaze darted back to her. He looked at her as if he had never seen her before in his life.

  Damn, why do I feel like an outsider right now?

  “Who are you?” Rico asked.

  You’ve got to be shitting me! “Wh-what do you mean?” Cherone asked.

  “Who are you?” Rico asked. He looked at Dominic. “Who is she? Is she my angel from the dreams?”

  “Rico? What’s going on? Why are you acting this way?”Cherone stared at him in horror. What did those bastards do to him? Has he lost his mind then?

  Dominic sighed, stood, and came toward her. “Come, sweetheart. Let’s step outside, and I’ll explain.”

  “What the hell?” Rico sat up straighter in the bed as if he was about to attack Dom. “No, you’re not going anywhere with her!”

  “Ghost, man, you’re scaring her,” Neo said. “Let Dom talk to her.”

  “Fuck no. He has a wife. This one’s mine.” Rico’s eyes drilled into her.

  “But you said you didn’t know who I was,” Cherone said. “How the hell am I yours?”

  “I know who you are,” Rico said. “I just don’t know who you are.”

  “Well, that made perfect sense.” Sean laughed.

  Rico glowered at him.

  “Sean, don’t aggravate him,” Dominic muttered. “You know the situation. He recognizes her voice.”

  “I’m glad everyone understands what’s going on, because I certainly don’t,” Cherone said. “Would one of you knuckleheads tell me?”

  Don’t get upset, mi ángel.

  Rico? Oh my God, I missed your voice in my head.

  You heard me?

  Cherone laughed, covering her mouth with her hands. For the first time since she entered the room, she felt a sense of peace. “Yes, I heard you.”

  “Are you two doing that mind thing?” Neo asked.

  “What mind thing?” Dominic and Sean asked simultaneously.

  “Cherone told me that you can talk to each other telepathically.” Neo looked to Rico for confirmation.

  Rico looked at her. “Is that your name?”

  “You really don’t know who I am?” Cherone asked. “Then who the hell do you think I am?”

  I know your voice. You’re my ángel.

  I don’t understand, Cherone asked. Is that all I am?

  “Tell me who you are,” Rico said.

  “Has the doctor seen him yet?” Cherone asked Dominic.

  “Yes,” Dominic said. “I think you need to speak to the doctor.”

  “Don’t ignore me!” Rico shouted.

  Cherone turned to leave the room.

  “No!” Rico roared. “You’re not leaving! And don’t act like I’m not here!”

  “Rico, be reasonable,” Dominic demanded. “Cherone needs to know what has happened and will come back. Just let her talk to your doctor.”

  “No! I’m fine. Anything they need to tell her, they can tell her in front of me.”

  “Who am I, Rico?” Cherone asked. “You know everyone else except me.”

  Rico frowned, looked at his SEAL mates briefly, and then looked back at her. “You’re mine,” he growled.

  “I belong to no one,” Cherone said.

  “You were talking to me, and then you were gone,” Rico said. “Why did you leave?”

  “He woke as soon as you guys left for the ceremony,” Sean said.

  “What ceremony?” Rico demanded, looking between her and Neo.

  “Not that kind of ceremony, Ghost.” Neo grinned.

  “He has amnesia?” Cherone asked Dominic.

  “To a point, yes,” Dominic said. “But you need to talk to Dr. Chou so he can explain.

  “Don’t talk about me as though I’m not here!” Rico demanded.

  Cherone shook her head and left the room.

  Come back here!

  You don’t know who am I, Rico. Why only me?

  Rico growled in frustration.

  That’s what I thought. Cherone continued down the hall in search of Rico’s neurosurgeon.

  “Rico man, calm your ass down,” Neo grunted as he, Sean, and Dominic tried to hold Rico down to prevent him from going after Cherone. “She’s coming back. Now y’all tell me what’s going on.”

  “She shouldn’t have left. Why is she so damn stubborn?” Rico looked at the closed hospital door with a frown. He had no idea why he was so worried about his angel.

  Neo laughed. “Your crazy ass raised her. Now you want to know why she’s spoiled.”

  “What did you say?” Rico’s eyes rounded in horror. “Is she my daughter?”

  The other men laughed.

  “Ah, no, she’s not yours,” Neo said. “She belongs to all of us.”

  “What the fuck?” Rico growled. “What are you talking about? She is mine!”

  “We can’t tell you more without going against what the doctors advised,” Dominic said.

  “Is she my daughter or not?” Rico shouted.

  “Well, if it makes you feel better, it’s 99.9 percent no. Cherone is twenty-two years old. She is too old to be any of our daughters.”

  Rico exhaled with relief. “I may have had to lock myself in an asylum if she was related to me. There’s no way in hell a relative should be having the kind of reaction that I just had to Cherone. She’s fucking beautiful.”

  “I think you guys have some explaining to do,” Dominic said. “What the hell is going on between Ghost and Cherone?”

  “Ah, Dom, I think that’s a discussion you need to have with Rico once he remembers,” Neo said.

  Dominic frowned. “He seems a bit more possessive of her than usual.”

  “Are you denying that she belongs to me?” Rico demanded.

  “Damn straight I am,” Dominic muttered. “Cherone is all of our responsibility. I’m not sure this shit is all right with me.”

  “Dom, ease up man,” Neo said. “Rico and Cherone have always been close. Let this one go, because this is definitely a fight you will not win. Cherone is even more stubborn about Rico than he is with her. You saw how she has been over the past couple of weeks.”

  “So you two can really read each other’s minds?” Sean asked.

  “Damn I hope not,” Rico said. “Otherwise I would be screwed.”

  “I don’t understand.” Sean frowned. “Weren’t you two just communicating to each other without speaking?”

  “Yeah.” Rico looked at the door, willing Cherone to return.

  “Why didn’t you tell us about that?” Neo asked.

  Rico shrugged.

  “You were always a secretive bastard.” Dominic stood and stepped toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” Rico asked.

  “Someone has to protect Cherone while your attacker is still out there,” Dominic said as he opened the door.

  Fear paralyzed Rico, the ominous shivers that invaded his body whenever danger was near assaulting him, but at least he was beginning to understand his protective instinct for her. “Yes, she’s not safe,” he whi
spered hoarsely. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Dominic nodded and left the room.

  “Look, I know the doctors said you are not supposed to tell me what happened, to let me remember on my own, but I need to know what I’m dealing with.” Rico looked to Neo and Sean, desperate to uncover what his instincts were telling him.

  “Dom said you had amnesia to a point,” Neo said. “So what do you remember?”

  “I remember some things, just not current events,” Rico said.

  “But you don’t remember Cherone,” Neo said. “What’s the last thing you do remember?”

  “I remember our last mission in Pakistan,” Rico said.

  “Damn, Rico, that was ten years ago.” Neo looked at him with wide eyes. “Our lives ain’t anything like it was back then. For starters, we now have Cherone.”

  “So I gather.” Rico again looked toward the door. “What the hell is taking them so long?”

  Cherone couldn’t believe what Dr. Chou was telling her. “He doesn’t remember anything of his life over the past ten years?”

  Dr. Chou nodded. “His amnesia could be temporary, or it could be permanent. You need to prepare yourself for that.”

  “Does Rico know this?”

  “He’s aware of his situation, but we didn’t think it prudent to tell him that it may be permanent. We didn’t want him to panic, which could make his condition worse. It is also important that he regains his memory organically. Refrain from providing him with information other than the basics. Don’t recount experiences, places you have visited, or events. However, after saying that, known facts like who is the President of the United States, significant world events, or improved technology are acceptable to discuss.”

  Cherone sighed. “What about his other injuries? Is he okay?”

  “He’s young, healthy, and in excellent shape. His recovery has been amazing.” The doctor smiled.

  “When will he be able to go home?” Dominic asked, appearing at her side.

  “We’ll see how he does in the next few days,” Dr. Chou said. “Rico needs another two weeks to heal internally, and another month before we remove the casts from his arm and leg. He can begin therapy to regain strength in his limbs shortly after that. We will also perform another CT scan. If all goes well, he can complete his recovery at home.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Chou, for all that you and your team have done for Rico,” Cherone said.

  “Yes, thank you, Doc,” Dominic said, and he shook the doctor’s hand.

  Dr. Chou smiled. “Try not to worry, Mrs. Zayas. I’m sure Mr. Zayas will recover.”

  “But I’m not …” Cherone smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Come, little one, you need to return to our patient before he tears down the hospital searching for you,” Dominic said gently leading her out of the office.

  “I don’t understand why,” Cherone said. “I’m the only person he seemed to have forgotten.”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t deliberate,” Dominic said.

  “Deliberate or not, he forgot me.” Cherone was happy that she had Rico back but sad the she didn’t have her Rico back.

  “Why does Dr. Chou think you and Rico are married?” Dominic asked.

  Cherone frowned. “Everyone in the hospital thinks that. It was the only way they would allow me to stay with him around the clock. I thought you knew that.”

  “We had been trying to find Samir. I wasn’t paying attention to the hospital gossip.”

  Cherone raised an eyebrow. “Do I hear disapproval in your voice?”

  “Is there anything going on between you and Rico I should be concerned about?” Dominic asked.

  “I don’t see how what’s between me and Rico is any of your business. In case you haven’t noticed, Rico and I are adults. While I appreciate all that you and the guys have done for me, that doesn’t give you the right to dictate my life forever.”

  “I’m concerned about you,” Dominic said. “Rico is much older than you are. I want to ensure he’s not taking advantage of you.”

  Cherone smiled. “Rico is ten years older than me. I’m not concerned. Last I heard, the age difference between you and your wife are significantly more.”

  Dominic pushed his fingers through his hair and looked down at her with a tender gaze. “Rinah and I are not in question here. Despite what you may think, I love both of you and want what’s best for you. Rico is one of the finest men I know. If that is what you want, I wouldn’t stand in your way.”

  Cherone grinned. “I love you too, Dom, but in case you haven’t noticed, there are other more pressing things in our way than you right now. If and when Rico regains his memory, we’ll have this conversation again and I can tell you if there’s anything between Rico and me.”

  Dominic smiled and pulled her into a hug. “Congratulations on your graduation today by the way. Adam would have been so proud of you.”

  “Thank you,” Cherone whispered tearfully, hugging him around his waist.

  Chapter Fifteen

  CHERONE FELT RICO’S gaze upon her.

  Since she returned to his hospital room, his eyes followed her every move. When the guys had discussed who would guard her and who would stay at the hospital with him, Rico didn’t want to hear about her staying at a hotel. He insisted she sleep in his hospital room and demanded that the hospital bring in an extra bed for her.

  “Rico, be reasonable,” Cherone said. “I can’t stay here.”

  “You stayed with me before,” he insisted.

  “But you were unconscious and needed me. I don’t need to sleep here anymore.”

  “I disagree.” He turned to Dominic. “She’s not safe at a hotel.”

  “We know,” Dominic said. “That’s why Sean will be staying with her.”

  “Hell no!” Rico looked at Sean’s grinning face. “I don’t want that womanizer anywhere near her!”

  “And another one bites the dust,” Sean teased.

  “What are you talking about?” Dominic asked.

  “Don’t you recognize that same irrational jealousy you have for Rinah? Rico has that in spades, all the signs of a man who has fallen hard.” Sean shook his head in disgust.

  “I don’t know what the hell you guys are talking about, but Cherone is staying here with me. I don’t want Sean anywhere near her.” Rico glowered at them.

  Everyone tried to reason with Rico, but he was adamant and bullied the hospital into bringing in the bed.

  Cherone agreed to stay to stop the argument.

  Because Rico had been unable to sleep unless he could hold her hand, nurses pushed the beds close together to allow him to touch her while he slept. She had barely fallen asleep before she found herself in one of the most erotic dreams of her life. It took her a moment to realize that this wasn’t her dream.

  It was Rico’s.

  In the dream, she was standing beside his hospital bed and wearing a nurse’s uniform. The uniform barely stretched across her bosoms, and the generous swell of her breasts spilled over the top of the dress where a button had refused to close. The hem of the dress was provocatively short, revealing long toned legs and creamy thighs. She looked at herself and then at Rico. She raised an eyebrow.“Really, Rico?” Cherone knew he didn’t understand that they were sharing a dream.

  He grinned. “Come to me, querida,” he whispered. “I’ve wanted to taste you since I saw you for the first time today.”

  Her heart ached under his plea. Cherone leaned over him and gently kissed his lips.

  He drove his fingers through the dark strands of her hair and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. He palmed her right breast, squeezing her through the material of the dress and her lacey bra.

  The sudden coolness on her skin alerted her that his skillful fingers had efficiently loosened the buttons on her dress.

  Breaking their kiss, he looked down at her, admiring what he had uncovered.

  She also looked down at herself, surprised by the sexy white laced dem
i-bra and matching thong panties. The white lace accentuated her brown skin and her curves.

  “Bella, so beautiful,” Rico said softly, his gaze roamed feverishly over her.

  He caressed her stomach with fingers that shook with emotion. “I may not remember you, but I know you are mine.”

  The absolute confidence in his voice sent desire reeling through her.

  He gently kissed her stomach, peppering her skin with reverent admiration. Raising his head, his mouth covered her breast, the thin lace no match against his determined exploration. He pulled a tight nipple into his mouth and gently worried the tip between strong teeth, and Cherone cried out. He rooted from one beaded tip to the next, biting and sucking the dark buds through the coarse material. He edged his fingers into her panties. The rough pads of his thick fingers scraped against her swollen, moist clit.

  “Rico!” she gritted out, her eyes rolling back in her head as her limbs trembled violently in passionate response.

  “Sí, mi amor,” he soothed her. “Come, querida. Ride your man.” He threw the covers off his naked body.

  Her eyes widened at the sight of his thick cock, lengthening and straining toward his navel under her scrutiny. Reaching out slowly, she boldly gripped him in her palm, her fingers unable to close around his impressive weight. Gently caressing the ridged phallus, she bent her head and took the smooth tip into her mouth. She sucked him deep, easing him to the back of her throat. Palming his warm sacs and gripping the broad base of his cock, she simultaneously sucked and jerked off his swollen rod. She hummed around his cock, twirling her tongue sensually along the hard ridges as she stroked his length and sensitive sacs.

  He gripped her hair, holding her in place as he thrust gently in and out of her hot mouth.

  Gripping the taut flesh of his ass and locking her lips and tongue around his shaft, she pulled him deeper and deeper in her wet cavity.

  “Fuck!” he roared as he exploded, his seed gushing down her throat. She sucked him dry, swallowing his tangy essence.

  Once he quieted down, Cherone stepped away from the bed to remove the remaining strips of clothing from her body.