by Lauren Canan
“It was so awful,” she whispered, her cheek against his naked chest. “I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.”
His arms tightened around her, then one hand began to soothingly rub circles over her back. “I heard you cry out.”
Her mind wouldn’t let her recall everything, but she remembered the vivid colors of red everywhere. She had been in so much pain. Was it the accident? Was that what had happened to her?
She sat up then, moving away from his chest as reality fully set in. Her gaze roamed the handsome features of his face. With tenderness, he wiped away her tears.
“Wade, I—”
Her remaining words were reduced to an unfinished thought when Wade leaned down and his lips found hers. Briefly. A feather-soft meeting. He drew back, watching her, and she thought she saw a battle going on in his eyes. She reached up to touch his face, tracing the character lines that only added to his potent allure. With a deep moan, he kissed her again, this time more forcefully, moistening her lips with his tongue, demanding entrance to the deeper secrets of her mouth, and Victoria didn’t think of resisting. His hand grasped the back of her head, holding her to him as his tongue pushed inside, hungry, seeking.
It was an explosion of sensation. He tasted of coffee, a hint of vanilla and a whole lot of hot-blooded male. His mouth covered hers enticingly, drawing back before returning with even more vigor. His lips were simultaneously soft and firm, enveloping her own, yet she could sense the passion he held tightly in check. His natural masculine scent surrounded her, stimulating her own need with every breath, making her hunger for more. In that moment, she wanted only to lose herself in his arms.
She felt weightless, then the softness of a cloud touched her back. Her body grew hot, the heat centering at the apex of her legs. Every thought in her head floated somewhere in an abyss.
Absently, she realized her head was against a pillow, his hands cupping her face while his lips and tongue continued to stir the passion pooling hot and deep in her belly.
His body was over her, his erection hard and almost painful as it pressed against her belly. She squirmed in a frantic effort to move so he would be at her opening, where she desperately needed him to be. For a minute in time, he helped her, repositioning himself against her core, the barrier of her panties the only thing keeping them apart.
Suddenly, with a groan, he pulled back and sat up, leaving her confused and wanting. Breathing hard, he watched her in the soft, indirect glow from the lights in the garden below. The muscles on his jaw moved in rapid succession, and regret covered his features.
He stood from the bed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Damn. I’m sorry, Victoria.” His voice was husky.
Before she could answer, Wade turned and walked out the door.
Victoria fell back against the pillows. What just happened? She inhaled a deep breath and blew it out in an effort to slow her racing heart. At least she knew without any doubt that passion was still very much alive in their marriage. Maybe she could get him to talk about what happened that had apparently put a wall between them. Or, if he was merely concerned about hurting her, she would make sure the doctor assured him she was fine. Because she was.
She pulled the covers up to her neck. The room suddenly seemed cold. In fact, she’d felt the chill as soon as he’d withdrawn his arms.
Why had he apologized? Was it because he’d almost made love to her? Or because he’d stopped? One thing stood out in her mind: he wanted her. For now, that was enough. For maybe the first time since the accident, she had hope. Memory or no memory, maybe they could work it out.
* * *
What in the hell had he been thinking? Goddammit. He didn’t give a hot damn about her lovers or any other aspect of her personal business, as long as it didn’t affect his own. So what in the hell was he thinking when he’d kissed her? Even worse, he’d kissed a woman who didn’t even remember who he was. She was barely out of the hospital after sustaining a major concussion. She needed to be able to trust him, at least until her memories came back. And he’d pounced on her like some love-starved jackass. He’d taken advantage of her having a nightmare. How pathetic was that?
Entering his own suite, Wade closed the door behind him, ambled across the room and fell onto the bed. This was not good. He didn’t know what had changed between them, had no idea why suddenly Victoria had become so appealing. But she had. He’d felt the change growing since she’d batted those baby blues at him in the hospital. He’d shaken it off as just human compassion for another who was hurt, frightened, and needed his help.
That rationale had been blown to hell when she’d invited him to sit on the ground under a tree. Him. The Wizard of Wall Street. Wade Masters, revered financial genius, sitting on the ground under a damn tree. And—worse still—he’d liked it. It took him back to his childhood, to the memories of growing up on the ranch with his brothers. The tricks they would play on each other. The camaraderie.
He had not wanted to stop kissing Victoria, even though he knew it was the wrong thing to be doing. He was playing into her hands like a blind fool, and until he could figure out what she was after or prove she was lying about the amnesia, he had better pull himself together. Every second spent in her company was a step deeper into her web of deceit. The only hope he had was to get her out of this house and permanently eliminate the temptation to take their relationship to the next level.
His attorney had cautioned Wade about doing anything she could claim would be placing her in danger, meaning she had to be healthy and fully capable of taking care of herself before he asked her to leave. If Dr. Meadows gave her the all clear in spite of the memory loss, some time spent on the family ranch might be just the ticket. Despite her urging him to revisit the ranch and her little sit-in-the-grass party, he knew damned well Victoria didn’t like nature or anything remotely outdoorsy, regardless of how much she was pretending otherwise. She had a distaste for animals, and zero appreciation for anything country. He still hadn’t figured out why she was pretending to enjoy things totally out of character. She had to be scheming. The big question remained: What was she after?
Maybe the answer would be revealed after she’d washed and groomed a dozen horses and mucked out a few stalls. Taking her to the ranch seemed like the perfect plan. Push enough country living in her direction, while he relaxed in his favorite place in the world. Something would give, and it wouldn’t be on his end.
Whatever had happened to Victoria in that wreck, he would not let it affect him. He couldn’t afford to. He’d leave all of her peculiarities to a psychiatrist to try to figure out. From now on, he would stick to his office and keep the damn door closed. Or, better yet, leave. It was a little over a week until her doctor’s appointment, and he had more than enough staff to see to her needs. There was some business he honestly needed to address in New York. Without further consideration, he picked up the internal phone and dialed the house manager.
“Curtis? Yeah, I need to fly to New York for a couple of days as soon as it can be arranged.”
“Yes, sir. The plane is fueled and ready. I’ll contact the pilot. I can have a car sent around to the front... Give me two hours on everything?”
“Perfect. Thanks. Oh, Curtis? Something else.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Victoria... Take her shopping. She’s been complaining about not having comfortable shoes. Take her to a few of the better clothing boutiques. Tell her I said to get whatever she wants.”
“Yes, sir.”
He’d known if he ever let emotions enter his life, his neat and orderly existence would go to hell in a handbasket. But...was it emotion that caused him to want to be close to Victoria? Taste her lips? Feel the warmth of her breath on his face? Hear her whispered sighs as he held her close? Emotion meant he had to feel something for her.
Feel something for Victoria? Oh, hell no! It was animal in
stinct. Purely sexual. Even that was a stretch of the imagination. This was Victoria he was thinking about.
This was the third time in as many days she’d suckered him into whatever game she was playing. Regardless of whether it was on purpose or not, despite how much he’d enjoyed kissing her, it damn sure would not happen again.
* * *
The next morning at breakfast Victoria was advised by a man who introduced himself as Curtis Shepherd, the house manager, that Wade had been forced to return to New York for some urgent business. Wade had asked him to pass on his apologies and assure her he would be back in time for the appointment with her doctor. A nagging suspicion had her wondering if Wade really did have urgent business. Or had he left to avoid her? The idea made her uneasy and a little sad. Was it possible Wade had not seen their passion the previous night as a positive thing? A step toward rebuilding their marriage? She hadn’t had the opportunity to talk with him about their marriage. The subject of why it might be in trouble wasn’t a conversation she’d wanted to bring up. But it was making her crazy. She had to know. When he got back, they were going to discuss it.
Curtis also told her Wade wanted her to go shopping for shoes and anything else she needed. Curtis was to accompany her, driving to the stores she used to frequent. It was nice of Wade, but the only thing she needed was a good pair of sneakers, and that hardly seemed to be worth the man’s time.
Finishing her breakfast, she decided she would go on a mission of discovery. Between the house and the estate grounds, there was so much to see. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to refamiliarize herself with this gigantic house.
Her first stop was the kitchen. The chef and his two assistants were busy turning out what would no doubt be another spectacular dinner. Surprised by her presence, they were immediately uneasy. She had to assume it was because she’d come into their area of the house. Finally, after she gave them plenty of compliments and ready smiles, they began to loosen up and seemed only too happy to explain what they were preparing, their words conveying such pride in their work.
An idea began to form. Maybe one of the chefs would know of a smaller, more intimate area they could eat, instead of that huge, formal dining room. She turned to the one who was most proficient in English, even though his thick French accent still made him difficult to understand. He gleefully took her to a diminutive alcove between the hall to Wade’s office and the elevator. The area was just big enough to fit a table and a couple of chairs. Maybe a plant for ambience? A floor-to-ceiling bay window filled the far wall, framing a water fountain just outside. The only piece of furniture there was a sofa. It was perfect. As soon as she could have a small table and two chairs delivered, she wanted all future meals to be served here.
Eventually, she found herself back at the elevator. Returning to her room, she placed a call to Curtis and gave him her request. A small table and two chairs would be delivered tomorrow along with one ficus tree. Curtis suggested the area where she wanted to place the new furniture might need repainting, and they’d want to remove the sofa. Victoria gave the go-ahead, excited to see how it would all come together. She especially wondered how Wade would like it.
Curtis also politely reminded her of the shopping spree. She didn’t know if it would be a spree, but she would go and get a new pair of shoes. They made arrangements to leave at two that afternoon.
When the time came, Curtis and two security guards met her at the car. Two hours later, Curtis pulled the car back into the circle drive. Victoria got out with two bags, both containing everyday casual shoes.
Her spirits lifted, she dumped the two boxes inside her closet, slipped on a bikini and headed for the pool.
* * *
The flight back to Dallas seemed endless. Never before had Wade felt like pacing during a flight. He knew Victoria was the cause. He was actually looking forward to seeing her again. That was a first. He was probably setting a new world’s record for foolishness.
“We are in the flight pattern for landing, Mr. Masters,” the pilot spoke from the cockpit. “ETA about five minutes.”
Good. For the first time in...maybe forever, Wade looked forward to returning home. After a perfect landing and a quick switch to the waiting car, he was on the last leg of his journey. It was well past midnight. He was tired and irritated. His stay had lasted longer than expected. The meetings hadn’t gone well, primarily because he’d not been prepared. He’d left half the documents on his desk back in Dallas and couldn’t keep from constantly wondering what Victoria was doing. For the first time that he could remember, he vehemently did not want to conduct business. And then it had been a long flight home, made even longer by his internal agitation.
The next day was Victoria’s appointment with Dr. Meadows. Wade had refrained from calling him about Victoria’s bizarre behavior, and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was that some of her new quirks he rather liked. In all honesty, he didn’t want her to revert back to the woman she’d once been. It wasn’t fair to her, granted. She deserved to have her memories and her life back. But still...
“We’re here, Mr. Masters,” the driver said before stepping out and opening the door for Wade. “I’ll have your things cleaned and the luggage stored. Have a good evening, sir.”
Wade made the appropriate reply and headed to a small side entrance of the house that not everyone knew about. To a stranger, it would not appear as an entry at all, since the door was hidden behind an evergreen. He’d taken this path so many times he could do it blindfolded. From the driveway, there was a series of stepping stones through the landscaping to the carefully hidden door.
The first stepping stone felt strange under his foot. The second one even more so. It was as though the flagstone had been removed, which was ridiculous. The third stride almost took him down. He recognized his problem: he was standing in pure mud. Where in the hell were the paving stones? On the fourth step, the mud encased his foot up to the ankle and had him fighting for his balance. Struggling, he finally managed to take another step forward, but his shoe remained behind. He groped the air for something to hold on to seconds before he fell to his knees. His briefcase was claimed by the darkness as he determinedly fought his way to the side door, finally reaching the concrete entrance by crawling on all fours like a dog.
Standing on the small cement step, he looked back in the direction he’d just come. From this angle, Wade could see that someone had indeed removed the stepping stones and apparently decided quicksand was more to their liking. But who? Who would do this? Victoria’s face flashed in his mind like an image on a big screen. Nahhh. Why would she do something like this? Landscape design wasn’t her thing.
Wade entered the security code, pulled open the door and stepped inside. Reaching down, he removed his one remaining shoe and both muddy socks. His slacks were in no better shape, so he ditched those, too. With grim determination to keep a tight rein on his temper, he set out for the elevator. He’d not gone far when he tripped over a large obstacle directly in his path. Wade felt himself go down in what seemed like slow motion, his feet tangled in God knew what. The sound of wood and metal hitting the floor echoed down the empty hall. What the hell? What was a chair doing in the hallway?
Clambering to his feet, he didn’t notice the table until his head hit the bottom of it, setting off another series of bangs and crashes as it fell onto its side. Levering himself carefully to his feet, he righted the table and once again turned toward the elevator. He never saw the potted tree that stood more than double his height until he and it were waltzing in the dark. He finally fell against a wall that prevented him from losing his balance yet again.
Suddenly the lights came on, and he was able to view the obstacle course he’d just come through. Two wrought-iron chairs with wooden seats, a matching table and a damn tree. He noticed traces of white covered his hands and the sleeves of his suit jacket. The pungent smell of fresh paint reached his nose. The chef sto
od in the kitchen opening, his eyes as big as saucers. No doubt the noise had echoed all the way through the kitchen and into the employees’ section of the house.
“Get this tree out of the middle of the damn hallway,” Wade barked at the man, who scurried to do his bidding. With a scowl, Wade limped to the elevator.
When the elevator doors opened to the second floor, he cut a beeline directly for Victoria’s door. And this time he didn’t pause to knock.
And there she was, sitting up in bed reading a book, a look of pure innocence on her beautiful face. She looked up, obviously surprised by his late-night visit. Then her eyes quickly went wide as she took in his appearance.
“Wade?” Frowning, she threw off the covers and hurried toward him. “What happened? Where are your pants? You’re...covered in mud. How did you tear your shirt?” Reaching up, she pulled a small, six-inch-long twig from his collar. “What’s on your suit? It looks like white paint all over the back of your jacket... Oh dear.”
“Oh dear? Did we do a little shopping while I was gone?” His jaw worked overtime. “A little rearranging?”
“Yes.” She had the decency to grimace. “I bought two pairs of shoes and...the little dining room was supposed to be a surprise.”
“Let me assure you, in that you succeeded.”
“We didn’t have a small table for meals, so I bought one, along with two chairs to go with it. Remember? We talked about it that night during dinner. And you were right. I found a perfect area for just the two of us to eat, but no furniture.” She bit her bottom lip. “Curtis thought it might need repainting. So I told them to just put the furniture in the hallway. And the ficus.”