The Memory of You

by Laurie Kellogg

  Trailing her hands over him, she memorized the contours of his body. She moaned her pleasure while his mouth traveled over her heated skin, kissing its way down to her navel. Her whole body tensed when he ran his tongue slowly down her scar.

  Please don’t let him ask any more questions, she prayed. She couldn’t tell him. Not yet. She didn’t want to ruin their beautiful night together.

  He nibbled on the tender flesh of her inner thighs and flicked his tongue between them, sending her into a low orbit. A whimper of pleasure escaped her, and the room spun like a centrifuge. He lapped and sucked at her core.

  She wanted more. Deeper, harder, faster.

  Mac bolted upright and slapped his forehead. “Shit! I don’t believe this.”

  How could he stop when she was about to come? It was just downright cruel. She rose to her knees, breathing in the scent of soap as she kissed his scarred back. “What’s wrong?”

  “When John brought your car back, I never went out to get the condoms I bought.”

  “That’s okay. If you’ve been celibate for all this time, I think I can be fairly sure I won’t catch anything from you.”

  Turning, he pushed her back down on the bed and gazed into her eyes. “Honey, I don’t want to take a chance on getting you pregnant. After we’re sure we’re right for each other, I’ll give you as many babies as you want. A dozen if you’d like.”

  Abby winced at the ache in her chest. He had no idea how his words sliced into her heart like a hot knife. She choked back her tears and forced a smile. “Don’t worry. I can’t get pregnant, Mac.”

  He frowned and then a look of revelation washed over his face. “Oh. You’re on the pill. You don’t know how happy that makes me.” He dipped his finger inside her and whispered, “I’m dying to feel you all hot and wet around me with nothing between us.”

  She heaved a sigh of relief. She had to tell him—later.

  ~~~

  Matt plastered himself against Abby’s softness, feeling as if he were going to explode. He couldn’t continue without taking her. “Babe, I’ll love you some more later, but right now, we have a little trip to take to the nearest star.”

  “That would be the sun.”

  He closed his eyes, chuckling. “Right. I didn’t mean the sun, but with the heat we’re generating, it fits.”

  Pressing his lips to hers, he shifted between her thighs and steeled his control, preparing for the intense pleasure he knew he’d feel within her. He plunged himself into her slick passage and groaned at how hot and incredibly taut she was around him.

  Abby cringed, and he froze, gritting his teeth. He pulled out of her and held her close. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You’re so tight you feel as if you’ve never even had sex, let alone a baby.”

  “Technically, I never gave birth. I guess after all this time my insides have tightened up a little.”

  He stared at her in complete awe. “Are you saying you never slept with Rob?”

  She looked away, her cheeks flooded with color. “Last night was supposed to be our first time, but he walked out on me when I didn’t live up to his expectations.”

  So she’d never been with anyone else?

  It was all Matt could do not to crow with delight. No wonder Rob had behaved like a spoiled child the night before. The man deserved to be sainted for taking cold showers all that time. Matt was happier than ever he’d given Rob Katherine Grant’s number.

  He kissed Abby tenderly. “Do you think you’re ready for another try, Sweetheart? I’ll take it really slow this time.”

  She nodded and wound her arms around his neck. Settling back between her legs, he clenched his jaw, entering her one agonizing inch at a time, allowing her body to gradually adjust to his invasion. When he’d fully imbedded himself in her, he stopped. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, yesss. I’d forgotten how wonderful making love is.” She wiggled beneath him. “How good it feels.”

  He closed his eyes and moved slowly in her slippery heat. “It’s even better than I remember.”

  Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and her hips rose to meet his. She moaned in his ear. “It’s been so long.”

  “Too long,” he murmured, pulling her legs around him. What he’d recalled of lovemaking had been nothing like this. Abby’s whimpers tested his restraint. He buried his face in her fragrant hair and undulated slowly, marveling at the ecstasy. Her heels dug into his haunches as if she were urging on a stallion in a steeple chase.

  If his buddies had convinced him of nothing else during their endless discussions about sex, it was the pleasure was too great to let it pass too quickly.

  He could feel his restraint slipping fast. He had to stop a moment to give Abby the long thorough loving he wanted to treat her to. She writhed beneath him, her words punctuated by her gasps between his slow thrusts.

  He stopped to gather his control. Her head thrashed in time with her hips’ frantic rocking. She clutched at his shoulders, panting. “Please, don’t stop.”

  Grinding his mouth into hers, he murmured, “In a moment, Sweetheart, this is much too good to rush.”

  ~~~

  Abby moaned softly from her urgent need when Mac finally resumed his thrusts. He sensually rotated his hips in a deliberate motion, finding every pleasure point inside her.

  Tangling his fingers in her hair, he showered her face and neck with such tender kisses her heart threatened to burst.

  He drew back slightly and sucked in a deep breath, whispering, “Okay, are you ready for the sun?”

  “I passed the sun ages ago. I’m almost at that star you were heading for.”

  He nibbled on her ear and rolled to his back, taking her with him to straddle his hips. He flashed a crooked smile at her. “Since you’re almost there, I’ll let you take us the rest of the way.”

  Her chest tightened at how Mac’s grin transformed his face. He was an incredibly attractive man, but on the infrequent occasions he smiled, he became downright handsome.

  He was completely different in bed. He’d laughed more in the last hour than in the whole nine days she’d known him. His smiles were so rare it made them all that much more precious and special.

  ~~~

  Matt rolled his eyes back and gasped. Abby wiggled on him again, moving her body sinuously against his. When she began to rock on him, he chuckled softly. “I think I’m going to live to regret letting you get on top.”

  He cupped her breasts and tweaked her nipples, eliciting a high pitched squeal from her. As she moved progressively faster, he thrust his hips upward to keep pace with her.

  She threw her head back, panting, riding him like a woman possessed. “Oh, Mac, it’s never been like this before.”

  Just the sight of her passion-swollen lips and her golden hair streaming down her back was nearly enough to push him over the edge. Abby’s nails dug into his chest, and she stiffened, crying out and shivering on him while her body pulsed around him.

  Watching the pleasure wash over her face filled him with an intense desire to see it again. He rolled her onto her back and whispered, “I want to give you a second helping, Sweetheart.”

  He drove wildly into her, sucking and caressing her breasts. He didn’t know how much more his heart could take of the extreme tension, but he was willing to find out. Was he nuts to try to hold out for her to come again?

  Oh, well, he couldn’t think of a more pleasant way to die.

  He melded his mouth with hers in a long clash of tongues and teeth. The pressure increased in his groin and the insistent throbbing left his control ready to snap. “Now, Abby.” He moved faster, panting out his words. “Come with me, now, please.”

  “I’m not there yet. It’s okay. Go ahead.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated while his chest heaved. “No, I’ll try to wait. I want you with me.”

  ~~~

  Abby couldn’t believe Mac’s stamina. He cupped her bottom and pounded into her at a furious
rate, grunting with each thrust. She wrapped her legs tightly around him, and the whole room whirled. Their mouths ravaged each other’s in frenzied kisses, biting, sucking, while their urgent breaths mingled. This was what it’d been like with Matt. Fast and frantic and completely out of control.

  A fierce shiver ran through her, sending her higher and higher. Her voice caught with excitement. “Yes!”

  She stared up into his dark chocolate gaze, and suddenly she was looking into her husband’s eyes. She arched her back, rising up to meet his body, and she shattered, crying out, “Oh Matt!”

  ~~~

  Matt’s chest constricted, hearing Abby call his name. He relaxed his restraint, and her body clenched around him, milking his seed from him. He shuddered violently, spilling himself into her in an endless, mind-numbing wave of pleasure.

  Groaning, he collapsed on her and rolled to his back, pulling her on top again. He pressed her head down on his chest and held her tightly. Had she said his name because she’d realized who he was? Or had she done it unconsciously because, in her mind, she’d been making love to his younger self?

  Strangely enough, it hurt to think she’d had someone else on her mind. Which was asinine considering that someone else was him.

  It didn’t make sense, but he wanted Abby to love him as he was now. Not the saint she’d immortalized in her memory.

  Matt lay quietly caressing her back and brushed his lips over her forehead. She must have been fantasizing and called out Matt without realizing it, otherwise she would’ve said something by now.

  It wasn’t surprising his mind had chosen not to remember her after he’d been taken captive. If he thought he’d never have her in his arms like this, again, he’d probably try to forget tonight, too. It would hurt like crazy if she decided she didn’t want him now.

  She lifted her head and smiled down at him, gently stroking his cheek. “Thank you. That was very nice of you. You didn’t have to wait for me.”

  “Don’t they say nice guys always finish last?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “I don’t think that’s what that saying means.”

  “Since you seemed to enjoy it so much, would you by any chance like to take another trip into space with me?”

  “We’re going to have to head for a different star. When we got to that last one, I think it exploded into a super nova.”

  Laughing softly, he reached over to switch off the light before he pulled her head down to his chest. “I need a little sleep first.” When she started to move off of him, he tightened his arms around her. “With you right where you are.”

  As he drifted off to the soft sound of her warm breath in his ear, he frowned. If Abby hadn’t been having sex, why was she taking birth control pills?

  He shrugged to himself and sighed. She’d probably started them after she got engaged.

  ~~~

  Abby woke several times during the night to Mac nuzzling her neck. The slow, sweet loving they shared before she surrendered to sleep again in his arms eroded her heart’s defenses a little more each time.

  Just after daybreak, Mac smiled down at her while he traced his finger over her mouth. “I could very easily get used to this full time, Sweetheart.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. “Mmmm. Me, too.”

  A little too easily. She was so close to losing her heart. Making love with Mac was more than likely going to turn out to be one of the bigger mistakes in her life.

  ~~~

  The sound of a door closing in the distance dragged Matt to a semi-conscious state. His arms and legs were twisted together with Abby’s like tangled fishing line. He raised his head and glanced at the clock. Nine-thirty, already?

  After how many times they’d woken each other, no wonder they’d slept so late. The musky fragrance of their lovemaking filled his nostrils and aroused him all over again. How could he want her with the same level of urgency he’d felt in front of the fire the night before?

  When a heavy set of footsteps thudded in the hallway, the rest of his body stiffened to match his erection. It must have been the back door that’d woken him. It couldn’t be Tommy. So who was in the house? Robert?

  He struggled to unwind himself from Abby, and a knock rapped on the door.

  “Abby, are you still sleeping at this hour?”

  Her body jerked. “What?” She groggily lifted her head and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Without warning, the door swung open, and Peter appeared in its opening, wearing his military fatigues.

  Matt yanked the sheet up to cover Abby. Her brother’s face became a thundercloud at seeing them entwined in the blankets.

  Peter’s nose wrinkled, and he sniffed, obviously noticing the heavy scent of sex permeating the room. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he bellowed. “You’ve known this jerk a little more than a week.” Pete turned his attention to him. “And you. I told you to keep your sleazy paws off of my sister!”

  Yanking the sheet up higher, Abby pointed toward the hall and yelled. “Peter, get out of here! You have no right to barge in here like this.”

  “You should be glad it was me who showed up and not Rob. I can’t believe you’d take a chance on screwing up your engagement for a quick roll in the hay with this bastard.”

  “Out—now!” she hollered.

  Peter strode back down the hall, leaving the door open. Matt sprung out of bed and pulled on some clothes. When he finished, he turned to Abby. “I’m sorry. I’ll go talk to him.”

  “I don’t think you should. He’s liable to beat the living daylights out of you.” She got up and rooted through a drawer.

  “Thanks a helluva a lot. Why aren’t you worried about me beating the shit out of him?” He shoved his feet into his sneakers without taking time to put on socks.

  “Don’t get your ego bruised. Peter outweighs you by at least twenty pounds.”

  “Weight isn’t everything, Baby.”

  “Oh, stop it!”

  He stomped out of the bedroom and slammed the door. When he got to the kitchen, Peter started to get up from his seat at the table. Matt shoved him back down in the chair, pointing his finger in her brother’s face. “First of all, your sister is no longer engaged to Robert. Secondly, I didn’t sleep with her until they’d broken up. And thirdly, this is Abby’s house. You owe her an apology. What gives you the right to waltz in here and pass judgment on her?”

  “I’m her brother. It’s my place to look out for her. At least, until she gets married, again.”

  He dragged Peter out of the chair toward the door. “Let’s take this outside.”

  Her brother yanked his arm out of Matt’s grip and shied away from him. “Are you nuts? I’m not gonna fight you.”

  “I don’t want to deck you. I just want to talk to you. Privately.” Matt stomped out the door and tramped all the way to the back of the yard well out of earshot of the house.

  Peter glared at him once he caught up. “Okay, so what’d you need to say that’s so damn confidential?”

  “I only wanted to tell you I’m relieving you of the responsibility of looking out for your sister from now on.”

  “Why? Have you proposed to her?”

  “I don’t need to.”

  Abby’s brother crossed his arms over his chest. “Who do you think you are to arbitrarily decide when I should stop looking after my sister’s welfare?”

  “I’m Abby’s husband.”

  Peter’s eyes widened. “You can’t be married. It takes time for a licen—”

  “I married her, all right. Almost seven years ago.”

  “What? What kind of a con are you trying to pull? Do I look so gullible you think you can pass yourself off as Matt Foster?”

  Matt tried to think of a way to convince Peter of who he was, but he couldn’t cite anything to prove it. “I can verify who I am if you give me some time. On the spot, I can’t.”

  “Sure you can.” Peter crossed his arms. “It’s simple. Just tell me what I used to call Abby when she was
younger.”

  Matt raised his hands and dropped them in defeat. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember. Anything. I have amnesia.”

  “Isn’t that convenient. Come on, give it up.”

  “Remember when we met how you felt as if you knew me?”

  Peter fell silent and stepped back, studying Matt’s face and shaking his head. He peered closer and stared into his eyes. Suddenly, a look of recognition washed over his features.

  “You believe me now, don’t you?”

  “Matt?” Peter threw his arms around him in a rib-crushing hug. “I don’t believe it. Abby refused to accept you were dead. She must be on cloud nine.”

  “She doesn’t know. I don’t want to tell her, yet.” Matt snapped his fingers. “Hey, I just thought of something. I can show you my military file if you still—”

  “No, I believe you.” Pete slapped his back. “Shit, do you know how guilty I felt after you got yourself killed while I was so pissed off at you?”

  Matt spent the next half hour explaining his situation to Peter. “—so to sum it up, I don’t want her to feel obligated to stay married to me. I want her to love who I am now. And I’m not sure how I feel about her. As you pointed out earlier, we’ve only known each other ten days.”

  “From what I saw, the two of you looked in love.”

  “We’re definitely in-lust.” Matt slung his arm over Pete’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go have some breakfast.” He stopped short just outside the door. “Whatever you do, remember to call me Mac.”

  Chapter 16

  Abby watched Mac and Peter stroll back toward the house, after talking and laughing together for over half an hour. This was the second time in two days Mac had done this.

  What was it with him that he could turn a couple of men—who were ready to throttle him—into bosom buddies? She couldn’t imagine what he could’ve possibly said to Rob and her brother to make them both do such an about-face.