by Selena Kitt
He’d even spoken to Keyonna’s parents and closest friends and warned them about her memory loss, asking that they leave him to try to explain what may have happened. Nick wasn’t sure how much he could count on them to keep from stressing Keyonna with their own version of events. And yet now here he was, with no way to avoid the inevitable. Keyonna needed answers and she needed them now.
Bracing himself, he asked calmly and yet knowing he was hedging, “Exactly what do you remember?”
“Um, let’s see…” Keyonna’s expression was thoughtful as she tapped her chin. “I recall all about the way we met that night at Mark’s party – you know, with Rachel breaking up with you and then you proposing to me.”
Nick’s lips twisted somewhat wryly. “Thank you for putting it so mildly. Considering I demanded you marry me or lose all you worked for.”
Keyonna seemed to squirm, but then placed a hand on his with a warm touch. “I’m not bringing all this up to drag up the wrong or right of anything that’s happened. I don’t regret being here with you, right now.”
“Thank you,” he said simply, catching her hand and planting a kiss on the soft underside of her wrist. Keyonna squirmed once again, with pleasure this time, but then became serious again.
“Okay; then I can see the wedding and both of us standing together talking and afterwards you walking away from me…” She paused with a deep sigh and a shake of her head. “But then that’s where it’s all a blur; right up to the moment I opened my eyes in the hospital.”
Keyonna’s gaze sought his. “Can’t you tell me what happened in between?”
“I can’t. Because I don’t know,” Nick said honestly. And how was he going to be able to tell her that she’d packed a bag and deserted him on their wedding day, disappearing for weeks before he finally found her? And then to almost lose her again when that bike had run her down? An accident he blamed himself for everyday because she’d been running away from him, again? It all seemed too absurd to try to relate to her.
“Look, Nick,” Keyonna said with a small smile, “You can cut out the mystery, okay? I understand that you’re trying to protect me because the doctor told us I had to take it easy and not rush things, and that the memory loss is only temporary – or so he says.”
“So he says,” Nick heard himself echo somewhat hollowly, as in that instant he wished that Keyonna could remain this way, with that terrible part of her life lost to them for good.
That way it wouldn’t come back to destroy the happiness they now shared.
Dios, but he loved this woman. The past several days spent alone with her had given enough opportunity to count the ways Keyonna was not just beautiful on the outside, but inside. She had the brightest disposition; was highly intelligent and interested in the world around her. They could discuss anything under the sun; art, music and current affairs and she always had an informed opinion. Not that they actually had spent that much time talking, considering how many – or how few – the hours they’d spent out of bed. But when they did get to talk, she showed a true depth of character that beguiled and struck him.
Sensing her own feelings of love for him was the icing on the cake. He could tell she loved spending time with him; and that when they made love, she was thrilled by his touch and his possession. Getting her memory back and all that went with it, would mean Nick having to test the extent of her love for him – as in whether she loved him enough to forgive him for whatever he may have done. But dammit, he couldn’t figure out what the hell that was.
“Okay,” Nick let out on a deep sigh, closing his eyes briefly as he pinched the bridge of his nose and worked out what he planned to say. He wasn’t sure she was ready for the truth yet; it might be a selfish decision on his part but for now, he felt sure it was best not to give her all the facts – as he knew them. He still needed some answers himself, so how was he supposed to give her the whole truth? So many things were yet to make sense – for either of them. Not without her memory returning.
“It’s like this; we got married and afterwards you got on a flight to Italy.”
“But we planned to come to Greece for our honeymoon,” Keyonna cut in.
Nick blinked. “Ah…we changed our mind,” he said lamely.
“Well, it was a bad idea since it landed me in the hospital with bruises and a piece cut out of my life…Hold up, did you say I got on the flight? What about you?”
“I…had to stay back for some time because I had some business engagements that came up unexpectedly that required my personal attention. And then you remember there was still the matter of handling the issue of that clause in my father’s will – my birthday was three days later and there were tons of documents to sign.”
Keyonna nodded with a thoughtful expression, and Nick added quickly, “Anyway, I joined you soon enough, and minus the bike accident, I think we’ve been having a great time, no?”
He smiled roguishly, gathering her close while deep inside, he felt like such a bastard for lying. But Keyonna was his little treasure – his tesoro and he’d do anything to protect her from any kind of pain. And hopefully when truth time came they’d both be strong enough to face it.
Keyonna crossed her arms behind his neck and stared solemnly into his eyes, as if she could see right through his playful façade. “You know what? I don’t really care about if I remember everything or not. Because come what may, I love you, Nick. I have for a long time and I’m sure I always will.”
Nick’s heart felt like it was clenched in a tight fist and he almost couldn’t breathe. His smile died off as he gazed back into her deep brown eyes. Madre di Dios! He was like a teenager again when it came to this woman. The cold-hearted businessman who’d earned respect of peers and rivals alike and even men far older than him; the same Nick who’d never cared for love or even believed in it, who’d only focused on his cut-throat career and regaining his hard-won birthright, was almost pushed to tears with emotion as he felt the depth of Keyonna’s love shining through her beautiful brown eyes.
* * * *
“Do you truly mean that?” Nick asked her thickly.
Keyonna felt his strong arms close around her more tightly and she quelled a flinch, her fingers digging into his hair as she drew him close for a clinging, reassuring kiss. “Yes. I do. I used to be so scared to allow myself to grow feelings for you,” she breathed against his lips. “I kept thinking I’m far from the suitable wife your friends or family would expect for the billionaire Nick Vitale. I don’t have the right connections or the class.”
“Keyonna…”
“But then I convinced myself,” she went on firmly, placing a shushing finger on his lips, “That you, Nick Vitale, would be lucky to have a woman like me because I can see through your cold, icy walls to the man of worth beneath. Your name and money meant nothing; I was drawn only to the person within. The man whose one touch could set my blood rushing faster through my veins, whose voice calmed and yet thrilled me, who made my body sing. And I realized I was lucky too, because I have you. You’re mine, Nick,” she added firmly, pouting with playful possessiveness as she threw those last words back at him, words he’d said to her before, almost a lifetime ago but which had always made her spine tingle from the force of his dominance.
“All yours,” he responded with fierceness in his eyes that stilled her breath. He pressed a ravishing kiss to her mouth, plunging them both in a sizzling whirlpool.
As always, his kisses and caresses chased the doubts away. And yet Keyonna felt that one lingering dread that he was keeping something from her, and she had this feeling that she was making a futile attempt to escape from something unpleasant and inevitable that would hurt her terribly.
But Keyonna refused to believe the worst of Nick. Whatever had happened when they’d met, he’d proven over and over that he was a good man. Better than she could have hoped for considering her lack of experience in the male department. And if Nick wasn’t the wonderful man she thought he was then only time would tell…
Chapter Fifteen
Keyonna felt ridiculous, her hair packed up underneath a baseball cap concealing half of her face and dressed in her most disreputable jeans and sweatshirt. Stepping down from the plane, she glanced at Nick as he too made his way down, a pair of dark aviators shielding his eyes. Not much of a disguise, but it had been all they could come up with.
He took her arm once they got on the tarmac. “We could be lucky and not get spotted by a journalist looking to make a scoop with photos. But if we do get to bump into any of those infernal paparazzi, then remember; you had to travel ahead to Italy without me. I still had some business to finish up. And after a few weeks, I joined you. That’s all you need to say.”
Keyonna would have expected a ‘no comment’ answer more appropriate to any curious, nosy photographers or journalists. But then she really wasn’t used to any kind of publicity so Keyonna decided to listen to Nick’s advice on how to handle paparazzi. But at the back of her mind, she still couldn’t help the niggling doubts. Had she really gone to Italy alone to wait for him? Why would she have left on her honeymoon without her groom? And had she really had to wait five whole weeks before he finally managed to drag himself from his business concerns to join her?
Her parents and pals were not much help; they were just as vague saying they knew she’d left but hadn’t been aware of her plans. And Keyonna knew she’d always been the type to value her privacy and she didn’t really go about blabbing to people. To date no one even knew she’d been blackmailed into marrying Nick – except maybe her closest friend Natasha. Keyonna suddenly decided that the first chance she got, she was having a sit-down with her old girlfriend. If anyone could help her get to the bottom of this, Natasha could.
Keyonna truly wanted to trust Nick and believe he would always act in her best interest, but she couldn’t help thinking he only told her what he wanted her to believe.
“Hey,” Nick said, breaking into her thoughts and squeezing gently on her shoulder. She turned to him with a somewhat guilty smile, only just becoming aware of her surroundings. They were in the back of the limo which had picked them up from the airport, and Nick’s smile was far more relaxed now that they were free from any unwanted attention.
“You were far away,” he added, and brushed off her baseball cap, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as he gazed down at her warmly. “That’s better. It should be a crime to hide those beautiful brown eyes.”
Keyonna gave Nick an answering smile of equal warmth, berating herself once again for doubting him for even a second. He obviously loved and cared for her…why would a few weeks cut out of her life mean anything, when she finally had all she needed right here?
Nick had once told her he’d never thought of love as criteria for marriage. Oh, she remembered that much. But look at them now. The situation was totally different now. She really shouldn’t care either way what had happened in the past, so long as they had each other, right?
* * * *
Keyonna couldn’t help wincing in response to Natasha’s squeal of delight as both girls hugged tightly. Keyonna had just walked into the coffee shop where Natasha had suggested they meet to ‘catch up’ on things since the last time they’d seen or spoken.
“What on earth happened? No phone call, not even a text or email…where did you get off to? How could…”
“One at a time,” Keyonna broke in, laughing as they settled into their seats. First they ordered coffee and bagels, and then once she’d taken her first few sips from her cup of skinny cappuccino, she felt ready enough to say, “Okay, first question; a lot happened. But probably not what you might think. Nick told me how you guys were all worried when I left without him.”
“And without telling anyone!” cried Natasha accusingly.
Keyonna frowned to herself at that, but then went on after the interruption. “I’m sorry about that. But it must have had something to do with keeping the paparazzi off my trail or whatever. I don’t believe Nick wanted them to know exactly where we were going for our honeymoon. And well, to your second question: I was in Italy. Nick stayed back here to tie up some loose ends.”
“For a month?” Natasha said incredulously, shaking her head between gulps of her coffee. “Hmm girl, that’s not what we were thinking, believe me. When you disappeared like that, everyone – including me, thought you’d run off, dumping your husband before the honeymoon.”
“Perish the thought!” Keyonna gasped, laughing hollowly. But she was thinking, what the hell had given them that idea?
“And Nick,” Natasha went on doggedly, “Was almost dazed with anxiety. That’s why I’m really skeptical when you say the reasons you left the way you did. Especially when I know how things really stood between you two. After all, the man blackmailed you into marriage. Maybe you suddenly had cold feet or something even after the vows were shared. I was hoping you’d tell me exactly what must have come over you, and not feed me this cover-up tale. I mean, I know you suffered some memory loss from that accident – yeah, your mom told me about that. But as to the rest of the story you both cooked up, I ain’t buying it.”
Yeah, it did sound cooked up, Keyonna had to admit if only to herself. But damn, what could she say? She was still in a whirl just thinking that Nick wasn’t being straight with her, just as she’d feared. Why hadn’t he told her he’d been worried sick when she’d left? That had to mean he didn’t even know himself about why she’d gone. She must have left without telling anyone and this must have caused some major drama at the wedding.
Forcing her mind to think fast, she quickly let off a laugh. “Well, looks like you’ve got me there. I really shouldn’t have tried to fool you, babes. But then, how could I tell you the truth when it sounds so silly now? It’s pretty simple though: I was mad with Nick for getting me to marry him against my will, and I decided to teach him a small lesson, just to let him know he couldn’t have it all his way all the time. I let him stew for a little bit and then I called to let him know where I was. You can bet the make-up sex was explosive,” she finished with another one of those hollow chuckles.
Natasha smirked. “Hmmm. Well then at least, take the time to warn your parents first before you go pulling stunts like that. I’m not sure what Nick must have done to convince them, but eventually they returned home with deep reluctance. They were this close to calling the cops on that hunky hubby of yours.”
“I can imagine,” Keyonna said, smiling tightly. “But thankfully, I called them soon after to fill them in. Everyone was cool with it. I’m sorry I gave you any cause to worry, though. But anyway, I’m back, and I’m glad I’d already taken off time from my business or I’d have had some serious crap to deal with now that I’ve returned. All in all, I’ve been able to convince everyone who cares to listen that I never planned to cause a major scandal with my wedding. But phew…I never knew marriage to a billionaire was such a risky affair.”
Natasha made a face, and then laughed. “It has to be, when that billionaire’s Nick Vitale. I mean that guy was one of the most sought-after men in the country. Hell, he still is, even with that ring on his finger. So if I were you honey, I’ll watch out and not let any of those gold-digger home wreckers sink their fangs in him, okay? There are lots of pests around, believe me.”
And then Natasha paused, before asking mildly, “And speaking of pests, what’s up with Mark?”
Keyonna shrugged, sighing as she stared into her coffee. “I don’t know. He wasn’t at the wedding and I haven’t heard from him since. But I’m sure he’s well over me now, especially with little cousin Trisha.”
Keyonna stopped short, jolted by a fleeting memory crossing her mind – but then it faded away before she could grasp it firmly.
“You mean that brat?” Natasha scoffed, unaware of Keyonna’s lapse. “I haven’t heard of her in a while either. But then even from way back I could tell she had her eye on poor Mark. Only back then she was a pimply, overweight teenager with attitude. She’s shed some weight and the
pimples, but obviously still kept the attitude. I ran into her at your wedding and…”
“She came to the wedding?” Keyonna croaked, and lifted a hand to her throbbing temples which felt like they were knotted in tight bands of steel. That niggling memory was back, but still no clearer. Why was this bugging her?
“Of course she was – don’t you remember? Oh shit, yeah, you probably don’t, what with your partial memory loss,” muttered Natasha apologetically. “To tell you the truth though, I was surprised to see you two having a conversation at the reception. I knew how you two didn’t get along when you and her cousin were heartthrobs. In fact, it was like you both were sworn enemies. I was dying to know what you both could have to talk about.”
Keyonna chewed hard on her bottom lip, telling herself she was dying to know the exact same thing. She had the damnedest conviction that it was very important.
“Anyway, she was the last person I saw you with before you vanished. I couldn’t help thinking right then that she had something to do with your disappearance. We were so close to declaring your ass missing that day!”
Keyonna laughed along with her friend, but the sound was weak to her own ears. Nothing added up, and she was done being lied to and having to lie to hide whatever must have gone wrong that day. It was about time Nick gave her some real answers this time.
* * * *
Nick noticed that Keyonna was in a quiet mood when he returned home from work. Her absentminded kiss on his cheek was hardly the warm welcome he’d been expecting from his newly-wed wife either.
“You cooked dinner?” Nick queried, sniffing the air and inhaling the aroma of some delicious home cooking. Even with Nick being ready to maintain a staff of private chefs, Keyonna had insisted she could prepare whatever meals they needed. And any housekeeping she couldn’t handle, she ensured that the cleaning help only came around on weekends. Nick was used to having a full load of staff especially when he was staying here in his pricey open-plan mansion but he’d been only too happy to let Keyonna have her way – especially when he discovered his woman could cook up a storm in the kitchen.