Reid's Deliverance

by Nina Crespo

  “Beautiful, huh?” Celine raised a brow.

  “What?” Lauren couldn’t stop the grin blooming with the flush in her cheeks.

  “Nothing.” Celine chuckled. “Just think I got my answer about you continuing to see Reid.”

  They indulged in girl chat and gossip. Then on the deck with the guys, food and conversation added more enjoyment to the lazy afternoon.

  Thane recounted a humorous story about Reid. “We were staying at this hotel in Nashville. The place was packed with a group of older ladies on a cross-country tour. College spring breakers had nothing on them. Two of the women kept eyeing Reid. Everywhere he went, there they were, waving at him from the side of the pool, sending him drinks at the bar. He calls it a night and goes up to his room. I look around, and the ladies are gone, too. Being the good friend that I am, I go upstairs to make sure my buddy is all right.”

  Reid was sitting beside Lauren, straddling the bench. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this story?”

  “Wait.” Thane grinned. “It gets better. According to him, he was taking a shower when he heard someone banging on the door like all hell was breaking loose. So, of course, he answers the door wearing a towel around his waist. I walked out the elevator just in time to see one of his admirers pinching his ass and him jumping. Then the door shut on part of the towel with him barely holding onto it.”

  Lauren giggled and Celine spit out her soda.

  Reid pulled Lauren between his thighs, feigning irritation. “So you think that’s funny?”

  Tears welled as she held back laughter. One look at Thane and Celine trying not to crack up made her lips quiver. She lost it. “Sorry. I can’t stop imagining your face when that woman copped a feel.”

  Reid’s ears turned pink but humor lit up his eyes. “I’m sure I handled it like a gentleman and kept my mouth shut,”

  “Actually, you looked terrified.” Thane snickered. “Especially when one of them started waving money in the air while the other one grabbed the towel.”

  Reid’s gaze narrowed on Thane. “And what were you doing while this was going on?”

  “I was coming up with a plan to save you, which I did.” Thane sipped his beer. “Eventually.”

  Lauren couldn’t hold back a shriek.

  Thane and Celine laughed just as hard.

  Reid pointed at Thane. “Keep it up. When I get my memory back, I’m airing all your dirty laundry.”

  Thane sobered. “Nothing to tell. I’m a straight-up choir boy.”

  “Oh, please.” Celine whacked him. “Stop lying before we’re all fried by lightning.”

  Thane smiled as he put an arm around Celine’s shoulders. “All right, I confess. Maybe I didn’t follow the straight and narrow until I met you.”

  “Uh-huh.” Celine kissed his cheek. “You’ve picked on Reid enough today, choir boy. Why don’t you get your guitar?”

  Reid stretched. “Yeah. Let’s hear what you got.”

  “All right.” Thane stood. “You can give me your opinions on a couple of new songs I’ve written.”

  While Thane went to his truck, Reid and Celine helped Lauren clear the table.

  They were in the kitchen when Thane returned with his guitar and a rectangular case. He looked to Reid. “I keep a portable keyboard with me. I’m not as good as you, but it helps when I’m writing music. Thought you might want to warm up your fingers.”

  “Sounds good.” Reid tossed the dishtowel on the counter. His smile didn’t light up his eyes.

  Lauren looped her arm through his as they walked to the deck. He’d handled listening to Thane share stories he couldn’t remember. How would he take it if he couldn’t recall how to play?

  The guys commandeered the benches and table. Lauren and Celine laid on towels and throw pillows.

  Thane strummed a few chords on the guitar. “This new song is called ‘Fire and Ice.’”

  The upbeat tempo naturally inspired movement.

  Lauren and Celine floor-danced.

  Then he launched into acoustic versions of current pop hits. Reid nodded to the beat and tapped his thigh. He didn’t play the keyboard. Seemingly unconscious to him, his fingers started to move as if he were playing it.

  Thane glanced at Reid as he took a sip of beer. “Let’s slow it down a bit.”

  * * * *

  Reid smoothed his damp palms on his thighs. The cut-off sweatpants absorbed the moisture. His hands itched to touch the keyboard. It was as if he stared down at a part of himself as familiar as a gun. Still, he hesitated. So far, revelations had led to nightmares and murky recollections. Trying to put it together was like nailing JELL-O to a tree. As he’d listened to Thane, the stories felt right. He did approach life and speak his mind in the way Thane had described. He’d longed for that guy to emerge. Something inside of him said music had brought him joy and peace. It had also soothed a lot of pain. If he laid his hands on the keys and none of that happened, it would hit him like a betrayal of the worst kind.

  Thane played. The haunting lyrics he sang hung in the breeze.

  Goose bumps raised on Reid’s arms. He placed his fingers on the keys. Without hesitation, he added in the accompanying chords. Love. Loss. Holding on to your soul as you travel the roads of life. He didn’t just know the words. He’d lived them. His voice, clear and lyrical, blended with Thane’s.

  Recollections rolled over him like the tide. Suddenly, it was if they were there. Colby, Mace, West. He had a bond with them that went beyond music. They’d fought and bled as brothers in battle. They’d accepted Dalir’s gift as a team.

  The final notes of “Shadows On the Road” passed, but Reid continued playing. He recalled the band’s last show as Thane’s Redemption. Lauren, stunning in a white dress, had come to him at the after-party. After convincing Celine to wait for Thane, they’d focused on their own desires. The vision he kept seeing of them together was from that night.

  Reid stopped playing. He met Lauren’s gaze. She blinked back tears. He’d taken solace in her not remembering. Now, more than ever, he wanted her to recall everything about them…and never forget.

  Thane clasped his shoulder. “Welcome back, brother.”

  That night, while Reid lay in bed, Thane’s words echoed in his mind. But he wasn’t all the way back. The mission and what had landed him on Lauren’s doorstep eluded him. And he still couldn’t phase.

  “It was nice to hear you play.” Lauren snuggled to his side. “You’re a gifted musician.”

  “Thanks. I’m lucky Thane had the keyboard with him. Playing opened up a lot.” Knowing more also weighed a heavy-ass load. It was if he could hear her mind working. He braced for questions he couldn’t or didn’t know how to answer.

  Is this how Beth felt with him? Pretending and not knowing how to confess the truth. He’d recalled memories of her, too. How she’d remained with him through his grandfather’s illness. He’d believed it was about love. When he’d proposed to her, he’d found out she’d stayed out of a sense of obligation. She hadn’t wanted to end things while he took care of and grieved his grandfather.

  “You and Thane talked for a long time. Did you figure out what to do next? Is there family or someone else who may know what happened to you?”

  Reid wrapped an arm around her. “I don’t have any close living relatives.” Earlier, he’d recalled the month he’d lost his grandfather and then Beth in an instant. The sting of it had lingered as he’d played the first Tchaikovsky piece his grandfather had taught him. “I need to talk to the rest of the band. They might know something that can help. Thane checked around. No one has reported an accident or an abandoned camp in the woods. And I’m not involved in anything illegal.”

  “I never thought you were.”

  “I know. But with me not involving the police or going to a hospital, I know it sounded strange.” He clamped his mouth shut. It wasn’t like he could show her the truth with a phase. Thane couldn’t back up his claim with a short phase. She’d rememb
er Thane doing it. That opened up a level of issues he couldn’t leave Lauren to deal with.

  “I’m not worried. I don’t believe you’ve done anything wrong. Maybe you innately know you don’t need them or they can’t help you. You’ll remember why and what happened. When you do, you’ll explain.” She sat up. “I can tell the Realtor to hold off on the sale. You can stay here if you want.” Her expression didn’t hold a hint of doubt.

  Beth had pretended well enough to fool him. He’d slept beside her for months, believing in every smile she’d given him. He’d gotten it wrong. Celine and Thane in the mix added more pressure. Lauren felt obligated to help. “I’ve caused enough chaos. You need to move on with your life.”

  “Hey.” She cupped the side of his face. “I know what I’m doing, and I know what I want. You don’t have to tell me now. Sleep on it.” Her gaze narrowed with a coy smile. “On second thought, don’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’ve remembered enough today.” She pulled off her thigh length shirt and knotted her hair. “Let me help you forget.”

  Her beautiful breasts and lace-covered pussy blinded him from anything but her.

  The trail of her tongue down his neck raised sparks of sensation. Her soft touch and warm, wet mouth closing around his nipples, sucking, licking, sent blood surging below his waist. His cock swelled, demanding release from his briefs.

  She gave him a pleased smile. “You like that.”

  “I’m probably going to like anything you do right now.”

  “We’ll see, but can you obey my rules?”

  Just knowing she had rules fed his hard-on. “I’m listening.”

  “No touching. No interrupting. Can you handle that?”

  He locked his hands behind his head. “Whatever the lady wants.”

  Whisper-soft kisses down his stomach were made of sweetness. Her breasts grazing over him evoked sinful need. Flip her, pull her legs up to his hips, and pound into her wet heat, but this was her show. For now.

  As if she read his mind, she bit him low on his abdomen. A tiny sting of pain and pleasure. “Lift up.”

  He complied, letting her slide off his briefs. His cock sprang free.

  This was really happening, not a dream. She was there, ready and waiting to satisfy him. Lauren lightly scored her nails up and down his thighs, drifting closer. “Are you ready?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  She laughed and her warm breath bathed his erection. “Lucky me.” She slid her hands up his thighs and clasped him around the base.

  One tight squeeze sent shudders through his body. Her hand gently cupping his balls seized coherent words. He couldn’t stop his eyes from closing or imagining the softness of her mouth. The strokes of her tongue.

  She licked up his shaft and swirled around the tip. The soft flutters of her tongue sent electricity cascading down his spine.

  His hands broke free of their own accord.

  Lauren stopped, her lips a fraction away. She glanced at his hands hovering above her head and quirked a brow.

  A tendril of her hair tickled his thigh. Teasing him. He clenched his jaw and stifled a groan. For her sake, he hoped she remembered two could play at this game. Tamping down a friendly warning, he raised his hands.

  She slid her lips over him. Warm. Silky. Hot.

  The sweet sear of her mouth hijacked air in his lungs. Her tongue snaking around him on the way back up shot it out of his chest. He dug in heels and flexed his hips in pace with the steady, even drag of her lush lips. Sharp breaths pulled his abs to the point of aching.

  Could he die from sweetness?

  Heat suffused his length as she took him deeper into her throat. Air cooled the sweat building on his skin as he willed himself not to pump his hips. He’d never hurt Lauren. He’d deprive himself of all that was good before ever causing her harm.

  She glided him in and out of her mouth, moaning as if she was savoring her favorite treat.

  The vibrations inflicted sensual torture, controlling him along with the press and squeeze of her fist around his base. He hung on the edge of titillation, the threat of release.

  This is the part where he needed to take control. Please her. Satisfy them both as he stroked between her thighs. He threaded fingers into her hair, torn between holding her there or dragging her away.

  Pulse beats from his peak he tried to tug her away. “Lauren, I’m about to come.”

  Her protest hummed into him as she worked her hand in time with her mouth. Faster. Harder. Deeper. Trapping him in a rush of dizzying sensation.

  His climax slammed into him and tore out a groan. The pretense of control was lost in his jerking hips. The breaths forced out of him. The rapid pounding of his heart.

  As the waves of release subsided, he met her gaze. If he wasn’t already lying down, the desire and satisfaction in her eyes would have dropped him.

  He didn’t need his memory to prove what he innately knew. No other woman had ever cared to save him. Ease his pain. Please him in the way she just had.

  As he cupped her chin, she smiled at him. Something in his chest gave way. A ping of sadness.

  She was so generous and wonderful. It made sense why she’d stayed in his memories. He couldn’t let her go then. How the hell was he supposed to let her go now?

  * * * *

  Reid got in the car and shut the passenger door. “Are you sure you have time? Thane would have picked me up.”

  A dark pink sundress showed off Lauren’s silky smooth legs and a glowing tan. “I know.” She settled into the driver’s seat and put on her sunglasses. “And yes, I have time. I called the refuse company and delayed the trash pickup. While you meet with Thane, I’m going to be shopping at the antiques store with Celine.”

  He chuckled. “I thought the point was for you to minimize, not collect more stuff.”

  “Shopping doesn’t necessarily mean buying.” She pulled out of the driveway and onto the empty, two-lane road. “It’ll just be fun to hang with Celine. We haven’t done it in a while. I wish Ari were here.”

  “Where is she?” He turned up the air conditioning and adjusted the vent. Coolness seeped through his T-shirt and jeans.

  “In San Diego on a business trip. She’s so jealous she’s not here.” As she steered around a curve, Lauren glanced at him. “She’s dying to meet you. Celine let it slip about yesterday’s barbecue. I’ve been avoiding her calls. What should I tell her?”

  Reid recalled the petite, dark-haired woman clearly now. The three women had a tight bond. “What do you want to tell her?”

  She smiled. “That I spent a week with a really great guy.”

  His breastbone tingled. Would Lauren say the same if he told her the truth about their past and who he was?

  A single red car up ahead drifted over the centerline.

  Lauren slowed down. “Wonder what that’s about.”

  He sat up straighter. “If you pull alongside, I’ll get a look at the driver. Hopefully, they’re not falling asleep.”

  The red compact weaved closer to the center and veered back. Suddenly, it spun out of control.

  Lauren jammed on the breaks. Tires squealed.

  A vision replaced the scene in front of Reid. Instead of an empty road, a busy interstate emerged. He was driving. Brake lights flashed ahead of him. Cars swerved and spun in all directions.

  Lauren shook his arm. “Reid!”

  He snapped back to reality. Reid jumped out and ran to where the car had gone off the road.

  The car lay on its passenger’s side facing down the incline. Broken trees crushed into it. Reid ran down the steep slant. Mud shifted under his boots. He slid. One of his hands landed in muck. He regained his balance. Grabbing tree limbs for leverage, he made it the rest of the way. “Hey!”

  No one answered.

  Metal groaned. Glass splintered. Wood cracked. The car inched down.

  He couldn’t wait for help. The broken trees lodged under the wheels could go at any
minute. Reid crawled up onto the back of the car. He belly-crawled past the back driver’s side door. The vehicle rocked precariously. Too much movement and they could slide down the incline. The broken back window revealed the top of the driver’s head. “Hello. Can you hear me?”

  A weak moan sped up his heart rate.

  “Hold on. I’m coming to you.” He slithered closer and tried the door. It opened. Particles from the deployed air bag dusted the steering wheel and cracked dash.

  The disoriented redheaded young woman reached clumsily for her seatbelt. Blood dripped down her forehead. “I have to get out.”

  “Wait.” He touched her arm. “You’ll fall to the passenger side if you’re not ready. We’ll do this together. What’s your name?”

  “Jenny.”

  “Jenny. My name is Reid. Can you move your legs?”

  “Yes.” She grimaced. “But my right one really hurts.”

  “We’ll take it slow. I’m going to get you out. Hold onto my shoulders.”

  She grabbed him tightly.

  Good. “I’m going to undo your seat belt and pull you out.”

  Reid unhinged the belt and tightened his hold. “Okay, nice and easy.” As he started pulling her up, he hooked his boot on part of the car. Hopefully, it was solid enough to hold him. His muscles strained with the effort of staying balanced and holding Jenny.

  Wood snapped. The car slid forward.

  Jenny’s screams filled his ears as she slipped from his grasp.

  The car flipped. Reid lunged and grabbed her hand. Pain sliced through his shoulder.

  The power we have is a part of us…

  Reid closed his eyes and clung to Thane’s remembered words. Energy sparked like a livewire inside of him. A golden light filled his vision and opened into a tunnel. He held Jenny’s hand tighter and willed them to soar. Minutes, seconds, feet, inches unfolded in slow motion. Yes! He’d done it. Power now awakened kicked in like second nature. He materialized with Jenny on the side of road. He turned her over and she heaved.

  Lauren stood over them. Her eyes popped wide with something he’d never wanted to see when she looked at him. Fear.