FORGOTTEN VOWS by Maggie Shayne

Author:Maggie Shayne [Shayne, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-04-22T14:26:29+00:00

Chapter Nine

She couldn't eat. But he didn't seem to have any trouble. Nor was his sleep disturbed in any visible way. He'd been snoring loudly when she'd slipped out of his bed. He had to know she was lying, keeping things from him. It was in his eyes whenever he looked at her. But she'd told him as much as she could. If he knew she wasn't his wife, he'd probably send her packing...and she couldn't protect him if she wasn't with him.

She stood on the balcony and stared down into the twinkling lights below. The warm summer breeze played with the shirt she wore. His shirt. It held his scent, wrapped it all around her, and she found she liked that sensation. Maybe too much.

She drank the wine she'd helped herself to, and told herself she was stupid to get so attached to him. It wouldn't last. It couldn't, because his memory was coming back.

It hadn't hit her at first. Only as she lay in the bed beside him, watching him as he slept, wishing she had the nerve to reach for him, to kiss him, had the suspicion taken root. He remembered his nightmare, remembered its source. And he hadn't seemed at all unfamiliar with his apartment. His memory was returning, and when it did he would know she was lying about their marriage.

And then she would lose him. Even if she managed to keep up the charade long enough to save him from the Slasher, in the end she would lose him to her own lies.

Why did it hurt so much to know that? Why was she standing on a balcony, in the dark, sipping wine and crying like a little girl?

"Couldn't sleep, huh?"

She stiffened, but didn't turn around. She didn't want him to see her foolish tears. "No."

"Neither could I." He moved up to the rail beside her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. He wore a short terry robe, untied, over the briefs he'd slept in.

"Liar. You were sawing timbers when I left"

"Until you left." He turned her to face him, and looked down at her. "Hey, what's this?" He wiped the moisture from her cheeks with his fingertips.

"Stress, I suppose." She reached for the wineglass. He did, too, bumping her hand with his and sloshing the wine onto her wrist. She drew her hand away, but he caught and lifted it. He brought it close to his face, his lips. Then he kissed it, drinking the wine from her skin, his mouth moving slowly over her wrist and forearm.

She trembled, and he straightened.

"Cold?"

She shook her head, unable to speak. She wanted him so much, wanted this make-believe marriage to be real...just for tonight And she knew he wanted it too. His eyes glimmered in the darkness, with desire...for her.

She averted her gaze. This was insane. "The shirt will stain," she said to break the tension.

Then his fingertips were at her neck, and she realized he was releasing the buttons. And she stood there, not moving, with neither the will nor the desire to stop him.

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