Forget Me Not (Escape Contemporary Romance) (14 page)

‘That feels good,’ she said.

He slid his hands down across her shoulders and pressed a kiss against her neck. ‘Does that feel good too?’

Claire didn’t answer. Couldn’t speak.

Nuzzling closer, Stefan pressed his body against hers and slowly peppered her neck with little kisses. Sparks of electricity shot through her with each touch.

She felt strong. She felt weak. She felt alive.

He spun her around, jamming her body between his and the pool wall. Stefan’s hands dropped to the bare skin of her waist as he pulled her closer, that body that had once been so familiar against hers. Her hands glided up his chest, slick from the water, her fingers slipping easily behind his neck as she draped her arms around him.

Through lowered lids, Claire saw him tilt his head as he leaned forward. She closed her eyes and let it happen. At first she tasted the smokiness of the whisky; then there was only the familiar taste of Stefan, of the velvety smoothness of his tongue, of pleasure sizzling through her body. She felt it deep inside, eating away at her, gnawing at her reserve.

The kiss deepened and he pulled her closer. Damn it, he kissed her the way he used to and that gave her as much pain as pleasure, but she didn’t want it to stop, wanted it to never end.

Eventually, Stefan pulled away and looked down at her with pale eyes that said he wanted her. She should speak, tell him she couldn’t do this, but the words wouldn’t come.

Pushing her hair behind her shoulders, his fingertips brushed lightly against the curve of Claire’s neck. He slid them across her collarbone, then back over her shoulders, his movements slow and deliberate. Eventually, he stopped, and she realised he’d slid his fingers under the fine straps of her bra.

Claire froze. Knew what was he was going to do. She wanted it. And she didn’t.

She felt his hands slide along her upper arms, the straps slipping with them, though the cups of her bra stayed in place.

How easy it would be to let everything slip away, to let it all slide, to let what would happen take place...

How easy it would be to be hurt again.

Looking up at him, Claire pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him away. ‘I can’t do this.’

She grabbed the rails at the edge of the pool, lifted her foot to the first step and hoisted herself up.

Without looking back, Claire grabbed her things and walked towards the door.

But she heard his wet footsteps behind her.

Knew he was following.

Knew there was only so much she could do to resist Stefan.

Chapter Thirteen

Stefan followed Claire into the apartment, trying to make her listen, but she strode ahead of him and turned towards her bedroom, bidding him goodnight as she walked. He could only watch as she closed the door behind her.

One hand was on the doorknob. It wasn’t just a door that lay between them—a wall, a barrier he couldn’t get past lay in his path. Stefan didn’t know what was happening and didn’t know what had gone wrong.

She’d asked him not to enter, asked him to respect her privacy, and he had. But this was nothing to do with her need for personal space. They had to sort this out.

Only minutes earlier, he’d taken a giant leap of faith and dived into the pool. Stefan hadn’t known if he could swim, though Claire had assured him he could. That was one of hundreds of things he didn’t know but was willing to learn anew, willing to find out.

That was the way to live life—fully, completely, no holding back. Not for him.

He twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

‘Claire,’ Stefan called out.

No answer. The shower was running. Perhaps she hadn’t heard him.

He did a double-take, surprised to see the wedding photo that Claire had brought to the hospital on her nightstand. He couldn’t believe it; she must look at it every day. How could she not still feel something for him?

That was all the encouragement he needed. Stefan walked through the bedroom and stepped in front of the en suite. The door was open.

‘Claire,’ he said again, stopping in the doorway.

She turned to face him, her lips parting in surprise.

Naked, Claire looked even more beautiful than she had in the pool. Naked, he could better see the roundness of her breasts, the curves of her body, the symmetry. She was pale except for the dusky pinkness of her nipples and the brown triangle of hair that hid her sex. She looked so soft, so perfect.

Stepping forward, Stefan lifted his gaze to meet hers. There was a glint of anxiety in her eyes but her face glowed with desire, and she didn’t move away.

Leaning closer, he covered her mouth with his. When she didn’t respond, he slowly pulled away. She wanted him, he was sure of it. It wasn’t possible that he felt this much urgency and passion, and she felt nothing.

Claire’s eyes narrowed, her lips parting. ‘If we do this...one day you’ll get your memory back and you’ll wish we hadn’t.’

‘I want this, and I’m never going to change my mind about that.’ Stefan stepped closer. ‘But if I can’t have you now, that’s something I’ll regret for the rest of my life.’

‘I didn’t plan for this to happen, Stefan.’

Did she think she was in some way to blame for this? That he’d hold her accountable in the future?

Stefan realised this wasn’t about him. It was about her. She’d been hurt in the past.

By him, no doubt.

He couldn’t change the past. Damn it, he didn’t even know what had happened. But he had some control over the future.

Stefan gently cupped her chin in his hands. ‘I care for you, Claire. I have from the first moment I saw you at the hospital. I don’t have a long history to go by; I only know what feels right, and I want you.’

Claire looked down at the floor, and for one horrible moment he thought she was going to tell him to leave. Instead, she stepped forward, her eyes lowered, and stretched her arms out, curling her fingers over the waistband of his damp shorts.

Blood was surging through his body but he didn’t move, just stood, as she peeled away his boxers, and then looked up into his eyes with a gaze that smouldered. Lips parted, she curled one finger, motioning for him to come closer. Stefan thought he was going to explode, there and then.

With her other hand, Claire pulled open the shower door and stepped inside, beckoning him forward with her sultry gaze. She leaned against the tiles, waiting for him, warm water spraying against her shoulders and breasts, the steam rising into the air.

Stefan closed the glass door behind him.

He wrapped his arms around her, hot water gushing over both of them. When he kissed her, Claire kissed him back, her fingers tugging at the back of his head and pulling him closer. Her hands wandered over Stefan’s shoulders, his chest. She trailed kisses over his neck and down to one nipple, the soft tugging making him gasp.

Claire’s hands felt so small against his body, as she slid them over his hips and around his butt to pull him closer. Her hands kept travelling back over his hips and groin. She ran her fine fingers over the length of him and he felt that if the world ended at that moment, he’d die a happy man.

Suddenly Claire dropped to her knees and he felt the heat of her tongue on his erection. God, it felt so good, but that wasn’t how he wanted it to be.

Hooking his hands under her arms, Stefan lifted her back up.

‘We’ve got all evening.’ He kissed her again, deeply and fully. ‘And tonight is for you. I want this to be a night you’ll always remember.’

Reaching across for the shampoo, Stefan lathered it into her hair and massaged her scalp before rinsing it off.

Claire looked a little flushed, a little nervous, but he hadn’t finished with her yet. Nowhere near it.

Reaching for the soap, Stefan rubbed it over her back and shoulders, then ran his hands over her breasts—they were so round, so perfect. He placed the soap back on the tray and tilted his head lower, until he took one succulent nipple into his mouth. He heard Claire moan, just like he wanted.

His lips trailed across the hollow between her breasts, from one nipple to the other, and both ripe for the taking. The lavender scent of the soap lingered on her skin with the freshness of water, and then a taste that must have been purely Claire.

She gasped again. She wanted more. So did he.

Slowly sucking on one nipple, Stefan felt her pelvis arch towards him as Claire moaned more loudly. He had her where he wanted her.

He felt her flinch as he got closer. His fingers hovered over her wet curls as he caressed her with a touch that was barely there, and when Stefan slid his fingers between her thighs, she parted her legs in readiness.

‘I want you inside me,’ Claire moaned.

‘Not yet,’ he whispered.

This was for Claire, slow and delicious and deliberate. She was panting now in short, brisk breaths so he increased the rhythm, almost imperceptibly, until a shrill moan escaped her lips. When she slumped forward, Stefan took her into his arms.

‘I’d forgotten how good that feels,’ she muttered.

Stefan pressed his lips against hers briefly. ‘We’ll make sure you remember this.’

He would, too. He’d remember this new experience, this new beginning.

Reaching behind Claire, he turned off the taps, pushed open the shower screen door and reached across for the towels, passing her one. Her breasts jiggled delightfully as she dried her hair.

She pressed her hair back with the towel. ‘What are you looking at?’

‘You,’ Stefan replied.

He took the towel from her, rubbing it across her shoulders and down her arms.

Claire smiled. ‘I can do that.’

‘I thought I’d take care of
you
for a change.’

He patted her dry and draped the towel across her shoulders while he quickly dried himself, tossing his towel onto the tiles.

Taking Claire’s hand, he walked through the open door. ‘I haven’t finished with you yet.’

When they reached the bed, Stefan pulled her closer, letting the towel slide from her shoulders.

‘I want to remember every moment with you,’ he said.

There was so much he didn’t know, and couldn’t remember, but he realised one thing with startling clarity—he was going to make the most of every minute with Claire. He was going to make her happy tonight and tomorrow, and maybe the day after that, too, if she’d let him.

He was never going to let her go.

Bending his knees, he slid his hands down her body and lifted Claire onto the bed. She was so light, like a kitten. A sex kitten, Stefan thought with a grin.

‘What are you smiling at?’ she asked.

He prowled over to her, one hand resting on the bed on either side of her head, caging her in. ‘I have every reason in the world to smile.’ He peppered her neck with little kisses. ‘I’ve got you.’

Stefan kissed her nipples again, knowing she loved it. Besides, he enjoyed listening to her little moans. He knew how to get her even more worked up. He pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her wholly, completely.

Her hands travelled down his torso. He lifted himself up to give Claire room, and as he kissed her, Stefan felt delicate fingers cradling his erection. She stroked him gently, taking his length into her hands and guided him inside her.

A wave of emotion washed over Stefan. This was it. Where he wanted to be. He couldn’t get any closer to her than this.

He stroked her from the inside out, trying to hold back, hoping to give Claire time but it felt too good and he felt the tension building. Opening his eyes, Stefan looked at her pretty face, lashes pressed shut, lips parted. This was for her and he wanted it to be good.

Claire cried out, arching her body against his. He felt her muscles contracting and, not able to help himself any longer, started ramming himself into her, hoping he wouldn’t hurt her but unable to stop himself at the same time.

Waves of intense pleasure radiated through him, rocketing up his body. Stefan slumped over her, and then took his weight back onto his hands and gazed into her eyes.

Claire looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction, or at least he hoped so. He rolled off, lying on his side, his head propped up on one elbow.

This felt so perfect, lying beside her in silence. His eyes were gliding over her curves, admiring her anew: her shapely legs, flat stomach, rounded breasts. He could lie here like this forever.

Had it had been like between them before? Was it possible married life could have been this good? What kind of fool had he been to leave?

Stefan wondered if they’d gone to work every day, come home, eaten dinner, perhaps talking before tumbling into bed together. He could think of worse ways to live.

Claire’s fingers skimmed down over his shoulder and along his arm, until her hand rested on his. She looked down at their hands, her gaze no longer resting on Stefan’s face.

‘Something wrong?’ he asked.

‘I’m almost too scared to ask.’

‘What is it?’

Claire looked up at him but he could see the hesitation in her eyes. ‘Did something come back to you? Have you got your memory back?’

‘No.’

‘You were so quiet, I thought maybe…’

‘That was a very intense experience.’ Stefan smiled. ‘But it didn’t trigger anything in my mind.’

‘How did you…?’

‘How did I what?’

‘The way you touched me, the things you did. You knew exactly what you were doing. You were so…proficient. I thought your memory must have come back.’

Stefan couldn’t stop himself from smiling. ‘Proficient? Is that meant to be a compliment?’

Her lips curled to a shy smile. ‘Okay, it was fantastic. I think we can both agree on that. But how did you know what to do?’

‘How does anybody? I guess some things are instinctive. I just did what felt right.’

‘It felt right to me, too.’

‘Claire, was that how things were between us before? Sexually, I mean.’

‘They were good, better than good.’

‘We were together for a long time. Didn’t things get a bit predictable, a little repetitive?’

‘Being with the same person all time doesn’t have to be boring. The old Stefan didn’t think it was, at least not while we were getting on well.’