A Royal Amnesia Scandal. Jules Bennett

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СКАЧАТЬ all wet?”

      Plucking at the damp material that clung to her thighs, Kate shook her head. “I got caught outside in the storm earlier.”

      Those eyes continued to rake over her body. “You’re sexy like this,” he murmured as his heated stare traveled back up. “With your dress clinging to your curves and your hair messy and wavy.”

      Kate swallowed, because any reply she had to those intimate words would lead to a lie, and she couldn’t let him keep thinking they were anything more than employee-employer, servant-royal.

      “Where’s your cell?” If she didn’t stay on task, she’d get caught up in all those sultry looks he was giving her...and she desperately wanted to get caught up in the promise behind those sexy stares. But he wasn’t himself right now. “I need to call the doctor. I hope we have service.”

      Luc glanced around, raking a hand through his hair. “I have no idea. I don’t even remember why I was outside.”

      He slapped his hand on the cushion beside him and let out a string of curses. “Why can’t I remember anything?”

      The worry lacing his voice concerned her even more than the fact he thought they were engaged. Luc Silva never let his guard down. Even when faced with losing the crown, the man was the epitome of control and power. Sexy and strong and she wanted him. Plain and simple...or maybe not so simple considering she could never have him.

      “It’s okay,” she assured him as she leaned down to pat his shoulder. “I’ll find it. Once the doctor comes, we’ll know more. Maybe this will only last a few minutes. Try not to panic.”

      That last bit of advice was for herself as much as him, because she was seriously in panic mode right now. She didn’t know much about memory loss, but the fact that something had set his mind so off balance concerned her. She couldn’t even imagine how he felt.

      Kate walked around the spacious but sparsely decorated living room, into the dated kitchen and then back to the living room. Crossing to the patio doors they’d just entered, she finally spotted his cell lying on the old, worn accent table most likely left by the last tenants.

      Thankfully, she knew the passcode to get into the phone. “I’m just going to step out here,” she told him, trying to assure him he wouldn’t be alone. “I’ll be right back.”

      She didn’t want Luc to hear any worry in her tone when she described the incident to the doctor. And for now, she wasn’t going to mention the whole “fiancée” bit. She would ride this out as long as possible. Yes, that was selfish, but, well...everyone had their moments of weakness and Luc Silva was definitely her weakness.

      Kate was relieved to get the doctor on the phone and even more relieved when he promised to be there within the next hour. For the next sixty minutes, Luc would most likely believe they were engaged and she would play right along until she was told otherwise.

      Luc’s private beach villa just off the coast of Portugal wasn’t far from his own country. He was pretty much hiding in plain sight. This way he could be home quickly in an emergency—or someone could come to him.

      Kate was grateful the doctor could use the private boat to get to the island. There was no airstrip and the only way in or out was via boat. Only yesterday she and Luc had been dropped off by her father, so Luc could keep his hideout a secret.

      When she walked back inside, Luc had his head tipped back against the sofa cushions. Eyes closed, he held a hand to his head, massaging his temples with his fingers.

      “The doctor is on his way.”

      Without opening his eyes, he simply gave a brief nod.

      “I know you’re hurting, but I don’t want to give you anything before the doctor can examine you.”

      What if his injuries were more serious than she thought? Amnesia, temporary or not, wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. People died from simple falls all the time. Even when they felt fine, they could have some underlying issue that went unnoticed.

      The possibilities flooded her mind as she continued to stand across the room and stare at Luc. Should he be resting or should she keep him awake? She prayed she didn’t do the wrong thing. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him because they’d been fighting and he’d stormed off. If she didn’t always feel the need to challenge him, this wouldn’t have happened.

      The kiss wouldn’t have happened, either, because that was obviously spawned from sexual frustration and anger. Luc’s full-on mouth attack had been forceful, not gentle or restrained. She’d loved every delicious second of it. But now she needed to focus, not think about how good it had felt to finally have him touch her the way she’d always wanted.

      As she watched him, his lids kept fluttering, and finally remained closed for a minute.

      “Luc,” she said softly. “Try not to fall asleep, okay?”

      “I’m not,” he mumbled. “The lights are too bright, so I’m just keeping my eyes closed.”

      Crossing to the switches, she killed the lights in the living room, leaving just the one from the kitchen on so she could still see him.

      “Does that help?” she asked, taking a seat beside him on the couch, relishing in the warmth from his body.

      He opened one eye, then the other, before he shifted slightly to look at her. “Yeah. Thanks.”

      When he reached over to take her hand, Kate tensed. This wasn’t real. The comfort he was seeking from her was only because he was uncertain—and he thought they were engaged.

      Oh, if they were truly engaged, Kate could hold his hand and not feel guilty. She could wrap her arms around him and give him support and love and...

      But no. She wasn’t his fianceé so thinking along those lines would get her nowhere.

      For now, she could pretend, she could keep her fingers laced with his and feel things for him in ways she never had before. This was no longer professional...they’d crossed that threshold when he’d captured her mouth beneath his.

      “I’ll be fine.” Luc offered a wide smile, one rarely directed at her. “Just stay right here with me.”

      Swallowing the truth, Kate nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

      She tried not to relish the fact that Luc’s thumb kept stroking the back of her hand. She tried to fight the thrill that he was looking at her as more than just an employee.

      None of this was reality. He was trapped in his own mind for now. She didn’t know if she should focus on the kiss earlier or the nasty knot on his head. Both issues made her a nervous wreck.

      The hour seemed to crawl by, but when Dr. Couchot finally knocked on the back door, Kate breathed a sigh of relief. Beneath her hand, Luc tensed.

      “It’s okay.” She rose to her feet, patting his leg. “We’ll figure this out and you’ll be just fine.”

      Dr. Couchot immediately came inside, set his bag down and took a seat on the couch next to Luc.

      “Tell me what happened,” he said, looking at СКАЧАТЬ