The Ultimate Seduction

'You should be okay to get up on your own, but I'll be here to help you the first time, just to make sure your legs are steady and you don't get lightheaded. And then there's all the IV stuff that can get in your way.' The nurse transferred her professional gaze to Noah. 'Can you give us about fifteen minutes to do the girl stuff?'

'Sure.' A wry grin canted the corner of his mouth and he stood. 'I need to use the men's room myself.'

He winked at Natalie and turned for the door. She watched him walk out, eyes drawn to his wide shoulders, his strong, lean body and his confident swagger. No matter how she racked her brain trying to recall something as important as an engagement, her mind remained frustratingly blank.

Regardless of her unreliable memory, one thrilling, exciting thought took precedence: this gorgeous, breathtakingly sexy man was all hers.

Chapter Three

After taking care of personal business, Noah washed his hands, then splashed cool water on his face, trying like hell to push away the guilt eating at his conscience. He dried the dampness from his skin with a paper towel and shoved his fingers through his hair in a paltry attempt to tame his unruly morning hair.

Natalie believed he was her nance. When the nurse had made that announcement, he'd witnessed Natalie's surprised expression and had held his breath, waiting for her to ask him if it was true. Much to his relief she didn't question the woman's casually tossed words, which saved him from outright lying to Natalie's face. For now.

Bracing his hands on the edge of the porcelain sink, he stared at his reflection in the rest room mirror, noting the lines of exhaustion at the corners of his eyes. Undoubtedly, he was lying by omission, because he planned to use the fiance pretense to his advantage, to remain as close to her as possible so he could protect her until he nailed the source of her fears the night before. And he knew there would be more fabrications as they became necessary and until she fully regained her memory-all for her own good. For him, it was one hundred percent a safety issue.

He suspected she didn't remember the threat that had scared her, and that made her even more defenseless and too damned vulnerable to the guy she'd run away from. He was beginning to think she was the target of a stalker. What else could explain the hysterical words Natalie had spoken last night before getting hit by the car? I'll never be safe. He won't go away.

Right now, with her amnesia, she didn't have the advantage of knowing something was wrong, and her instincts might be skewed by memory loss. Her vulnerability put her too much at risk for another encounter that might turn hostile.

And there was no way he'd allow anything else to harm her, not if he could help it.

He left the rest room and stopped at the vending machine in the waiting area. Buying a roll of the strongest mints available, he promptly tossed three of the peppermint Life Savers into his mouth and chewed. While he waited a few more minutes before returning to Natalie's room, he came up with a game plan. He'd ask her casual, no-pressure kinds of questions and see what she did and didn't recollect. He refused to feed her any information or outright tell her the truth about what had led up to the accident, because if she didn't remember, he knew it would only cause her panic and paranoia.

He popped three more mints for good measure, and when he arrived back in her room, she was settled back in bed with a breakfast tray on the small table in front of her. She was still wearing her hospital gown, but her hair had been combed and was smoothed back behind her ears.

She glanced from her meal to him and wrinkled her nose in distaste. 'Blech.'

He chuckled as he came up beside her. 'That bad, huh?'

'While I can't recall what my favorite breakfast food is, I'm sure this isn't it. Watery scrambled eggs, oatmeal that looks like paste, and dry, cold toast.' She indicated each item on her tray with a point of her finger. 'The only thing that looks worth eating is the fresh fruit.'

He had to agree that her breakfast didn't look at all appetizing. 'Then eat the fruit and drink your apple juice, and I'll try to sneak in something good later.'

She grinned. 'How about a pepperoni pizza?'

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, glad to see she was quickly gaining back her energy. 'A big ol' pizza box is a bit obvious, don't you think? That'll have to wait until you're home.'

'Home?'

The frown creasing her brows told him that she was having a hard time placing where she lived. Which was perfect for him. 'My place. We just moved in together.'

'Oh.' The one word escaped on a breathy note of sound.

He played his cards very cautiously, not wanting to upset her in any way. 'Do you have a problem with that?'

'Well, no, not really.' She shrugged. 'I mean, if we're engaged, that would make sense.'

She was so trusting that he had to push aside another wave of guilt that assaulted him-and remind himself that it was the only way he could keep her safe.

She sighed softly. 'I just feel like I'm learning who I am all over again. Or at least parts of who I am.'

'That's how it'll be with certain aspects of your memory, according to the doctor.' Since she wasn't digging into her breakfast, he filched a grape from the compote and lifted it to her mouth. When her lips automatically parted, he slipped the piece of fruit inside. 'We'll do lots of talking and that might spark those repressed parts of your memory.'

While her mouth was currently occupied, he casually brought up another subject, wanting to know what she might recall about her past. 'Do you want me to contact someone in your family to let them know about your accident?'

'I don't have any family,' she said automatically.

Surprised, he asked, 'You remember that?'

'Yeah, I do,' she said, equally stunned by the knowledge. 'You were testing me, weren't you?'

As her fiance, he should have known about her family, and was grateful that she saw his question as a way of testing her mind and memory. That would definitely work in his favor to get information from her. 'Yeah, I was. What else do you remember?'

She plucked up a wedge of cantaloupe, slipped it into her mouth and thought for a moment while she chewed. 'I remember that my parents died when I was about five in a house fire and I grew up in foster homes.'

Oh, wow, he thought, blown away by her confession and unable to imagine what a tumultuous and difficult childhood she must have had. He'd lost his parents, too, but at least he'd been lucky enough to have his brother, Cole, raising him and his sister, Joelle. They'd been a strong family unit-then and now. 'How about relatives?'

She shook her head. 'Both of my parents were only children, so I don't have any aunts and uncles, and my grandparents are dead, too.'

He urged her to take a drink of her apple juice. 'Do you remember how last night's accident happened?'

She paused, and he could see her straining to recall details. 'I remember walking with you-but I was afraid of something?'

She looked at him with uncertainty in her pale blue gaze, waiting for him to confirm her question. 'Yes, you were. What were you afraid of, sweetheart?'

She closed her eyes, and her face scrunched up in an obvious attempt to force thoughts into her head.

'I-I don't remember.' Frustrated, she dropped her head back onto the pillow and released a low, discouraging growl. 'How is it that I can recall so much about my past-you, even-but I can't remember other things? I feel like there's a huge, gaping hole in my life.'

She sounded near to panic over her inability to control what her mind could and couldn't recollect. Weaving their fingers together, he sought to soothe her the best he could. 'I'm here for you, Natalie, for anything you want or need. Anything at all.' And he meant it, too.

She pushed her breakfast tray aside, her appetite obviously gone. 'I want my memory back. All of it,' she said stubbornly.

Of course she'd ask for a wish he couldn't grant. Knowing she was desperate, he focused on the positive. 'Tell