What we’d lost.
How could I mourn and move on from something I didn’t know? When I woke up in our bedroom, everything seemed strange. It had been surreal. I’d been a blank slate with no memories, or even shadows of who I was.
The only thing that grounded me was Erik. I don’t know how I knew him, but I did. I was sure of it. And I knew he could protect me. When I asked him about it later, why he was the only thing that seemed familiar, he smiled and kissed my head.
“Our love transcends even the worst horrors of the world,” he said.
And it had. But I still desperately wanted answers about who I was—or who I had been.
Erik sipped his water and leaned back in the chair. The muscle in his jaw bulged, tension running through his face.
“Please,” I said. “Just something small.”
His gaze flicked to me, and for a moment it was hard. As if I’d made him angry somehow. I shrank back from that look, ready to take back my plea.
“Hey.” He got up and walked around the table. “I’m sorry. I know I get frustrated. I just don’t want to see you get hurt—again.”
Again.
I still didn’t know what happened the first time. Just that it had been an accident.
I nodded, my throat tight with emotion. He brushed a strand of black hair away from my face and sighed.
“Your favorite flower,” he said. “It’s daffodils.”
That small bit of information made me smile. Daffodils. I tried to imagine them, but couldn’t place the actual flower. “Show me?”
He kissed me and stood up to grab his phone. “It’s a spring flower. But you plant them in the fall. Since it’s October, now would be a good time.”
I bit my bottom lip, impatient to see what they looked like.
Smiling, he turned the phone around. Bright yellow and white flowers crowded the screen. Six petals, the description said, with a trumpet shape center. My breath hitched. They were beautiful, and immediately I understood why I loved them. Suddenly, I wanted enough seeds to spread all around the gazebo, have them bloom and grow after the harsh winter.
“They’re gorgeous!” I took the phone, holding it tight as I scrolled through a few more pictures.
“You always thought so,” he said.
“Do you think we could get some seeds?”
He took the phone back and nodded. “I think that’s doable.”
I bounced in my seat and snagged a chip. “Oh! That reminds me. We need a few things from the store, anyway. Would it be okay if I went?”
“I think we can swing it.”
Excitement pumped through my veins. Going out was a treat. It didn’t happen often. Erik worried because of the accident. It was two months before he let me go out of the house for the first time. We went to a park. Took a stroll. Even longer before he’d let me go to the store with him. And longer still to let me go on my own.
“Straight to the store and back.” He held up a finger. “I can’t lose you.”
I didn’t want to be lost. Every fiber of my being wanted to be with him. I honestly didn’t think I could survive without Erik by my side. Plus, it had taken so long to gain this privilege. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.
“Of course!” I nodded.
He took my hand, and with a gentle tug, pulled me out of my seat. I put my other hand to his chest, bracing myself from bumping too hard against him. A chuckle escaped me, but he stole most of it with a kiss. A moan replaced the sound as I slid hands over his shoulders, fingers kneading into the powerful muscles of his back.
Before I could fall too deeply into the kiss, he spun me around and bent me over the table. The plates clattered on either side of my head.
I let out a surprised gasp, resting my cheek against the soft texture of the cloth, my hands pressed flat on either side of me. Erik flipped my skirt up and pulled my panties down, driving into me without hesitation. I cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure, but just that kiss made me so wet for him. My body adjusted as he pulled from me and thrust in again. The pain gone now, Erik found a hard, merciless pace.
He held a hand against my back, my breasts pressed between my body and the table. The wood creaked beneath me, the lip of the table pushing into my thighs for an added sensation. A plate fell, shattering on the floor by our feet. Bits of glass bit into my ankle, but the pain barely registered as Erik continued to fill me. My fingers gripped the cloth, desperate for something to hold on to as he brought me closer.
He moved his hand from my back, sliding up and around the front of my throat. His fingers squeezed, and I gasped, a shock of mild fear rushing through me. But Erik would never really hurt me. The pain that came from making love was wild and primal.
His fingers tightened around my throat as he pulled me up, my back flush against his chest, but I could still breathe. This new angle let him drive deeper, and the pleasure it brought was enough to drive me mad. I reached up, gripping his arms, so lost in sensations I didn’t think I’d hold out much longer.
“You are mine, Lenore.”
My eyes rolled back from the intensity of it all. His fingers tightened around my throat again, restricting air flow slightly. I didn’t panic. I craved it. Erik possessed me so completely there was no room for fear.
Only love.
“Say it,” he all but growled in my ear.
“I belong to you!”
He pinched my nipple so hard it hurt. His lips captured my
