One Forgotten Night Page 10

  Mike nearly groaned when his tongue slid between her parted lips and found hers. Her lips were soft and yielding, but her tongue thrust ardently against his, driving him wild with the desire to taste more of her, to see how much hotter he could make her. His need for her raced through his blood; it filled his mind and all his senses. Already, just from kissing her, he was rigid and ready. But he wanted more from this woman than to spend himself in her. He needed to pleasure her, to touch every part of her. As she answered his kiss with her own, nibbling his lips, sliding her tongue into his mouth, he forced himself to pull away. Her whimper of dismay almost broke his resolve, but he made himself draw back.

  Her mouth felt cold without his lips on it. Nina shook her head, dazed. Passion had swept over her as wild and hot and sudden as a brushfire—and she didn’t want the fire to go out. Why had he taken his lips away from hers? Why was he looking at her so seriously?

  “Nina.” Mike’s voice was hoarse. “I have to go. Because if I don’t go now, I won’t go at all.”

  She didn’t have to think it over. This time she knew with unshakable clarity just what she wanted. Not a man, any man, but this man, right now. She met his earnest gaze. “Don’t go.”

  He looked at her, and she could tell that he was exerting all his strength to hold himself back. “Are you sure?” he asked softly.

  For answer she stepped forward and took him into her arms.

  This time his kiss was anything but gentle. Head bent back, neck arched, she surrendered her mouth to him, and he kissed her hard and long. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth and shivered with pleasure when her lips tightened around it. He backed her against the wall, took her wrists in his outstretched hands and ground himself against her so that he could feel every curve of her.

  Nina was on fire. Her breasts were pressed to Mike’s chest, her thighs were parted around his legs, and still she wanted more of herself to touch more of him. His sex, hard and erect beneath the tight denim, rubbed against her, and the yearning inside her intensified. He kissed her and held her like that until she thought she would burst with need, and then he released her hands and in a single motion pulled her sweater off.

  Her full breasts were almost spilling out of her lacy pink bra; he could see the darker pink nipples through the lace. They were taut, eager to be touched. “Oh, God, Nina, I want you,” he said thickly. His hands and his mouth and his loins were aching for her, but he wanted to go slow, to savor every touch, every sensation.

  Very slowly, he reached out one hand and touched her breasts just above the lace. She gasped, and he saw her tremble. Her skin was as soft as silk and very, very warm. He went on touching her, watching her face, forcing himself to go slowly. Her eyes closed and she moaned softly as he teased her, brushing first one, then both breasts with his palms. He cupped them, willing his hands not to close on them urgently. Finally he lightly stroked the stiff pink peaks, and she breathed, “Oh, yes.”

  He toyed with her nipples, tugging them gently. But he needed more. The waiting was torture; he couldn’t hold back much longer. “Tell me what you want, Nina,” he murmured.

  There was no sound in the world but Mike’s voice, no sensation other than his fingers on her breasts and the waves of pleasure they sent rocketing through her. “Kiss me there,” she said dizzily, and nearly fainted at the exquisite pleasure of his mouth on one erect nipple, kissing and licking her through the lace.

  Mike’s self-control cracked. He couldn’t bear to have even the thinnest barrier between them now. Hands shaking, he removed her bra and buried his face in the warmth between her breasts. He covered the swelling mounds with kisses and sucked the taut nipples. Then he scooped her up easily and headed toward the bedroom.

  Cradled in Mike’s arms, Nina trailed kisses along the line of his jaw and down his neck. “I’m gonna drop you if you keep doing that,” he warned her.

  “All right, how about this?” She ran the tip of her tongue around his ear and then nipped the lobe between her lips.

  Mike nearly stumbled. “That’s not a whole lot better.”

  “I’ll just leave you alone, then.”

  “Not necessary.” Nina felt herself being lowered to the bed, and a moment later Mike was beside her, shirtless. “We’ve reached our destination,” he said into her ear. “Now you can do anything you want.”

  She looked up at him. “Anything?”

  “Anything,” he said, and his voice was no longer playful. It was the husky, hungry voice of a man on the verge of being consumed by desire. Nina pulled him on top of her, exploring his shoulders and back with eager hands. The weight of his body, the feel of him against her, the scent of his skin and hair—all were exactly right. Passion was raging within her, but beneath it ran a deeper current of something else: happiness. She and Mike were about to become one, and that was how it should be.

  Mike eased her slacks off. The lacy panties followed. He stroked her thighs, her hips, her sleek belly, and then he slipped his fingers into the soft, damp folds beneath the auburn curls.

  Nina cried out when he touched her, but it was a cry of delight and discovery. She felt herself moving uncontrollably, surging against him like the waves beating again and again against a rock. Mike kissed her deeply while his gentle but insistent caress urged her on toward ecstasy. Something inside her was very close to giving way when she suddenly squirmed away from him and said, “No, not yet.”

  Mike froze. He hadn’t dreamed that she would stop him at this point, but not for the world would he so much as touch her against her will.

  “Not like that,” she whispered against his chest. “I want to feel you inside me.”

  He held her against him, kissing her hair. Then he looked into her eyes and saw there a depth of passion and need that matched his own. He touched her lips with his. “I’ll be right back.”

  Nina heard the rustle of foil, and a moment later Mike was stretched out next to her again. She felt the welcome weight of his arousal in the place where he had been touching her, and she opened herself to him.

  He entered her with a groan, and for her there was only an ecstatic pleasure as she stretched to hold him. He filled her and completed her, and as their bodies moved together in a rhythm older than time she felt herself rising up and up until, with a convulsion that shook her to her core, she passed into a realm of timeless joy. And Mike was there with her, murmuring her name into her mouth as he kissed her, his arms and legs tangled with hers, shuddering as he exploded into her.

  They lay together for a long time afterward, drifting slowly back down to earth but not loosening their hold on each other. When they did separate, it was only for a little while. Mike lifted himself off her and lay next to her, pulling her close.

  She tilted her face up to his and they kissed, each feeling the other smile through the kiss.

  “Wow,” Nina murmured. “That was—”

  “Incredible,” he suggested.

  “Yeah,” she replied, snuggling still closer to him, wrapping her arms more tightly around him. “The best.”

  A laugh rumbled in his chest. “How would you know, sweetheart? You’ve got amnesia.” His voice was teasing, but tender, and Nina was pierced by a pang of joy. For the first time she felt that he really believed her.

  Later, much later, Nina woke up from a dark and disturbing dream. She couldn’t remember much, only a feeling of dread and the swift-fading impression that she was trying desperately to run away from something, or someone. She lay with her head pillowed on Mike’s chest, but the calm beat of his heart against her cheek could not soothe her troubled thoughts. His closeness was a reminder that she had added a new complication to her already confusing situation.

  Nina did not regret the choice she had made—for a moment her arms tightened around Mike as though she would never let him go, and he murmured gently and stroked her hair—but she was shaken by the depth of her feelings for him. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? Even worse, what if her own feelings weren�
��t real? Maybe they were a side effect of her amnesia: Perhaps she was drawn to Mike because he was a source of strength, the one rock she could cling to in a frighteningly uncertain world? All she knew at this moment was that she wished the night would never end.

  Mike gazed unseeingly up at Nina’s ceiling, forcing himself to be gentle as he stroked her hair and eased her into sleep. He wanted to crush her to him with all his strength, to lose himself in her again, to forget all his doubts in the haze of passion. Something had happened to him tonight, something that went far beyond the simple satisfaction of desire, and it terrified him. Nina had aroused a tenderness and a longing unlike anything he’d ever felt—but he would keep those feelings under control. Not because Irons and Hecht had ordered him to stay away from Nina; he’d defied orders before, and he’d do it again. But because he couldn’t be sure of Nina herself. She’s alone, she’s vulnerable. She needs someone, and right now you’re all she’s got. Maybe there’s nothing more to it than that. And all the while, lurking at the back of his mind, was what he tried not to think about: She could be lying to you. Remember the last time.

  At last Mike fell asleep, only to dream that it was Karen he held in his arms. He jerked awake, the nightmare gunfire echoing in his mind, and it took him a moment to realize that the sound he was hearing was real. It was a dog barking—Sig, in the next room. Nina was awake, too, clinging to his arm. “What’s wrong?” she cried.

  “Sig,” Mike answered tersely. “Someone’s at your door.” He was already out of bed, climbing into his jeans. He threw a quick glance at the illuminated clock on Nina’s night table; it was five-thirty in the morning.

  Nina slipped into a robe and started for the living room. Sig had stopped barking and was crouched with his eyes fastened on the door, growling low in his throat with a steady intensity that boded ill for whomever was on the other side of the door.

  Mike hurried past her. “Get back,” he ordered, pushing her into the bedroom. He took a position flat against the wall, next to the front door, one arm cocked; Nina stole a quick peek into the living room and saw that his gun was in his hand. He threw the front door open.

  A tall fair-haired man in a camel overcoat burst into the room. “Nina, Nina, where are you? Are you all right?” he called. The sight of Sig, crouched and snarling balefully, brought him up short. Then he turned and saw Mike, who had him covered from behind. The blond stranger scowled and said, “Who the devil are you? And what are you doing in my fiancée’s apartment?”

  Chapter 6

  Mike’s years as a cop had prepared him to deal with surprises, often unpleasant ones, but nothing had prepared him for this. Still, for a man who felt as though he’d just been kicked in the stomach with a steel-toed boot, he stayed pretty cool.

  “Police,” he said tersely, reaching into a back pocket for his badge and holding it out. His other hand, the one holding the gun, never wavered. “Now it’s your turn. Can I see some ID, please?”

  The request was nothing more than Mike’s attempt to make the situation seem halfway official. He already had a pretty good idea who the stranger was, and his guess was confirmed when Nina spoke from behind him.

  “Julien?” she said, in a faint, disbelieving voice, and then, more definitely, “Julien Duchesne.”

  The blond man’s eyes widened. “You remember me,” he said. He spoke with a slight European accent. “My dear, I am so relieved. Armand said that you had lost your memory.”

  “I have lost my memory.” Nina’s voice was flat. “I don’t remember you at all. I recognized you from a picture I saw.”

  “I—I see. Well, clearly we have much to talk about. And now, Officer,” Duchesne said, turning back to Mike, “perhaps you’d be good enough to take that gun out of my face. And I believe I asked you a question.” His voice sharpened. “Just what are you doing here in my fiancée’s apartment?”

  Julien Duchesne was looking coldly at Mike, but it was Nina who spoke. She burst out, “Your fiancée? You and I are...engaged?“

  “That is correct,” Duchesne replied, with a look at her that was both fond and sad. “You don’t remember even that? My sweet, this is most distressing.”

  Nina sat down suddenly. “You’re telling me. Look, I can’t quite take this in. I’m sorry,” she added, as Julien’s handsome features twisted in a sudden grimace of pain, “but you’ve got to understand, I didn’t have a clue about this. It doesn’t seem real.”

  Nina’s head was spinning. For the first time in several days, she felt as though she were about to lose control. The shock of waking from the warm circle of Mike’s arms to find that she was engaged to marry another man, a man who was virtually a stranger, had left her feeling sick and shaken. Worst of all was the icy, stunned look on Mike’s face. She ached to run to him and take him in her arms. Yet what had been possible last night no longer seemed within reach. In the space of a few moments, a gulf had yawned between them. Apart from a single stricken glance at Julien’s first reference to “my fiancée,” Mike hadn’t once looked at her. And now Julien Duchesne, eyes narrowed speculatively, was looking from Nina to Mike and back again, his expression leaving little doubt of the conclusions he was drawing.

  “Miss Dennison and I spent some time combing her personal records and interviewing her co-workers and friends,” Mike said to Julien. “She’s right—there wasn’t a clue about your engagement. It seems odd that nobody mentioned it, not even Armand Zakroff. Can you explain that?”

  “Look here,” Duchesne flared, “I don’t have to answer your questions. Furthermore, I’m still waiting for an explanation from you. Why the hell are you here?”

  “I’m investigating Miss Dennison’s case,” Mike said woodenly.

  “And this is what you call ‘investigating’?” Julien’s voice crackled, and he glared angrily at Mike. “I find you here at an ungodly hour in the morning, barely dressed, alone with a woman who was in the hospital just a few days ago. You’ve clearly been forcing your attentions on a sick, confused woman, and,” he added contemptuously, “I’m going to see that you pay for it.”

  “Stop it!” Nina’s exclamation cut like a knife into the tension between the two men. “Just stop it, Julien. Mike’s here at my invitation.”

  Julien’s expression changed at that, but Nina carried on, determined to say what she had to say. “Get this straight, both of you. I’m not sick, I’m not confused. I’ve lost my memory. Period. Julien, it seems that you and I have a lot of things to talk about, but I don’t need someone to take care of me. And I wish you would explain why no one mentioned our engagement.”

  Julien crossed the room to the sofa and sat next to Nina. Sig, now sitting still as a statue at Mike’s feet, followed Julien’s every move with unblinking eyes. So did Mike.

  “I’m sorry, my dear.” Julien rubbed his hands across his face and then took one of Nina’s hands in both of his, patting it gently. “You must understand, this is all very difficult for me. I was in Geneva, I spoke to Armand and he told me of your—your accident. I flew back at once. And now I find this...situation.” Julien cast a pained glance at Mike.

  “But this is between us,” he said, looking into Nina’s eyes. His own were a light, clear gray. “I know we can work this out, Nina. Whatever you’ve done, we can get past it. After all, if you truly do not remember me...” He gazed searchingly at her. “Nothing? Nothing at all?”

  Nina looked away and shook her head. “I still don’t understand,” she said stubbornly. “Why didn’t anyone know about our engagement?”

  Julien smiled. “That was your idea, Nina. You wanted us to keep our relationship a secret from Armand and the others at Z and D. I kept telling you that secrecy was unnecessary, but you felt that it wouldn’t look right for an employee of the firm to be dating one of the partners. We became engaged the night before I left for Switzerland and agreed that we would tell everyone when I returned.”

  “I see. How long were we, um, dating?”

  “Oh, it was a whirlwi
nd courtship.” Julien laughed. “Just a few weeks. Don’t you remember, darling—you said that true love can happen in the blink of an eye.”

  “Did I?” Nina’s voice was hoarse. She couldn’t keep from darting a swift, tormented glance at Mike. His eyes were a wall of blue ice, holding her at a distance. Behind the wall she thought she glimpsed a hint of some passionate entreaty—and then he looked away. Without a word he walked into the bedroom. Nina heard the bedsprings creak and realized that he was putting on his shoes, getting ready to walk out of her apartment. And out of her life.

  Get up, she ordered herself. Stop him, don’t let him leave. Don’t let things end this way. But Julien’s hands tightened on hers, and he uttered his own entreaty in a low voice. “Nina, I am truly sorry if I came on too strong at first. This has been a shock to me, too, you know. But, please, give me a chance. Give us a chance. I know you love me. I can make you remember—if you’ll let me.” He leaned forward as if to kiss her, and Nina could not keep from flinching.

  “I’m sorry,” she stammered, “but don’t you see? It’s as though I don’t know you at all.”

  Julien smiled. “I understand,” he said tenderly. “I promise you, I will be patient.”

  Just then something cold and wet intruded on their handclasp. It was Sig’s nose. The big dog was shoving his face into Nina’s hand, whimpering. She extricated her hand from Julien’s grasp and began to stroke Sig, murmuring, “It’s all right, fella.”

  Perfect timing, boy, Mike thought bleakly. He was back in the living room, fully dressed and wearing his jacket. I’d roll over and play dead if I thought she’d tell me that everything’s gonna be all right.

  “Nina,” Julien said suddenly, “that beast has destroyed your sofa cushions.”

  Sig bristled, almost as if he understood and resented Julien’s remark, and Nina said with a sigh, “No, that wasn’t the dog, Julien. It was a prowler—oh, never mind, I’ll fill you in.”