When she faints, Rafe catches her and realizes he hasn’t stopped loving her. Manon carries anger and now grief that wasn’t real. Rafe wants her in his life, but she doesn’t want to talk about what happened in the past. She can’t be sure if her father or someone else told lies about Rafe and she doesn’t want to know. Can Rafe persuade her to listen? Not without a battle.
Without a glance at the waiting patient, she strode to the counter. The aroma strengthened. Hadn’t been her imagination. She turned her head and stared at the man wearing the green cotton examining gown. She gripped the edge of the counter. Blood rushed from her head.
“You’re dead.” The words slashed the silence. This couldn’t be happening.
“Hardly.”
The voice sounded like the one from her dreams. She opened her mouth to ask where he’d been and what he’d been doing for the past twelve years. She sucked in a shallow breath. Asking that question would only stir the emotions she had frozen.
“Don’t bail on me. Sit down.”
Her fingers had no feeling. Waves of darkness dimmed her vision. The edge of the counter disappeared. Her knees buckled. Blackness engulfed her.
* * *
“Manon!” Rafe Marshall leaped from the examining table in time to catch her before she hit the floor. He cradled her against his chest. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispered. Why did she think he was dead? He knew news of his accident had been kept quiet because the police believed he’d been deliberately forced off the road. Who had told her? Had the informant been the driver of the dark car his rescuer had seen speeding from the scene?
The citrus aroma of her shampoo brought memories of years ago when he had buried his face in her sunlit hair before they made love. His body responded to her presence and the sensual recollections. Thank heavens the gown was cloth. The urgent rise of his cock would have punctured paper.
Carefully, he placed her on the table. He stroked her face with his fingers and brushed his lips over hers. Any anger remaining from the past vanished beneath the heat of desire.
Manon was beautiful and his. The
knowledge rang true. Even if she wouldn’t admit the strength of the bond, he
knew. How could he explain why he’d taken so long to find her? Would she
believe that any trace of her had vanished in
He stepped back from the table. He had many things to tell her. Some of the revelations would cause anger, denial and pain. At this moment, he didn’t know where to begin. She wasn’t the teenage girl who had loved him. Had her love morphed into hate? He could handle that but not indifference.
Why hadn’t she answered the letters he’d written after the amnesia had cleared enough for him to remember her? Those notes had been sent months after her eighteenth birthday. Had she received the messages? That was one question he intended to ask. He needed to clear the past so he could move forward.
He had to tell her about the accident, the multiple injuries, the surgeries and the months of rehab. He wanted her to know though he’d left on their prom night, he’d decided to come for her after her eighteenth birthday.
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Twelve years! Sounds great.
ReplyDeleteWow, did she get the letters? Who lied to her? Twelve years is a long time to think someone was dead. Will she believe the truth? Lots going one here and none of it good, I'll wager, except that's he's alive. He's got some explaining to do. I enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks for sharing. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat a rough thing the pull through and get back to life. Then having to deal with some lies and un-delivered letters - all sorts of road blocks. And that what makes a great story.
ReplyDeleteThis excerpt raises a host of questions. Why didn't she get the letters? Why did she think he was dead? Why did it take him twelve years to find her again.
ReplyDeleteThis is a mystery of epic proportions. Great snippet!
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