Once she disappeared behind the closed door, he inhaled a deep, steady breath that did little to ease the tightening in his groin, and focused his attention back on the floral arrangement. Knowing he only had minutes before Natalie returned, he removed the envelope, withdrew the florist card within and read the note someone had written specifically for her.

You'll always be mine.

Brief and succinct, that's all the inscription said, with no name or signature to go with the very personal, possessive comment. Unease prickled through Noah, along with a healthy dose of fury that someone would prey upon Natalie so brazenly. And just how far was this crazed lunatic willing to go to stalk her?

The answer to his own question upped his inner rage a few notches and instigated another fierce surge of protectiveness toward Natalie.

Thank God she believed that he'd sent the flowers, and he didn't intend to correct her assumption. He supposed in her frame of mind she'd taken the remark to mean that Noah still considered her his, despite the accident and amnesia. She'd taken the note as a reassurance, and had no idea just how threatening those words were.

Whoever had been following her last night knew that she was in this hospital and was keeping tabs on her, which was a scary prospect. Noah was grateful that patient information was privileged and wasn't given out to just anyone, because Natalie's amnesia was something someone with sinister intent would no doubt use to his advantage.

Finding a notepad in the side drawer, Noah ripped off a page and quickly scribbled the name, address and phone number of the florist shop printed on the outside of the envelope, then slipped the paper into his pocket. Another piece of evidence he planned to follow up on later. He hoped he'd be able to learn the identity of the sender through the shop and hunt him down from there.

If this creep wanted to play cat and mouse with Natalie, then Noah would be the Doberman pinscher in the scenario, because he was determined to catch this guy before he caught Natalie.


Sitting across from Noah in a small, cozy kitchen nook, Natalie reached for her second slice of pepperoni-and-cheese pizza, still absorbing the fact that she and Noah lived together in his two-story house.

So far she'd only seen the lower level of the structure, and she had to admit not only to herself, but to Noah as well, that nothing looked familiar. Not the tweed sofa and big-screen TV in the living room, nor the kitchen where she was certain they'd eaten many meals together. She'd racked her brain for a niggle of recognition, and hadn't been aware of the distressed sound that had escaped her until Noah had gathered her in his strong arms and told her to be patient and give it time.

His closeness, warmth and arousing male scene was all it took to soothe her frazzled nerves. She'd clung to him because he made her feel safe and secure, and as though she belonged in his embrace. In his life. From there, she'd relaxed and told herself to enjoy the man so willing to cater to her every whim and desire. A man who inspired decadent fantasies and a hunger that had nothing to do with the food she was feasting on.

Natalie took a bite of her pizza and moaned her appreciation of the delicious, savory taste filling her mouth. True to his word, Noah had ordered a large pizza for her as soon as they'd arrived at his house, and compared to the bland breakfast and lunch she'd been served at the hospital, the delicacy was like ambrosia to her taste buds and she couldn't seem to get enough.

Noah grinned at her as he washed down a bite of his own pizza with a drink from his bottle of cold beer. "I take it your stomach is happy?"

Surprisingly, she felt happy, despite every reason she had to feel uncertain. "Very," she said, and darted her tongue out to catch a string of cheese from the corner of her mouth. His dark, lazy gaze watched the slow slide of her tongue, setting off a fluttering sensation in the pit of her belly. "The flavor is better than I remember."

He chuckled, a low, pleasant rumbling sound. "You're very easy to please."

Before she could stop herself, she slanted him a flirtatious glance and asked seductively, "Am I?"

Slowly, he licked smears of sauce from his fingers in long, slow laps she felt in intimate places. "Yeah, you are." Sexual connotation deepened his sexy voice, and a naughty twinkle glimmered in his eyes.

A smoldering heat flared through her, a sensation she didn't bother to fight. "You're a tease."

The corner of his mouth hitched with a wicked grin, and a sable brow lifted with amusement. "You started this, sweetheart, not me."

Unable to argue, she ducked her head and brought up an issue on her mind. "Noah, I've been meaning to ask-since we're engaged, how come I don't have a ring?" It seemed like such a forward question, but one that had become necessary in order for her to fill in more blank memories. "Or is it with my personal belongings from the hospital?"

He shook his head and took a long drink of his beer before answering. "No, you don't have an engagement ring. We'd talked about going to pick one out together, but that was before the accident."

She smiled, accepting his answer without questioning him further because it made so much sense, and they finished their dinner with a keen awareness swirling in the air between them. The more she was around Noah, the more she wanted him, with an intensity that kept growing stronger, more insistent. And if she couldn't remember being with him intimately, then she wanted new memories to replace the ones she'd lost. That much she knew for certain.

Standing, Noah tossed their empty paper plates into the trash and cleared the table, putting the leftover pizza into the refrigerator. He came back with a glass of water and two white pills.

"Here's some Motrin to help keep your headache away." He gently brushed a finger across her cheek, then urged her to take the medication. Once she'd swallowed both tablets, he asked, "Can I get you anything else?"

A loaded question, and one she handled with restraint. "I'd love a long, hot bath."

He swept into a gallant bow that made her smile. "Your wish is my command."

As she stared up into his gorgeous face, she wondered if she requested her true heart's desire at the moment if he'd obey and take her right there in the kitchen. On the table, on the floor, up against the wall, she didn't care, just so long as she felt his need for her in return. The naughty, scintillating thought tantalized her, teased her, caused a pulsing knot of anticipation to pull tight in her stomach, and lower.

He grabbed her hand, led her upstairs, and she followed him into a large, spacious room decorated in blue-and-beige tones and furnished in dark oak. A king-size bed dominated the area, covered by a soft, rumpled comforter in a masculine design. She tried to remember making love to Noah there. While she couldn't recall specific memories, her mind had no problem conjuring images of their naked limbs entwined and Noah's strong body moving over hers, filling her, thrusting hard and deep as she arched beneath him.

The mental imagine was so realistic her womb contracted, her panties grew damp, and much to her chagrin a whimpering sound caught in her throat.

Noah glanced at her, concerned. "Hey, you okay?"

If he only knew the truth-that around him she couldn't get sex off her mind. Had this man always had such an instantaneous effect on her libido? If so, she was in big, big trouble because she didn't know how long she could resist the urge to give in to the provocative fantasy that had just filtered through her head.

"I'm fine." Her voice was husky.

"Okay." He stared at her a moment longer through narrowed eyes, as if to make sure she was truly stable. "Go ahead and get yourself something to sleep in, and I'll run you a hot bath." He slipped through an adjoining door, leaving her alone. Seconds later she heard the rush of running water.

She released a deep breath that did little to ease the throbbing ache in intimate places. No, she didn't think anything would be able to relieve that shameless, reckless longing except for Noah's touch.

Feeling a bit lost, and not certain where to start her search, she began opening dresser drawers. The first one was filled with his socks and briefs, the second with his white undershirts. Peeking from beneath the cotton shirts was a glint of steel, and upon closer inspection she was shocked to find a gun in a leather holster. She frowned, wondering why he had such a lethal weapon stashed in his drawer.

"Is something wrong, Natalie?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, so close. She'd been so absorbed by the revolver that she hadn't heard him come up beside her. She looked up at him. "You have a gun?"

"I'm a P.I., sweetheart," he said simply, gently. "Owning a gun is part of the job."

A very logical explanation. She shook her head. "Of course. I just don't remember you carrying one." The story of her life, lately. She wondered if she'd ever get used to the various voids in her memory.

"I wear it pretty much on a daily basis, and I took it off when we got home. But right now it's not loaded, though the clip is right there beside it." He shut the drawer and opened the one below it. "Your stuff is right here."

"Thank you." She pulled out a fresh pair of undies, hopelessly frustrated that he knew right where her things were located while she was floundering just to find her panties.

Walking over to the closet, he grabbed a long cotton chemise. "And here's your nightgown."

"Are you sure I don't wear one of your shirts to bed?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a hidden request. She wanted to feel as close as possible to him, even while sleeping. A security blanket of sorts, no matter how silly it seemed.