The intensity was too great, the tumult of emotions he harbored for this woman too overwhelming, and Noah felt himself falling headlong into a searing orgasm that ripped through him like an electrical shock. And then she was moaning into his mouth, and he felt her convulsing around his shaft, milking him, shuddering with the force of her own release as she gave herself over to him in every way that mattered.


Natalie woke up in the middle of the night with a start, her body flinching as if someone had physically jolted her awake. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and she was trembling from the inside out. It took her a moment to realize that she was safe in bed with Noah, and that being chased through dark alleys to a dead-end street had all been a bad dream.

A very realistic dream, she couldn't help but acknowledge, one that had taken on nightmarish qualities that even now, despite being fully aware of her safe surroundings, made her shudder. The man in her dream who'd chased her had taken on the face of the guy who'd been watching her at the restaurant the day before, and that in itself bothered her. She'd been running desperately, trying to escape him. The fear she'd experienced in her dream had been distinct and stifling, and continued even now as she tried to make sense of it all.

Unbidden, a brief image flashed in her mind, of walking beside Noah and her being pursued by the same man in her dream. More disjointed glimpses appeared, of her fleeing Noah's embrace in a panic. Blindly running across the street. Hearing the slam of brakes and the sickening impact of being hit by a car.

Then she remembered nothing else, though those images felt real and familiar. She tried to conjure more recollections, something that would better explain what she'd envisioned, but all she got for her effort was more fragmented pieces to add to the already complex puzzle in her mind.

There was no doubt that she was recalling flashes of her accident, and she couldn't help but wonder if the man she'd seen at the restaurant had a link to her past somehow. And what if he wasn't only a part of her nightmare, but was connected to her reality, as well? She desperately wanted to remember details, but a part of her was also afraid of knowing the truth for fear that the sense of security she'd come to know with Noah might shatter, leaving her to flounder all on her own.

Doubts and uncertainties mingled with the other disturbing emotions her dream had evoked, and she huddled beneath the warm weight of the blankets, as if the covers could protect her from the oppressive thoughts and haunting visions tumbling through her head.

Noah shifted beside her, his hand absently sliding across the strip of cool sheet separating them. A frown furrowed his brow, and he blinked his eyes open. His expression relaxed when their gazes met in the shadowed darkness, an intimate, soothing connection that instantly eased the tension from her body.

"Natalie?" he murmured sleepily, and came up on his arm to get a better look at her, which caused the sheet to fall to his lean waist. He must have sensed her distress, because concern flashed across his expression. "Honey, are you okay?"

The man had the uncanny ability to know when she needed him the most. His presence. His internal strength. And his intuitive ability to calm her when she felt so close to falling apart. "I had a bad dream," she told him, and heard the quiver in her own voice.

"Want to tell me about it?" he asked.

No, she really didn't, mainly because there was so much she didn't understand, and she suspected she'd look like an idiot trying to explain what she, herself, couldn't make sense of. So, she gave him a brief summary, just enough to satisfy his curiosity. "The only thing I can remember is being chased by a man, and I couldn't escape him." And she was so grateful that she'd woken up before he'd captured her, because she didn't want to think about what fate he might have had in store for her.

Awareness glimmered in his gaze, making her wonder if he knew the significance of her dream. Then he lifted the covers, beckoning her to his side of the bed. "C'mere and let me hold you," he whispered.

She couldn't refuse something so elemental, the need to be held and comforted. She scooted over to him, welcoming the shelter of his arms surrounding her. Snuggling close to his warm, naked body, she draped her thigh over his and rested her head on his chest. She inhaled deeply, and the male scent of him soothed her frazzled nerves and relaxed her, as did the absent way his hand stroked along her side and over the curve of her waist.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back to work tomorrow night?" he asked a few minutes later, his tone low and gruff.

His question didn't surprise her, because she knew how much he objected to her returning to work so quickly after the accident. She glanced up at him, taking in his gorgeous features, that sexy mouth that could curve into an irresistible grin as well as do incredible, wicked things to her body. "Is there a valid reason why I shouldn't?"

He looked mildly annoyed with her argument. "You know I think it's too soon, and after what happened at the restaurant this afternoon with that guy, I'm thinking you might need more time."

And she'd use that time to sit at home and contemplate what she couldn't remember. Ugh. "We've already talked about this, Noah. I have to go back, for me." She refused to be a victim to unexplainable fears, and she needed to move forward with her life, despite her memory loss. "I feel good physically, and it's only for a few hours."

He sighed, the release of breath ruffling her hair. "You know I had to ask."

"Yeah, I know." Stifling a grin, she placed a kiss on his jaw then laid her head back on his chest, amused by his attempt to be gruff when she knew he was as soft as a marshmallow inside. His caring and tender attitude toward her was what she adored about him, despite how overbearing he could be at times. No wonder she'd fallen in love with him and agreed to be his wife.

Love. The word resonated in her chest, filling it full with the rich, precious emotion, along with the security of belonging to someone else.

It was the first time she'd thought of Noah in terms of love since being diagnosed with her amnesia, but the sentiment felt perfectly right, as did being a part of Noah's life.

She sighed, and cuddled closer, so very grateful that at least her relationship with him, and their future together, was something she could believe in and trust. Grateful, too, that this incredible man made her feel so safe and secure when everything else seemed so muddled and uncertain.

Chapter Eight

Natalie slipped a new drink order behind the bar to Murphy, then loaded her tray with a fuzzy navel and two bottles of beer to deliver to another table in the establishment. She scooped up a bowl of peanuts and gathered a few extra napkins just as Gina sidled up next to her at the bar to place a drink order of her own.

"You have new customers at table nine and fourteen," she said, slanting Natalie a quick, attentive glance. "Would you like me to take their orders for you?"

Natalie had only been on her shift for about thirty minutes, but within sixty seconds of working the floor she'd known that she was going to have to prove to her co-worker and boss that she was fully capable of handling her job-no coddling necessary. Unfortunately, she hadn't quite convinced them that she was more than ready to tackle a three-hour shift, and that her partial memory loss wouldn't affect her getting the job done.

Topping the fuzzy navel with a garnish, Natalie lifted a brow Gina's way. "Are you trying to horn in on my tables to make some extra tips tonight?"

Startled by Natalie's comeback, Gina's eyes widened. "Oh, no, of course not. I didn't meant it that way."

Natalie couldn't ever remember seeing the fun and frivolous Gina so flustered before. And if everyone didn't stop being so cautious around her, she was going to scream. "I'm teasing, Gina," she said with a smile, putting the other woman at ease. "I saw Noah talking to both you and Murphy as I was coming out of the back storage room before starting my shift, and I'm assuming that he was enlisting your help to make sure that I didn't overdo on my first night back."

"Among other things," Gina muttered, then winced. She instantly looked away and busied herself adding an olive to the martini Murphy had put on the pour pad. But not before Natalie had witnessed a glimmer of guilt in the depth of Gina's expressive eyes, which gave Natalie the distinct impression that her friend was hiding something from her. "What do you mean by that?"

Gina quickly composed herself and shrugged. "It's hard to blame Noah for being concerned about you. You are his fiancee, after all. It's sweet and you're a very lucky girl to have him."

Natalie heard the wistful quality to Gina's voice and smiled, though again she got the distinct impression there was more to her friend's comment than she was catching on to.

"Yeah, I am lucky," Natalie agreed, unable to deny her feelings for Noah, or how fortunate she was to have him in her life. "And believe it or not, I'm getting used to him being so protective."

Like tonight, he'd insisted on staying the three hours of her shift, just to be close by, he'd said, though she suspected his motivations ran deeper than the need to be near her. He was still worried about her state of mind, and that she might overexert herself and end up physically and mentally exhausted. Rather than argue, she'd let him win this minor battle, and now he was in the back of the place playing a game of pool with Bobby. The scene felt familiar, comforting even, as if he'd done it many times before.