“You’re not hopeless. You obviously went through a traumatic event, and your brain is either attempting to protect you or give you some more time to heal. I have a friend on the way to check you over. That island is the last place you need to be.”
Fear strikes her orbs, and I rush to soothe it away. “It’s just to make sure there isn’t anything wrong. I helped you yesterday, but we need to know if there’s more to it. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“But I don’t know this person. What if they’re the one who wants to harm me?”
She doesn’t know me either. If she did, she probably wouldn’t feel so at ease. “Are you afraid?” I’d think if she were scared of anyone, it’d be me, of all people. She knows little about the man sitting across from her, and it doesn’t seem to bother her, only the thought of someone else encroaching in our cocoon of quiet false security.
“I have to be careful. It’s the thing my mind keeps warning me about over and over.”
“I’ll keep you safe, that much I can promise you.” But maybe not from myself, that is.
Her head dips in submission. She whispers, “I remember three women. I don’t know who they are, but I think they may have helped me.”
“Three women. That’s a good start. Let the memories come back at their own pace, and please tell me about them whenever you’re ready. Don’t try to force anything, or it could take your mind longer.”
“Okay, I’ll try to let them come to me naturally.”
I offer her an easy grin, hoping it brings her some comfort. “Now, how about a shower and some clean clothes?” I rake my gaze over her dirty, torn remnants of a dress. It doesn’t cover much, and it’s had my mind running wild with the possibilities of all those curves underneath the material. “Do you need any help?” I offer because she has memory loss, not because I’m planning on seducing her in the shower.
She nods. “Please.”
“All right, follow me.” I stand and offer her my palm. She places her hand in mine, allowing me to tug her down the hallway to the bathroom close to her bedroom.
This house has two, but the other is connected to my bedroom.
I show her where the soap and shampoo are and offer to grab the clothes I’d set out for her last night. She doesn’t talk much, but I suppose with everything jumbled up in her mind, it’s going to make her a bit quieter than usual women. I take my time grabbing the clothes, giving her a few minutes of privacy with the mirror. She seemed completely gobsmacked when she saw her image, and I wasn’t trying to touch on that one. I have no clue what to say to put her at ease since she apparently wasn’t anticipating the reflection she received.
The poor woman, I feel for her not knowing where she came from or who she is aside from a few surface-level details. At the same time, I worry about her for when the memories do return. Will they give her the hope and answers she needs, or will they be a nightmare putting her through whatever hell had attempted to kill her? She was in the middle of an allergic reaction, but everything around where I found her points to her running from someone. There’s clearly more to her story than what I’ve discovered so far.
I head back to the bathroom. The door’s ajar, so I don’t hesitate to push my way inside. That’s the first mistake I make. The second is when I can’t seem to peel my gaze from her naked, lush curves. She stands before me, nude and unashamed about having every inch of her flesh on display for me.
“Oh shit,” I murmur, distracted by her full breasts and curvy hips. The hair between her thighs is wild and free, and something about her being completely natural has me aching to put my hands on her. I wonder if a man’s ever touched her before—pussy or otherwise.
“Thank you for the clothes,” she eventually says.
I give myself a mental shake, pulling my gaze up to meet hers finally. “The door was open, I wasn’t expecting—” I cut myself off and gesture to her body.
Her brows jump. “I left it open. Was that wrong?” she asks, so unbelievably innocent.
I swallow, my throat feeling dry. Who is this woman? And can I keep her? At least for a while? I could teach her so many things. I grit my teeth, the feeling of my hard cock clouding the rational thoughts from my mind.
With a gravelly edge to my voice, I reply, “Not wrong at all. I’ll leave these here. Take your time.” I set the clothes on the sink and tug a towel free from the rail. I push the material toward her, shielding her breasts. The moment she grabs it, I spin on my toes and hightail it to my bedroom. There’s only one thing I can do that’ll keep me from touching her like I want to—lube my right hand and use the mental image I can’t seem to smother of her nakedness.
She’s a fucking goddess.
***
She finds me on the back porch, drinking another cup of coffee. I needed the hot, bitter taste to keep my mind from constantly thinking of Aura. My clothes have swallowed up her feminine figure, and I nearly miss the tattered and torn rags she’d had tied on before. Maybe it’s a good thing. I’m not sure I could handle her prancing around here in form-fitting dresses, the woman would drive me absolutely mad with lust.
“Do you know how long you were in those woods?” I start with, trying to put the important questions to the front of my mind. I need to figure out who this woman is and help her get back to wherever it is she should be.
She shakes her head, taking the seat next to me on the porch swing. “No,” she admits, then says in a whisper, “It feels like it was a long time. I have a few memories of people who I think were my parents, but they don’t make much sense.”
“What about a last name?”
“A what?”
“Your name, is it short for anything? Do you have a first and last name?”
“My name’s Aura. My father is Steven, and my mother is Lucia. I don’t have any other names. This is frustrating.” Her gaze clouds with tears, and I reach for her hand.
Giving it a tender squeeze, I relent. “It’s okay. We don’t have to push any of your memories. It’ll happen when your mind is ready. Those names are a good start.”
“Will you look for them?” Hope burns like embers in her irises, and the alpha inside me doesn’t want to let her down, nor does it want me to let her out of my sight, but that’s not realistic.
“Of course. Finding people is what I’m good at if you haven’t guessed as much by now,” I tease, making her smile through her few tears. My phone vibrates, drawing my attention away from the gorgeous woman at my side. I check the text, then stand and tug Aura with me. “My buddy, Briar, is here. He’s the one I was telling you about. He’ll check you out to make sure there’s nothing else going on with you, medically speaking.”
“Something inside is warning me to remain hidden. Should I be frightened?”
Pausing for a brief moment, I pull her to my chest and lightly wrap my arms around her frame. I murmur into her damp hair, “Remember what I said. I’ll always protect you. Loyalty and promises aren’t something I take lightly.”
She inhales a deep breath, sighing against my chest as she nods her head in agreement. She fits against me perfectly, and the last thing I want to do is release her, but I must. Briar won’t hurt her, he’s one of the few I’d trust with my life. It’s the same with all my brothers—they’ve proved their loyalty to me one way or the other, and the same goes for me with them.