Page 45 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

Peace radiated all around her.

But she was forgetting something. It was important, this piece of her mind that had slipped away. There was something about this man with the deep, smoky voice, and the two of them…

She searched and searched, trying to shove past the strange mist clouding her mind, but she couldn’t remember why she shouldn’t trust him. She fought against her mind and sought the missing memories, but they remained out of her reach.

His hand trailed down her back. “What’s wrong?”

The bed dipped as he kneeled behind her. She could see their reflection in the blacked-out windows but couldn’t make out his face. He was bigger than her, taller by almost a head and bulkier. His ears were pointed, but she couldn’t seem to focus on his individual features.

“I… I don’t know,” she admitted quietly. “I’m missing something, and my brain hurts.”

What had begun as a low throb was now a rhythmic ache. Her fangs bothered her, and there was a need present within her that she had trouble identifying.

“Let me help you,” the mysterious man murmured.

But was he mysterious? Not really.

His voice… she knew his voice. It had haunted her dreams. The inflections, the way he hummed, the hitch in his breath when he spoke of something personal.

She knew him. Of that, she was certain.

They’d been… together? That mist formed a firm wall, slamming down on her memories before she could remember much of their relationship.

Before she could think through the ramifications, Brynleigh nodded. “Alright. You can help me.”

The moment the words left her lips, the world around her swirled. She blinked, and everything had changed. The grand room was gone, and in its place, floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over a moonlit bay. Pine trees hugged the bay, their green branches swaying in the night breeze. Stars shone brightly, day having suddenly given way to night, and the full moon cast its silver glow on the water.

The gilded room was gone, and a cozy log cabin was in its place. The bed was sturdy, a lush carpet covered the floor, and she peeked a claw-foot tub in the bathroom through an open door.

“What?” Her brows creased. “How is this happening?”

This wasn’t real… right? It couldn’t be real. And yet… It felt real. She’d never felt anything more real than this.

That same hand trailed up her spine, each touch blazing a fiery path as he ran his fingers over the thin silk of her slip.

“You needed me, so I came,” he said as if it was that simple. As if she knew exactly who he was, and they had something deep between them. “I’ll always come for you, sweetheart.”

Did Brynleigh need him?

She rarely needed anyone, but if he said she did, maybe he was right. Maybe he knew her and could tell her what she was missing. It certainly sounded like they had something between them.

And the way his fingers caressed her back…

His touch, though foreign, was comfortable. Protective. It was like he cared about her.

She leaned into him, needing more.

“Do you like that?” His breath warmed her ear and sent tingles running down her spine.

She hummed her approval, and his lips ghosted over her bare shoulder.

“Fuck, you taste divine,” he murmured, a baritone rasp edging his voice. “Like the night and shadows and everything I’ve been missing in my life.”

He kissed her other shoulder.

She shivered beneath his touch.

“I’ve been dreaming about this,” he whispered. “The way you feel, your smell, your taste. All of it.”

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