Page 134 of Modern Romance Collection February 2025, 5-8

‘My grandmother sent me the ring, trying to guilt-trip me. I shoved the damned thing in the glovebox and you found it in there and decided to try it on.’

She held out her hand and stared at the ring, hating it and in that moment hating him as she realised the truth. ‘It got stuck.’

‘Before it could be unstuck we crashed,’ he finished, delivering the basic sequence of events in a flat monotone.

‘Say that again? No, don’t. I get it,’ she choked out as the scenario he’d described flashed through her head.

Unlike the idea of them being a couple, it seemed lot more feasible—alotmore!

‘Peopleassumedwe were engaged at the hospital and I didn’t correct them because you were unconscious. I didn’t have a clue what was going on, and I knew a fiancé gets access and information. I thought that as soon as you woke up you’d put things right...or I would. Then the internet thing went viral and suddenly your mum was welcoming me into the family.’ He hefted out a sigh. ‘And you didn’t remember what happened. It was a nightmare!’

Her lips pursed. ‘A nightmare being engaged to me? Thanks a lot!’

Of course it was a nightmare for him. He had never hidden his belief that marriage was a trap. Why on earth had she imagined thatshehad made him think differently when all the beautiful women who had gone before her had not?

The sheer level of her self-delusion made her want to scream.

‘I meant...the thing took on a life of its own.’

She took a step towards him and pressed both hands to his chest. Then she pushed as hard as she could.

Caught unawares, Joaquin staggered back, but quickly regained his balance.

‘You make it sound likeyouwere the victim!’ she shouted. ‘You lied—you betrayed me!’

‘That was not my intention—and it wasn’t my intention to continue this farce.’

Her jaw tightened as she stood there, hands on her hips, glaring at him, refusing to let the hurt show in her expression. ‘Farce? Good to know what you think.’

He expelled a frustrated sigh. ‘You know that’s not what I meant. I had every intention of telling you yesterday morning, but the medics told me that I shouldn’t.’

‘Since when did you do what people tell you?’ she countered.

‘Granted. But you don’t pay money to a cabal of expert medics and then ignore their advice. They advised me not to fill in the gaps in your memory at this stage.’

‘They did?’

‘According to them, amnesia can be the mind’s way of protecting you from a painful memory—something you are not ready to face. And who was I to argue? Whatever the reason, it wouldn’t have been helped by you waking up in hospital...which is the reason why I didn’t push back when you wanted to come home too soon.’

His glance shifted to the bruise on her cheek that was more visible now the light covering of make-up she had applied earlier had faded.

‘And this is too soon, Clemmie.’

Too soon for him to be kissing her, the inner voice of guilt reminded him. And yet it had been something he could not control. The need he had felt had talons; he still couldn’t get his head around how that need had consumed him in a way he had never experienced before.

‘Ignorance is not bliss. It is a lie and it’s patronising. They told me Chrissie would be okay! My dad said he’d be back for the funeral!’

‘I know...’

He watched her breasts lift as she inhaled, flicking her hair from her face with a shake of her head. It was a tiny characteristic gesture, and he had seen the action a thousand times before. So why was he only just noticing how erotic it was? The way her fiery hair whipped back to reveal the slender pale column of her neck?

And afterwards she always...

She licked her lips. Even though he knew it was coming, the tiny flicker of her tongue across her lips sent a rush of testosterone-charged heat through his body.

He had wanted normal back—but how could that happen when he wanted her this way?

‘It wasn’t your choice to make. Even if our engagement hadn’t been a lie, it still wouldn’t have been. I had to get out of there!’ she cried through clenched teeth.

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