Page 20 of Don't Forget Me
But then he saw… her.
A girl scrambled to her feet, righting a standing lamp she’d knocked over, her eyes wide as they darted around the house.
Nick couldn’t move as he stared at her through the sliding door. She hadn’t yet seen him, giving him all the time to take in her dark gray yoga pants and rumpled, purple Tampa Bay Lightning T-shirt. Messy blonde hair dangled stick-straight to her chin.
And in all of that, the only thing that mattered was she was here, another living, breathing person.
Was she alive? Or just another ghost haunting him?
Before he knew what he was doing, Nick open the door, his feet carrying him inside. The only thing he heard was a startled gasp before he yanked the strange woman into a kiss.
Her lips were warm against his… alive warm.
She was real. And here.
Nothing had ever felt better than the pain exploding across his cheek as her palm made contact, and she ripped herself away from him.
It took Nick a moment to realize what he’d done. Despite being one of Hollywood’s so-called most eligible bachelors, he didn’t go kissing random women. He touched his stinging cheek, words failing him.
The woman stumbled away from him. “What’s going on? Where am I?” Her voice rose on the second question.
If he could think, he’d have been impressed she could speak at all. It was more than he could do.
Her back hit the lamp she’d righted, and it crashed to the ground again as she tripped, landing hard on her butt.
Nick wanted to help her, a new sensation for him. Being trapped in this strange coma world by himself for so long scrambled his brains. He reached out a hand, but she scurried away from him until she reached the wall.
“Where am I?” she repeated. There was a softness in her voice, even as the words hardened. “You… Did you kidnap me?”
He finally found his voice and wished he hadn’t. “You aren’t a kid, so it wouldn’t be kidnapping. Abducting…” He stopped at the horror on her face.
“It’s true.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “I was just driving and… did you make me crash too? Oh my gosh. No no no.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “This can’t be happening.”
Before he could stop her, she jumped to her feet and sprinted by him, shoving him out of her way. The move surprised him into letting her pass.
“People care about me,” she yelled. “You won’t get away with this.”
He took off after her, knowing exactly how it looked that he chased her, but what choice did he have? He had to know why she was here.
She faltered at the edge of the deck. “Little Mountain,” she whispered. “You abducted me and brought me here? You’re a serial killer. You have to be. They play with their victims. Well, douche bag, I have overcome too much to let you take everything from me. I am not your victim.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she started running again before he could get the words out, leaping from the deck and thundering down the small hill to the dock bobbing on the water.
She hadn’t yet noticed the lack of other boats or houses, but it was only a matter of time.
The woman did a running dive into the lake—the one place Nick wouldn’t follow her, but she couldn’t have known that.
With a sigh, he turned and made his way to one of two wooden Adirondacks, letting himself practically fall into it. What just happened?
He rubbed a hand over his face, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. Being accused of abduction… that was a new one. But if it hadn’t been for seeing Stephen, he didn’t know what he’d have thought of this place at first.
It wasn’t normal.
An angry growl came from the side of the deck, and Nick turned to see the woman, now sopping wet, stomping up the steps. “What. Is. Going. On?”
He had to suppress a laugh, knowing that wouldn’t go over well, but her hair clung to her reddened cheeks, and anger flashed in the depths of her eyes.
Nick stood, approaching her as one would a wild animal. Slowly, he extended a hand. “First, I’m Nick Jacobs. If we’re going to be stuck here together, I should know your name.”
