Unforgettable: Enticed by His Forgotten Lover / Wanted by Her Lost Love

Before she could respond, his gaze settled on her face and his eyes darkened with fury. He tentatively touched her cheek and then he turned to Ramon, his jaw clenched.

“What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Bryony said in answer to the barrage of questions. But Rafael was no longer concentrating his efforts on her. He was interrogating his head of security.

“Rafael.”

When he still didn’t stop his tirade of questions, she tugged at his hand until finally he turned back to her.

“I’m okay. Really. Ramon showed up just in time. He took good care of me.”

“I should not have let you leave my office,” Rafael gritted out. “You were upset and in no condition to be out on the streets. I’d thought Ramon would give you a ride home.”

She shrugged. “I walked. He didn’t catch up with me until after….”

Rafael looked hastily around and then dragged a chair to her bedside. He perched on the edge and stared intently at her.

“Has the doctor been in yet? What has he said about the baby? Are you hurt anywhere else? Did the bastard hit you?”

She shook her head at the flurry of questions and blinked at the fierceness in his voice and expression. This wasn’t a side of Rafael she’d ever seen before.

“The nurse said the on-call obstetrician would be in to see me shortly and that he would conduct an assessment to make sure all was well with the baby. And no, I’m not hurt anywhere else.”

She raised her hand to her eye and winced when she pushed in on the already swelling area.

Rafael captured her hand and pulled it away from her eye.

“It’s unacceptable for you to be walking the streets of New York City alone. I don’t even like you staying in that hotel alone.”

She smiled in amusement. “But it’s your hotel, Rafael. Are you suggesting it isn’t safe?”

“I’d prefer you were with me, where I know you are safe,” he said through gritted teeth.

Her brows came together as she studied him. “What are you saying?”

“Look, we were going to be leaving together for Moon Island in a few days anyway. It’s only reasonable that you’d stay with me until we depart. It will give us additional time to…reacquaint ourselves with one another.”

She stared hard into his eyes, looking for…She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. What she saw, however, was burning determination and outrage that she’d been harmed.

He may not remember her, but his protective instincts had been riled, and whether he fully accepted that she carried his child, he was certainly concerned about both mother and baby.

Wasn’t that a start?

“All right,” she said softly. “I’ll stay with you until we leave for the island.”

Chapter 5

Rafael would have carried her into his penthouse if she’d allowed it. As it was he argued fiercely until she rolled her eyes and informed him that she was perfectly okay and that no one got carried around because of a black eye.

The reminder of her black eye just infuriated Rafael all the more. She was a tiny woman and the idea that some street thug had manhandled her—a pregnant woman—made his jaw clench. Even though the doctor had assured him that all was well with her pregnancy.

He wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He was in new territory for sure. Bryony was the first woman he’d ever brought up to his penthouse and it felt as though his territory had been invaded.

“Would you like me to order in dinner?” he asked when he’d settled her on the couch. Surely it wasn’t a good idea for her to go out and it was late.

“I’d like that, thanks,” she said as she leaned her head back against the sofa.

He frowned when he saw the fatigue etched on her face. “You must be tired.”

Her lips twisted ruefully and she nodded. “It’s been an eventful couple of days.”

Guilt crept up his nape until he was compelled to rub the back of his neck. He hadn’t made things easier for her. She’d traveled a long way and then…Then things had gone all to hell.

He stood, irritated with himself. Why should he feel guilty about anything? He couldn’t remember. God knew he’d tried. He went to bed frustrated every single night, hoping when he woke the next morning that everything would be restored and he could stop wondering about the holes. Stop wondering if he’d done something ridiculous like seduce and fall in love with a woman in the space of a few weeks.

It sounded so incredible that he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

No, he shouldn’t feel guilty. None of this had been his fault.

Except for the fact that he’d upset her and caused her to flee his office and she’d wound up being mugged as a result.

He studied her from across the room as he picked up the phone to call in their food order. She already looked as if she was asleep and he battled with whether to even bother waking her for dinner.

His gaze drifted to her belly and he swiftly decided against allowing her to sleep through the meal. It had likely been hours since she’d eaten anything.

He returned to her a moment later and settled on the chair next to the couch where she lay sprawled. “Would you like something to drink while we wait for the food?”

She stirred and regarded him lazily through half-lidded eyes. “Do you have juice? I feel a little light-headed.”

He bolted to his feet. “Why didn’t you say anything before now?”

She shrugged. “Quite frankly all I wanted was a comfortable place to sit and relax. Having all those people around me was making me crazy.”

He strode to the kitchen and rummaged in the fridge for orange juice. After checking the date on the carton, he poured a glass and went back into the living room.

This time he sat on the couch next to her and handed her the glass. She drank thirstily until half the contents were gone and then handed him back the glass.

“Thanks. That should do the trick.”

“Is this something that happens regularly or is it just the excitement of the day?” he asked suspiciously.

“I’m borderline hypoglycemic. My blood sugar gets too low every once in a while. Pregnancy sort of messes with that and I have to be careful to eat regularly or I risk passing out.”

Rafael swore under his breath. “What if you were to pass out when you were alone?”

“Well, the point is to make sure I don’t pass out.”

He scowled and then checked his watch. Only five minutes had passed since he’d placed the order.