THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) (3 page)

Of
course.

The
elevator came to a halt and I felt my stomach plummet to the bottom floor. A
cold sweat broke out along my entire body as I stepped from the elevator. Peter,
still glued to my side, managed the door for me and helped me inside.

“Would you
like me to assist you to the couch?” he asked.

I stood
frozen, and completely aghast. The room was enormous.

“Mrs.
White?” he repeated and I snapped my mouth shut.

“No. Thank
you, I can manage.” I reached into my bag and where there hadn’t been before,
was a wad of cash. Closing my eyes, I reached in and grabbed it. I tried to
smile as I shoved it towards Peter.

His brows
rose high. “Thank you.”

He bowed
slightly and without another word he spun and was out the door.

Seconds
ticked by as I examined the room. A large sitting area took up the middle of
the space. To my left, was a sectioned-off area that housed a long, dining
table and chairs. It sat on a huge span of sparkling, marble floor. Deeper
inside the room stood a rich, wooden bar and situated under a massive window
that looked out onto the city was a shining baby grand piano.

I braced
myself against the wall and slipped the killer high heels off of my sore feet.
I stepped into the room, my feet sinking into the plush carpeting. I moved
toward the window just as the sounds of running water met my ears. A chill
raced along my flesh.

Grace,
please. Where are you?

Pressing
my palms against the glass, I leaned my head on the window.

Who are
you? What do you want from me?

I closed
my eyes. Confusion was my constant companion. Reality a stranger. I was living
in a dream and a nightmare.

“I drew
you a bath, my darling. Would you like some help with your dress?”

His voice
was one I knew all too well. He’d been speaking to me for as far as my memory
could take me. His turn of phrase and the timbre of his voice. I turned and
choked on my breath.

“
You
?”

He
frowned. “Yes, of course it’s me. Who, pray, were you expecting if not me?” he
asked quietly. “Are you alright, Alice?” He stepped close. “You look pale. When
you went for your walk, I was sure it would do you well, although next time
please, don’t rush out. I wanted to accompany you.”

Why was he
here? I felt my mind spinning in confusion. Oh God, who was this man?

“My walk?”
I whispered, then I looked hard at his face.

Lord save
me, he was incredible. His white-blonde hair was cropped close to his head. His
suit was crisp and hugged his tall, muscular body beautifully. He was a dream.
A fantasy come true. No way was this person my husband.

Grace?

The word
was like a knife through my skull. Pain laced through my head and I stumbled
back.

He raced
to my side. “You didn’t take your medication again. Oh, my love, it’s my
fault.” He lifted me gingerly as I reeled in pain. “You’ve been forgetting more
and more. I’m so sorry, Alice. You could have been seriously hurt. I promise I
will
never
leave your side again.”

He carried
me to the bedroom, his touch was hot on my chilled skin and I flinched. The
memory of his smiling face in a room full of bizarre creatures flashed into my
damaged mind. He tried to press me closer to his chest and I squirmed and
pushed.

“God,
stop,
just stop
.”

I thrashed
out of his arms, dropping to my feet. So much had happened, but a face like his
was unmistakable.

“Don’t you
think I remember you?” I shouted, and he flinched back, startled. “What kind of
fucked up game is this?” I spun, searching for the door. “You were there,” I
shouted over my shoulder. He stepped close and I tried to move past him.
“You’re one of them! One of those
creatures
!”

He blocked
my every attempt to sidestep him until finally I surrendered and let him move
in front of me. He looked down at me, his expression troubled.

“Alice, this
is madness. Please my darling, what are you talking about?” He gripped my arms
and bent slightly, trying to meet my eyes. “I’ve been
here
all day. You
slept in because of your migraine. I wanted you to see the doctor but you
insisted that all you needed was a walk and some fresh air.” He jerked me close
to his body, looking into my eyes; I saw panic. “I wanted to accompany you, but
you rushed off so suddenly that when I went to retrieve our coats, you were
already gone. It’s been hours, my darling.” He blew out a breath and drew me
into an embrace. “I was so relieved when I got the call that you were back in
the hotel. I was worried sick. I had my entire staff out looking for you!”

It all
sounded so reasonable and I wanted to believe him, but I knew what I had seen.

“No!” I
placed my palms onto his chest and pushed. He stiffened and gripped my arms
tighter, his strong fingers digging into my flesh.

Something
inside me compelled me to look up. His eyes locked onto mine and I froze, as if
in a trance, my mind flooded with images. I stared unseeing, my eyes wide.

I’m in a
bed, a damp cloth pressed onto my forehead. He’s there, sitting close to my
side. He stands and passes into a closet full of dresses. He wants me to join
him for the day. He has plans for us so he holds up a dress, smiling. It’s the
dress I was wearing. It’s on a padded hanger. Then I’m sitting on a chair, he’s
kneeling in front of me as he’s handing me a small red pill. I’m smiling and
swallowing it down.

I shook my
head.
No
, that wasn’t right.

“No! What
is this? It can’t be real,” I stepped back. “You were there. When I woke up in
that room! You were there, with the weird yellow-haired man and the men with
the metal eyes!” I pointed my finger at him. “All of those people and you. I
saw you standing there, I heard you speak!”

He’s
gliding his hands along my naked back. His lips nibble at the base of my neck.

I threw my
hands up to cover my ears as I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Stop it!”
I shouted and spun. “I was there! Something
happened
to all of you.
Somehow you all
froze
, like magic and then…” I opened my eyes, the
images were not very old, yet I began to struggle with all of the details. I
frowned. “…I was at the river.” I looked at my hands. “…yeah, like magic, I was
in that room and then the next second, I was at the river.”

I looked
at him, frowning. “But, wait, how could any of this have happened?” I
whispered, looking up at his worried face.

Doubt
began to creep slowly into my mind. I shook my head and stared at the wall.

“The cold
was so real. My skin burned with it,” a tear slid down my cheek, “and then just
as suddenly as I had appeared at the river, the magic gave me different clothes.
Then that tour bus showed up. I needed a room.” I moved my eyes up to examine
his face.

He watched
me in mute horror. He had folded his arms and put a hand over his mouth.

I looked
past him and moved to sit on the bed, “My clothes changed again,” I continued,
“this dress.” I ran my hands over the soft fabric. “I was scared. It was too
much. I started to faint, then that nice man came and he helped me.”
My God
,
what was I
saying
? I knew that everything I had said sounded like the
mutterings of a complete nut job. No matter how real all of it seemed, there
was no way that any of it could have happened. No way could any of it have been
real.

I felt
dizzy again and covered my face. “My God, what is the matter with me?” I
mumbled into my cupped hands. Sniffing, I sucked in my breath. “How sick am I?”
Tears flowed and panic settled in my stomach. I met his eyes once again, he
looked so sad and my heart sank.

“You’ve
lost your memory,” he began, moving close, “it’s only temporary.” He took my
hands in his and sat. His body radiated a steady heat as he sat close. “I don’t
know what you went through today, my love, but it was nothing more than a
hallucination. You are Alice White, my wife. We have been married for six
years. You and I are celebrating our anniversary. That is why we are in Reno.
We met here at a convention.”

He looked
so sincere. His face was so amazingly beautiful that I felt pulled into his
gaze. Lulled into trusting him. Something inside me recognized him. Something
inside me must have loved him. Despite my fear, I felt drawn. Was it an old and
familiar attraction? He had to be telling me the truth, I had to believe that.
If not, it meant that I was truly insane or
worse
, those people were
real.

He squeezed
my hands in his much larger ones. His skin was soft, his nails buffed and
professionally groomed. Whatever this man did for a living, he sure didn’t get
his hands dirty.

I felt my
mind drifting as I looked into his blue eyes. The memories of each horrible
event were becoming less and less vivid.

“It seemed
so real.” My brows drew together. “I could swear that I was there.”

“Look at
me, my love.” His eyes sharpened on mine. “You are safe with me, where you
belong. Nothing else matters, do you understand me?”

I felt
sucked into his gaze as each memory became more and more hazy. As if, one by
one, they were carefully plucked out of my head. It was all fading, as if I was
waking from a dream.

“How could
I have imagined all of those people? And you? Why did you scare me so much?”

“It wasn’t
real, my darling. Now come, let’s move this behind us.” He stood and I
followed. Just as I began to move, a huge bouquet caught my eye. I approached
feeling shaky, as if I was wandering in a trance. Red roses mixed with thick-stemmed
white lilies filled the huge vase. I bent to sniff the blooms and noticed a
small card. I picked it up and read, “In Celebration. You are mine always and
forever.”

I set the
card on the table and sighed. He must have given these to me for our
anniversary. Sighing, I turned to look at him.

“I’m so
sorry.”  I felt tears well into my eyes. They burst forth as he moved to gather
me in his arms. “Oh, God. What kind of a nightmare do we live in?” I shook with
the power of my sobs and he pulled me tighter into the heat of his embrace. He
whispered soft words into my hair as he stroked my back, soothing me, speaking
words I didn’t understand.

This man
must have suffered so much!
God
, I was a horrid wife.

He gently
took my chin and moved my face to look up into his cool blue eyes. “It’s
alright. We’ve had these problems before and they are nothing, we always work
it out.” He smiled and lightly brushed his lips across mine. “You must always
remember to take your medication and your memory will return. The doctors have
been right so far. We must follow our normal routine and continue as usual.
It’s what we’ve always done to trigger your memories. Don’t fret, I’m here for
you, love, and I won’t let you out of my sight again.”

I felt a
mixture of relief and fear at his words. The hotel staff knew him as my husband
so we must have been seen together. As impossible as it was to believe, it
seemed to be true. My God, this man
was
my husband.

“Let’s get
you into the bath. You’ll feel so much better.” He helped me move, and as I
watched, he unfastened my dress. It slid from my shoulders and fell to the
floor. “The water should still be warm. Come, I’ll wash your hair.”

When I
began to protest, he shook his head. “Normality, Alice. Only our daily lives
together will spark your memory.”

I sighed,
“Alright.” I looked at him. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”

He smiled.
His lips were slightly pink and beautifully full, his teeth were white and
perfect. “You call me Lu.”

THREE

“Lu?” I
wanted to laugh. Such a simple name for such an impressive man. “Lu White?” I
said aloud.

“Yes,” he
said simply.

I frowned
and then slowly I walked up the stairs to the large, spa tub. The smells
emanating from the steaming water were heavenly. The tub sat under a pair of
giant windows and the lights of the city twinkled like a million colorful stars
all around us. It was beautiful and I understood why we must have chosen this
place to celebrate.

His hands
caressed my shoulders drawing the straps of my bra down my arms to release my
breasts. I felt my breath catch as he removed it. I stripped my panties off and
stepped into the hot water. I turned, my back to the city, my eyes on the man
in front of me.

“I realize
that you must feel strange. You’ve said in the past that I was like a total
stranger when your memory left you. But Ali, I assure you that I will never
harm you. I am bound by vows that I can never break. Can you trust me?” He had
already removed his jacket and was working on his shirtfront. Tattoos peeked
out from the cuffs.

He caught
me staring and his mouth turned up in a smirk. “At least I know we still share
desire.” His eyes sharpened on my face. My breath hitched. “Making love will
never be our problem.”

A tingle
raced down my spine at his words and I felt my eyes widen and almost choked on
my tongue when he removed the last of his clothing. His tattoos molded his body
to perfection. It was as if the artist chose to caress every curve of every
muscle. There were no actual pictures, only swirls and loops. Some swirls were
covered with thorns and others looked like the ends of devilish pitchforks. I
felt a small twinge of recognition as I watched him enter the bath but it left
as suddenly as it came. I looked at my wrist and then at his.

He smiled.

“You see?”
he purred as he lowered himself into the water and relaxed back. He lifted my
wrist and began kissing along the inky thorns. “You and I are bound.” He pulled
me into his arms and my back pressed against his chest.

“Relax my
sweet, Alice,” he breathed into my hair.

That name
felt wrong.

Grace
.

Why was
that name beating at my memory?

“It’s
funny, I could have sworn I made that name up.” I turned and looked over my
shoulder at his face.

“You’ve
done it before. I’m not so shocked.”

“Hmmm, I
was going to tell them my name was Grace.”

His body
went completely rigid.

“You know
that name?” I turned around. “How can you know that name?”

He
recovered visibly and my suspicion rose.

“That is
the name of your late sister. I’m sorry, Alice. It’s the reason you got so
sick. You were with her when she was killed. It traumatized you to the point of
madness. The doctors wanted to commit you, but with some experimental
medication, you got better. The cure we would later find out was a double edged
sword because it affected your memory. Now, you are on medication that helps
with your memory, but you forget to take it. It’s my fault. I am so sorry. I
hate that you have to re-live this nightmare!” He grabbed me in a hug, his wet
body pressed close, heating my skin. “Please my darling, forgive me.” He turned
my face and crushed his lips onto mine. His kiss was desperate and filled with
need. “Let me make love to you?”

No!
Another voice in my
head, screaming the word as if the world depended on it. I closed my eyes,
shutting out the voice.

I met his
eyes. “We’ve been married for six years?” I sighed as he nodded and kissed
along my neck.

“Yes, my
love. But the ailment you suffer means that sex will always feel like the first
time for us.” He sat back, his arms resting along the edge of the tub. “Are you
ready for me, my darling?”

I felt a
slight tickle at the base of my neck. It warmed its way up and settled on the
back of my head. The back of my head?

Wait
.

“Wait.” I
stood, water sloshed onto the floor as I scrambled out of the tub and ran
across the room into the small bathroom.

“Are you
alright, my darling?” I heard his laughing voice shout out as I shut the door.
I locked it and spun toward the mirror. I felt along the base of my skull and
up until I met with a small dent. It was sensitive and made me wince.

The
wound
.

He was
lying?

God,
no! What the hell?

Confusion
made my head hurt. Why was he lying? God, what was going on?

I leaned
closer to the the mirror. My long hair and green eyes seemed normal enough, but
something was missing. I had no idea what it was. I stared harder as if somehow
my reflection should show me more.

“My
darling. Are you all right? I sent for room service. We can eat before we go to
bed.” His voice traveled through the door as if he was yelling from across the
room.

I shook my
head. Something was
so
wrong. Well obviously, but I was missing
something important.

Grace,
please listen! He is no longer with us! We think he may be with…

“Alice!”
The door to the bathroom shook violently. “Alice? Come out or I will come in!”
he shouted as the door shook on its hinges, threatening to break free.

I threw
open the door. “I’m fine, Lu. I just got nervous.” I smiled at him as I stepped
from the room. He stood there, sucking in great, angry breaths, his hair spiked
all over in crazy disarray, his pajama pants slung low on his hips. I licked my
lips. God, he was sexy when he was pissed.

“You must
never lock me out, Alice.
Ever
. You could hurt yourself. Do you understand?”
He pulled me into his arms. “I would die if you were injured. Promise me, my
love.” He kissed my hair as his scent engulfed me. “Come to bed.”

He led me
to the huge, king-sized bed. The blankets were folded back to reveal crisp,
white, cotton sheets. Huge, feather pillows looked like puffs of air just
waiting for me to sink into them. I crawled, naked, onto the bed. I was
suddenly more exhausted than hungry. I snuggled deep into the soft bedding, my
husband crawling in to spoon me tightly as I quickly fell asleep.

***

“The
time you’ve spent away was torture.”
His smile was adorable and made me feel warm
all over. I wasn’t even angry at him anymore. His eyes were metallic now, like
my own, only the color was different. I didn’t care. He was a fool, but he’d
learned from it.

“
I
don’t care how sorry he is. I’m still willing to kill him for what he did
.”

My heart
swelled at the sound of his voice. So deep, slightly accented and full of
strength.

“Oh, as if
you’re so innocent!” I winked at him. He wore a scowl better than any man. His
hair was short again, making his features the main focal point. He was
gorgeous. They both were. A sun tanned Adonis and a dark god. I loved them both
deeply. They were my best friends and my reason for waking up every day. In a
perfect world I would never have to make a choice. I could love them both. I
felt them. They were somehow always inside me.

“Gracie,
where are you? Come back to us”

My
shoulder shook. “Alice?”

I yawned
and snuggled deeper into the bed. The dream was slipping. If I kept my eyes
closed they might come back.

Who were
they?

“Alice?” My
shoulder shook again. I opened my eyes slowly and turned. The dream fled as I
smiled into a face that made me sigh with girlish pleasure. He touched me in a
place deep inside. It was like a separate awareness that wanted to grab him and
never let go. I frowned, as if I was battling too many feelings. The fact that
I had feelings for him at all made me think that maybe I’d better find out if
he really was lying to me.

“Lu?”

He
stretched his long body beside mine and, gently holding my head, he placed a
kiss on my forehead. “Yes, my love?”

“When was
the last time I was injured?”

He sat up.
His eyes slid across my face as if looking for something. He cleared his
throat, “Ali, you injured your head about six months ago. It was a very nasty
accident. The wound has healed but you still suffer debilitating migraines.”

Of course!
Migraines
. He’d said that I had a migraine yesterday.
Man
, I felt
like an asshole. He was no more a liar than I was a good wife. Fuck! He was a
concerned husband who had shown nothing more than kindness and attention to me,
and I was an asshole.

I gazed at
him. His concern shone through his eyes and I suddenly felt desperate.
I
needed to taste him. Feel his skin on mine. I was
his wife and I’d behaved badly, causing him pain. A distressed part of my soul
reached out to him.

“Make love
to me, Lu?”

He inhaled
sharply and narrowed his eyes. Butterflies danced low in my belly as I watched
him.
His
nostrils flared and he turned,
crawling forward, his eyes never leaving mine, he
reached
for me.

His hand
was in my hair, his lips and tongue moved along my neck.

“How long
has it been?” I breathed.

“It seems
as if
I've
waited a thousand years,” he
growled as he nuzzled my neck, raising chills all over my body. His mouth
closed over mine, his tongue pushed passed my lips
.

 
Oh
God
.

He tasted
so sweet and I moaned into his mouth. His body was long and muscular and I
sighed and pulled him closer, thrilling in his weight and the feel of his skin
on mine. 

He rose
up, his
broad shoulders rose and fell rapidly
with his breaths.
He grit his teeth and ripped the
thin fabric of his pajama pants from his body. His arousal sprang free, thick
and hard, and my eyes rolled back.
Oh
my Lord
,
he was unreal. I felt my insides clench as a thrill raced through me, settling
in my belly. My head was flooded with desire.

I sucked
in a breath just as a dozen voices filled my ears. Shaking my head hard, I
closed my eyes. I was not going to deal with this shit right now! I swallowed,
desperate to ignore the panicked screams ringing throughout my awareness.

Lu’s hot
skin seared my own as he pressed his body close to mine. I closed my eyes,
begging the voices to leave me alone.

This was a
nightmare.

I
whimpered, locking my eyes on Lu’s
.
He
frowned
and I clutched
his head, bringing his lips to mine.
I took his mouth and he growled, a
vicious, animal sound that scattered the voices to the wind. Relief flooded me
as
he moved to graze his
teeth
along
my
shoulder.
I moaned
and he rolled onto his back, positioning me
so that I
straddled
his hips.

His beauty
startled me as I gazed down at him. He looked at me, a question in his eyes.

“My love?”
A shadow of doubt clouded his face.

His
beauty
was more
than I could take, more than any woman could take, and he was mine.
Overwhelmed, I sucked in my breath and slowly sank onto him.

His neck
arched back as his strong fingers dug into my hips. I cried out as he held me
still and thrust up hard, filling me. My eyes closed and my muscles jerked
around him.

I held my
breath, glorying in the feeling of his body in mine.

He spoke
in that language
I didn’t understand
as his strong hands guided me into rhythm.
I felt
drunk.
My head lolled to the side as he began to
explore my body. His hands slid up my ribcage to cup my breasts.
My mind
filled with flames. I opened my eyes in a daze as they licked along my flesh.
He spun me onto my back and my vision blurred. I felt disconnected as he rose
above me. I thought I saw wings behind him, black as soot.

My body
tingled deliciously, reveling in his heat, his fire. He looked at me, his eyes
red as coals, I cried out my release as he roared his. My body cooled as he
collapsed on top of me. I tried to calm my breathing and the frantic beating of
my heart.

I lay
there for several minutes, my mind a twisted tangle of confusion, lust and
doubt. What the hell had that been? I turned to look at my husband and realized
that somehow, we had tumbled to the floor in a twisted pile of limbs.

He lay
sleeping, a smile played across his face and I frowned as exhaustion overwhelmed
me.