Chapter 18 Lina #2
He went very still as I started undoing his shirt, my fingers clumsy from the water and the nerves and the sheer insanity of what I was doing.
The first button came undone and I got a glimpse of his collarbone, strong and defined.
The second revealed the top of his chest, smooth skin stretched over hard muscle.
The third and fourth showed me his pecs, perfectly sculpted, with dark hair trailing down the center.
By the fifth button I could see his abs, each one carved and distinct, the kind of body that belonged on magazine covers.
My mouth went dry. Holy hell. I mean, I’ve seen him before, but damn. This man was built.
I wanted to lick him. The thought popped into my head without my consent and I felt my face flush even hotter. I wanted to run my tongue along those abs, wanted to feel those muscles flex under my mouth, wanted to taste the water running down his skin.
The shirt fell away and I pushed it off his shoulders, letting it drop to the shower floor with a wet slap. Now it was just his pants left. His soaked, ruined pants that were doing nothing to hide the very obvious bulge pressing against the fabric.
I raised an eyebrow at him.
He reached down and dealt with the fastenings himself, kicking the pants away until he was standing in just his briefs.
Black briefs that clung to him, soaked through, showing me exactly how hard his cock was.
And it was very, very hard. The outline of him was unmistakable, long and thick and straining against the wet fabric.
I stared. I couldn’t help it. He was huge.
Even through the briefs I could tell he was bigger than anything my instinct told me I’d ever seen.
The fabric stretched obscenely over his erection, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.
I could see every inch of him, the ridge of his head, the length of his shaft, the way he twitched slightly under my gaze.
My core clenched. Heat pooled between my thighs. I wanted him. I wanted that cock inside me. I wanted to feel him stretch me open and fill me completely.
“It seems you like what you see,” I managed to say, my voice embarrassingly husky.
Knox made a sound that was halfway between a groan and a laugh. “Baby, I always want what I see when it comes to you. This is just my normal reaction to being anywhere near you.”
I blinked at him. “Your normal reaction?”
“Every single time.” He pulled me closer, our bodies pressing together with only his thin briefs between us. I could feel his cock against my stomach now, hot and hard. “Every single time I look at you, touch you, smell you. This is what you do to me.”
Oh.
Wow.
My entire body flushed with heat that had nothing to do with the shower water.
“I’d like to remember that,” I whispered.
His eyes dropped to my lips. “I can help you remember.”
He was leaning in. I was leaning in. The water cascaded over us, warm and endless, and then his mouth was on mine and I forgot everything else entirely.
This kiss was nothing compared to the first one.
That had been tender, tearful, full of relief.
This was hungry. Demanding. His tongue pushed into my mouth and I opened for him eagerly, tasting him, wanting more.
His hands slid down my sides, gripping my hips hard enough to leave bruises, and he pulled me against him until there was no space left between us.
My nipples pressed against his chest and I whimpered at the contact, my whole body sparking with need.
He kissed me deeper, his tongue stroking against mine, and I felt myself getting wet in a way that had nothing to do with the shower.
My legs, those treacherous limbs that had been failing me all day, finally gave out completely. I would have collapsed if Knox hadn’t been holding me. Instead, he just lifted me up, pressed me against the shower wall, and settled my legs around his waist without breaking the kiss.
Oh. Oh yes. This was... this was very good.
His cock pressed right against my center now, only the thin wet fabric of his briefs separating us. I could feel every inch of him exactly where I needed him. He rocked his hips and the head of his cock dragged against my clit and I gasped into his mouth, my fingers digging into his shoulders.
“Fuck,” I breathed against his lips. “Knox...”
He groaned my name in response, low and desperate, and the sound vibrated through my entire body.
His hips moved again, grinding against me, his cock sliding through my folds with only that thin barrier between us.
The friction was maddening. Not enough. I wanted more.
I wanted him to rip those briefs off and push inside me.
I wanted to feel him fill me up, stretch me open, fuck me against this shower wall until I couldn’t remember my own name.
Ha. Pun intended.
“Please,” I heard myself whimper. “Knox, please, I need...”
The room door opened.
“Knox?” Noah’s voice called from outside the bathroom door.
Knox went still, his forehead dropping to mine, his eyes squeezing shut. He looked pained, reluctant, his whole body trembling with the effort of stopping. His lips found my neck and he kissed me there, soft and lingering, as he answered his brother.
“What,” he growled against my skin.
I bit back a moan as his mouth moved along my throat.
Noah chuckled from beyond the bathroom door. “Sorry, asshole. But I got news you don’t want to miss.”
Knox nipped at my neck one more time before pulling back slightly. “What is it.”
“We found the brunette.”
My eyes went wide. Knox met my gaze, surprise and satisfaction on his face. They found her. The woman who had been standing next to my IV with a syringe. They actually found her.
“We’ll be right out,” Knox called back.
He helped me down gently, carefully, making sure my feet were stable before he released me. Then he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me with such tenderness that my chest ached.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
“I want answers,” I said. “I want to know who she is and what she was doing.”
He nodded, his expression hardening. “Then let’s go get some answers.”
He dried me off with efficient hands, then retrieved a set of clothes from a bag I hadn’t noticed before.
Soft sweatpants, an oversized t-shirt that smelled exactly the way he did, fresh underwear.
He helped me dress with the same patient care he’d shown all day, and by the time I was clothed, I felt almost human again.
Knox was still in his drenched boxers when we stepped out of the bathroom. Noah was waiting in the room, and his eyebrows shot up at the sight of us.
“Nice to see you’re going back to your old routines,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips.
Heat flooded my cheeks. Knox just flicked his brother’s forehead, hard enough to make Noah yelp.
“I’ll be right back.” Knox grabbed dry clothes and disappeared into the bathroom to change.
Noah rubbed his forehead, still grinning, and walked out into the hallway. He came back a moment later pushing a wheelchair.
“Figured you might appreciate this,” he said. “Better if you don’t tire yourself out walking everywhere.”
I sank into the wheelchair gratefully. My legs were trembling from the shower exertion and I definitely wasn’t up for a trek through hospital hallways.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Noah’s expression softened slightly. “How are you feeling? And don’t give me the ‘I’m fine’ bullshit you’ve been feeding everyone else.”
I hesitated. This man was supposedly my brother-in-law. Supposedly family. But I didn’t know him. I didn’t know if I could trust him with the truth.
“Overwhelmed,” I admitted finally. “Confused. Scared.”
Noah nodded. “That’s fair. You woke up in a strange place with no memories and strangers claiming to be your family. I’d be scared too.”
“You don’t seem like strangers,” I said slowly. “You all seem... familiar. In a way I can’t explain. My body recognizes you even if my brain doesn’t.”
“That’s the mate bond,” Noah said. “And pack bonds. They run deeper than memory. Even if your brain forgot us, your soul didn’t.”
He crouched down in front of my wheelchair so we were at eye level, his green eyes serious.
“Listen, Lina. I know you don’t remember me.
I know you don’t remember any of us. But I need you to know that whatever you need, I’m here.
We’re all here.” He paused, his jaw tightening.
“You brought happiness back into this family. Before you came along, Knox was drowning in guilt and grief. Our brother died and Knox blamed himself and he was just... gone. Empty. And then you showed up with your sarcasm and your coffee and your stubborn refusal to take any of his bullshit, and you brought him back to life.”
My throat tightened.
“So I’ll be damned if I let anyone make you feel bad,” Noah continued. “I’ll be damned if I let anyone hurt you or scare you or make you feel like you don’t belong here. You’re my sister, Lina. Memory or no memory. And I protect my family.”
I stared at him, this man I didn’t know, and felt a strange ache in my chest. Not fear. Not confusion. Envy.
I was envious of my past self. Envious of the woman who had earned this kind of loyalty, this kind of love. She had these amazing people around her. This devoted husband, this fierce brother-in-law, these beautiful children, this whole community that clearly adored her.
I wanted that. I wanted to be that woman again. I wanted to remember why they all loved me so much.
“Thank you, Noah,” I said quietly.
He smiled and stood up just as Knox emerged from the bathroom in fresh clothes. Knox took over pushing my wheelchair without a word, and we headed out into the hallway.
The hospital was quiet at this hour, the corridors empty except for the occasional nurse or security guard. We passed through a maze of turns until we reached a door marked “Security” and Knox pushed me inside.