Page 43 of Never the Same

I slowly turned to face him, to share a secret fear I’d been hanging on to ever since this morning. My voice was raw as I forced out, “I’m terrified she learned somehow about my dad’s condition, and she was searching for a cure to help him.”

Chapter Fifteen

Hollis

The moment I crossed the threshold, it was as if Reed physically wrapped me in his arms. He hadn’t actually touched me, not even a brush of the hand, but his presence was impossible to ignore. Silent, solid, and steady. Like gravity itself keeping you grounded.

The security system beeped as it armed, and he dropped our bags by the door. For whatever reason, the sight of worn-out boots, sneakers, and a leash hanging up made me smile. Maybe because it was much homier than that mansion in Surrey. It was also oddly familiar, which didn’t make sense.

“You okay after all that hugging out there?” he asked in a slightly teasing tone as he began filling Ranger’s water bowl.

“The kid is cute. The best friend? Not so bad herself. Seraphina and Eden are nice, too. Well, from what little I gathered.”

He added kibble to Ranger’s bowl next and washed his hands. “They are.”

I expected him to offer me some food, too, but he probably didn’t know I hadn’t touched either meal served on the flight here. He’d avoided me like the plague on the private plane they’d borrowed from some Irish billionaire friend of a friend. Sebastian-something sent his regards, because apparently I also knew him.

Reed turned toward me, resting his hands on his hips, an uneasy expression crowding his face. He was clearly uncomfortable now that we were alone.

Considering that the last time it was just us I’d absentmindedly taken off my shirt in front of him, I didn’t blame the guy for worrying what I might do next. In my current state, his guess was as good as mine.

“So,” I breathed out, just as nervous. “How about a tour?” I’d never asked for one at Surrey, but in my gut, I was pretty sure I knew I wouldn’t be staying there for long.

“Yeah, uh, sure.” Reed began walking, and Ranger stayed behind to scarf up his food.

I trailed after him until he stopped and opened a door.

“I converted the garage into a gym and added a sauna.” He flicked on the light. “You’re welcome to sweat it out when you’re up for it.” He motioned to the stand-up wooden box tucked beside his equipment.

“Is the sauna big enough for two people?”

“It is. You know, if you want room to stretch out.” He caught my eyes, only to quickly look away, jerking his head back like he hadn’t meant to do that, then he killed the lights before I could better examine what appeared to be an armory in there.

“So, am I the sweat-it-out type? Do I like saunas? Working out?” I asked as we continued with his tour.

“You are,” he confirmed as we passed by a closed door. “My bedroom.” He motioned to the next door on the same side of the hall. “And the guest room is here.”

“I feel like most single guys wouldn’t have a guest room, so I’m lucky you do.”

“What makes you think I’m single?”

“Something tells me you wouldn’t let a woman stay with you if you were in a relationship, but what do I know?”

The side of his mouth lifted, like he was fighting a smile and to call me a smart-ass.

“Well, with your room next to mine, I guess I’ll have to do my best not to keep you up at night.” I winked, because you know, why not keep making things awkward between us every time we were alone together? It was like it came second nature to me, and that thought had me realizing: Maybe I really am in here somewhere, trying to wake up and claw my way back to the surface.

“And what do you do at night that’d be loud and might keep me awake?” Either he hadn’t realized I’d been joking, or he was slipping into normal default mode and acting how he would’ve around me pre–memory loss. Regardless, the rich huskiness in his tone struck a nerve, but in a good way. It delivered a bolt of heat to my stomach that kept on going down.

“Pretty sure I was teasing, sorry. Old me hijacked my voice. There’s a good chance it’ll happen again.” I innocently lifted one shoulder. “I assume that means I’m moving in a positive direction of remembering who I am whenever that happens, though.”

“The real you showing up from time to time might make it harder for me to follow Ryder’s orders.” He clasped the door handle. “I’m supposed to be on my best behavior and play nice with you.”

“Right. I, uh, keep forgetting we don’t like each other. Won’t be easy to live with me.”

“You have no idea how hard it’ll be.” His voice shouldn’t have slid across my skin like silk, continuing to warm me up in places that had no business being warm right now, but it did.

I licked my lips, and he tracked the movement without missing a beat. We remained like that, just stuck in the moment, and all I could think about was our conversation in the office.