“Aye. You think you’d cross lines with me?”
“Hop over them. Turn around, scrub them away like they never existed.” She loved how pleased he looked with her response. Her thumb pressed against her palm until the pressure shifted from firm to painful. “I don’t know, Lachlan. Being around you makes me aware that it’s been a very, very, very long time since a man has touched me. I miss it.” She cleared her throat. “But I suppose the psychologist will tell me this is some kind of hero-worship attraction to you.”
“I’ve not been your hero, Britt,” Lachlan whispered, a haunting pain in his voice.
“Haven’t you?” she challenged.
He exhaled a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped. “Rocco was the one who stepped in and shot the man chasing you. Not me.” He almost seemed disappointed by that fact.
“Right,” she said, realizing the truth in his words. Dr. Rocco Forrester was the only person who’d gone on a limb to risk his life to save her. The same Rocco who, while very handsome, didn’t push her womanly buttons like Lachlan. Rocco didn’t trigger the wanton horniness raging through her like she felt with Lachlan.
A question played in her head, and she said it without filtering herself. “But you’re attracted to me, aren’t you?”
The edge of a memory flirted in her mind, coming into focus.
His laugh was low and pained. Fuck Britt, why are you asking me this?
“Fuck, Britt,” Lachlan muttered, raking a hand through his hair. “Why are ye asking me this?”
The sound was clearer in her head.
Because I need to know before I embarrass myself.
Trust me, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.
Prove it.
No, she couldn’t.
But she did.
Licking her lips slowly, she said, “Because I need to know before I embarrass myself.”
His brow quirked as his eyes locked onto hers. They stood still, tethered by an attraction that couldn’t be denied.
When he responded, she felt dizzy. “Trust me, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Britt covered her face with her hands. What the hell was she doing?
“I am so sorry. That was completely inappropriate. You have been so kind to me. I shouldn’t be trying to come on to you. What I’ve been through is no excuse. It’s completely not like me.”
When she uncovered her face, Lachlan was mere centimeters away. The warmth of his breath caressed her face. His fingers skated across her cheek, gentle as a feather, before cupping her face.
“How do you know?” He challenged.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat but couldn’t find the words to respond because he was right.
“You don’t remember who you are, so you can’t really say that it’s not like you. Maybe now that you’re away from that horrible place, you’re starting to remember bits and pieces of yourself.”
“It doesn’t matter because even if I remember who I am, the people who love me won’t recognize me. I don’t look like me anymore. They made me look like her, which sucks because, honestly, I’m so turned on by how you look at me. But you’re seeing Brittany Freeman … not me.”
“There are ways to see someone that has nothing to do with their outward appearance, Britt,” Lachlan said, stroking herface. “I’ve no doubt that you could have the face of a rat, and I’d still look at you like … this.”
“Well, I dare say that was quite romantic.” She inhaled a deep breath. “But it’s time for me to stop playing with fire. I can’t handle this heat between us. Not with everything else I’m dealing with.”
“Understood.” The words were choked through his gritted teeth. “I’ll keep my distance but still protect you.”
“I still want you close. I’m not ready to be completely alone yet,” she said, panic gripping her at the idea of him leaving so soon. “I’ve spent too many days by myself. It’s comforting to have a friendly face with me.”
