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He’d taken more cold showers in that period than he’d ever taken in his whole life.
And he hadn’t been able to stem the tide of something that had felt a lot like...relief. That she’d been the one to make the move. To expose herself for wanting more.
But then as soon as she’d walked into his office that day, he’d felt...nothing. Less than nothing. Not a blip of response. Even though she’d looked exactly the same. Fresh face. Hair loose around her shoulders. Innocent. Tremulous.
He hated to admit it now but relief his desire for her had waned hadn’t been the overriding sentiment. It had been a sense of disappointment. Because it was proof that she wasn’t different from any other woman he’d slept with. And that what they’d shared that night couldn’t have possibly been as amazing as he’d remembered it. Amazing enough to make him regret telling her—
Suddenly her body jerked on the bed and a sound came out of her mouth, like a cry. Indistinct words. Something like, ‘No, please don’t stop!’
Before Apollo knew what he was doing he’d come down beside the bed, two hands on Sasha’s bare arms. They felt impossibly slender. Her body was tense all over, he could see a slight sheen of perspiration on her skin. His insides clenched with an emotion he didn’t want to name.
‘Sasha...wake up.’
Apollo’s hands were on her skin. Burning. She ached all over with a hunger she’d felt only once before. It was so clear now. She needed him to assuage that hunger...to make her come alive—
‘Sasha!’
Sasha opened her eyes and all she could see were the deepest pools of green. A kind of green that made her think of mysterious oceans. Vast. Impenetrable.
‘You were dreaming.’
Apollo’s voice. Hard. Unyielding. Suddenly Sasha’s consciousness snapped back. She was on the lounger. She’d fallen asleep. But Apollo still had his hands on her. She could smell his scent. See the stubble on his jaw. She wanted to reach out and see how it felt. She imagined it would prickle against her skin.
She remembered how that felt.
Dreams and the present moment were meshing disturbingly and she felt disorientated.
She sat up abruptly, dislodging his hands. He stood up. She reached for the robe, pulling it on awkwardly, very conscious of the revealing swimsuit. It had been the only one-piece she could find in a sea of brightly coloured string bikinis.
‘Apollo, I didn’t hear you. What time is it?’
Sasha looked deliciously tousled, cheeks flushed, eyes sleepy. Apollo gritted his jaw as his eyes tracked her movements, her small breasts high and firm under the stretchy material. She was so pale her skin was almost translucent. He frowned. She’d been more tanned before. But, of course, it must have been fake. A welcome reminder of who he was dealing with. Memory loss or no memory loss.
The lingering tendrils of concern for her distress made his voice harsh. ‘You should watch yourself in the sun,’ he said. ‘You can burn even in the shade.’
Sasha flinched inwardly at his abrupt tone, belting the robe tightly around her. The robe chafed against her tingling skin. She could still feel the imprint of his hands on her arms. Defensively she said, ‘I found sun block in the bathroom, of course I put some on. I may have lost my memory but I’m not clueless about the dangers of the sun.’
She risked looking up at Apollo now that she was covered up again, diverting her mind from the vividly disturbing dream. He was wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt and cargo shorts. Unexpectedly casual and effortlessly sexy.
He said, ‘I just came to tell you that I’m going out this evening.’
‘Oh.’ It was strange but for the first time she was aware she hadn’t left the confines of this estate since her return from the hospital. She had a sense of claustrophobia. ‘Where are you going?’
‘It’s a charity ball, in aid of research into cancer.’
For some reason that struck a chord with Sasha and for a moment something hovered on the edge of her mind but then it was gone.
She stood up. ‘Should I come with you?’
He shook his head. ‘No need. I’m just letting you know I won’t be here for dinner.’
It wasn’t as if they’d been having cosy dinners all
week but Apollo was the only constant familiar thing in her world right now and she was determined to try and improve relations. What else could she do? She couldn’t continue to exist in this limbo where they circled each other like suspicious foes.
She still didn’t know exactly what had happened between them and she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know what she’d done to lead to this impasse, but she could work with what she had. She wanted to at least try to mend bridges.
‘Didn’t I go to events with you? As your wife?’
