Desire shot through him as the scent of her perfume hit his senses and he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling another wave of déjà vu sweep through him.
Come on brain, catch up.
‘It’s good to see you awake. I was really worried about you,’ she said, her voice sounding a little croaky.
‘You’re trembling,’ he murmured, reaching out to touch her arm, feeling her practically vibrating under his fingertips.
‘I wasn’t sure what to expect when I came in here,’ she said, her gaze darting away from his face to look down at where his tanned hand rested on her pale skin.
‘Well, you don’t need to worry. I’m fine,’ he stated vehemently, hoping to reassure her—and perhaps himself a little too—though, judging by the tremble in her bottom lip, it didn’t appear to have worked.
He was fine though, he told himself hazily, just a bit disorientated...that was all. Just because the sight of her hadn’t brought his memory back, it didn’t mean it was gone for good.
Perhaps if he kissed her, it would spark something in his brain.
She certainly looked as though she could do with some proof that he was still the man she knew and cared about. What was it the nurse had said? That she blamed herself for the accident because he’d been crossing the road to see her at the time? Was that the problem here—was she worried he was angry with her?
‘Come closer,’ he said, moving his hand up to slide his fingers under her jaw, feeling a strong urge to wipe the concern from her beautiful face now.
She stilled under his touch and her eyes widened as if she was surprised by what he was doing.
‘Stop worrying,’ he murmured, then drew her towards him and pressed his mouth firmly to hers.
She sucked in a startled-sounding breath but he paid it no mind, pulling her closer to him, ignoring the twinge of pain this caused in his damaged rib and hoping against hope that this would make everything right again.
Her mouth felt wonderful against his but he was blurrily aware that the kiss wasn’t having the effect he’d hoped for. Determined not to give up that easily, he opened his lips and slipped his tongue into the heat of her mouth. As he’d suspected, she tasted incredible, like honey and harmony and sex...
And then his brain seemed to switch gear and suddenly he couldn’t get enough of her. It was like having that first drink of water all over again, his body reacting with a forceful relief that shook him to his very soul. Her full mouth was soft but not as pliant as he would have liked, so he kissed her harder, feeling the pulse in her neck racing against the heel of his hand where he cupped her jaw.
A deep growl rumbled in the back of his throat as he began to lose control of his restraint and she let out a breathy moan in reply and dug her nails into the flesh of his upper arms.
He sank into the possessiveness of her grip, lost in the sensual taste of her, feeling the strangest mixture of comfort and desire and relief—until he suddenly became aware that she was trying to pull away from him.
Reluctantly, he slid his hands away from her jaw and let her go.
‘What’s wrong?’ he ground out, frustrated that she’d cut the kiss short when he’d been enjoying it so much.
It had been the first time he’d felt anything like himself since he’d woken up here.
Her eyes were wide and her expression a little wild. ‘Why did you kiss me?’ Almost absent-mindedly, she brushed her fingers against her lips and his body reacted with such erotic force he very nearly dragged her back to him again for another round.
But the look in her eyes stopped him.
He could see now that she was shaken by the kiss and not because she’d enjoyed it as much as he had.
‘Why shouldn’t I kiss you?’ he demanded, feeling panic begin to work its way back under his skin again.
She blinked at him, looking utterly bewildered, her cheeks flushed with colour and her brow creased. ‘Because of what happened this morning. We had a row.’
He frowned, his mind spinning with confusion. ‘You mean before the accident? Look, I’m sure that wasn’t your fault; I can’t have been looking where I was going.’
Getting up from the bed, she took a step away from him, crossing her arms and frowning hard as if she didn’t understand what she was hearing. ‘Caleb, don’t you remember what happened?’
He wanted to say yes, that he remembered everything, but he knew, with a slow sinking feeling of dread, that there was actually something very, very wrong here.
Throwing up his hands in frustration, he said, ‘No! Okay! I don’t remember!’
She flinched in surprise, then stared at him in horror, her mouth forming a perfect O shape.
Closing his eyes, he attempted to pull his focus back and took a long, deep breath. Fighting to keep his voice steady this time, he said, ‘The truth is my memory’s been a little fuzzy since I woke up.’ He ran a hand over his face then looked up at her. ‘I don’t remember anything between getting to work this morning and waking up in the hospital and anything before my life here in Barcelona is a little difficult to pin down—’
She was still staring at him in dismay. ‘Oh, no, Caleb. That’s not good.’
He flapped a hand dismissively, hating the idea of her pitying him. ‘It’s fine; it’ll come back to me soon. It’s probably just the drugs messing with my head.’
Taking a step closer to him, she said with a shake in her voice, ‘Caleb, do you remember who I am?’
‘Yes, you’re Elena, my girlfriend,’ he said airily, hoping it sounded more convincing to her than it did to him.
Her eyes grew comically wide. ‘What makes you think I’m your girlfriend?’
Confusion swirled through his head again. ‘Because...I thought...’ He paused and frowned. ‘The nurse told me you were, and I know I know you. You’re very familiar to me.’
Elena shifted on the spot, looking uncomfortable now. ‘I don’t speak Spanish so I must have misinterpreted the paramedic’s question when she asked me about my relationship to you,’ she muttered to herself, staring down at the floor. ‘Or perhaps the nurse got the wrong end of the stick or something.’ She looked up at him again, her brow pinched into a frown. ‘Anyway, however it happened, I’m not your girlfriend.’
He looked at her for a moment and got the distinct impression there was more to this than she was telling him.
‘So we’re what?’ he asked slowly, one eyebrow raised. ‘Just friends?’
* * *
Elena knew that lying to Caleb was the last thing she should do right now but she didn’t want to add any unnecessary stress to the situation, not when he’d only just woken up from an accident with a head injury and seemed to be rather confused.
And the thing was, they had been friends once, very good friends, and if she had any say in the matter she’d make sure they got past their differences to become friends again.
But that would be all. Just friends.
Even though the kiss they’d just shared had rocked her world. Her whole body still buzzed from the after-effects of the feel of his firm mouth on hers—her pulse jumping in her throat and her nerves on fire with a wild, almost frightening demand for more that she’d not felt the like of in years.
Not since the last time he’d kissed her.
‘Uh-huh. We haven’t seen each other for a long time though. We knew each other at university.’ She waited for him to recall the fact that they weren’t exactly friends any more but his expression