He was confusing her to no end. What was she supposed to do with this? She fought the urge to pull her hair out of her head with frustration and instead focused intensely on her breathing. He’d made her incredibly uncomfortable, but she didn’t dare show it. She wouldn’t dare pull away or back down after cornering him. She felt like she should have said something. Anything. But she feared that any sound out of her mouth would just be a sorry squeal, since she was finding it so hard to stand next to him.
He leaned in close to her ear. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” his tone was demanding.
She swallowed again, harder. Keeping her mind off pulling that towel off him. “I’m wondering what it is about me that you can’t forget.”
In an instant, his expression turned dark and he tightened his grip on her arms slightly. He shut his eyes, moving his head to the side, almost regretful. He let something slip. An emotion he couldn’t control. Was it anger? She was determined more than ever to find out.
Recovering, he slid his hands down her arms, sending goosebumps through her entire body. He lifted a hand and brushed aside the hair that covered her bruised and sewn temple. He kissed near it so gently, she barely felt the touch. The wordless endearment making her shiver again.
“Everything that makes you—you,” he said quietly. His lips teasing around her ear.
She was frozen in place. Couldn’t move if she tried. It was as if he was putting her under some spell. “Tell me,” she breathlessly asked as he pulled her head back and lightly stroked her neck with his lips.
“How you can be stubborn and cute at the same time. The way you still look at me when I say or do something to make you happy,” his lip curved on that one. Then he pulled up and frowned, looking into her eyes, as if he were asking her a question he couldn’t understand. “How the thought of losing me could make you lose yourself,” his voice cracked, and he pulled away.
Liz frowned at that last one but didn’t question it. She was more concerned with his sudden change in mood.
He backed away slowly. “We should get to bed.”
She could only nod and wait for him to leave. He turned when he got to the doorstop.
“Would you like me to stay with you tonight?” he asked as if she were a hotel guest.
She suddenly found herself acknowledging that no nightmare can be soothed by forced company. She shook her head without facing him and went to her dresser. When she turned back, he was gone.
Chapter 19
MATT
The next morning Matt woke up to some noise in the kitchen. He glanced at the clock on the night table, 7:20. Liz hadn’t been up this early since June. He put on his jeans and slipped his arms through a white button-down shirt as he raced down the stairs. He smelled coffee from the living room and frowned as he walked into the kitchen. Liz had laid all the mugs from the cupboard onto the marbled kitchen island. He wasn’t sure how long Liz had been staring at them before he walked in. She pulled her eyes off the mugs and glanced at him.
“Hey,” she muttered.
“Good morning.” He raised both his eyebrows.
There was no forced smile this time when she saw him, no waiting for him to offer her anything, as she had since she’d been home, in her guest-feeling existence.
After a few short seconds, she grabbed a mug that readIt’s Going to be a Good Onein gold letters on a plain white background. She held it up for him with a lifted eyebrow.
He shook his head and pursed his lips.
Liz pressed her lips together and stretched her head to the side. “Well, it is now.” She placed the other seven mugs back in the cupboard and poured herself a cup of coffee.
Matt watched her for a second and went to the cupboard himself to pull out a teal and black striped short mug. It was the one Liz used the most. One that her mother had given her. He poured a cup for himself and sat on a stool across her on the kitchen island.
Liz avoided meeting his eyes and took a bite of her toast. He didn’t question her strange demeanor and sudden cold shoulder. He just sat with her and drank his coffee. She took a sip of her black coffee and met his eyes. After a second, she swallowed it down.
“You don’t like it. Why are you drinking it?”
“You’re certainly going to be no help in getting my memory back, so I think I’ll just take it from here,” she replied sternly.
Okay. She was angry. That much he understood. And could guess where it was coming from. “Liz I’m sorry about last night,” he leaned over the table, wanting to reach for her then paused and glanced down. “I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re—.”
Liz stared at him coldly. “I’m not stupid, Matt. I can tell when you’re lying to me.”
Matt narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t argue.
“I am done listening to your pathetic blow offs of why you can’t be with me. All I needed is proof, something from you to make me believe that I’m not a stranger in this house. I’ve learned more about myself from other people than from you.” She frowned at him. “Do you even know anything about me?”
