They stopped after about 10 minutes, and Mike pulled the truck over to the side. "Here it is" he told Taylor. Taylor opened her car door and walked across the road to look at the tire marks on the road and the places in the grass where you could tell her car had burned. She stood there for a long time and tried to remember what had happened.

  "Don't try so hard to remember, it will come back soon. You are doing great with everything else, don't push it." Mike told her. He put his arm around her shoulders and stood next to her.

  Taylor started to weep at the great amount of loss that she felt. Her fingerprints were nowhere, her information was lost, and she was probably never going to find out what happened or who she was. Mike pulled her to his chest and gave her a hug and kissed her head. Taylor cried for 10 minutes without Mike saying a word.

  Once she stopped, Mike gently asked her if she was ready to go to the store. "Sure, nothing is coming to me, so let's go so we can get back." Taylor told him.

  She sighed and walked across the road to the truck and climbed back in.

  "It will come," Mike said quietly.

  They made it to the store, and thankfully, it was not busy. The store was empty except for about 5 people, and no one even really looked at Taylor and Mike. They got their groceries, and as they strolled down the aisle, Taylor found a few other things she was interested in trying. Mike indulged her, thinking of how hard it was to be closed up in the house and with only him for entertainment. They laughed and chatted their way through the store to find what they needed.

  When they got to the register, the woman asked Mike who his "girlfriend" was. Mike responded with a terse "she's not my girlfriend" and the friendly, comfortable atmosphere they had felt was suddenly deflated. They gathered their bags, and packed the items in the truck and headed home quietly. The 30 minute drive contained only music, and Taylor hummed along. She wondered why Mike was so offended that she would be considered his girlfriend.

  When they got back, Taylor started putting away the food and Mike went outside to take care of the garden area. Taylor made dinner and used the fresh vegetables that Mike brought in with the fresh meat they had bought at the store.

  At the dinner table, after they had started eating, Taylor asked Mike about his issue.

  "Why are you so offended that I would be considered your girlfriend?" Taylor asked.

  Mike spit out his squash and laughed. "You’re just not my girlfriend; you’re too young for a man like me. People would say that I’m robbing the cradle."

  Taylor looked at him and asked, “Do you have any sort of feelings like you would want to have a relationship?"

  "Taylor, slow down. You have been here less than two weeks, and you have no idea when you will get your memory back. At that point, you could have friends and a family who wants you back. I have grown to like having you around quite a bit, but I don't want to get into a relationship that may change dramatically in two minutes." Mike told her. "I am sorry if it offends you that I don't want to be in a relationship, but you should put yourself first and work on your healing."

  Taylor had to admit that it made sense to not get involved, but it was a little offensive to be treated like she was too young or not good enough for a relationship with him.

  Chapter 11

  That night, she had a hard time getting to sleep and kept tossing and turning. Her thoughts were on that side of the road where she lost everything she had and her life started over again. She felt like she wanted to start now, and with what was here now, but she also understood that she may never recover and how would she deal with that. She had not even given that a lot of thought.

  Driving down the road in the middle of the day, she could hear the music on the radio blaring and her singing. She could see her Lexus LS460 driving down the road at breakneck speed, like she was running away from something. She felt the anger and the intensity she was driving with. She felt like she was there, and speeding down the Montana road with her dog. She didn't seem to care what the speed limit was, and she was going about 100 MPH.

  Taylor saw herself reach over and pick up the phone to read a text message. She swerved the car a little but corrected and got it back to straight. She could see the text was from a person named Bryan, but couldn't remember what it said. Then she leaned back into the heated leather seats and put her foot down farther to get where she was going faster. Taylor saw another text come through, and she reached for the phone and looked but the car responded to the slightest turn of the wheel and started to swerve. She over-corrected this time, and felt the car grab some gravel and the back tires start to slide. She skidded across the road and turned the wheel back the other direction as she slammed on the brakes. Her car turned back but the wheels felt like they locked and she could no longer turn or stop the car from going into the ditch on the other side. There was a telephone pole ahead, and she was headed straight for it. No matter how hard she pressed on the brakes, the car would not turn or divert from her inevitable fate.

  Taylor sat up in bed and heard herself screaming. This was not a dream; it had to be the last few moments of her previous life. Taylor caught her breath and realized she was safe at this moment.

  Five seconds later, Mike rushed into the room. "Taylor, what’s wrong? Did something happen?" He squatted beside the bed, wearing only his boxers. She could tell he had woken from a deep sleep, as his hair was tousled—perhaps he had been having a bad dream, as well.

  Taylor remembered she was mad at him for his refusal to think of them having a relationship besides housemates, even though she was not sure it was the best thing. She responded, "No, I’m fine. Nothing happened."

  Mike tilted his head slightly, smiling, and grasped her hand. "Now is not the time to pout, Taylor. Tell me what happened."

  "I had a bad dream," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Mike laughed, "It was another memory, wasn't it? You can tell me, it's best to get it out now or you won't remember as much in the morning."

  Mike then put his arms under her, and moved her over in the bed a bit and crawled in beside her. He put his arm around her and said, "Taylor, honey, you have to work on getting better. I want you to get your memory back!"

  Taylor nodded her head in understanding. "I know."

  She then proceeded to tell him about the memory she had. She cried when she realized how bad the accident could have been and how her stupidity had made her almost die.

  "I am so stupid, Mike,“ She said, burying her face in his chest.

  "Well, it shows us that you had or have a friend named Bryan." Mike said.

  Taylor looked up at him and felt overwhelmed. Her eyes were looking at a gorgeous man, more handsome than most of the heroes in the books she had been reading. And here he was, snuggled up in bed with her and comforting her and all she could do was cry.

  Taylor turned toward him, reached up and grabbed his face with her hands. "Right now, I don't care about my past. I want you." She closed her eyes and kissed him. She felt him hesitate then he pulled her closer and continued kissing her back. He was strong and powerful in his kisses, and as hungry as she was. She felt his sigh as he gave in to the desire to touch her and pulled her down beside him as he cradled her head and continued to kiss her.

  Mike was not sure how this would end, but he could not stop himself from letting it happen. He could only hold back for so long, and here she was—practically begging him to give her all his attention. She was vulnerable, and he knew it. That was for sure.

  Mike continued to kiss Taylor, deepening the kiss by pushing his tongue into her mouth with reckless abandon. They were both holding each other so tight, they could barely breathe. As the kisses continued, Mike pulled Taylor down into the bed with him further and he caressed her hair gently. He was still very careful of her head wound, even though it seemed to have healed nicely.

  Taylor was overwhelmed with the smell of him, and the feel of his powerful body over hers. She felt her body responding passionately as Mike kissed her and ran his fingers through her hair. She thought she would have gotten a lukewarm response to her kiss, but Mike was obviously feeling the same level of emotion that she was. As she felt his warm body covering hers, she could feel his hard cock against her leg when he pulled her under him. She was breathing so hard from the all-consuming nature of Mike's embrace; she pushed him back for a moment so she could catch her breath.

  Mike stopped kissing her and looked at her in a puzzled way. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" He pulled back further from her.

  "No, and I know you don't mean to, but you are almost smothering me. Not that I mind, but I need to catch my breath," Taylor told him, with a little laugh.

  Mike pulled back a little and smiled. "I guess I have been denying how I feel about you for too long, and it's the middle of the night, and you needed me to comfort you." He laughed. "I do have feelings for you Taylor, but I don't want to stop you from going back to your life once we find out what it is! I don't want to tie you down." He sat up and pulled her to his side. "When I was a younger man, I would finish what we have started right here and not think twice about it. But now, I have already lost my wife, apparently even before she died, and I don't want to go through that again—nor do I want you to have to choose."

  Taylor was surprised at the way he put his feelings out there. She was not sure how she felt about what he said, what if she did have a boyfriend out there? It was hard to know. "Mike, I want you in the worst way, and I want to be very, very good for you, but I understand. I need the comfort you give me, but only if it doesn't hurt you. Can you stand to stay down here tonight with me if we sleep in the same bed? I am afraid of more nightmares,” Taylor told him.

  Mike sighed. He was conscious of the fact that he was aroused and remembered how hard it was to sleep the last time he had her in his bed. He got out of the bed and stood up, not facing her. "Give me a couple of minutes to calm down, then I will be back and I can make sure you don't have any more bad dreams." He left the room and went upstairs to his room.

  Chapter 12

  Taylor lay in bed awake for the 20 minutes it took Mike to come back. He was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts over his boxers. And he seemed to have psyched himself up for sleeping next to her. He crawled into the bed and pulled her back to him, snuggling up to her, and kissed the top of her head. He didn't say goodnight or anything else, and Taylor wondered how hard it was for him to come back down and be with her. Although, if he had taken much longer, she would have come upstairs to get him!

  When she fell asleep, her dreams were of Mike, not of a car crash. She slept peacefully, and did not even hear Mike leave the bed, but he was gone when she woke up. He was not upstairs either, but he had left a note on her bedside table, which she noticed when she came back down to her room.

  You were sleeping so well, I went for a run. Be back soon. Mike

  So, he went for a run. Well, Taylor thought, I guess I will make some breakfast. She sat back down in her bed and ran her fingers through her hair. She was not going to be able to continue fighting the fact that she really wanted to be with Mike. That she wanted to run her fingers through his hair and feel him inside her.

  Taylor grabbed Brutus, and they went to the kitchen to start breakfast. When Mike returned from his run, he asked if she’d had anymore nightmares. Taylor told him no, and tried to talk about their relationship.

  “What is it that we should do, should I leave to make this easier? I don’t know where I would go, but I hate making you uncomfortable yet it seems to be the very thing I am good at.” Taylor told him.

  Mike looked up at her and said, “You are not going to leave until we know who you are and where you’re going. I can control myself, as long as you don’t have too many more nightmares.” Mike winked at her and smiled, but Taylor didn’t feel like smiling back. She could only think about how hard this was for him, but when she looked at him across the table, she also knew she wanted him. She knew she didn’t care at this moment whether it was fate or something else.

  “I still want to kiss you and take off your clothes, Taylor,” Mike said to her, “but I am going to avoid temptation. You are getting so close to knowing who you are, and then you will be able to forget this place.”

  Taylor looked at him and said, “Do you think I want to forget this place? Is that how you think I feel?” Taylor realized she was being a little hysterical, but she couldn’t help it.

  Mike got up and pulled her to him, “Taylor, I know you don’t want to forget this place, or me. I am trying hard to make it easier for you to leave when it’s time.” He kissed her firmly on the lips and pulled away quickly. “You are a hard woman to leave alone, you know?” He released her and left the kitchen.

  The rest of the day, he avoided her. They both went about their work and ate together but with little conversation. Taylor decided she needed to take the bull by the horns, and get what she wanted.

  That night as they cleaned up from dinner, Taylor thought about what she would do. She bid Mike goodnight, and told him she was going to do some reading before bed. But she also thought out her plan for the next morning.

  When Mike got up in the morning to run, she got up with him and met him at the door as he was leaving. He looked at her kind of strangely, but realized he had little choice except to let her come along. She jogged with him to the top of the hill, and as they ran she could tell Mike was running slower to let her keep up with him. He did not know it, but she was saving her energy.

  When they reached the spot they had been to before, both of them sat quietly and observed nature. They looked around at the beauty and stillness and spoke very little. Taylor was thinking about how gorgeous the mountains were, and how much she loved being out here in nature. She looked at Mike, but she could tell he was intentionally not speaking to her as part of his plan to maintain his distance. We shall see about that, thought Taylor.

  They got up to leave and run back, but Mike reminded Taylor that they should walk down to the road because of the uneven trail. Taylor did as he bid, and they reached the house and split up to go get their showers without a word.

  Taylor stripped down from her sweaty running clothes and quickly showered. She washed the grime out of her hair and skin, and then as she came out, she could still hear the water going for Mike's shower. She headed up the stairs and entered his room. She looked around at the bed and the room, and realized she was changing their relationship. But she didn't care, this was what she wanted, and she knew she had an offer he couldn't refuse.

  She opened the door to the bathroom, and she saw Mike in the shower. The glass square in the middle of the room showed him in his full glory. He was facing away from her and she watched him scrub his hair, arms, and chest. When he turned to rinse his hair with, eyes closed, she saw his bare chest. But her eyes moved down and she saw his manhood standing out at attention, and got nervous. Am I really going to make this happen? She thought. Too late for second thoughts though, because Mike opened his eyes and immediately saw her sitting there watching him.

  Mike stood staring at her, shaking his head no, even as Taylor stood up and began walking to the shower, despite her moment of doubt. Taylor opened the shower door and steam escaped as she stepped inside.

  Mike looked at her and immediately got hard again. He seemed to be walking around that way anyway the last couple of days, and he knew he would now give in to her. He watched as her perfect body entered the shower, and although his head was shaking no, his body was responding to her. Taylor opened the shower door and got in, standing in front of him. She had obviously already showered, so she didn't come here to get her back scrubbed.

  Chapter 13

  Mike gave up his fight, pulling her toward him. He kissed her again, but this time he was demanding with his tongue. He reached a hand down to cup her breast, rubbing her nipple gently between his fingers. He wanted her so badly, he wasn't sure he that could calm himself down enough to make sure she enjoyed it as well. Taylor moaned at his touch and he pulled her into the water against him as he stroked her back. Taylor seemed to be enjoying his mildly rough handling of her, and she pushed her body into his as they stood kissing in the shower.

  Then Mike released her, looked into her face, and said, "Last chance to leave before we make love. Go dry off and get in bed, or go downstairs and we can pretend you weren't here." He pushed her toward the door. He knew it would not matter, they were going to do this either this morning or another, but maybe if they delayed it she would get her memory back and leave before they made love.

  Taylor smiled at him and said a little sarcastically, "Aren't you the best at pillow talk? I’ll be waiting in bed." She then pulled a towel off the rack, wrapped it around her body, and sashayed out of the room.

  Mike finished rinsing off the soap and tried to calm himself down. He thought for a moment about how he felt about Taylor, but right now, he was going to give her what she was asking for—and not make her wait much longer. He got out of the shower and proceeded to dry off and wrap his towel around his waist before entering the bedroom.

 

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