Dropping to his knees, he kissed her bare stomach. “I love you already,” he whispered.
Luc jerked awake, staring into the darkness. What the hell was that? A memory? Just a random dream? His heart beat so fast, so hard against the wall of his chest. That had been real. The emotions, the feel of her abdomen beneath his palm, had all been real.
Luc wasn’t one to believe in coincidences. That was a memory, but how could it be? Kate wasn’t pregnant. She’d said they hadn’t made love before the shower, so what the hell was that dream about?
Glancing at the woman beside him, Luc rubbed a hand over his face. The sheet was twisted around her bare body, and her hair was spread over the pillow. Luc placed a hand on her midsection and closed his eyes. That dream was so real he’d actually felt it.
Surely it wasn’t just a fantasy of the day he and Kate would be expecting in real life.
He fell back against his pillow, laced his hands behind his head and blinked to adjust his eyesight to the darkened room. No way could he go back to sleep now. There was too much on his mind, too many unanswered questions.
Something involving a baby had happened to
cause such a strong flashback, for the second time now. It just didn’t make sense. His mind was obviously the enemy at the moment.
“Luc...”
He turned toward her, only to find her eyes were still closed. She was dreaming, too. Her hand shifted over the sheets as if seeking him out. Instantly, he took hold of her hand and clasped it against his chest. Tomorrow he would have to seek some answers. This waiting around was killing him, because tidbits of his life weren’t enough. He wanted the whole damn picture and he wanted it now.
Maybe if Kate talked about herself, her personal life, that would trigger more memories for him. He was done waiting, done putting his life in this mental prison.
How could he move on with Kate when he couldn’t even remember their lives before a few days ago?
Ten
She should’ve told him. No matter what the doctor said, she should have just told Luc that they weren’t engaged. Everything else he could remember on his own, but the biggest lie of all needed to be brought out into the open.
Of course, now they’d slept together twice, and she still hadn’t said a word.
The heaviness of the ring on her hand wasn’t helping the guilt weighing on her heart, either. Instead of trying to make this right, she’d let every single aspect spin even more out of control.
Stepping from the bathroom, Kate tied the short, silky robe around her waist. As soon as she glanced up, she spotted Luc sitting up in bed, the stark white sheet settled low around his hips. All those tanned, toned muscles, the dark ink scrolling over one shoulder, the dark hair splattering over his pecs. The man exuded sex appeal and authority.
“You needn’t have bothered with that robe if you’re going to keep looking at me like that,” he told her, his voice husky from sleep.
Kate leaned against the door frame to the bathroom. “Did you know you never wanted to marry?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Luc laughed, leaning back against the quilted headboard. “That’s a bit off topic, but no. I didn’t know that.”
Swallowing, Kate pushed forward. “You had no intention of taking a wife, but Ilha Beleza has some ridiculously archaic law that states you must be married by your thirty-fifth birthday in order to succeed to the throne.”
“My birthday is coming up,” he muttered, as if that tidbit just hit him. Luc’s brows drew together as he laced his fingers over his abdomen. “Are you saying I’m not entitled to the throne if we aren’t married by then?”
This was the tricky part. “You aren’t crowned until you’re married.”
“That’s ridiculous.” He laughed. “I’ll change that law, first thing. What if my son doesn’t want to marry? Who says you have to be married by thirty-five?”
Kate smiled. “That’s exactly what you said before you fell. You were dead set on having that law rewritten.”
His eyes held hers another moment, but before she could go on, he said, “I had a dream last night. It was real. I know it was a memory, but I can’t figure it out.”
Kate’s heart beat faster in her chest. Was their time over? Was the beautiful fantasy they’d been living about to come to a crashing halt?
“What was the dream?” she asked, gripping her arms with anticipation.
“I had a dream you were pregnant. That image in my head has hit more than once.” His eyes drilled into her. “Why would I keep dreaming that, Kate?”
“Did you see me in the dream?” she asked, knowing she was treading on very shaky ground.