Hot and Bothered - Erika Wilde Page 0,18

helped her stand with his hand encircling her arm, waited to make sure she was steady on her feet, then handed her the clothes he’d brought for her. He watched as she headed toward the small bathroom, and nearly groaned at the sweet, delectable view he caught sight of.

Trying to preserve a bit of modesty, one of her hands clutched at the open folds at the back of her hospital gown to hold them closed. While she did a decent job of covering herself, he was still treated to tantalizing glimpses of the rounded curves of her ass that gave way to her slender, smooth thighs.

Once she disappeared behind the closed door, he inhaled a deep, steady breath that did little to ease the tightening in his dick, and focused his attention back on the floral arrangement. Knowing he only had minutes before Natalie returned, he removed the envelope, withdrew the florist card within and read the note someone had written specifically for her.

You’ll always be mine.

Brief and succinct, that’s all the inscription said, with no name or signature to go with the very personal, possessive comment. Unease prickled through Noah, along with a healthy dose of fury that someone would prey upon Natalie so brazenly. And just how far was this crazed lunatic willing to go to stalk her?

The answer to his own question upped his inner rage a few notches and instigated another fierce surge of protectiveness toward Natalie.

Thank God she believed that he’d sent the flowers, and he didn’t intend to correct her assumption. He supposed in her frame of mind she’d taken the remark to mean that Noah still considered her his, despite the accident and amnesia. She’d taken the note as a reassurance and had no idea just how threatening those words were.

Whoever had been following her last night knew that she was in this hospital and was keeping tabs on her, which was a scary prospect. Noah was grateful that patient information was privileged and wasn’t given out to just anyone, because Natalie’s amnesia was something someone with sinister intent would no doubt use to his advantage.

Taking his cellphone from his front pocket, he took a photo of the envelope the card had been tucked inside, which gave him the name, address, and phone number of the florist who’d delivered the arrangement. Another piece of evidence he planned to follow up on later. He hoped he’d be able to learn the identity of the sender through the shop and hunt him down from there.

If this creep wanted to play cat and mouse with Natalie, then Noah would be the Doberman pinscher in the scenario, because he was determined to catch this guy before he caught Natalie.

CHAPTER SIX

Sitting across from Noah in a small, cozy kitchen nook, Natalie reached for her second slice of pepperoni-and-cheese pizza, still absorbing the fact that she and Noah lived together in his two-story house.

So far she’d only seen the lower level, and she had to admit not only to herself, but to Noah as well, that nothing looked familiar. Not the leather sofa and big-screen TV in the living room, nor the kitchen where she was certain they’d eaten many meals together. She’d racked her brain for a niggle of recognition and hadn’t been aware of the distressed sound that had escaped her until Noah had gathered her in his strong arms and told her to be patient and give it time.

His closeness, warmth, and arousing male scent was all it took to soothe her frazzled nerves. She’d clung to him because he made her feel safe and secure, and as though she belonged in his embrace. In his life. From there, she’d relaxed and told herself to enjoy the man so willing to cater to her every whim and desire. A man who inspired decadent fantasies and a hunger that had nothing to do with the food she was feasting on.

Natalie took a bite of her pizza and moaned her appreciation of the delicious, savory taste filling her mouth. True to his word, Noah had ordered a large pizza for her as soon as they’d arrived at his house, and compared to the bland breakfast and lunch she’d been served at the hospital, the delicacy was like ambrosia to her taste buds and she couldn’t seem to get enough.

Noah grinned at her as he washed down a bite of his own pizza with a drink from his bottle of cold beer. “I take it your stomach is happy?”

Surprisingly,