“I’m not,” he mumbled. “The lights are too bright, so I’m just keeping my eyes closed.”
Crossing to the switches, she killed the lights in the living room, leaving just the one from the kitchen on so she could still see him.
“Does that help?” she asked, taking a seat beside him on the couch, relishing in the warmth from his body.
He opened one eye, then the other, before he shifted slightly to look at her. “Yeah. Thanks.”
When he reached over to take her hand, Kate tensed. This wasn’t real. The comfort he was seeking from her was only because he was uncertain—and he thought they were engaged.
Oh, if they were truly engaged, Kate could hold his hand and not feel guilty. She could wrap her arms around him and give him support and love and...
But no. She wasn’t his fianceé so thinking along those lines would get her nowhere.
For now, she could pretend, she could keep her fingers laced with his and feel things for him in ways she never had before. This was no longer professional...they’d crossed that threshold when he’d captured her mouth beneath his.
“I’ll be fine.” Luc offered a wide smile, one rarely directed at her. “Just stay right here with me.”
Swallowing the truth, Kate nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She tried not to relish the fact that Luc’s thumb kept stroking the back of her hand. She tried to fight the thrill that he was looking at her as more than just an employee.
None of this was reality. He was trapped in his own mind for now. She didn’t know if she should focus on the kiss earlier or the nasty knot on his head. Both issues made her a nervous wreck.
The hour seemed to crawl by, but when Dr. Couchot finally knocked on the back door, Kate breathed a sigh of relief. Beneath her hand, Luc tensed.
“It’s okay.” She rose to her feet, patting his leg. “We’ll figure this out and you’ll be just fine.”
Dr. Couchot immediately came inside, set his bag down and took a seat on the couch next to Luc.
“Tell me what happened,” he said, looking at Kate. Worry was etched on the doctor’s face. This man had cared for Luc since the prince had been in diapers, and held all the royals’ medical secrets.
Kate recounted the events, omitting the fiancée bit, and watched as the doctor examined his patient while she spoke. He looked at Luc’s pupils with his minuscule light, then lightly worked his fingertip around the blue knot. With a frown, he sat back and sighed.
“Have you remembered anything since I was called?” he asked.
Luc shook his head. “I know Kate, but she had to tell me her name. I know I’m a member of the royal family because of my name, and I believe I’m the prince. I know this house is mine and I know I wanted to fix it up, but apparently I didn’t get too far, so I had to have just bought it.”
All this was right. A little burst of hope spread through Kate. Maybe his injuries weren’t as bad as she’d first feared.
“From what I can tell, you’ve got temporary amnesia,” the doctor stated. “I’m not seeing signs of a concussion and your pupils are responsive.” Dr. Couchot looked up at Kate. “I would like him to have a scan to be on the safe side, but knowing Luc, he’ll be stubborn and refuse.”
“I’m sitting right here,” Luc stated, his eyes darting between Kate and the doctor. “I don’t want to get a scan. I’d have to go home and face too many questions. Unless I’m at risk for something more serious, I’m staying here.”
Kate shared a look with the doctor. “What about if I promise to monitor him? You said there was no concussion, so that’s a good sign.”
“Fine,” Dr. Couchot conceded. “I won’t argue. But Kate will have her eyes on you 24/7 for the next few days and I’ll be in contact with her. At the first sign of anything unusual, she will get you back to the palace, where we can treat you. No exceptions.”
Luc nodded. “Agreed.”
After receiving her instructions and a list of things to look for in terms of Luc’s behavior, Kate showed the doctor out.
Once they reached the edge of the patio, Dr. Couchot turned to face her. “Make sure you don’t force any memories on him. It’s important he remembers on his own, or his mind could become even more confused and his condition could actually worsen. It’s a blessing he remembers as much as he does, so I believe he’s only lost a few months of his memories.”
A few months. Which would explain why he didn’t recall the real fiancée or the fake pregnancy.
“I’ll make sure not to feed him any information,” Kate promised. Smoothing her hair back, she held it to the side in a makeshift ponytail. “Can he see photos or listen to his favorite music? Maybe just subtle things that will spark his thoughts?”
“I think that would be fine. Just don’t push all of that on him at once. Give this some time. He may wake tomorrow and be perfectly fine, or he may be like this for another month. Every mind is unique, so we just don’t know.”
Kate nodded, thanking the doctor for coming so quickly. She watched as he made his way back down to the boat, where a palace guard was waiting. Thankfully, it wasn’t her father, but his right-hand man.
Kate gave a wave to the men and took in a deep breath. When the doctor mentioned unusual behavior, did that include believing you were engaged to the wrong woman?
Weary and worried, she stepped back through the doors. All her stuff was at the guesthouse, but she would need to stay here.
Luc’s eyes were instantly on hers when she returned to the living room. That warmth spread through her once again as she recognized that look of need. She couldn’t let him keep this up. There would be no way she could resist him. And based on his reaction after that kiss, he wouldn’t be happy that he’d indulged his desire for her, no matter how good together they might be.
The warning from the doctor played over in her mind. She couldn’t force memories, so for now she’d have to let him think what he wanted, until his mind started to cooperate.
“Sit with me,” he whispered, holding his hand out in invitation.
Kate cringed, wanting nothing more than to take his hand and settle in beside him. “I need to go get some of my things.”
Lowering his hand, he frowned. “Where are your things?”
Coming up with a quick excuse, she tried to be vague, yet as honest as possible. “I have some things next door at the guesthouse. Let me get them and I’ll be all yours.”
Okay, she didn’t necessarily need to add that last bit, but it just slipped out. She’d have to think through every single word until Luc fully regained his memory. For now, she’d have to play along...and still try to maintain some distance, or she could find herself in a world of hurt when he snapped out of his current state. Getting wrapped up in this make-believe world, even for a short time, wasn’t the wisest decision. Still, he would need her during this time and they were on this island together. How could she resist him? How could she resist more touching, more kissing?
“Why do you have anything next door?” he asked.
“I was working there earlier.” Still not a lie. “Give me five minutes. I’ll be right back.”
She escaped out the back door, unable to look at the confusion on his face any longer. If she got too far into the truth as to why she had things at the cottage, she’d have to come clean and produce the information his mind wasn’t ready for.
As quickly as she could, she threw a change of clothes into her bag, adding a few essential toiletries. Everything else she’d have to smuggle over a little at a time, provided