Page 6 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

“Everything hurts,” she finally managed.

As the words left her lips, she recognized how true they were.

The man kneeled down beside her, the sun against his back making it difficult for her to see his face. All she could see of him were his startling green eyes with golden flecks that gave him a feline flair. He had sandy hair that framed his face in a perfect designer haircut. There was something so mesmerizing about his eyes that she found herself lost in his gaze, but the moment was soon broken as he stared down at her in concern.

He cursed under his breath.

“What happened to you? You’re really hurt.”

His quick change of mood filled her with an all encompassing fear.

Stomach churning sickeningly, she stared down at herself, at her bare legs, noticing how the short, tight dress she wore barely covered them. Ugly purple bruises covered her legs and there seemed to be hundreds of cuts criss-crossing them. Stunned, all she could do was stare down in horror as the pain from her injuries hit all at once.

The world spun.

Her balance fled, and her muscles turned to jelly.

She would have sank back down if he hadn’t caught her. Strong arms held her close to his warm and solid chest as his face finally came into view.

And she found herself losing her breath all over again.

He had a chiseled jaw that framed an angular face which, combined with those eyes, made him seem even more animalistic. There was a magnetism about him that wasn’t due only to the broad shoulders and muscular physique that didn’t have an inch of fat on it. He hadn’t shaved in a while, stubble covering the lower half of his face.

Then there was that sexy smell, like sandalwood mixed with the ocean.

She bit her lip. The pain cut through whatever confusion she was feeling, until one emotion pushed through the rest.

Though he was clearly concerned, she couldn’t help the flicker of fear she felt.

There was something untouchable about him, something that made him seem a world away even though she was close enough to feel his breath on her skin.

His eyes flicked up and down her body, assessing her wounds. Whatever conclusion he came to must have worried him greatly, as he softened his voice.

“I need to get you some help. What’s your name?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but where her name should have been, her mind was a complete blank. She tried to shake the fog that had taken residence in her head. She was in shock. It would come to her in a minute.

But after several moments… there was nothing.

The world began to spin again. The blood pounding through her temple.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

And as she said the words, she knew with a stark, sudden terror that they were true.

She stared up at him, panic turning her blood to ice-water.

“Why can’t I remember who I am?”

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