Page 75 of Storm Warning

Remi had to be reeling from the sudden burst of total recall, becausehewas reeling from the story she’d shared.

“I need to catch my breath,” he said. “I’m sure you do too. I’ll cook a frozen casserole for a late lunch. You can clean up, shower if you want. You got dunked in salt water after all.”

“Yeah, I need to get out of these clothes. I can wear your too-large sweats and T-shirt and wash these again.”

Hawk decided to cook the frozen lasagna in the oven rather than the microwave, that way it would taste only a little bit more like a home-cooked meal. He hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in far too long. Remi emerged with wet hair and wearing a Seahawks T-shirt and navy-blue sweatpants that hung off her, even though she’d tied the pants at the waist. She hiked them back up and scrunched her face. She was too cute.

She eased onto the couch and rested her head. Closed her eyes. “If we keep this up, we should stop by a store so I can grab some more clothes, you know, just to switch things up.”

He hoped this would end sooner rather than later, but she was right. “Good idea. My turn to clean up. The lasagna won’t be ready for another forty-five minutes or so.”

After a quick hot shower, Hawk felt three thousand times better. When he came out, Remi had set the small tablewith dishes. He only kept four plates, which was more than enough.

“You know what’s weird?” she asked.

“No. What?”

“You don’t have nearly enough windows in this place, and the view isn’t that great either. I’m feeling claustrophobic.”

“I figured you’d say as much. After all, you lived on the coast and got to watch the ocean every day.”

“Yeah, I really miss my lodge. I got accustomed to the panoramic view.” Her hand covered her heart. “Did I just call it mine?”

He nodded. “You did.”

“It’s not mine, not by a long stretch. But I miss it. When I first stayed there, it was to have time to get my memories back. Dr. Holcomb said to just focus on nature and enjoy the peace and quiet, far away from distractions. I started taking pictures of the ocean. Of the forest. It was magical.”

He smiled. “The waves crashing against the rocks enraptured me too.”

“Enraptured, huh?”

“What? Can’t I use big words?” He moved to the kitchen to get them water.

“Of course you can. But it sounded unnatural coming from you.”

“It’s just that I can’t think of any other word to describe it. And it’s how I felt when I saw your photos, so I get it.”

“My photos made you feel things?”

“Enraptured.” She was right. That did sound funny, but it was still a good word.

He slowly approached. She’d been through so much. When he’d pulled this woman from certain death, he couldn’t have known that her beautiful eyes would snaghim, draw him in. Nor could he have known their lives were already entangled.

She stared at him now, her gaze shimmering with expectation. “Really?”

The question was almost breathless, and he couldn’t help himself. He stepped closer and looked down at her.Believe me ...“Really.”

He felt the draw, the pull, and the crazy desire again to kiss her. Yeah, it was crazy. She was in danger. Vulnerable. He’d be a jerk if he followed through, but he could at least try to ignore the fact that he wanted to. He took a step back to give them both room to breathe. Clear their heads.

And then, of all things, disappointment flooded her beautiful gaze. Hawk couldn’t win, but he was doing the right thing. And the sooner he got her back to the lodge, the better for them both, at least on a more personal level.

The oven timer dinged. “Lasagna’s up.”

“I’ll get it,” she said.

“No, you set the table. I’ll get it.” He rushed to the kitchen, grabbed oven mitts, and pulled the steaming casserole out.

“Normally it needs to rest for a few minutes.” Remi had come up beside him after setting the table. “Or else it’ll just fall apart. It needs to set.”

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