Page 26 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“My brothers.”

My cheeks burn, and suddenly I feel like I’m on the wrong side of the law. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“That was my sad attempt at a joke,” Nico says, a smile testing his lips. “My apologies. Chance was the class clown. I was always the—”

“Protector.” I say, turning to face him, though I’m not sure where this courage is stemming from. “You kept them safe.”

Nico gives me a surprised look. “Did you perhaps remember something?”

“Not you, no. I still don’t remember you or your brothers,” I reply with a heavy sigh. “It’s just obvious from the way you talk about each other, the way you are around each other. You’ve always been the big brother.”

“Someone’s gotta be the big brother.”

“And it’s your best quality,” I say.

He stills, then moves closer. “You just said you don’t remember me.”

“I know what I’ve seen so far. I know you pulled me out of that wreck. You saved my life, Nico. I felt safe in your arms.” Rolling my eyes, I jump back to my usual frustration. “I wish I could remember you. Really. I bet I’ve got a fair share of stories to tell about you.”

“And you’ll get your chance. Is stuff coming back to you?”

I nod slowly. “Not quickly enough.”

“Look out there. Time is standing still,” he says, pointing to one of the windows. “There’s a frost coming tonight. The inevitable frozen hell that follows every blizzard in these parts of Montana. It’ll be some time yet before we can reach civilization, so there’s nothing much for us to do other than shovel snow, eat, drink, sleep, and remember.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I scoff. “If you could tell me something about me, something more, maybe it would trigger another memory.”

“You’ve remembered something?” Nico asks.

“Chance mentioned something from your Naval Academy days, and it made me remember a gift my brother sent me for my birthday when I was little.”

“He shouldn’t have led you like that.” He’s mad. The muscle ticking in his jaw, visible even under the beard, tells me that much.

“It helped,” I insist. “And it was effortless for me to remember, I promise. It was organic, almost.”

“Everything between you and my brothers seems organic.”

His tone shifted. Something else bothers him. It’s not that Chance helped me with a memory. I didn’t even notice it until now. The way he presses his lips tightly together when I mention his brothers. When he has to go out, leaving me with one or both of his brothers. It’s subtle, but I don’t think I’m imagining it.

“What are you trying to tell me, Nico?” I ask, my heart skipping another beat.

It’s been on my mind since I first woke up in this lodge, to be honest. I’ve been as drawn to him as I’ve been to his brothers, though I’ve yet to find the courage to act on it. Nico is good at keeping a respectable distance.

“I don’t think it’s healthy for you to get so close,” he says, sitting on the sofa’s armrest for a bit, “given how little you remember, how little you actually know about us at this point. To you, we’re practically strangers.”

Should I be angry when I can see it in his eyes so clearly? Should I just go along and nod and pretend I didn’t notice the stolen glances, the tender way in which he touched me when he helped me out of bed or changed my bandages? Should I ignore it altogether, while he simmers like this, resisting out of misplaced righteousness?

I cannot.

My instincts won’t let me. And Chance did tell me to always follow my instincts, so I set the Swiffer down and calmly walk over to Nico. He notices and straightens his back, a glimmer of alarm sparkling in his green eyes. “What are you doing?” he asks.

“Just wanted to be closer, so I can better listen to what you’re actually trying to tell me.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“How am I the helpless amnesiac, yet you’re the one having trouble expressing how you really feel?” I reply.

He stares at me for what feels like forever. His expression is impossible to decipher, but the air between us thickens with each passing moment, the crackling electricity reaching the point where the hairs on the back of my neck prick up.

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