Page 59 of You Only Love Twice
"Like... an erection?"
Only Gemma could say such a thing.
Damn her for saying such a thing.
And then he could feel a soft touch on his back, fingers trailing down the muscle on the side of his spine. The hunger’s vise on his lungs choked tighter, hauling him back into dark depths—
"Don't touch me," he snapped, jerking away from her.
Her hand fell from his back.
Obsidian whirled around, pressure tightening around his chest. "I don't ever want you to touch me."
"Then whatdoyou want from me?"
Everything."I want to erase you from my life." He closed his eyes. "I have no memories of you, Gemma, because I asked them to remove them. I asked them to send me for conditioning after Russia. I wanted to forget you."
Her full lips parted in a gasp, the pain in her gaze imprinting itself upon him.
Then she visibly swallowed. "You tried to forget me."
"Yes."
And yet, no matter how he tried, he couldn't seem to manage it. Some tie still tethered him to her. The second he'd laid eyes upon her, the block in his head began to dissolve. Wisps of memory were coming back with every second he spent in her company. It hurt. Even now he could feel the stabbing pain of Richter's machine sliding like a needle through his eye socket.
"Do you know what I think?" Her voice roughened, her eyes flashing fire.
"What?"
"I think you couldn't forget me if you tried."
Dangerous, dangerous words. Obsidian tensed, aware of the heat suddenly filling her eyes. Challenge gleamed there as Gemma took a step toward him, the gown slipping to her waist.
She gave a little wiggle, and the skirts tumbled to a pink mess on the floor around her stockinged feet. She wasn't wearing a corset, and her damp chemise was crushed to her body, highlighting each inch of her skin. Her puckered nipples gleamed rosy through the thin white cotton,
"Oh, yes," she whispered, sliding her hands down the curve of her hips. "Do you think you can forget this?"
Their eyes met.
"Gemma," he warned.
"What's wrong?" Her fingers toyed with the hem of the shift.
"Don't you dare," he managed to rasp, taking a step back as she stepped forward.
"I'm testing a theory." She dragged it up several inches, revealing her smooth thighs. Pretty pink garters tied her stockings there, and he wanted to tug them loose with his teeth.
Instantly his fangs descended again, his mouth flushed with heat.
"What sort of theory? Because this one's going to end with you flat on your back."
"I loved you," she whispered. "And while I'm not entirely certain what lies between us now, I know you're lying. Does it make it easier to say you want to forget me? Do you know what I think? I don't think you wanted to forget me at all. I think... you wanted to forget what happened on that bridge when you shot me."
"I guess we'll never know."
A hand slid up his chest as Gemma stepped forward, the very swish of her hips predatory. "There's one way to find out."
His fingers locked around her wrist. "You're playing a dangerous game. I'm not the same man I was."
