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Toni

Her morning with Nico had been quite an eye-opener. She needed a few minutes to decompress while taking a shower, to get her hypersensitive body back under control. Her mind couldn't remember him, but her body sure did. From what he had told her, their relationship wasn't cookie-cutter conventional, either. Her scientist was full of surprises, and she was sure he wasn't finished yet. He wasn't anything like what she thought he would be, and Toni was starting to like the way he seemed to need to be with her, touch her, and even control her. She wondered if that was the way things were between them in the bedroom, but she was too afraid to ask. He seemed to be happy to show her around his drawer full of sex toys, and she wondered how much he'd like to tell her what he wanted from her. If she was right, Nico wouldn't just tell her what to do, he'd demand things from her, and judging by her wet panties, she'd give him whatever he asked for.

They left the little beach house that was also home to a small museum and Nico's office just before noon to head to their meeting with Zac. The last time she spoke to him, she refused his marriage proposal. Toni told him she wasn't in love with him, and Zac explained that love had nothing to do with his offer. Basically, he told her it boiled down to a smart business deal on his part. She remembered his words had felt like a slap in the face and she walked away feeling used and hurt. The next day she spoke with her father, and that was her last memory. She was hoping Zac might be able to fill in some of her gaps or might be able to tell her why her father committed suicide. It just didn't seem like something her dad would do.

"This island has always been so peaceful," she whispered mostly to herself, watching the coastline weave in and out of view as Nico drove them to her father's office.

"Yes, it is," he agreed, startling her from her thoughts. "That's one of the things that drew me to the Isle of Palms. I wanted to do all that I possibly could to preserve some of its beauty and peace for future generations." Toni liked the thought of her future children being able to come to the island, to play on the pristine beaches and in the warm, clear water as she had as a child. Her mother used to love to bring her to their beach house while her father was off on one of his business trips. When she was fifteen, her mother passed away after a long fight with cancer, leaving Toni to mostly fend for herself. Her father wasn't quite sure what to do with his teenage daughter and she really didn't want him involved in her life. He hadn't bothered to be a part of her life all those years while she was growing up, it felt wrong that he'd take an interest after her mother was gone.

Toni wondered what her future would look like now that she had lost an entire year of her life. She had so many questions, most of them centered around the man sitting next to her. "May I ask you some questions while we drive?" Toni felt hesitant to ask Nico, but he seemed open to helping her at this point.

"Sure." He smiled over at her, reaching across the console to take her hand into his. Toni's first instinct was to pull her hand free, but she liked the warm comfort of his touch. "Fire away," he said.

"Well, um—let's start with some easy ones. How old are you?" she asked.

Nico smiled. "I'm thirty-five." His expression darkened and she worried. "Do you remember how old you are? I never knew," he said.

Toni had to think about it for a minute but remembered her last birthday and added a year. "I'm twenty-eight," she said, feeling a little sad about the fact she missed a birthday.

"We celebrated your birthday on July fourth last year. You said you felt like it would be a great day to have a birthday since there would already be fireworks going off around town," Nico said.

She laughed, "That sounds like something I'd say. I'm sorry I can't remember that day; it sounds like it was fun. My birthday is December ninth."

Nico chuckled. "That's a far cry from July fourth, baby. Maybe you just always wished to have a summer birthday. Mine is in the middle of February, so I know how bad winter birthdays can be. Especially growing up in Boston."

"Is that where you're from—Boston?" she asked.

Nico nodded. "Yes, I moved here when I heard about the erosion problems going on with the island. I won a grant and hired a team to help fix some of the issues. I've been here for five years now." Hearing about Nico's work and life fascinated her. She knew this all had to be redundant for him since they probably covered many of these topics when they started dating, but he was so new to her.

"I know this has to be hard for you, me not knowing you anymore. I wish I could remember you and this last year of my life," she whispered. He squeezed her hand in his, reminding her they were still joined.

"Hey, you'll get there. As for me, I don't want you to give how I'm feeling a second thought. You just concentrate on trying to remember. I have a pretty thick skin." Nico smiled over at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. She saw the sadness he was hiding, and she couldn't help herself, she reached up to caress his jaw, loving the feel of his beard.

"I like this," she said, giving his beard a soft yank.

"Ouch." He feigned hurt but then laughed when she giggled. "You always said that you like my beard. I threatened to shave it off a few times, especially this time of year when it's so humid. You wouldn't allow it, telling me you wouldn't kiss me ever again if I did."

"Well, I can't promise to let you kiss me, Nico. But I do love your beard." Nico's sadness reappeared in his eyes, and she was starting to regret playing twenty questions with him. She needed to lighten the mood.

"I feel like I have as many questions to ask you, Toni," he admitted. "I wonder if you'll give the same answers as you did before you recovered your memories."

"Well, I'm an open book, so ask away," she offered, happy to have the tables turned.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked.

"Purple," she fired back.

"Cats or dogs?" he questioned.

"Cats, definitely cats." She laughed. "What's your favorite color?" she asked.

Nico paused and then answered, "The exact color of your eyes. They remind me of the ocean," he whispered.

"Any siblings?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Although I used to wish for a little sister to play with."

"Me too," he said. "I was always so lonely growing up, I hoped my parents would give me a brother or even a sister, but it was just me. Being an only child makes you feel very alone," he said. She felt his sadness, knowing exactly how he felt. She had spent many lonely days dreaming of having a playmate, especially after her mother died.

"That's it, up ahead." She pointed to the big building sprawled out on the horizon in front of them. She knew it had been over a year since she was at her father's office, but for her, it felt like it was just yesterday. Nico pulled into the lot and parked his car, killing the engine.

He didn't make a move to get out or release her hand from his. "You know, we don't have to do this," he offered. "We have other options to help you fill in the blanks. Heather found a doctor who specializes in hypnotism." Toni laughed at the way Nico wrinkled his nose when he mentioned a hypnotist.

"I take it from your expression you don't put much faith in hypnotism." Nico shook his head, answering her question.

"No, but if it will help you to remember this past year, I'll try just about anything," he admitted. Toni leaned over the center console to gently kiss his warm, fuzzy cheek.

"Thank you for saying that Nico. I'll keep it in mind. But I have to do this. I need to face my past head-on. Otherwise, I might never know how I came to lose my memory in the first place." Toni unbuckled her seatbelt, hoping that Nico would be willing to join her when she faced Zac. She didn't leave things on the best of terms with him over a year ago.

"All right, let's get this show on the road then." He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, rounding his car to open her door and the whole scene felt so familiar to her. She took his hand, stepped out of the car, and let him pull her into his arms.

Nico wrapped his arms around her body and kissed her mouth in a hard, passionate kiss. "That's for luck, baby," he growled.

Toni wasn't sure what to make of Nico's kiss until she looked into the glass front of the office building to find Zac watching them, and from the pissed-off look on his face, he had seen the whole exchange. Nico was marking his territory. Toni shook her head, worried she was about to walk into trouble. She just hoped like hell she'd be able to find her way back out.

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