Free Bound By Her Ring by Nicole Flockton Page A

her, and she met his dark gaze. She had no idea what was going on behind the look and it was only when he raised his eyebrow in question that she turned away. Heat suffused her face and she clenched her fists so as not to place her hands on her hot cheeks, letting Lukas know how much he affected her. She walked out to the balcony without saying anything to him.
    It was pathetic really. She was acting like a teenager on her first date with the star quarterback not a grown, married woman.
    Jasmine sighed as she realised she was a combination of both, married woman and on her first date. As far as she could remember this was the first time she had spent any time with Lukas. But the way her heartbeat quickened when he got near. The way her lips tingled in anticipation of his touch, all told her something else. Her body knew him. It was telling her they had a history.
    Lukas was definitely the key to unlocking her memory. The flashbacks she experienced over the last couple days proved to her he was the catalyst. She had to figure out a way to get him to work the memories free, but keep her heart and emotions intact.She could succumb to his touches and fall for him without much effort. With one touch of his lips and hands, she had all but thrown herself at him.
    Why had he kissed her when, the moment she mentioned his name, he threw her aside? He obviously found being called Lukas offensive now whereas before he had liked it.
    Luciano.
    She had to remember to call him that.
    She gazed out at the ocean and hit the side of her head. “Why won’t you return? Why can’t I remember?”
    How was it possible she could only lose a few months of her memory? The most important months of her life, when she’d met and married Luciano Morelli.
    Why didn’t she have any wedding photos? Was there a reason for that? Was she ashamed of Luciano?
    She didn’t think so. She only had to see how he commanded everyone’s attention at the opening to know he was a well respected businessman. Not to mention he practically oozed money. So why didn’t anyone know she had married him? How could they have possibly kept it a secret? And if it was a secret, why? Why hadn’t they wanted anyone to know about them?
    The questions bombarded her mind. It was like this every time she wondered about her marriage. Why couldn’t she stop them?
    “Are you ready?”
    She jumped slightly, but took a deep, calming breath to banish the questions scurrying around her mind. She turned and faced him.
    Could the man ever look scruffy? A man of Luciano’s calibre would never look incomplete. He had taken her breath away in a tuxedo. In a towel, he’d increased her bodytemperature tenfold. Now, her mouth was so dry even a gallon of water wouldn’t moisten it. In his casual clothes, it was as if he’d just stepped out of a GQ magazine.
    He’d teamed a camel coloured polo shirt with black chinos. The butter-soft leather jacket, also black, slung casually over his arm reminded her of his earlier comment about how the evening would cool down.
    “I’ll get my jacket and purse then I’m ready.”
    She brushed past him and his crisp, spicy aftershave tickled her senses, reminding her of a fresh, snowy, winter’s morning in the mountains. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine the feather-soft snow crunching loudly underfoot and the scent of pine needles filling the air. She’d loved those family holidays in the mountains.
    Scooping up her jacket and purse, she waited until Lukas had joined her before asking, “So, where are we going for dinner?”
    “Dinner is a surprise.”
    “A surprise? Somehow you don’t seem to be the surprise type of guy.”
    “Really?” he took her by the arm and led her towards the door. “So what type of guy am I?”
    She waited until Luciano had closed the door before answering, conscious of the warm hand on her lower back. “Well I’d say that everything you do is planned to a ‘T’. Every angle is looked at and analysed