Free Last Kiss by Dominique Adair Page A

episodes of it several times, but she didn’t remember. He felt a pierce of sadness that she didn’t remember all the times they’d had together. When the time was right, he would tell her what she didn’t remember. But first, he needed to retrieve something.
    “The party is over tomorrow,” he said.
    Silent, she nodded, her tightening grip telling him exactly what he needed to know.
    “I need to leave here and get something for you, something I forgot.”
    She pulled away, puzzlement written across her features. “How could you forget something for me when you didn’t even know me?”
    “Let’s just say that I knew I would meet you here.” He smoothed away the frown from her forehead with a fingertip. “Will you wait for me? I’ll be but a day, two at the most.”
    “You want me to wait here?”
    He nodded.
    “What if you don’t return?”
    “I’ll return for you.”
    “Yeah, you say that now, but what if you don’t? How long do you expect me to wait?”
    “I promise you this, I will return for you. It will be two days at the most.”
    Her gaze searched his face as if she could find evidence of his promise stamped there. Finally, she nodded and he tugged her back into his embrace, tucking her head beneath his chin.
    Soon she would learn that not even time could keep them apart.

    Chapter 7

    He was gone, both from her dreams and her bed.
    Elaine lay still in her bed, the faint throbbing in her head causing a twisting pain in her stomach.

No, not now…
    She raised her hand to massage the base of her skull, her mind willing her body to relax and release the pain. She rolled to her side, groaning as her thighs, overworked from a night of lovemaking, protested the movement. Her eyes flew open to have the liquid sunshine sear the backs of her eyes.
    That’s exactly what it was… lovemaking.
    Everything she didn’t want to happen had occurred in the past forty-eight hours. Their relationship had progressed to the next level, no, beyond that, beyond lust and into happily ever after.
    Except there would be no such thing for her.
    She stretched out her arm, her fingers rubbing the indentation in the pillow where Alexei had laid his head. Even her dream lover had abandoned her. A constant companion, he’d failed to make an appearance since Alexei had entered her life. She missed him. She didn’t realize how much she’d depended upon his nocturnal presence in her life. He’d been with her every night, no matter how complex her life had become and, now, he was gone too.
    Unutterably sad, she closed her eyes, her fingers continuing the slow massage on her neck. Here, four days from her forty-second birthday, she’d met the real, flesh and blood man of her dreams only to realize that she would lose him.
    Her disease was progressing. For the past few weeks, she’d awakened with the headache that marked the passage of time for her. It wasn’t a simple hangover nor due to a lack of sleep, it was her cancer coming back to claim her for the last time.
    Elaine opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on the sun-drenched outdoors. Had she ever seen anything more glorious than a golden Colorado morning? The sky was a brilliant blue without a cloud to be seen and the flowers in the garden were blooming profusely thanks to the recent rains. Only the sight of love reflected in Alexei’s eyes could stir her more than the Colorado landscape.
    Alexei.
    Her heart gave a painful twist at the thought of her absent lover. It was entirely possible that she would never see him again, never touch him, never be touched by him.
    But you have been touched by him, and with that you have to be content.
    She sat up. Why? Why did she have to be content with only a small slice when she could have had the entire pie?

Because that’s all you can have…
    Her shoulders slumped. A few days weren’t nearly enough, nor were a few years. With the way she was feeling now, eternity wouldn’t satisfy her.

But you don’t have eternity, do