Free This One Moment by Stina Lindenblatt Page B

thrilled I still meant that much to him. He was putting his life and his girlfriend on hold to help me remember.
    He might not have wanted to remember what happened the night his mother and sister were murdered, but I wanted to know why I’d been in Westgate and figure out why I’d been attacked. Bonus points if the guy was caught and tossed in jail.
    “What color do you wanna be?” he asked.
    “Red.” Why break tradition? Especially when tradition usually had me winning.
    We got into position. It didn’t take long for me to realize my original belief was way off center. I might have grown rusty at the game during the past five years, but clearly I was the only one to have suffered that fate.
    “You’ve been practicing,” I huffed as my player pelted the ball down the field.
    Nolan’s player intercepted it and kicked it in the opposite direction. “Actually, I haven’t.”
    Before I could react and block the ball, his player sent it flying into the goal.
    To win the game.
    The stupid sun picked that moment to peek from behind the clouds. Sunlight streamed into the room, highlighting Nolan in its warm, muted glow. Even the angels were conspiring against me.
    I silently cursed my goalie for its betrayal.
    To his credit, Nolan didn’t burst into a cheer at his win. His mouth, though, couldn’t resist enjoying my moment of defeat. It jerked into that sexy smirk of his. The sexy smirk I wanted to slap off his face.
    Or kiss off.
    “How about best of three?” Hey, it was worth a try.
    Nolan shook his head. “To echo what you said earlier: sorry, not happening.” He laughed, and my traitorous body responded to the deep sexy sound. Only my brain agreed that having Nolan stay with me was a terrible idea.
    “Fine.” No one had ever accused me of being a sore loser. “I’m going back to work tomorrow. So you’ll have the apartment to yourself for most of the day.”
    “Already? But you just got out of the hospital.”
    “I know, but maybe I’ll remember something if I go back.”
    He couldn’t argue with that.
    “I’m coming with you.”
    I barely fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I don’t need a babysitter, Nolan. It’s not like anyone will attack me there. Not in broad daylight. I promise you, I’ll be safe.”
    “I know you don’t need a babysitter, and I’m not applying to be one. But it wouldn’t hurt if I asked around, see if anyone knows anything that might help the cops.”
    “Don’t you think they’d have already done that?”
    “Maybe, but I’d feel better if I could at least talk to a few people there. Besides, I can’t let my body turn to flab while I’m here.” He patted the rock-hard abs that girls would pay thousands of dollars to lick. I kid you not. I’d read it on a fan page a few months earlier. A group of girls actually had bid for the honor to lick them, as if Nolan had consented to it. At least I didn’t think he had.
    And no, I hadn’t thrown in a bid. Not for real, anyway.
    “I can hit the weight room while I’m there,” he added. “Maybe even the running track.”
    Since I didn’t have a good reason for him not to come with me, I quit trying to dissuade him. Sometimes it was better to just accept defeat and move on.
    “So…” The word was drawn out, filled less with curiosity than with the need to change the topic. “I hear things are going well between you and Alyssa Graham.” I almost patted my back at the lack of jealousy in my voice. At the very least, I deserved a reward for it.
    “There’s nothing going on between me and Alyssa. We’re just friends.” He said it with a straight face, like he’d practiced the line a hundred times to keep his feelings for her out of the words.
    I snorted. “Sure you are.”
    “I’m telling you the truth.” While I might have succeeded at keeping jealousy out of my voice, the same couldn’t be said for Nolan and the impatience leaking in.
    “You’re not even friends with benefits?”
    Deep lines formed on