Free Courting Darkness by Melynda Price

Apparently, I’m quite the writer.”
    “What else did you learn?” he asked, careful to keep his tone neutral.
    “Not enough. Now quit changing the subject and tell me how you cut your hand, and why it isn’t healed yet.” She slid her chair back and walked over to the sink, wet a napkin, and grabbed an emergency medical kit from the cupboard below.
    He didn’t respond, but watched her warily as she walked over to her seat, and held out her hand expectantly. What was she doing? Did she really expect him to give her his hand? The cut was nothing. It would heal—as soon as his energy built back up. He was here to take care of her, not the other way around. “What?” A ripple of tension shuddered through him.
    “Just let me see it.” Olivia reached across the table and grabbed his arm. Taking his hand in hers, she inspected his knuckles. Her brows furrowed, her bottom lip caught between her teeth in concentration. Grabbing the wet cloth, she dabbed at his knuckles, glancing up as if to make sure she wasn’t hurting him. “You saw Mitch, didn’t you?”
    He dipped his head in acknowledgment, resisting the impulse to withdraw his hand from her grasp, not wholly comfortable with the physical contact. “Mitch is an ass,” he grumbled. “Honestly, I can’t see you with that guy, memories or not. From how Liam spoke of you—”
    Olivia stilled. Her grip on his hand tightened and her emerald gaze shot up, locking on him intently. “He talked about me? What did he say?”
    Aw hell... The hopeful expression on her face sent a pang of guilt piercing his heart. He was supposed to be encouraging her to let Liam go, not talking about him. But she looked so heartsick at the mere mention of his name. Heaving a sigh of resignation, he conceded, “Liam always spoke of you in the highest regard. He described you as intelligent, spirited, and compassionate. He worried your lack of life experience would make you vulnerable to others who would take advantage of your gentle nature. When Liam came back, the first time that is, it was clear he’d fallen in love with you. That concerned the elders. Still, he endeavored to let you go, as you must do for him now.”
    She scowled at that, clearly finding the advice distasteful. He glanced down at his hand held tightly by hers in a pleading embrace. Blood continued to ooze from the laceration, slowly rolling toward her fingers. He pulled his hand from her grip and grabbed the moist cloth from the table, wiping it across his hand.
    “I’m sorry—” she stammered, as if just now realizing she’d been in the process of tending his wound.
    He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I said it’s fine.”
    Propping her elbows on the table, she buried her face in her hands. “I can’t do it, Tate. And I know it makes no sense to you. I don’t even understand it myself, but I can’t let him go. My heart is clinging to someone I can’t even remember. But Olivia...the Olivia who wrote in that journal was so profoundly in love with him, that to read her memories makes me fall in love him all over again. I want him back in my life.”
    He truly pitied the young woman sitting beside him. She looked so fragile, so...broken. If there was something he could have said, something he could have done to ease her suffering, he would have done it. As it was, he could be of no assistance when it came to matters of the heart.
    “—And then there’s this part of me that’s so furious he did this to me. How could he just erase four years of my life like they never happened?”
    Her head snapped up and those tear-filled eyes locked on him as if she expected him to answer her. If he was wise, he’d keep his mouth shut. Nothing was going to fix this. If he could lie, he’d be tempted to belay her with untruths that Liam didn’t want her. She’d been nothing but an assignment that he was tired of babysitting. It would have broken her heart, but truly, could the pain have been any