Take Me Away (Southern Bride 6)

I exhaled, a bit more dramatically than necessary. “The pressure is on.”

She winked. “Somehow I think you’re up for the challenge, flyboy.”LinnziI STARED UP at the ceiling and replayed Nolan’s kiss in my mind. What in the world had come over me? I nearly threw myself at the man. It was like my body was in control, and she had a whole been-here-before attitude.

“That kiss,” I whispered as I rolled over and hugged a pillow and stared out the window. “That kiss.”

I closed my eyes and felt myself starting to drift off to sleep.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Rolling over, I looked outside and gasped.

“Nolan Byers!” I hissed as I got up and opened my bedroom window. “What in the heck are you doing?”

He smiled. “I’ve come to take you on a picnic, a little early birthday celebration. You only turn eighteen once.”

I attempted not to smile or melt to the floor with this romantic gesture. “A picnic? At two in the morning?”

A wicked smile spread across his face. “I could come into your room, if you prefer? Don’t think your folks would appreciate that, though.”

Chewing on my lip, I ran back to the bedroom door, locked it, and then turned to see Nolan climbing in through the window.

“If my daddy catches you here, he will kill you.”

Nolan reached out and pulled me to him. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me as he laid me down onto the bed.

“Nolan,” I whispered as I felt him move his hand up my leg.

“Do you want me to make love to you or take you on a picnic, Linz?”

I fumbled with his jeans as he laughed softly.

“Condom?” I panted as he pulled one out of his pocket and worked at getting it on as I yanked my t-shirt over my head. Thirty seconds later, he slipped inside me.

“Nolan!” I gasped, nearly coming on the spot.

“Be quiet, Linz,” he whispered in my ear as he moved slowly in and out. “I’ll make you come, baby, but don’t make a sound.”

I shot up in bed and gasped for air. My entire body was wound up, and I was extremely hot. I was so turned on just from a dream. I turned my head to look at the window, then to my bedroom door, then back to the window. I felt my pulse everywhere in my body, and realization hit me as I covered my mouth with my hand. That was most certainly not a fantasy, and it wasn’t a dream…but a memory. All those dreams I’d been having, they were actually memories of Nolan.

Throwing my legs over the side of my bed, I looked at the window once more. I stood and made my way over to it and stared out into the night.

“Oh, dear God. I’m starting to remember. Being back home, it’s all coming back.”

The next morning, I walked into the kitchen to find my parents both standing there, neither of them speaking. My mother was looking at her computer, while my father read the newspaper. I had to smile. I didn’t even know they still delivered the newspaper.

“Happy Sunday,” I said as I reached over and grabbed one of the blueberry muffins on the table.

They both looked up at me and smiled.

My mother was the first to speak. “Good morning, Linnzi. How did you sleep?”

If I answered her truthfully, I would have said like shit. That I had only gotten about four hours, if that. Instead, I replied, “Like a baby.”

“That’s good,” Mom said as she glanced over at my father.

For hours last night I lay in my bed and tried to figure out why everyone had kept Nolan a secret from me. What had happened that no one felt they could tell me the truth.

“You didn’t talk much about the party when you got home,” my mother said. “How was it?”

I smiled. “It was fun. Half the people there knew me, and I barely remembered them, if I remembered them at all.”

My father nodded. “It’s got to be hard.”

I shrugged. “I actually did meet someone…well, meet isn’t the right word. Nolan Byers?”

They both smiled, but I could see the look of panic in their eyes. Neither said anything.

“I got the strong impression I knew him well.”

My mother nodded. “Yes, you did.”

I lifted a brow. Finally, were they going to tell me something about my past?

“Do you have any memories of Nolan?” my father asked. I couldn’t help but notice he had the same fearful look in his eyes that Nolan had had yesterday. I could tell them I had been having memories of Nolan, but I wasn’t ready yet. I wanted to keep this to myself for now.

“No. Besides this overwhelming feeling that we were close, no memories.”

Both of their shoulders sagged, and I wasn’t sure if it was in relief or disappointment.