heading for the steps leading to the beach. “This conversation is over. Go home, Kate.”
She stared at his retreating back for all of five seconds before she took off after him. Just because he was royalty and she was his assistant didn’t mean he could dismiss her anytime he wanted. Rude was rude no matter one’s social status.
She didn’t say a word as she followed him. Luc’s long strides ate up the ground as he headed toward the dock. Surely the man wasn’t going out on his Jet Ski now. Granted, the water was calm since the storm had passed, but it was dark and he was angry.
Just as she was about to call his name, he went down. The heavy thud had her moving faster, her thighs burning from running across the sand. She prayed the sound of him falling was much worse than any injury.
“Luc,” she called as she approached. “Are you all right?”
He didn’t move, didn’t respond, but lay perfectly still on the wet dock. Dread consumed her. The second she stepped onto the dock, her feet slid a bit, too, and she tripped over a loose board that had warped slightly higher than the others.
The dock obviously hadn’t been repaired like the rest of the outdoor spaces on this property.
Kate crouched next to him, instantly noticing the swollen knot at his temple. He’d hit his head on a post, from what she could tell.
“Luc.” She brushed his hair off his forehead, afraid to move him, and hoping he’d only passed out. “Can you hear me?”
She stroked his cheek as she ran her gaze down his body to see if there were any other injuries. How could he be up one second and out cold the next? Fear threatened to overtake her the instant she realized she didn’t have her phone.
Maybe she was irresponsible, but she’d have to worry about that later. Right now she had no clue how serious Luc’s injury was, but the fact he still hadn’t moved had terror pumping through her.
Shifting so her knees weren’t digging into the wood, Kate sat on her hip and kept patting Luc’s face. “Come on, Luc. Wake up. Argue with me some more.”
Torn between rushing back to the house for her phone to call for help and waiting to see if he woke on his own, Kate started patting down his shorts, hoping he carried his cell in his pocket.
One pocket was empty, and before she could reach to the other side, Luc groaned and tried to shift his body.
“Wait,” she told him, pressing a hand to his shoulder as he started to rise. “Don’t move. Are you hurt anywhere?”
He blinked as he stared up at her. Thankfully, the bright light from the lamppost was helping her assess his injuries, since the sun had set.
Luc’s brows drew together in confusion. “Why were you feeling me up?”
Relief swept through her. “I wasn’t feeling you up,” she retorted, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and slowly helping him to sit up. “I was checking your pockets for a cell phone. You fell and hit your head on the post. I was worried because you were out for a few minutes.”
Luc reached up, wincing as his fingers encountered the bump on his head, which was already turning blue. “Damn, that hurts.”
“Let’s get you back up to the house.” Kate helped him to his feet, then slid her arm around his waist to steady him. “You okay? Feeling dizzy or anything?”
He stared down at her, blinked a few times and frowned. “This is crazy,” he muttered.
“What?”
With his thumb and index finger, he wiped his eyes and held the bridge of his nose. He probably had the mother of all headaches right now. All the more reason to get this big guy moving toward the house, because if he went back down, she couldn’t carry him.
“I know you,” he murmured. “I just... Damn it, your name isn’t coming to me.”
Kate froze. “You don’t know my name?” This was not good. That ball of fear in her stomach grew.
Shaking his head, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started leading them off the dock. “I must’ve hit my head harder than I thought. Why isn’t it coming to me?”
Kate pressed a hand to his abdomen, halting his progress. She shifted just enough to look him in the eyes. Since she wasn’t a medic and never had any kind of training other than a basic CPR course, she had no idea what signs to look for with a head trauma.
“Look at me,” she ordered. “You know me, Luc. You know my name.”
Blowing out a breath, he hung his head. “I... It’s on the tip of my tongue. Damn, why can’t I remember?”
He glanced back up at her, worry filling his dark eyes. This was not good, not good at all. She was going to have to get him back to the house and call the palace doctor. Obviously, Luc’s memory wasn’t cooperating. But she didn’t want him panicking; she could do enough of that for both of them.
“My name is Kate.” She watched his eyes, hoping to see some recognition, but there was nothing. “I’m your—”
“Fiancée.” A wide smile spread across his face. “Now I remember you.”
Luc leaned in to capture her lips once more, with a passion she’d never known.
Fiancée? What the hell?
Mustering all her willpower, Kate pushed Luc and his intoxicating mouth away as his words slammed into her.
“Let’s get you inside,” she told him, trying not to focus on how hard he must’ve hit his head, because he was clearly not in his right mind. “I’m not comfortable with that knot you have, and you may have a concussion. I need to call your doctor. Hopefully, with the storm gone, we’ll have cell service.”
Luc stared at her another minute, then nodded. Slipping his arm around her shoulders again, he let her lead him up to the house. Something was definitely wrong with him. The Luc from only twenty minutes ago would be arguing that he didn’t need a doctor, and he certainly wouldn’t be leaning on her for support.
She couldn’t even think about the fact that he believed they were engaged. Because if he thought they were sleeping together, this situation would get extremely awkward really fast.
Though she’d be lying if she didn’t admit to herself just how much she liked him thinking they were a couple. How long would his mind play this trick on him? How would he treat her now that he believed they were together?
Once she had him inside and settled on the sofa, she stood up and caught her breath. Luc was one massive, thick, muscular man. She’d known he was cut, but she’d had no clue how solid and heavy he would be.
His body had leaned against hers, twisting her dress on their walk. As Kate readjusted herself, trying to refill her lungs with air and not panic, she found him staring up at her, that darkened gaze holding her in place. Shivers rippled through her at the intensity
