Silent Run

head just long enough to look at her.
    There was no cloud of confusion now in her bright blue eyes.
    â€œJake.” She pulled him down, wrapping her arms and her legs around him as he thrust into her.
    She was tight and hot, and he’d been abstinent too long. He wanted to make it go on forever. He wanted her to feel him deep within her. He wanted to touch the core of her, open the floodgates to her memory, make her know him. And she seemed to want the same thing.
    There was a reckless, urgent passion burning within her that he didn’t recognize, but certainly liked. Sarah wouldn’t let him slow down, urging him on, harder and deeper until they finally came together in an explosive climax.
    After he caught his breath, he rolled over onto his back, pulling her up next to him, his arm around her body. He wasn’t letting her go yet. The physical and emotional distance that had been between them was gone. He had her back. He could feel it.
    Please, God, let her remember me, he prayed silently, knowing that deep down in his gut he wasn’t at all sure that he had her back.
    * * *
    Sarah could hear Jake’s heart beating beneath her cheek. His skin was still hot to her touch, his breath ragged and rough. Her own body felt deliciously tired and used, her nerves still tingling from every taste, every touch. The mix of anger and passion had made their lovemaking so strong, so powerful. She’d felt Jake’s desire to take her back in every kiss. He was fighting for her and for them and for what had once been perfect. And she was fighting for some memory of it all.
    Closing her eyes, she strained to see some other moment when she and Jake had been in bed together. There must have been hundreds of times when they’d made love during the two years they shared a home. Hadn’t she slept just like this, her leg flung over his, her arm across his waist, her head pillowed by his strong chest?
    Her brain stubbornly refused to go back in time. Why would her mind give her back some memories and not others? But that wasn’t the most important question.
    What was she going to tell Jake when he asked? And he would ask.
    He’d done everything he could to shake the memories loose, to remind her of how good it had been between them. Well, he’d shaken her up, all right, but not in the way he’d intended. Her senses were singing. And her heart was beating in sync with his. She might not remember the actual times they’d been together in the past, but she could feel the love they’d shared, much the same way she felt the love between herself and Caitlyn. The three of them were connected, a bond that couldn’t be broken, even if it couldn’t be remembered.
    But he wouldn’t understand. He would hate her again. And she didn’t want to go back to that place. She needed Jake to be on her side despite everything she’d done to him. It was a lot to ask of the man, probably too much.
    Jake’s arm tightened around her, his fingers slipping into her hair, rubbing the now tightening muscles in her neck. “I can hear you thinking,” he murmured. “And your thoughts are making you tense.” He paused, waiting for her to say something. When she didn’t, he said, “Sarah?"
    She’d expected the questioning note, but she still wasn’t ready for it. “Was it always this good?” she asked. Her words had barely left her mouth when she felt him stiffen and knew she’d already revealed too much. There were a million things she could have said besides that.
    â€œYou don’t remember.” He didn’t make it a question, just a statement of fact and frustration. His hand fell from her neck.
    She lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. “I’m sorry, Jake."
    â€œThe memories aren’t there. I don’t know why I thought they would be."
    She hated causing him more pain. “It was still great."
    â€œIt was sex."
    â€œIt was more than that. You know it was."
    â€œI don’t know anything.” Moving abruptly, Jake rolled her out of his arms and stood up. He dragged on his jeans and his shirt, seemingly determined to put as much physical space between them as possible. His regret over what had just happened was evident in every tight line in his face.
    â€œI wanted to remember,” she said quietly, despair overwhelming her as she watched him withdraw from her.
    â€œIs that why you said yes?” he