Page 10

Her first session with Dr. Bowles had been a huge help, and she now felt more like her old carefree, confident, and optimistic self. The past two weeks of her life might be a horrible blank, but she couldn't and mustn't let her mind dwell on this. As today's session had taught her, the key to coping was to focus on what she knew and ignore what was out of her control.

And so when her tall, dark, and handsome husband came striding in, and his jade-green eyes finally met hers—-

Goodness gracious.

She had actually forgotten how breathtakingly handsome her husband was, and all she could do now was congratulate herself for having such amazing taste.

Well done, Cha-Cha of two weeks ago!

He was like sex on legs, and his looks were such that they could serve as a template for animated fairytale princes. He was just divine, dad gum it. Just oh so divine, and when Charlee-Mae recalled the delightful French accent that accompanied his speech earlier, it made her want to do a Camilla Cabello and ooh-la-la-la her way all over her husband's body, which she had no trouble imagining as mouth-wateringly hard even under his leather jacket and jeans.

Charlee-Mae tried to remember if she had ever seen him naked, but as soon as she did, pain struck her temples—-

Her cry of pain had Philippe reacting instinctively, and he was seated on the edge of her bed in the next instant. "Are you alright?" His fingers gently displaced hers as he touched one side of her head. "Does it hurt here?"

"It's my fault," she confessed. "I was told not to try to remember anything—-"

"Oui."

Her husband's tone was disapproving, and he would probably be even more disapproving, Charlee-Mae thought ruefully, if he found out what she had been trying to remember.

Philippe could not help feeling wary when he saw a quirky smile form over Charlee-Mae's rosebud lips. Just seconds ago, she had appeared in great pain, and now all of a sudden she was in a mood to laugh?

Une folle.

That was what this "wife" of his was starting to shape up.

A madwoman.

He had a madwoman for a wife. Immensely fuckable, yes, but still. And when she looked fit to laugh, he finally had to ask, "What's so funny?"

"It might make you mad."

No, he almost said. She was the one who was mad, not him. But since good manners forbade him from saying such a thing, Philippe simply shook his head. "I do not get mad easily."

"Well...I just found it funny, when I remembered Dr. Manolis warning me about forcing myself to remember anything from the past two weeks."

"And yet you did it anyway."

There was her husband's disapproving tone again, but crazily enough, Charlee-Mae found the sound so very sexy.

"Was the memory that you were trying to recall worth the headache?"

Charlee-Mae's shoulders started to shake.

"It is that funny?"

"Well..."

Philippe wondered if she was deliberately trying his patience.

"I was trying to remember..."

Why did she not simply spit it out?

"If I ever saw you naked?"

Her husband nearly choked, and Charlee-Mae couldn't help but giggle.