The Chase, Volume 4 Read online

  I looked over at him and felt grateful for how sweet and patient he was with me. “Connor, I don’t want to have to kick you out of your own bed.”

  He laughed. “Don’t worry. I think I can manage in the King-size bed in the guest room.”

  Even though he was all smiles, I could sense something less happy behind his laughter.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I know this can’t be easy for you.”

  “Thank you for understanding.”

  “I’m just so glad you’re back home, Liv.” He pulled me into his embrace.

  I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sink into his arms. I inhaled the faint scent of his aftershave, hoping it would trigger a memory.

  Just then I heard a bark and the sound of paws running across the hardwood floor toward us. Before I could turn to see what it was, something jumped at me and nipped at my ankle.

  “Ow!” I cried out and took a step back.

  “Scooter! Don’t be a bad boy.” Connor picked up the small Jack Russell terrier off the ground and gave it a kiss. “Liv’s home. Play nice.” He walked over toward me. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I grinned at Scooter and reached over to scratch his head. Scooter growled at me and jumped off Connor and ran out of the room. I frowned and looked over at Connor.

  “Sorry about that. He’s a bit territorial. Give him some time and he’ll become familiar with you again.”

  I nodded in understanding. “Sure. I guess I have been away from him for four months. When did we get him?”

  “Actually I’ve had Scooter for almost eight years now. I got him when he was just a puppy.”

  “Oh.” I now understood what Connor meant when he said Scooter was possessive. He was Connor’s dog, not ours. Is that why Scooter didn’t seem to care for me?

  Before I could ask Connor more about the dog, there was a buzz and a small video screen next to the phone on the kitchen counter turned on, showing a live stream of the front door where Jim stood.

  “Mr. Brady? Ms. Peters is here to see Ms. Stuart.”

  “Thanks, Jim. Please let her in.” Connor turned to me. “Anna’s here. Do you want me to keep you company or do you want to catch up with her by yourself?”

  “I’d like to get to know her by myself if that’s okay.”

  “Of course. I have a lot of work to catch up on. So I’ll be on my laptop in the dining room. If you need anything, just let me know.” Connor walked over and kissed me gently on the cheeks.

  “Sure. Thank you.” I smiled at him.

  Seconds later, a redhead in a bright yellow sundress walked into the kitchen.

  “Oh my gosh, Liv! It’s so good to see you awake! How are you feeling?” The bubbly redhead ran toward me with her arms outstretched to hug me.

  “Hi.” I gave her an uncomfortable smile.

  She didn’t seem to notice my unease as she flung her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Babe, I was so worried.”

  When she finally pulled away and I saw tears developing in her eyes. “I…” I wasn’t sure what to stay to this girl that I didn’t recognize.

  “Oh my God, sorry! How could I be such an airhead?” She made a face and lowered her voice. “Connor told me that you don’t remember anything yet.” She outstretched her hand. “I’m Anna, your best friend.” She beamed at me with pride as if she had just told me she was an Olympic gold medalist.

  I smiled at her, knowing that there was something about her carefree and happy personality that made me instantly feel at ease with her. I shook her hand, immediately realizing how awkward this might be for her to be shaking hands with her best friend in such a formal way.

  “So how are you feeling?” She wrapped her arms around my arm as she walked us toward the living room.

  “It’s been okay. I’m still trying to adjust.”

  She shook her head and looked at me like I was a wounded puppy. “How’s Connor been treating you?” She looked over at Conner who looked up from his laptop at the mention of his name. “He better not be acting like a jerk or he’ll have to answer to me.” She made her comments intentionally loud enough for Connor to hear.

  “Hey, this isn’t fair. You’ve been here for how many minutes and it’s already turning into a Connor Roast?”

  Anna snorted and rolled her eyes. “If you’ve been treating my girl right, then there won’t be a Connor Roast.”

  He laughed. “Okay. Touché. Well I’ll let you girls catch up. I need to head into the office to grab some documents.” He closed his laptop and packed it into his briefcase. He walked over to us and leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “You okay here with Anna? I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  I smiled up at him and nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Brady. I’ll take care of your wonderful fiancée. I promise not to feed her too many negative stories about you.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Have a fun time, ladies.” Our eyes met and his expression softened. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

  I nodded.

  After we heard the front door close behind Connor, I turned to Anna. “Does Connor not treat me well?”

  She laughed. “Girl, I was joking around. Connor treats you like a princess.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, of course!” She then frowned. “Why? Has he not been treating you well?”

  “No, no, no. He has. That’s not what I meant. I think I just took your joking earlier seriously.” I let out a sigh. “Sorry, I’m still trying to figure things out.”

  “I totally understand, Liv. I just can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

  “I…” I paused. It seemed weird to be talking to this girl who knew me so well but I had no memory of. “Can I ask you something, Anna?”

  “Of course, sweetie. Fire away.”

  “Can you tell me about my relationship with Connor?”

  “Sure.” She scrunched her face together as she thought about where to start. “What would you like to know?” she finally asked.

  “Well…” There had been something that’d been nagging at me since the car ride home. “Connor had mentioned today that he’s my boss and we met at work.”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “Did I…What kind of person was I? How did I…did I do anything inappropriate—I mean, how did it all happen? How did I start dating my boss?” I stumbled over my words as I felt my face grow hot with shame. I may not remember anything about my life, but I knew that sleeping with your boss was not the most appropriate and ethical thing to do.

  As if a light flickered on in her head, Anna began to laugh. “Oh sweetie, relax. You did nothing inappropriate.”

  I looked at her hopefully. “How do you know?”

  “Because I work there too. That’s how we met. I’m one of the investment bankers at the company.”

  “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry, Liv. No one at work thinks you started dating Connor to get ahead. You are one of the hardest working people at Brady Global. You really don’t need any extra help to get ahead. Trust me, everyone loves you at work. In fact, everyone actually thinks you and Connor are like the perfect couple. You’re both hot, smart, and hardworking. It was actually your hard work and dedication to the company that first caught Connor’s attention.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, you were one of the few people who seemed to stay at work until ten or eleven at night every single night. You had told me that you had bumped into Connor a few times in the elevators while you were leaving the building late at night. After a while you guys were having dinner breaks together in the conference room several evenings every week. That’s when he really started to pursue you. You told me that he asked you to join him for dinners and drinks outside of the office on several occasions. But in the beginning you kept saying no because you thought it was inappropriate. You also seemed to have reservations about dating in general. You
seemed to want to consume yourself with work and nothing else. I think it was your own way of grieving over the loss of your mother.”

  I frowned at the mention of my mother and I wished desperately that I could remember her.

  “Anyway, Connor didn’t give up. You have to give the man some credit. He was certainly persistent and he kept wooing you. And after some time, you finally realized that there was something there between the two of you that you couldn’t deny. So you finally budged and agreed to go on a date with him. But before you did, and with your insistence, you guys went through the proper channels with the Human Resources department and signed some forms that disclosed your potential personal relationship.”

  “That’s good.” I felt a sense of relief wash through me after hearing Anna’s recount of how I started dating Connor.

  “So you see, sweetie, you have nothing to worry about.” She cocked her head and studied me. “Were you really worried?

  I looked at her and nodded sheepishly.

  “Sweetie, you have nothing to worry about! Connor is great to you. Do you know he visited you at the hospital every single day for the last four months, waiting for the day you’d finally wake up?”

  “He did?” I thought about Connor and smiled at how lucky I was to have him in my life.

  “Darling, that man loves you to pieces!”

  Just then, a memory flashed before my eyes.

  I was standing at the front entrance of a nail salon.

  “O.M.G.! You’re engaged?” Anna squealed the minute she saw me walk inside the salon. How she was able to spot my engagement ring within the first second of entering the salon is beyond me, I thought as I looked down at the breathtaking, sparkling rock weighing down my left ring finger.

  She grabbed my hand eagerly and pulled it up to her face, studying the ring closely. “Damn, not bad, Connor. Now this is what an engagement ring should look like.”

  I laughed. “You don’t think it’s a bit too flashy?” I looked at her, waiting for her approval.

  “For the future Mrs. Connor Brady, one of the richest and youngest CEOs in the U.S.? No, this will do perfectly.” She looked back at the ring, mesmerized by it. “It’s gorgeous.” Finally pulling her eyes off the ring, she looked up at me, grinning ear to ear. “So how do you feel?”

  “Happy, but still a bit in shock to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

  “I knew it was bound to happen! That man loves you to pieces!”

  “Yeah, you’re right. So you don’t think it’s too soon?”

  She didn’t seem to hear me as her gaze went back to my finger. “O.M.G. Let me get some photos of it.”

  Before I could protest, Anna had already pulled out her phone and was snapping away at the ring.

  I giggled. “Why are you taking photos of it? I don’t know if I want it up on Facebook or Instagram.”

  “Why do you always have to be so modest, Liv! Sometimes you gotta flaunt what your mama gave yah! And in this case, flaunt that ginormous rock that your rich, powerful fiancé gave you.” She continued to snap away.

  “Come on, Anna. You know I’m not into posting this kind of stuff on social media.”

  “You and your modesty, Liv.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t actually planning on posting these anywhere.”

  “Oh? What are you doing with them?” I eyed her suspiciously, knowing when she was scheming something.

  She laughed. “I’m going to figure out a way for Rich to see them while I’m gushing over your ring to him. If that isn’t a hint, I don’t know what is.”

  “Liv?”

  Suddenly the salon disappeared and I was back in the living room with Anna.

  “Did you say something?” I asked as I rubbed my head.

  “Yeah. I called your name, but you looked like you were spaced out. Are you okay?”

  I smiled. “I’m okay. I just had a flashback of us.” Excitement ran through me as another memory—a happy one—filled my near-empty mind.

  “Oh?” Her eyes lit up. “What did you remember?”

  “It was us—when I met you in the nail salon and you saw my ring for the first time.”

  “Now that was a great memory to get back!”

  I laughed at Anna’s genuine excitement for me, a level of excitement that rivaled my own. I instantly knew why we were best friends and why I must have loved her so much.

  “Damn, Liv. It’s just so great to finally see you! You have no idea how much I’ve missed you in the last four months.” She reached for my hands and squeezed them. “You know, I had visited you in the hospital several times after your accident and it was so difficult to see you lying there completely motionless…” Anna’s voice cracked.

  “Were you there that night…when it happened?”

  She nodded as tears welled up in her eyes. “It was horrible. I can’t believe how fast it all had happened. I remember that I had been talking to you maybe only twenty minutes before your accident. You had gone to look for Connor in one of the other rooms and then less than half an hour later I heard all the sirens.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, it was your engagement party, and probably the most fabulous party I’ve ever attended. Everyone who’s anyone was there. And honey, you were so beautiful that night. You looked so happy.”

  “I was?” I looked at her wistfully, wishing that I could remember being as happy as she’d remembered me to be.

  “You and Connor were just so happy.” She shook her head as she thought back to that night. “I’ve never seen Connor look so happy and then so devastated before in the same night.”

  “Did you see me after…after I was hit?” I felt my chest constrict as I imagined what it felt like to be hit by a car.

  “Only briefly from a distance. I was inside when it happened and I didn’t know what had happened until I heard the sirens outside. By the time I ran out, the area was blocked off and all I could see was Connor by your side with two paramedics putting you on a stretcher. I will never forget the look on his face. I’ve always seen him calm and collected. But that night…he was as white as a sheet and sick with worry.”

  Tears cascaded down my face as I pictured the scene in my mind. I thought about how it must have felt to be in Connor’s position. To watch the one you love being taken away like I had. My heart ached at the idea.

  I thought about everything Anna had just told me about Connor and our relationship together and it was then that I reached for my phone and sent Connor a text.

  Me: Hi. Do you mind if we sleep in the same bed tonight?

  To my surprise, he immediately responded back.

  Connor: Really? Of course we can, but are you sure you’re okay with that?

  Me: Yes. I know this must be hard for you too. I think being in the same bed with you could help me with my memories.

  Connor: :) I agree. I’ll let Debra know.

  Me: Could we take things slow though?

  Connor: As slow as a snail if that’s what you need. ;)

  Me: Haha. Thank you.

  As I put away my phone and turned back to my conversation with Anna, I felt a renewed sense of hope. I’m so lucky to have an amazing fiancé like Connor. I need to do everything I can to remember him.

  Oblivion will be release on September 15, 2015.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jessica Wood writes new adult contemporary romance.

  While she has lived in countless cities throughout the U.S., her heart belongs to San Francisco. To her, there’s something seductively romantic about the Golden Gate Bridge, the steep rolling hills of the city streets, the cable cars, and the Victorian-style architecture.

  Jessica loves a strong, masculine man with a witty personality. While she is headstrong and stubbornly independent, she can’t resist a man who takes control of the relationship, both outside and inside of the bedroom.

  She loves to travel internationally, and tries to plan a yearly trip abroad. She also loves to cook and bake,
and—to the benefit of her friends—she loves to share. She also enjoys ceramics and being creative with her hands. She has a weakness for good (maybe bad) TV shows; she’s up-to-date on over 25 current shows, and no, that wasn’t a joke.

  And it goes without saying, she loves books—they’re like old and dear friends who have always been there to make her laugh and make her cry.

  The one thing she wishes she had more of is time.

  If you would like to follow or contact Jessica Wood, you can do so through the following:

  Mailing List: http://jessicawoodauthor.com/mailing-list/

  Blog: http://jessicawoodauthor.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessicawoodauthor

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/jesswoodauthor

  Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jessicawooda/

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Other Books

  About the Author