Read Remembering You: Pushing the Boundaries, Prequel for Free Online Page A

she’d been rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy, though she swore to this day it was seeing her childhood destroyed that had caused it to rupture in the first place.
    “You sure you have to leave?” Ben asked softly.
    Strange that she was thinking of that night right now. She’d been wheeled into a shared room after her surgery to rest, fallen asleep from all the pain meds she’d been on, and had woken up in semi-darkness just in time to hear a woman say, I can’t see you anymore.
    She’d felt so bad for the poor guy who’d been left right after some kind of procedure. She’d imagined him alone and hurting and hadn’t been able to resist saying something through the curtain separating them.
    Something about the guy she’d ended up talking to for hours that night had pulled at her in a way few people had ever been able to do. Made her want to be with him, to stay with him, even though ever since she’d finished college, Nina had never been able to stick around for long in one place.
    Like father, like daughter. It was what had made her such a successful reporter—the willingness to pack up and go at a moment’s notice. So why did the words she was about to say to Ben make her feel stupid?
    “Yeah, I do. I have to leave.”
    Disappointment flashed across his face, quickly replaced by an understanding nod. But she’d seen the regret before he’d covered it up, and she wanted to kick herself for hurting him. The instinct that had time and again saved her life as a reporter was now telling her that she should have known better than that.
    Walking away felt wrong. Cowardly.
    You’re crazy. You met him only this morning. It’s not like he’s your soul mate.
    But how else were soul mates supposed to meet? Maybe this morning’s accident had been the universe’s way to get them together.
    “I’ll walk you to your car,” he offered, gesturing to the bartender and pulling out his wallet, but she protested out of habit.
    “It’s okay. I’m used to taking care of myself. And I’ve already pulled you away from your friends for too long,” she assured him.
    But he gave her a weird look in reply. The same kind of assessment the bartender had when she’d first come in.
    “What’s that for?”
    He turned, his eyes pointedly scanning the room. “You realize you’re the only woman in here, right?”
    She didn’t even bother turning on her barstool to see for herself. She was sure he was right, for God’s sake. But it upset her that she hadn’t actually realized it when she’d walked in.
    Fuck, I’m usually more observant.
    “I’m sure you are, but it looks like you’ve had a rough day.”
    “Did I say that out loud?”
    Ben laughed at her surprise. “Yep. Definitely a rough day.” He put some money on the bar and she started to object when she realized he had also paid for her drink, but he stopped her.
    “It’s not every day I get to treat a beautiful woman to some much-needed relaxation.”
    I have a much better way you can help me relax. The thought accompanied an image of Ben, naked and thrusting into her as she convulsed around his cock, and heat flooded her body, making her feel suddenly threatened. She shouldn’t have been surprised, given how attracted she was to him, but the intensity of it caused her to stand upright a little too fast. She stumbled, her foot catching on the last rung of the stool, and she pitched forward.
    Warm, strong arms closed around her. “Steady there, sweetheart,” his soft voice caressed her ear.
    Steady? Well, definitely not now. Not anymore. She was pressed full length against him and she could feel the heat of his body beneath hers. Her hands were resting lightly against his hard chest, and she couldn’t stop herself from moving them down, ever so slightly, stroking the tight muscle underneath. His body flinched at the touch and his grip around her tightened almost imperceptibly.
    Shit. What are you doing?
    Her cheeks heated and she sprang