Connie Mason Read Online Free Page A

Mariah entered the chamber, bringing sunshine and warmth, chasing away the fear that threatened to consume him.
    “Edwina said you were asking questions about me.”
    A corner of his split lips lifted into a half smile. “Whenever you are with me I feel better,” Falcon said. “Stay awhile and talk to me. Tell me about yourself.”
    Though she feared she was making a mistake, Mariah sank down into a chair. “What is it you want to know?”
    “Your father said you were a widow. How long ago did your husband die?”
    Mariah should stop this charade now. “A few months ago.”
    “How did he die?”
    How?
“A . . . hunting accident. Please, I don’t want to talk about him.”
    “You must have loved him very much.”
    Mariah sought a way to change the subject and found it. “We should give you a name until you can remember your own. Do you have a preference?”
    His brain scrambled for memory, found only terror and empty spaces. He shook his head.
    Mariah cocked her head and tapped her lips with a fingertip.Falcon felt a stirring he knew was not new to him. Aye, this golden-haired, blue-eyed angel stirred him, made him feel alive and eased his fear.
    “You are beautiful, lady,” he murmured, unable to help himself. “Your husband was a lucky man.”
    “I . . . I suppose. We were talking about your name. What shall I call you?”
    A sense of angry impotence filled him.
He didn’t know!
His mind was as blank as a newborn babe’s. He sent her a look fraught with terror.
    Mariah’s heart ached, unable to bear his pain. “Until you regain your memory, I shall call you Sir Knight. Now you should rest, and I have duties to attend.”
    He grasped her hand. “Nay, do not go. When I am alone, I am consumed by demons.”
    How could Mariah refuse? “Very well. I will stay for a little while.”

Chapter Two
    Mariah perched on the edge of the bed. Who was this man? She knew he was feeling terror—anyone would in his situation. It must be frightening to look at your own face and see a stranger, or to have your memory completely erased. Though she felt attracted to him, that attraction hadn’t lessened her sense of right and wrong.
    “What are you thinking?” Falcon asked.
    She blushed and looked away, relieved that he could not read her mind.
    His gaze swept over her. She was wearing a blue gown today, a color that closely matched her eyes. The neckline was modest, but it did naught to disguise the lush curves of her breasts.
    “Why are you looking at me like that?” Mariah asked.
    “You are fair to look at. Are you sure we have never met before?”
    “Aye, Sir Knight, I never set eyes on you until you were brought to Mildenhall. Perhaps I resemble your mother, or wife.”
    Falcon looked away, as if searching for something familiar.“Nay, I am sure my mother is not fair like you, and I feel no connection to a wife. Although . . .”
    “What?”
    He shook his head. “I am confident I am not wed.”
    Reaching out, he stroked her cheek. She pulled back as if stung.
    “Forgive me, I had no right.”
    Mariah dragged in a calming breath. What was wrong with her? The burning sensation that lingered where Sir Knight had touched her was a new one. His innocent caress raised bumps on her skin. She felt heat rise to her cheeks, then spread downward to private places.
    “Lady Mariah, are you all right?”
    “I am fine, Sir Knight.”
    Falcon didn’t think she was fine. She looked flustered and breathless. Had his touch done that to her? Touching a woman felt natural to him, as if he had done this and more in the past. He felt a stirring in his loins and suddenly realized something about himself. He was a sexual creature who enjoyed women.
    How did he know that?
    “Did you remember something?” Mariah asked.
    “Aye.” He touched her cheek again, only this time he trailed his fingers over her chin to her throat, and then drifted lower, outlining the curve of her breast. “Caressing you made me recall that I am