She looked away from him to the others, biting her lip, ‘I...um... I don’t see why not.’
Her voice was low and clear. Melodic. Pleasing. It hummed over his nerve-endings. No wonder it was familiar to him. They’d met before.
The matron stepped forward. ‘Sofie, please don’t feel you have to say yes—this is a most unorthodox situation.’
She shrugged. ‘I live alone, and since Mother died I have plenty of spare rooms. It seems like an obvious solution.’
The doctor said, ‘You really would be prepared to do this? He needs monitoring, because his memory could come back at any time and it might be traumatic. He’ll also need to be checked every couple of days, just to ensure he’s fully back to good health and there are no lingering effects from his injuries.’
Before the young woman could respond to this the matron said, ‘We could arrange to have the community nurse stop by on a regular basis. And if you are willing to accommodate him, Sofie, we would give you leave from work to do so.’
‘Paid leave?’ the man heard himself saying automatically, surprising himself with his need to ensure her welfare was looked after, and also an innate sense that being assertive and being obeyed was as natural as breathing for him.
Someone made a huffing sound. ‘Well, of course that goes without saying. Sofie would be doing us all a favour, until we can establish your identity...’
A name popped into his head at that moment. He felt fairly sure it wasn’t his name, and it brought with it a sense of disquiet, but he said it anyway. ‘Darius. You can call me Darius.’
There was silence for a moment in the room, and then Sofie directed a question to the doctor. ‘How long do you think it’ll take for his memory to come back?’
The doctor said, ‘In all honesty it’s hard to tell. His memory loss is due to trauma, so it could come back over time in bits and pieces, or it could return all at once, with no warning, at any time from now.’
The man looked at her and saw the conflict on her face. Fascinating that she wasn’t trying to hide it. She looked back at him and he saw something that it took him a moment to recognise. Compassion. Pity.
Just as he was bristling at the notion of anyone pitying him, tempted to tell her he’d changed his mind, she said briskly, ‘Okay, fine. He—that is, Mr Darius—can stay with me.’
‘Are you crazy, Sofe? He could be a serial killer!’
Sofie rolled her eyes at her friend Claire. She’d just changed out of her uniform and back into her jeans and long-sleeved top. She picked up her bag and resisted the urge to check her reflection. She didn’t need to. She wouldn’t have magically grown five inches and lost a stone.
‘I doubt that very much, Claire. Anyway, you live at the bottom of my lane. If I scream loud enough you’ll be able to hear me and come running.’
Her friend looked worried. ‘I’ll check on you every day after work.’
‘I’m not the one who fell down a mountain. He needs to be checked.’
Claire waved a hand. ‘Matron has already put me on that duty. But I don’t care about him. I care about you. Are you sure you’re not being bullied into this?’
Sofie thought of how his voice had impacted on her when he’d said so assertively, ‘I’llstay with her.’ She’d looked up to find him staring at her intently. Her first reaction had been one of a deep electric thrill inside her at the very thought of him entering her house. Sharing her space.
Then he’d remembered seeing her in the room, and she’d gone hot and cold all over. Had he remembered her kissing him? Just not said it? Was that why he’d suggested staying with her? Because he thought that she was offering extra...benefits?
But then she’d noticed that he was looking at her quizzically, so she’d calmed herself down. He’d still been unconscious when she’d kissed him. And she really wasn’t that memorable.
She looked at her friend. ‘He doesn’t know who he is. He could have family, friends who are worried about him.’
He could have a wife. Children. A lover.
Sofie’s mind skittered away from that—it was all too easy to imagine a man like that in a passionate embrace with some lissom beauty.
Her friend snorted. ‘He was climbing a mountain alone. If he has family then they’re not beating down the door to find him.’
That made Sofie’s chest contract even more.
Her friend’s gaze narrowed. ‘You’re too soft-hearted, Sofe. It’ll get you into trouble one of these days.’
Into trouble. Sofie felt an illicit flutter of something very unfamiliar. Rebelliousness. She’d never got into trouble in her life. Yet here she was, inviting a total stranger into her home. A mouthwateringly gorgeous sexy stranger.
‘Promise you’ll ring me if he starts acting weird.’
Sofie blinked out of her trance. She took a breath. ‘Of course I will. I’m sure his memory will come back in a few days and he’ll turn out to be some money man from a London City firm who’s having a crisis of conscience.’
They got those types up here all the time. Searching for some kind of meaning by climbing a mountain.
Claire made a rude sound. ‘If he’s a mere “money man” then my Graham is a cast member from Magic Mike.’
Sofie thought of Claire’s husband and bit back a snort. With his portly belly and thinning hair he was about as far removed from Magic Mike as it was possible to get. But he and Claire adored each other.
Sofie sighed inwardly. Some day she hoped to have that too. Maybe that was why she was so eager to host the stranger. Shake her life up a bit. She told herself it had nothing to do with the fact that he affected her on every level it was possible for a man to affect a woman.
At that moment the matron stuck her head around the door. ‘Sofie? He’s ready to go.’
Her heart palpitated and she suddenly wondered if her friend was right to be concerned about her.
Claire said gently, ‘Are you sure about this, Sofe? Don’t feel under pressure—we can sort something else out if necessary. I can chuck the kids out of their room and put them on the sofa, and he could stay with us...’
Sofie’s trepidation vanished. She felt an almost violently negative reaction to that suggestion. It unnerved her, this sudden feeling of...possessiveness. She shook her head and forced a smile. ‘No, it’ll be fine.’
Sofie repeated this to herself as she walked out of the changing room and assured herself that his memory would probably return within twenty-four hours. Then he would be gone so fast that her head would be spinning. Because one thing was certain: that man did not belong in this place.