Boys she ditched school to see?

Boys she barely knew whom she nursed when they got a killer flu?

Boys who kidnapped her and held her for large ransoms?

I forced myself to meet her eyes.

“Why do you seem so familiar to me, Jason?”

I almost jerked back, but tensed just in time. Damn these trendy glass tables that didn’t allow for me to clench my hands or fidget. I got up, shoving my fists into my jean pockets, wishing I were feeling the heft of a knife handle in them instead. “I don’t know,” I said. “You seem familiar to me too.”

I paced, trying to calm myself. Wondering if the memory-wipe was finally losing its hold on Daiyu.

Was she remembering?

She rose from the table too—smooth and elegant compared to my agitated movements. Standing before me in a few strides, she grabbed for my arm, and her subtle strawberry scent followed a second later.

“Maybe we knew each other in a past life?” I asked, trying to make my tone light.

She gazed up at me but didn’t reply.

I could only think of one way to distract her and took a step forward. Close. Closer than I should ever be. “Does this feel familiar, then?” My voice had gone rough, and I swallowed. Fought the impulse to clear my throat.

She nodded imperceptibly.

I raised my other hand and trailed my fingers through her soft hair, before cupping my palm against the back of her neck, leaning in, and kissing her. She stiffened at first, then swayed into me, and I could feel her melding against my body in parts: her breasts, her hips, her thighs. She wrapped both arms around my neck and opened her mouth to me.

Gods.

My body felt electrified, every nerve standing on end. Crackling.

But I held back. Tried to hold back. I shouldn’t have done this. Though she was urging me to kiss her deeper, seeking me with her tongue, so I gave in to the sensations. Gave in to the kiss. My hand gripped her waist, the other still clasping the back of her neck. Daiyu let her palms wander, across my shoulders then my chest, trailing her fingertips down my stomach. All the while exploring, tasting me with her lips and her tongue, as though if she kissed me long enough, she’d find the answer she sought so desperately. The reality was so much better than anything I’d fantasized. My body couldn’t help but react. And she felt it too, because she ground her pelvis into me. I made an involuntary sound at the back of my throat, jumping out of my own skin, fighting the urge to tug her toward the bed.

I grasped her wrists and stumbled back, breaking our kiss. We were both out of breath, and she stared at me, face flushed. Dazed.

“Daiyu . . .” I took another unsteady step backward.