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His arm wrapped around her, his hand resting between her breasts. She felt completely surrounded and protected. She was suddenly struck by what Jonah had done for her. He’d saved her life and was still watching over her. “Thank you,” she whispered.

She felt his lips graze the top of her head. “You’re welcome. Now sleep.”

Amanda’s last thought was that there was no way she would sleep after the trauma of this evening.

Jonah held Amanda until he was certain she was asleep. Her deep, even breathing soothed the anger churning inside him. Someone had almost killed her tonight. That was unacceptable.

It didn’t matter that he’d only met her yesterday. Nor did it matter that he wasn’t the kind of man to settle down in a relationship. All he knew for sure was that Amanda was important to him.

When her phone had gone dead while they’d been talking, he’d almost lost it. The sharp talons of fear had gripped him—icy-cold knives tearing at his belly. He’d driven like a madman to get to her, afraid that he’d be too late.

Slipping his arm free, he slid out of bed. Amanda gave a soft snort and moan before settling back to sleep with a sigh. He waited, watching her until he was certain she wasn’t going to wake up. Padding silently across the room, he paused long enough to grab his phone before stepping out into the hallway. Using the light from the keypad, he dialed a number from memory.

“What?” the voice on the other end growled.

Jonah grinned. His buddy was a man of few words. “I’ve got a situation.”

“What do you need?” There was no hesitation, no questions, just an offer of help.

“How soon can you get to Jamesville, Maine?”

“I’ll be there by tomorrow evening.”

The line went dead and Jonah closed his phone. Tucking it into his pocket, he returned to bed, easing Amanda back into his arms.

Chapter Seven

Feeling warm and cozy, Amanda didn’t want to get up just yet. Her bed was particularly comfortable this morning. She snuggled down beneath the blankets and froze when a heavy male arm snaked out and pulled her toward a very large male body.

Jonah.

Memories of the night before came flooding back—the phone sex, the intruder, the desperate fight for her life and Jonah. It always came back to Jonah. He’d saved her life by frightening off her attacker. He’d been with her at the hospital. He’d brought her home and held her throughout the night.

Amanda rolled over onto her side. She blinked to bring him into focus and began to study his features. His straight black hair was brushed away, giving her a good view of his wide forehead and stubborn jaw. His nose was prominent, but it suited him. He looked rugged and tough, even in sleep.

As she thought that, his eyes popped open and she was caught in their green gaze.

Her eyes were green too, but hers were a dark, mossy green. Jonah’s eyes were lighter, like gemstones, sharp and intense.

“Morning.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss on her forehead. His voice was as scratchy as the stubble on his jaw.

She swallowed. It didn’t hurt quite as bad as it had last night, so she decided to give talking a try. “Morning.” She sounded like a wounded frog, but it was better than nothing.

“How are you feeling?”

It was quite intimate to lie beside a man and talk in the early morning. Both of them not quite awake yet, sleep still weighing heavy. Amanda rested her hand on his chest and felt the steady thump of his heart against her palm. Her fingers curled slightly, tangling in his crisp, dark chest hair.

“Amanda?”

His eyebrows furrowed and she could see the concern in his eyes. What had he asked her? Oh yes, how was she? She took stock of her body and swallowed again. “Good. I feel pretty good.” She gave a slight cough. Her throat felt dry.

“Try not to talk too much.” He picked up a lock of her hair that was resting on her shoulder and let it slip through his fingers. “You have great hair. I love the deep cinnamon color mixed with the red and the way it curls.” He held it up, looking at it in the morning light that streamed through the window.

Amanda could feel her cheeks heating and knew she was blushing. She’d always thought her hair too bright and curly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He rolled until she was flat on her back with him looming over her. “Makes a man wonder what it would look like spread across his pillows.” Jonah smoothed her hair away from her face. “It’s not my pillow, but it still looks sexy as hell.”

He touched his mouth to hers, his lips nibbling on her lower one. Amanda’s lips parted, but he didn’t deepen the kiss, just continued his slow exploration of her mouth.

Her toes curled and her skin tingled.

“You have very kissable lips.” Jonah kissed the tip of her nose and down the slope to her cheekbone. “Your freckles are like little dots of cinnamon. Tasty.”

He proceeded to kiss and lick at every single one of the fifteen freckles on her face.

She knew exactly how many she had. They’d been the bane of her existence as a teenager and she’d counted them over and over, using every concoction she could find to get rid of them. Now, she was glad they were there.

Amanda had never felt so beautiful in her entire life. Jonah picked the features that had always bothered her the most—her wild hair and her freckles—and made her look at them in a new way. Yes, she’d come to accept herself as an adult, even gotten to the point where she thought she was pretty in a girl-next-door sort of way. But she’d never quite looked at herself the way Jonah was making her. It was an amazing experience.

 Propping himself on one arm, he stared at her neck. His fingers traced the bruises.

She knew they’d be even darker and more colorful than they were last night. His eyes narrowed as his fingers slid lower, trailing across her collarbone before coming to a stop at the V-neck of her nightshirt.

Amanda shivered. Goose bumps rose on her arms and legs, and heat suffused her entire body. Having Jonah in bed next to her was better than having a heated blanket. His touch was electrifying.

His hand shifted lower as he pushed the covers aside. She knew her nipples were outlined against the light fabric of the T-shirt. She bit her lip to stifle a moan as he circled one of the tight buds with his thumb. “I know you’re not well enough for us to do anything yet, but I want to see you.”

Fear and excitement warred within her. Jonah wanted to see her naked. Before she could reply, he stroked his thumb over her nipple, making it tighten even more. Her legs shifted restlessly against the sheets.

“Let me see you, sugar.”

She wanted this, wanted to share herself with him. Jonah was special. Deep down inside, she knew she’d never meet another man who would make her feel the way he did.

She was thirty-one, old enough to know her own mind. She nodded.

Jonah relaxed and smiled. It was only when he did so that she realized just how tense he’d been. Slowly, he let his hand drift down to the hem of her shirt and slid beneath it.

He pushed it up, not stopping until her breasts were fully exposed. They weren’t overly large, but they weren’t too small either. Average breasts, but well formed.

“Let’s get this off you.” His voice was gruff, but his hands were gentle as he tugged the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. He stared down at her chest. Her breasts looked fuller to her eyes and they seemed to swell under his hot gaze.

He touched his finger to one nub and she sucked in a breath. Such a simple touch, yet it radiated outward, the sensation running down to her sex and making it pulse.