Disgruntled, Jared slipped off his robe and climbed into bed in the room connecting with his. He wanted his own bed, but for some ungodly
reason, his grandmother had put Annie in it. True, his bed was closer to the bathing chamber, but if Annie had been too weak to make it this
far, he could've carried her.
Twisting and turning, he tried to get comfortable on the short bed. Just as he found a tolerable position, a scream had him bounding from
the bed, barely remembering to pull a robe on over his nakedness before rushing through the connecting door. In the shaft of moonlight
streaming across his bed, he saw Annie cowering against the headboard, her legs kicking the bedcovers away. He hurried to her side.
"Get away! Go, go!"
Jared glared down at her until he realized she wasn't even looking at him... or talking to him. He followed her frantic gaze and flailing hand down to her thrashing legs. Her gown--another of his never-used nightshirts--rode up to her hips. He reached for the covers to hide her nudity, but the instant she noticed him, she looped her left arm around his neck, rising with him when he straightened in surprise. She stared over her shoulder down at the bed, trembling violently in his arms. Jared knew it wasn't from a chill. Her body was too warm.
"What is it, Annie? What are you afraid of?" He stroked his hand up and down her back.
"The rats. Make them go away."
Her trembling wasn't so violent now, though her eyes remained glued to the bed. As he bent to make a sweeping motion with his hand over the sheets, she tightened her hold, crushing her soft, abundant breasts against his chest. Jared groaned inwardly, fighting the surge of lust coursing in a direct path to his groin. He turned his head away from her freshly-bathed scent.
"It was only a nightmare, Annie. They're gone now." He tried to lie her back down, but she held tight.
"They might come back," she whimpered.
"They're gone, sweetheart."
She cast him a pitiful look, one so full of doubts that something within his chest tightened. Jared grabbed the coverlet, made a big show of shaking out any lingering varmints then walked to an overstuffed armchair near the window. She wouldn't loosen her hold. He wrapped the coverlet around her, making a thick wad of it beneath her buttocks then sat on the chair, leaving enough space behind him for the ankles she had locked behind his waist. He wasn't sure who the cushioned protection was for--her or him.
She laid her head on his shoulder, her warm breath feathering against his neck and her breasts again flattened against his chest. Fighting for control, Jared inhaled and exhaled deeply... three times.
"Annie, I know you're still in pain, maybe a bit feverish too, but I can't hold you in my arms." He pressed his nose into her thick hair. "Not when you smell so sweet. I'm either going to put you back in bed, or I'm going to make love to you. Which will it be?"
He waited for her answer. That she hadn't immediately slapped his face was a good sign. She hadn't yelled either, which must mean she was mulling over her choices. He decided a little persuasion wouldn't be remiss at this point. Tipping her chin, he angled her face up to meet his lips.
She snored in his mouth.
Buy the Book!
