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breath but found she couldn’t force air into her lungs.
    Jake crushed her against him, slipping his arms underneath her body and holding tight. He grunted next to her ear then collapsed onto her, driving her further into the bed.
    He lay there for a long moment, his chest heaving as he sucked in great mouthfuls of air. Then he propped his body up with his arms and looked down at her.
    “Are you all right?”
    She smiled and traced a pattern on his face with her fingers. “What do you think?”
    “I think you nearly killed me, wench.”
    She laughed, astonished at how relaxed and joyful she sounded.
    He rolled to her side and stared up at the ceiling. “We didn’t use protection, Ellie.”
    She turned on her side so she could better look at him. “It’s okay. I’m on the pill.”
    He cocked one eye at her. “Still, I had no business not using a condom. I didn’t even think beyond getting between your legs. You make me as crazy as a horny teenager.”
    She smiled and placed her hand on his chest. He put his hand over hers and brought her palm to his mouth.
    “I’ll take care of you, Ellie. I promise.”
    An odd rush hit her square in the chest. “I know you will, Jake.”
    Silence descended between them for a few seconds. He tucked his arm around her and pulled her down until her head pillowed in the crook of his arm.
    “Why are you on the pill?” he asked. “I know there hasn’t been anyone since Ray.”
    He said it with such confidence, but then Jake was nothing if not self-assured. And he knew her well. Better than anyone else ever had.
    Oddly enough she didn’t flinch at the mention of her ex-husband’s name. Most people who knew her beyond a general acquaintance tactfully avoided mention of him or her marriage. She liked that Jake was so blunt with her. It proved he wasn’t treating her like half a person. One damaged and scarred beyond repair.
    “I started taking them when Ray and I were still married,” she said quietly. “I was desperate not to get pregnant.”
    Jake’s arm tightened around her then he turned until they were nearly nose to nose.
    “Ellie…that night. Was it the first time he hurt you like that?”
    She swallowed, unsure of whether she should admit the truth. Jake looked intently at her, so much feeling in his eyes, she had difficulty sorting out the various emotions she saw reflected.
    “No,” she finally said. “It’s why I started taking birth control pills on the sly. I would never have willingly gone to bed with him, and I would have died rather than bring a baby into our marriage.”
    Jake’s eyes closed, his face creased into an expression of pain.
    “Jake, don’t,” she whispered. “Let’s not think of him. Not right now. He’s the last person I want between us when I’m in bed with you.”
    “I hate myself for not seeing him for what he was,” Jake said bleakly.
    She leaned in to kiss him, effectively halting anything else he might say. “I don’t hate you. I hate him. You’re not to blame. He is.”
    He pushed his hand into her hair, running his fingers through the strands. Then he pulled her to him again. He kissed her lightly, several times in succession. Each time he touched a different part of her mouth.
    When he finally pulled away again, his eyes were glazed with need. She glanced down his body to see his semi-aroused cock coming back to life.
    “Jake?” she asked, a little breathlessly, a little unsure.
    “Yes, sweetheart?”
    “I want to touch you. I want—I want to make love to you. Can I?”

Chapter Six
    All the breath left Jake’s body in one harsh wheeze. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, woman. What the hell kind of question is that?”
    Her lips, swollen from his kisses, spread upward into a shy smile.
    “ Please have your wicked way with me. I’m not too proud to beg.”
    Her gaze fell to his dick, and he felt a bolt of arousal as he imagined what she had in mind.
    “Touch me, sweetheart,” he said huskily. “Before I go