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When her trembling stopped, he lifted her chin with one finger. “I know you, Jenny Rivers.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do, baby. I do. I know that you like skiing in Colorado when the first snow falls. I know that wherever you’re living in the States you like to go volunteer at a women’s shelter. I know you still feel guilty for blowing Jarrod off, even though he got to sleep with you—and trust me honey, he got the long end of that stick. I know that you’re a chocolate snob and you probably won’t eat that piece of candy on your pillow because it’s not See’s Candy.”

He was right. He knew her. This man knew her.

Jenny felt her throat close and her nose clog. She tried to keep herself under control, but she couldn’t. When the first tear fell, it was like her entire body fell. It took her a moment to realize she hadn’t fallen, but Brax had sat down on the side of the bed, and now he cradled her in his arms as she soaked in his warmth and caring.

Jenny had no idea how long she stayed like that. At no point did Brax tell her not to cry. Instead, he said nonsense words of comfort as he gently rocked her, stroked her, and brushed her tears away.

She had no idea how long they stayed that way. When she was finally aware of her surroundings, it was like she came out of a deep sleep to find her arms around his neck and her lips against his jaw.

“Kiss me?” It was a plea.

He kissed her temple.

She tilted her head back to look into his dark brown eyes. “No, a real kiss.”

He gave her a slow smile. “Oh, there are real kisses in our future. You can count on that. But right now, I’m tucking you into bed.”

Jenny shivered.

“And I’m staying the night,” he finished.

Her eyes lit up.

“On the couch in the other room.”

“You’ll be more comfortable in the bed. Beside me.” She coaxed.

“If I’m sleeping next to you, and not doing the many things I want to do, I won’t be comfortable, I’ll be in agony.” He grinned down at her. “I’m sleeping on the couch. Now go get ready for bed. Just think of it; now you’ll have a chair, a gun, and a SEAL protecting you.”

“I’d feel safer if the SEAL was in bed with me.”

“Give it up.” Brax smiled. He stood up and sent her hopes back down to the ground. “Your feminine wiles won’t work on me. Now get ready for bed and under the covers, and I’ll come give you a kiss good night.”

She sighed. “If you sleep beside me, I’ll give you the chocolate,” she wheedled.

“You’ll give me the chocolate anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

She watched as he sauntered out of the room and shut the door behind him. She sighed.

Maybe it’s time for me to learn how to keep somebody in my life.

15

The next morning, Brax knocked on Jenny’s bedroom door but she didn’t answer, even after a couple of loud knocks, which surprised him. When peeked in, he saw her dead to the world. He wouldn’t have thought that was possible, considering how tightly wound she’d been the night before. Then he thought about it. Jenny had mentioned that she hadn’t been sleeping well. Maybe knowing that a gun, a chair, and a SEAL stood between her and the bad guys had provided her the peace of mind to get a good night’s sleep.

“Wake-up sleepyhead. I’m hungry,” he called from the doorway. She still didn’t move, and he grinned. He stepped closer and called out again. Still nothing.

“Oh, Jenny,” he said in a sing-song voice. “It’s wakey, wakey time.”

“Go ‘way,” she murmured and pulled a pillow over her head.

Brax knew how irritating the song was. CiCi had sung it to him often enough when he was a teenager and wanted to sleep in on the weekend. So, he sang the words again. “It’s wakey, wakey time. There are places to go and people to see.”