Page 69 of In Hiding

He nodded. “His hatred of Erik extended to his cell mate.”

“I’m sorry.”

He pulled back and shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault. Erik saved my life that day.”

His scent slipped into her lungs and encouraged her to lean against him. Hearing his heavy breathing at her ear sent blood rushing south, to parts of her she didn’t think could feel anything. But when his other hand settled on her cheek, Sarah understood that Ryan hadn’t succeeded in taking everything from her.

Her name slipped between Jake’s lips on a breath as his fingers slid under the sweater to reach her skin. A sudden jolt of pleasure ripped through her. Jake pulled back, his eyes finding hers to ask the question. She shook her head and grabbed a handful of his shirt to pull him closer.

“Don’t stop.”

He kissed her ear and then her neck, the wet heat sending electricity through her. Sarah arched her neck to give him better access. As if reading her thoughts, his mouth clamped onto her, his tongue drawing across her skin and making her shudder.

At her waist, his roughened palm scraped against her. His thumb found one of her scars and traced the raised tissue. Without warning, Jake dropped to his knees and lifted the sweater so he could see her wounds. Worry streaked through her but the compassion on his face erased it.

He pressed his lips to each scar, his fingertips following to learn them. The gentle caress was far more powerful than anything she’d ever felt. Her throat tightened and her tongue thickened. Pushing her fingers into his hair, she tipped his head back so she could look into his eyes. His expression softened and he planted a line of kisses up her abdomen as he rose to his full height.

“You are incredible,” he whispered hoarsely. “Strong.” He pressed a kiss to her nose. “Brave.” Another kiss landed on her forehead. “Courageous.”

His words brought heat to her cheeks because she didn’t believe him. She hadn’t shown any of those qualities that day. At the height of the attack, she’d retreated into herself, fearing Ryan’s sadistic grin would be the last thing she ever saw. The only thing she’d felt was failure.

Failure to protect herself.

Failure to protect her son.

Sarah shook her head and pushed at Jake’s chest. “No. I wasn’t any of those things.”

Taking her hands in his, he held her still. “You may never accept it, but you were, Sarah. You lived. You moved forward. You built a new life for you and Will. He thinks the world of you and so do I.”

He hardly knew her, but the determination in his voice urged her to trust him. Sarah took a deep breath, reminding herself that while Jake had promised to tell her the truth, he had also withheld important information from her. She’d be the first to admit her ability to judge character was not only out of practice, but it had been so far wrong in the past it almost got her killed.

Was it wrong to want to trust people?

Could she rely on Jake?

“I’m scared, Jake.”

He smiled. “And you have every right to be, but I know what I see. What you went through would break most and yet you can still smile and laugh and love.” He flattened her hands against his chest and cupped her face. “You don’t have to be scared if you don’t want to. You can choose how you go forward.”

She couldn’t help but fall deep into his eyes. Belief stared back at her. His assertion she had a choice filled her with a confidence she hadn’t felt in too long. It felt good to know she could be proactive in all of this.

“You’re not just saying this?”

He pressed his lips to hers. “No. He holds no power over you, Sarah. No one does.”

“You’re good for my ego.”

He smiled, his lips moving against hers. “You’ll keep me around, then?”

“Provided you feed me some soup.”

He chuckled. “I seem to recall I was fired.”

“I don’t remember that at all,” she teased. “But if it’s what you remember...”

For half a moment, he looked as though he believed her, but a second later, understanding prevailed. “Cheeky, now?”

“Actually.” She took a deep breath. The smell of soup made her belly grumble. “I’m kind of hungry.”

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