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“I’m so tired, but I can’t sleep,” she said, opening the mosquito net. “Lie down with me?”
Knox should say no. He was already feeling too exposed after her disappearing act a little while ago. Having the willpower to turn her down when she asked for him was a whole different ballgame. One that he was about to lose. “Okay.”
Trouble be damned, he wanted to be her comfort if only for a little while.
Knox maneuvered onto the hammock, lying on his back. Amy positioned herself in the crook of his arm and curled her body around his. Her warmth,her silky skin, the way she smelled—clean and like a spring bouquet—flooded him with heat.
“Thank you for being here,” Amy whispered. “I can’t imagine surviving any of this without you.”
Forcing a relaxed calmness he didn’t feel, he said, “I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe with me.”
As she fell into a deep sleep, he wished like hell those words extended beyond this trip.
9
The sun was up and bright by the time Amy opened her eyes again. Sunshine. Glorious sunshine.
Being from Texas, she didn’t normally miss the sun. Being in the jungle gave her a whole new appreciation for the bright yellow orb that burned too bright from July through the end of October most years. Now, she would welcome the heat on her skin.
Much to her surprise, Knox was in such a deep sleep that he had a low snore going. It wasn’t much more than a low rumble from his chest and, surprisingly, was sexy as all get out. But then pretty much everything about the man fell into the sex on a stick bucket as far as she was concerned.
Going down that road, even just in her mind, was a waste of time. He didn’t deny having a past with thelocal woman, so staying with Amy last night was most likely for her protection.
Amy exhaled. She must have breathed a little too hard because in the next second Knox was on top of her with his forearm to her throat. There was enough pressure to know he was there but not enough to stop her from breathing.
Still, it all happened in a blink and completely freaked her out.
“Knox,” she said, staring into eyes of stone. “It’s me. Amy.”
He didn’t so much as blink.
She brought her knee up hard into his thigh. “Hey!”
As though knocked out of a trance, his gaze sharpened. “Jesus.” He rolled off her so fast the hammock tipped. She had no idea how but he managed to keep them from falling out with a steady hand.
The man had skills.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, searching her face and neck.
“No,” she reassured. “I’m alright. I’m good. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being shaken up a little, but I’m okay.”
Before she knew it, Knox had positioned her in the same spot in the crook of his arm where she’d slept so comfortably that she’d lost all sense of timeand place.
“I think I’m the one who should be asking if you’re okay,” she said.
He shook his head. “Job hazard from a lifetime spent working in the military.” He issued a sharp breath. “I could have done serious damage, Amy. That can’t happen again.”
There’d been something else there, a flash where she’d seen pure feral instinct kicking in. Did that have to do with his time in the military or the scars on his neck and body?
She brought her hand up and ran her finger along the scar on his neck that led to his collarbone. “What happened here?”
She expected him to close up again, but if she didn’t ask, she’d never stop wondering. Plus, he couldn’t answer if she didn’t give him the chance.
Knox brought a hand up to rub his eyes. “My dad.”
“Jesus, Knox. What did he do?” she asked.
“Let’s see,” he said like he had to sift through dozens of memories to find the one that applied to this scar. Her heart squeezed. “This one happened on my thirteenth birthday when I failed to open a can of dog food properly.” He paused like retrieving the memory took time. “The can was dented and I wasn’t strong enough to turn the damn crank on the opener.”
