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Suzanna smiled and reached out and gently swept a strand of his damp hair to the side. She then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “I hope you have the very best of sweet dreams through the whole night, Sammy.” She got up from the bed.

“That was just like a mom would do,” Sammy said with a sweet smile.

Seth’s heart squeezed tight. There was no question that Sammy missed a mother figure in his life, and Seth alone would never be able to fill that part.

Seth wasn’t interested in marrying again. He just couldn’t take the chance of another woman leaving him and breaking his son’s heart. One day he hoped he could make Sammy understand that he had made this decision to protect him from any more emotional harm.

“Good night, son,” he said.

“’Night, Daddy.” Sammy smiled at him, and his heart danced with the love the smile contained.

He and Suzanna left the bedroom and returned to the living room, where they both sat on the sofa. “Are you doing okay?” he asked, gazing at her intently.

She smiled. “I’m hanging in there.” The smile wavered a bit. “I’m just really dreading going in to work in the morning.”

He reached out and took her hand in his. He enjoyed holding her hands with his. Her hands were soft and small in his grasp. “You’ll be fine, Suzanna. One thing I know about you is that you’re a very strong woman.”

She curled her fingers around his, as if needing his touch. “I just can’t figure out how my life got so messed up. I’ve tried to never offend anyone. I live a quiet life, and I don’t do anything risky.”

Seth tightened his fingers around hers. “It isn’t you, Suzanna. I’m sure you’ve done nothing wrong to warrant what’s happened to you. Somebody has targeted you for whatever crazy reason, but eventually he’s going to be caught, and in the meantime, you’re safe here with me.”

She pulled her hand back and instead leaned into his side. Her scent eddied in the air, and her nearness stirred him in a way that had nothing to do with protecting her.

He reached up and stroked the silky strands of her hair, and she leaned even closer to him. He wasn’t sure how long they remained that way when she finally straightened and moved away from him. It was probably a good thing she did for he had found himself more and more aroused by her nearness.

“I think it’s time for me to go ahead and go to my room,” she said. “I need to go over some lesson plans for tomorrow before I go to sleep.”

“I’ll walk you to your room,” he said. They both got up from the sofa, and when they reached the spare room, she turned and looked up at him.

“Good night, Seth,” she said softly. There was something in her gaze that drew him closer to her.

He reached out and gently tucked a strand of her soft hair behind her ear. “Suzanna, I’d really like to kiss you good-night,” he said, unable to keep his desire for her inside him any longer.

Her tongue dipped out and quickly dampened her lower lip. “I… I’d like you to kiss me good-night,” she half whispered.

He drew her into an embrace, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. Her wildflower scent dizzied his senses as he pulled her close.

He’d intended to just give her a sweet good-night kiss, but the minute she’d leaned into him, he knew the kiss was going to be something quite different. Like always, the minute she was in his arms, his desire for her shot to the height of highs.

His mouth took hers, and she immediately opened her mouth to him so he could deepen the kiss. Their tongues swirled together, and hot lava flowed through his veins as he became instantly aroused.

She pressed her body against his as her arms tightened around his neck. The kiss continued for several sweet, hot moments, and then with a gasp, she stepped back from him.

Her eyes glowed like twin sapphires as she gazed up at him. “Kissing you is a very dangerous thing, Seth,” she said half breathlessly.

He released a small, slightly shaky laugh. “I could say the same thing about kissing you.”

“I’ll just say good-night now.” She opened the bedroom door.

“Good night, Suzanna.”

She went into the room and closed the door behind her. Seth stood for a long moment in the hallway, waiting until his arousal passed.

Finally, he went back into the living room and sank down in his recliner. He believed he could protect Suzanna from any threat that came for her from the outside. But right now, he wasn’t sure he could protect her from himself and his incredible desire for her.

Chapter 8

The next morning Suzanna was up early. She took a shower and then dressed for the day in a pair of black slacks and a long-sleeved black-and-red-striped blouse. She applied her makeup, brushed her hair and then headed down the hallway, where the scent of freshly brewed coffee let her know Seth was awake.