Read Online A Coral Kiss by Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online Page A

touched the sensitive valley between her curving buttocks told him that she was not a very experienced woman. But then, he had guessed that the moment he met her. Her throbbing tightness told him that it had been a long while since she had been with a man. That didn't surprise him, either. She was the kind of woman who would always be cautious about risking an affair. She had too much to give and, therefore, too much to lose.
    "Jed?" Her voice was sleepy.
    "Sorry. My ribs are bothering me a little."
    She stirred beneath him, concern replacing the relaxation on her face. "Maybe you should take one of your pills." She touched his forehead. "You don't feel feverish."
    "I'm fine." He smiled. "You took care of the fever that was bothering me tonight. What about you?
    Anything left of the nightmare?"
    She laughed. "What nightmare? I think you've found a definitive cure."
    "You think so?"
    "It seems to have worked for me."
    "Good. Then I suggest we run an experiment." He sat up slowly, letting his hand trail down across her breasts and come to rest on the softness of her stomach.
    "What sort of experiment?" Amy punctuated the question with a catlike yawn.
    "Come and spend the rest of the night with me, Amy."
    Her yawn was cut off. Her eyes widened. "Jed, I don't think that's a good idea."

    "Let's try it and see what happens."
    "I've told you, I'm a restless sleeper. It's not just a matter of an occasional nightmare. I'm a first class insomniac. I wake up several times a night. And I toss and turn a lot. Believe me, you wouldn't get much sleep."
    "I'll chance it."
    She shook her head and her instant refusal to even consider the suggestion annoyed him. "No, I don't think so," she said flatly.
    Jed got to his feet and reached down to catch hold of her shoulders. She was slender and light, even though she had a woman's strength. It was easy to pull her up beside him until she was standing in front of him. "Don't be silly, Amy," he said calmly. "We're going to give it a try."
    "I don't..."
    He hushed her with a kiss. "There is no good reason for you to sleep out here on the couch." When he lifted his head she didn't say anything, just looked up at him with an anxious, searching glance that told him nothing except that she was genuinely nervous about sleeping with him.
    "For pete's sake," he muttered, turning her around and steering her toward the doorway with his hands on her shoulders, "why the hell should sleeping with me be so upsetting after what just happened between us?"
    She ignored the question. "I'm cold."
    He reached down to sweep her nightgown off the couch. The downward, twisting movement put stress on his injured leg and Jed swore softly. "Here, put this on." He dropped the flannel gown over her head.
    She disappeared briefly beneath the soft material and then her frowning face reappeared as she put her arms through the sleeves. "You've got a lot of nerve calling me bossy, you know that? In fact, I think you've got a lot of nerve, period."
    "Fortunately, I compensate for my drawbacks by being good in bed."
    "Hah."
    "You got any complaints, lady?" He had her almost into the dark bedroom now. He kept his hands on her shoulders as he guided her toward the bed.
    "If I did have any complaints, who am I supposed to take them to?" she demanded as she crawled under the covers and leaned back against the pillows to glare at him.
    "Always go to the source of the problem, I say." He slipped in beside her, tangling his feet with hers.
    "Come here and tell me exactly where I failed to meet your expectations and requirements."
    "Dammit, Jed."
    "Can't think of a single problem area, can you? I knew it."

    She sighed. "Your ego could become a major problem."
    He chuckled softly and cradled her in his arms. "If I've got an inflated ego where you're concerned, you have only yourself to blame. After the way you just responded to me, I'm bound to think I'm hell on wheels in bed. Go to sleep, Amy."
    "I don't think I can," she said very