Unforeseen Danger by Michelle Perry

could only nod at her.
    Even before he forced her hand, Nikki had been planning to leave him .
    The thought hit him like a punch in the gut, but he struggled to keep his face impassive for Darcy’s sake.   It was obvious that she thought he already knew.   She was still talking, and Jake had to force himself to concentrate on what she was saying.   She squeezed his hands again.
    “Oh, Jake!” she said.   “I know this sounds awful, but I’m glad you finally know.   I’ve felt so guilty these last few weeks, knowing what was going on and even that she used me as an excuse sometimes so she could get out of the house.   We haven’t even spoken in the last couple of weeks because of it.   I never wanted to hurt you…”
    “I know.”   Jake gave her a pained smile.   He hugged her again, and then watched her get into her car.   She started it up and Jake was walking off when she rolled down her window.
    “Hey, this may be crazy of me, but…if the body from the car isn’t him, please be careful.   I don’t know if Nikki realized it, but he was obsessed with her.”   
    Jake watched her drive off, wondering if the guy had been obsessed enough to try to kill him.
    ***
    Nikki was thinking about the phone call when Jake appeared in the doorway.   He stared at her in that intense way of his, and Nikki could barely breathe.   She was having a hard time trying to catalogue all the things she felt when she looked at him.   
    “Nikki, you’re shaking.   Are you okay?”
    She started to lie, to say that she was fine, but the concern on his face crumbled her defenses .
    “Jake, I’m so scared.   This is awful!   What if I never remember?   I can’t stand this— ”   She knew she sounded hysterical, but she couldn’t keep the panic from her voice.
    “Hey.”   He lowered the bedrail and climbed in beside her.   Nikki found herself wrapped in those strong arms again.   She buried her face in his soft flannel shirt and clung to him like a drowning woman.   One of Jake’s hands wound in her hair, while the other stroked her back.
    “You’re going to be okay, Nik , I swear it.   We’ll make it through this.   I’m here for you, for as long as you need me.”
    What an odd thing for a husband to say , she thought.   Everything in her life was crazy and skewed, but the man who held her was the biggest enigma of all.
    Jake pulled back a little and cupped her face in his hands.   Another teardrop escaped, trailing down her cheek, and time seemed to slow as Jake leaned to kiss it away.  
    Nikki’s heart thumped in her chest, her tears all but forgotten.   The look in his eyes paralyzed her as he brushed his lips across hers.   She could taste the saltiness of her tear as the kiss deepened.   Nikki wound her hands in his black hair, urging him closer, deeper, and he pressed her backward in the bed.   His tongue teased hers, set her on fire as it probed her mouth, gently at first, then more insistently.
    There was such need in his kiss, such hunger, that suddenly their roles were reversed; he was the one seeking assurance and she was the one desperately trying to give it to him.  
    She felt him pull away emotionally before he did physically.   When he finally looked at her, she saw a myriad of emotions playing across his handsome face, confusion, desire…and even fear.
    “I’m sorry, Nik .”   He averted his eyes.   “That isn’t what either of us needs at the moment.”
    You’re wrong , Jake , she thought, but she knew better than to push him.   Already she had a sense of how fragile the bond between them was.   One wrong move and she could lose him forever.  
    Nikki expected him to get up, but he surprised her by lying back in the bed beside her.   She laid her head against his shoulder, feeling somehow content even in the uncertainty that swirled around her, and wished she could remember what it had been like to be his lover.
    She shut her eyes and Jake moved his arm behind