Page 26 of Close Quarters

A frown wrinkled his brow. “Me? Why?”

She rolled her eyes. “Again, you have to ask?”

His teeth flashed, bright in the darkness as he smiled. “I promise to stay on my side.”

She sighed. “It doesn’t help. But that’s my problem to deal with. I’ll go back to my gnome and leave you alone.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Gnome? That’s what you’re using to distract yourself?”

“Well, it was supposed to be a troll. More specifically, you as a troll. But it morphed into a garden gnome.” She lifted a shoulder.

His laughter filled the room, and she chuckled with him.

“What do I look like as a gnome?”

Katie giggled. “Rosy cheeks, pointy red hat. And you’re wearing a plaid shirt with jeans and suspenders.”

“Hmm… Sounds about right. Have you pictured yourself?”

She shook her head.

“I think you’d be very colorful. Tie-dye would suit you well.”

“A tie-dye gnome?” She gave a small chuckle. “I’m not sure they make such a thing.”

“Oh, they make all kinds.”

“If you say so.”

They fell silent, staring at each other. Tension ramped up in Katie’s belly. Why did she have to laugh? She could be well on her way to sleep. Instead, she was struggling to remember why reaching out to feel the soft cotton of the t-shirt covering his broad chest was a bad idea.

She jerked as his fingers brushed the bare skin of her arm beneath her borrowed t-shirt. Tingles spread outward to race along her nerve endings and heat her flesh.

“Alex. We’re supposed to sleep, remember?”

He inched closer. “Yeah.”

Her head slid along the pillow toward him.

“I’m super tired. It’s been a long couple days.” His breath washed over her as he spoke, making her shiver.

“Yeah,” she breathed, moving closer.

“So, we’re agreed? We’re going to go to sleep?”

The hand on her arm moved higher and covered more of her skin. She nodded in response to his question. “Yeah,” she whispered again. Electricity sparked between them as only millimeters separated them now. Her eyes flicked down to his lips, then back. It was the last spark needed to ignite their desire. Alex closed the distance and fused his mouth to hers.

The need was quicker to punch her in the gut and flame brighter than the last time. Her body recognized his touch and wanted more.

His hand moved off her arm to curl over her shoulder and back, pulling her closer. She went willingly, throwing one bare leg over his hips. He skimmed his fingers down her back to wrap around her thigh. Katie rocked against him, sending spikes of fire through her body. His too, if his reaction was any indication. His grip tightened, and he groaned into her mouth. She cupped the side of his face, loving the rough feel of his beard stubble against her palm. It made her want to feel it elsewhere.

The blare of the house alarm broke them apart.

“What the hell?” Alex pulled away to look around.

“Why is your alarm going off?” Ardor effectively dashed, Katie sat up, scrambling off the bed behind Alex as he raced out of the room.

He ran downstairs to the door to view the main alarm panel by the front door. A light flashed red, and the display scrolled the location of the breach, but the direction of the breeze blowing through the room told her it was the sliding door.

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