Page 78 of Obsession Under the Southern Stars

“This is hardly the time,” she says, teeth chattering.

I chuckle and retrieve my dry tee and hoodie from the waterproof bag. “Come on, get those wet things off and we can dry them in front of the fire. You can wear this T-shirt.” I give her one of the towels and turn away.

I’m too tired to worry about being modest, so I strip off my wet clothes and toss them aside, dry myself as best as I can, then pull on my dry swim shorts. I take the wet items and drape them over the back of the chair close to the fire.

Zoe joins me, placing her wet tee, shorts, and underwear over another chair. She’s wearing my T-shirt, which is a little big for her and hangs just below her butt. Her legs are bare, and she’s still shivering.

“Here, put this on.” I give her the hoodie.

“Don’t you need it?”

“I’m fine. I run hot.”

She takes it and pulls it on, giving me a shy smile as she tugs it down over the tee.

“Sit down,” I tell her, gesturing to a spare chair.

She frowns, but sits. I pick up the towel, stand behind her, and start drying her hair as best as I can. Then, I collect the comb I threw in the waterproof bag.

“When did you put that in?” she asks, amused.

“It was right on top of my stuff, and I chucked it in at the end.” I draw it through her hair gently, doing my best not to pull too hard. Her hair is quite tangled, but I work slowly, separating the strands and easing out any knots.

She sits quietly, and when I glance at her, I discover that her eyes are closed. Smiling, I continue, while the rain beats on the window, and the thunder continues to roll.

“It doesn’t seem to be easing up,” she comments, her voice a little sleepy.

“No. We could even be hitting the tail end of a tropical cyclone. It’ll probably be like this for a few more hours.” Her hair is gradually returning to its usual sleek curtain. When I’m done, I bend down and kiss the top of her head.

She gets up and beckons me to sit. “My turn.”

I gesture to my short hair. “It hardly seems worth it.”

“Do as you’re told.”

I chuckle and sit. She takes the comb and draws it through my short hair, and I close my eyes and sigh.

She tidies up the top, then puts the comb down. The next thing I feel is her hands in my hair, and she starts to give me a head massage.

Her fingers move slowly across my scalp, pressing and kneading. Ohhh… that’s heavenly. I take a deep breath and let it out, releasing as much tension as I can. My head tips back and rests on the back of the chair, and she moves a little closer. She strokes her fingers across my forehead, down my nose, over my cheeks, and around my jaw, before returning them to my scalp. She draws them lightly through my hair, letting me feel her short nails, and then massages gently again. It’s absolutely blissful, and I’m unable to stop a light groan escaping my lips.

She giggles. “Is that nice?”

“Mmmmmm…”

“Poor boy,” she murmurs. “Having to rescue me twice in two days.”

I don’t consider that I rescued her either time, but I decide not to argue in case she stops massaging me. She has the best touch, light and yet just firm enough, and I feel as if I’m ascending into paradise as she continues to stroke around my head and neck, making me tingle all over.

When she eventually stops, I feel as loose and boneless as a strand of seaweed.

“We should try to get some sleep,” she says softly.

I sigh and get up from the chair, and check on the fire one last time. Then we go over to the bunks. “I’ll take the top one,” I tell her.

“Aw,” she says. “Come on. We can both squeeze into the bottom one and share the blanket.” She cups my face. “Just to sleep, I promise. But it’d be nice to cuddle up, don’t you think?”

I’m not about to argue. “Yeah.” I switch off the solar light. I roll up the driest towel to use as a pillow and make sure the thermal blanket is ready. Then I climb onto the bunk and move up against the wall. She sits on the edge, swings her legs over, and turns to face me. There’s just enough room for the two of us to fit. I pull the blanket over us and draw it up to our shoulders, then I open my arms. She moves right up against me, and I wrap my arms around her. Now we’re snuggled tightly together.

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