Page 23 of Cabin Fever Baby

“I bet it will feel like it too.” I wedged myself against him, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders as easily as if we’d always done this.

I definitely didn’t need to think of that right now.

After I kicked the car door shut, we staggered around the vehicle to drunkenly slog our way through the snow. It was definitely thigh-high for me, but it only reached a bit over his knees, which actually helped us quite a bit.

It was slow-going, but not nearly as bad as it could have been since he was upright.

When we got to the stairs, I leaned him against the railing. “Be right back.”

He craned his neck and swayed.

I rushed back and righted him. “I’ll be right back.” The I took off back through the snow to find the shovel. Quickly, I darted back to dig a skinny path up the steps so there would be no additional head wounds for either of us.

I didn’t want to rescue this guy only to break my neck getting into the house.

The door was still ajar, but the fireplace was crackling and felt amazing as we rushed inside as fast as we could, injuries aside. My fingers were little more than pins and needles when I dumped Hudson on the couch nearest the fire.

I hurried back to close the front door and kick off my frozen boots.

Hudson must have used up the last of his strength getting up the stairs, because his face was slack with exhaustion.

I knelt in front of him and the firelight was even kinder to his stunning face. My fingers didn’t work quite right, but I was able to get his sneakers off.

Rolling my shoulders, I leaned back. Should I take off his jeans?

They were wet up to the thigh and caked in snow crystals.

Mine too, to be fair.

But I wasn’t the one with the head wound.

“This is not exactly how I thought tonight was going to go.” His body was heavy and unhelpful as I wrestled him out of the wet denim.

I tried not to look—truly.

But the soft red boxer briefs had little Santa gnomes all over them. And I do meanallover. Even the impressive parts that had to be chilly.

Quickly, I pulled the throw off the back of the couch and covered him up. I got him out of his wet sweatshirt and found a wrinkled black tank under it. Before I could check him out any further, I pulled another blanket out of the basket of them and covered him the rest of the way up.

Thankfully, he mostly fit on the long, luxe couch made for this high-end cabin.

I collapsed on the floor to catch my breath, but I couldn’t help reaching out to push away a lock of deep chestnut hair away from his face. The blood had already stopped, but his face was a mess.

Relatively speaking.

I used the last of my own energy to clean him up and to make a butterfly bandage to close up the little cut. He had a heck of a knot on his forehead from where he’d probably hit the dash or the windshield, but all in all, he was going to be okay.

Giving in to my urge to touch, I stroked my hand down his face. He sighed and pushed his cheek into my hand.

“Definitely not how I thought today was going to end,” I whispered.

SEVEN

6 Days til Christmas…ish

Christmas lights waveredas I swam up from the blackness. I was warm and…mostly naked.

I lifted the epically soft blanket covering half my legs and tucked my feet under it. The motion had my head ringing like the church bells of my youth.

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