Page 32 of Saved

Chapter Eleven

The Thaw

Eli

––––––––

“YES.” ERIN’S VOICErasped as she opened the covers and slid across the bed. “Thank you.”

A chorus of angels I didn’t believe in cheered in my head as I stowed my gun safely by the side of the bed and dove between the sheets after her. Securing the blankets over us, I flicked off the flashlight and inched closer. That a woman as lovely as Erin had assented to me holding her at all, let alonethanking mefor doing so—whatever the circumstances—was worthy of celebration, but I wouldn’t waste time reveling in my glory. I intended to savor every second of being close to her.

“This is weird.” She sounded nervous as my arms found her body in the darkness and snaked around her.

“Don’t let it be,” I whispered. “Come back toward me.”

She wriggled in my direction, her cute little ass and bare legs the first to graze my trouser-clad legs. Even though there was no skin-to-skin contact, the energy in the room shifted at the new closeness, each breath ramping up the sizzling intensity of what was transpiring.

We’re close.

Much closer than we’d ever been, and Erin seemed at ease with the change.

“Wait!” As though she’d heard my thoughts and sought to contradict them, she twisted in my direction. “Your boots! They’ll be filthy. You’ll need to remove them.”

My lips curled at her concern, though she wouldn’t have seen the gesture. With my hulking frame beside her in the sheets, she had far bigger things to occupy her than my boots, yet those had been her first thought.

“I took them off hours ago.” Along with my sweater and shirt.

Squeezing her shoulder lightly, I encouraged her to relax and felt some of the tension releasing from her muscles. “Don’t worry.”

She swallowed, the sound amplified in the shadows. “Okay.”

“You’ll be warm in no time.”

Cocooning her body, I sensed she was reticent to fully let her guard down. That was understandable; she’d found herself half-naked in bed with a stranger. Clearly, whatever her objections had been, they had not been strong enough to overrule her reason. She needed to stay warm to stay well, and without the fire, only I could provide that for her.

Wrapped around her diminutive frame, I could exult in all the tiny things I’d never had a chance to enjoy until that moment. The weight of her body pressed against mine, especially when I tightened an arm around her, the little gasp that escaped her lips when my embrace stiffened, causing her breathing to spike, and the honeyed scent of her hair as I snuggled behind her. Those were all treasures I’d never been allowed before, but finally, they were mine.

“How’s that for you?” My cock swelled at her sudden vicinity, throbbing as I took in her sweet, soothing smell.

“Better, thank you.”

Once more, she hesitated, the lingering unwillingness to accept there was anything going on except two people sharing body heat. Perhaps, for her, that was true. Maybe she truly felt nothing for me save for the need to survive, but being so close to her body made it all but impossible for me to think of anything but what it would be like to slide my hand beneath her top and discover how her nipples would respond to my caress.

Stop it.My jaw clenched.She doesn’t want that.

“Good.” I wondered if she could hear my growing arousal from my strained tone.

The bulge in my pants was shielded by the layers between us, but surely, she was a woman of the world. Erin was in her forties. She knew what men thought about when they held a woman, especially in bed. It couldn’t be long before she noticed my interest.

“Try and sleep.” Squeezing my eyes closed, I willed myself to do the same, but I knew already it was hopeless. No man could sleep with a raging erection and a beautiful woman within his grasp. “You’ll need your energy for tomorrow.”

---