Page 32 of Atone in Darkness
And because he didn’t trust himself any closer to her.
“You were outside for a long time. Did you see anything?”
He finally flopped over to face her. “No, it waspeaceful out there.”
She shifted from foot to foot as if his answer wasn’t quite the reassurance she’d hoped for. He tried again. “I walked out into the woods and circled the property several times. There was no sign of anyone else in the area. If there had been, it wouldn’t have been business as usual for the local critter population. Things get pretty quiet in the woods at night when peopleare sneaking around.”
He settled onto his back with his forearm over his eyes, hoping she’d take the hint and retreat to the bedroom. Incase she didn’t, he added, “Go get some rest. You need it.”
Instead, she leaned against the wall, her arms crossed at her waist. “You sound like you have some firsthand experience with sneaking around at night.”
“I do. I grew up on a farm in the Ozarks. Ihad a pair of coonhounds, and the three of us did a lot of wandering in the woods that surrounded the place.”
“I can hear the smile in your voice. Those must have been some good times. Did you have any brothers or sisters to share your adventures?”
It was hard to tell if she was genuinely interested or the conversation was her way of delaying returning to bed alone. What the hell, it wouldn’thurt to answer a few questions. “At first, it was my mom, my older sister, and me. After Mom died, it was just me and my sister. She dropped out of college to take over the farm and custody of me. I thought she was crazy, but she swears she never regretted her decision.”
There was a low sigh before Marisol spoke again. “She sounds like an amazing woman. You were lucky to have someone like thatin your life. Someone who put you first.”
“I was.”
And he would remind Gwen how much she meant to him once he made it back home. If he made it back home. Considering that last thing Marisol said, maybe it was time for a few questions of his own. “How about you? Where did you grow up? Any siblings?”
“No, it was just me and my mother. I don’t think of any one place as home. We moved around alot.”
She pushed away from the wall. “I should let you get some sleep.”
Yeah, she should, but she didn’t leave. He might kick his own ass for what he was about to say, but it was clear Marisol didn’t want to be alone.
Chase studied her profile in the shadows. There was a lot of tension in the set of her shoulders, and she had wrapped her arms around herself so tightly he was surprised she couldbreathe. “Would you prefer it if I joined you in the bedroom? To sleep on the floor, I mean.”
She nodded. “I know it’s stupid, but I can’t relax. Every time the cabin creaks or something chirps out there in the woods, I think it’s them coming for us.”
He rolled up off the floor, picking up his jacket and the rifle as he did. “Okay, let’s go. You get tucked in, and I’ll take the floor. No onewill get to you without going through me first.”
She led their two-person parade the short distance into the other room. Even after they were both inside with the door shut, she hesitated. Damn it, he wasn’t a mind reader. What the hell did she want him to do?
“Look, if you’ve changed your mind, Doc, just say so, because I’m dead on my feet here. One way or another, I’m going to get horizontaleither here or back out in the kitchen. Which is it going to be?”
She glanced at the rumpled blankets and then back at him. “You’d sleep better in the bed.”
Well, yeah, but then she’d be the one freezing her delectable ass on the floor. “Thanks, but no thanks. My sister did her best to pound good manners through my thick skull. There’s no way I can take the bed and let you sleep on the floor.”
“Then we’ll share.”
And while he stood there slack-jawed, she lay down and scooted all the way to the other side of the mattress. When he didn’t immediately follow suit, she patted the bed. “Come on, Chase. We’re both adults.”
True, and that was the problem. Although Gwen had taught him to be a gentleman, she hadn’t raised a fool. Even if he was on his best behavior, curling up under the coverswith Marisol would be playing with fire. Even as he inched toward the bed, he offered her one more out. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I promise I won’t bite.”
He put his knee on the bed. “Yeah, well, I might.”
“I’m willing to risk it.”
Like he’d said, he was no fool. No way he’d turn down her offer to share. He stretched out on the bed and tugged the covers up over them both. She turned towardthe window, offering him her back. He followed suit, facing the door on the opposite wall. However, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t quite relax. Only a few inches separated them, which made him conscious of every breath she took, each small movement she made.
After a few minutes, her breathing grew deep and slow, a likely indicator that she’d fallen asleep, but it took him much longer toget settled. As she’d said, the bad guys were still out there. He had no idea where his friends were or if they were even coming. Gradually, though, his and Marisol’s body heat combined to banish the night’s chill and tomorrow’s worries.
Cocooned in Marisol’s scent and warmth, he slept.
