Page 37 of Beat around the Bush
“Get in the truck,” Lennon demanded.
“My phone-” I’d left it in my car.
“I’ll get it. Get in the truck,” he repeated. Even in the dim light, I could tell he wouldn’t take no for an answer, and thankfully for him, I didn’t have the energy to fight. Plus, he’d kept his truck running, which meant the heater was on, and all I wanted right now was a little bit of warmth.
“O-okay,” I managed to get out before I made the slow trek to the passenger side of his truck.
“Do you know her?” Scooby Snack Guy asked from somewhere behind me.
I couldn’t hear Lennon’s response as my feet shuffled through the snow.
“How do I know you’re not going to hurt her?” the guy asked.
I paused, twisting slightly so I could see them.
This time, I heard Lennon loud and clear.
“I didn’t see you trying to help her, so if anyone’s intentions here should be questioned, it’s yours. Now get the fuck out of my way so I can take care of my girl.”
My girl?
I turned back around as Lennon disappeared down the embankment. If I wasn’t so damn cold, every nerve in my body would be on fire right now.He’d called me his girl.Maybe it was because he was worried and it slipped out, but he’d said it with no hesitation. There was no way he really thought that about me.
I wasn’t sure how long it took, but he was back right as I reached the door with my phone in his hand.
He reached around me, pulling the handle. My movements were slow with the cold as I reached for the door to pull myself in. He rested a hand on my back, giving me the extra gentle push I needed to plop down in the seat.
“It’s s-so w-warm,” I mumbled as the uncontrollable shivers wracked through me.
“I know, Oak. Let me get in.” He closed the passenger door and a second later, he was sliding into the driver’s side, slamming his door shut.
“Scoot closer,” he instructed.
I tried to get my footing on the floor to scoot into the middle seat, but my feet were so numb, I could barely put any pressureon them. “My f-feet.”
His gaze moved to my shoes and he cursed, reaching over to pull me closer. He was so warm. His hands, his body, everything about Lennon right now was fire, and I was stuck in an iceberg.
He reached around my waist, buckling me in, and then wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him. My head fell to his shoulder as my conscience screamed at me to lift it. I breathed him in and nuzzled further into his neck.
“Fuck, Oak. You’re frozen,” he said as my nose touched the skin on his neck.
“I’m s-sorry,” I whispered, unable to speak any louder as I continued to shake. Somewhere in front of us, headlights moved, but I was too cold to care about the guy.
He shifted into drive, not bothering with his own seat belt. I was blocking the buckle anyway, and while I was all about safety first, I didn’t want to move even an inch away from him right now.
My eyes drifted shut with the lull of the engine, but his hand started rubbing my shoulder, keeping me from drifting off completely. “Stay awake for me, Oak. We’re almost there.”
“W-where?”
“My house.”
His house?
If I wasn’t so damned cold right now, I’d demand he take me to mine, but seeing as though the heater in my house hadn’t been running all day, it’d take hours for it to warm up if I turned it on now. I didn’t know how quick frostbite set in, butI got the feeling his house was already warm, so I’d accept my fate until I was warm enough to go home.
A few turns later, he shut off the engine. “You want to slide out on my side?” he asked.
I nodded, my cheek rubbing against his shoulder with the motion.
