Page 24 of Love in the Storm

“Yes. I’m on it.” She sprinted for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Asa called out from behind her. “Just the fridge. Not the freezer.”

“Got it!” She shouted over her shoulder.

Minutes later, she carefully made her way back down the stairs with arms overflowing with cold fridge items. She might never warm up after this.

Asa had an orange extension cord trailing through the room, and he was hidden behind the fridge. She stuffed the items in and ran back upstairs for more.

After a few trips, the fridge was stocked, and Asa was finished hooking up the generator.

Lyric rested her hands on her hips. “Are we finished?”

“I think we’re finished. The fridge, hot water heater, and fireplace fan are hooked up.”

“So are we moving our home base down here?” The smaller living room was cozy and had large windows like the upper floor. The couch was a leather sectional, and a separate love seat looked like it had two reclining seats.

“I think we need to. The upstairs fireplace will keep the area right in front of it warm, but it won’t heat the room without a fan.”

“Okay, sounds good.” She tucked her arms around her wet body and tried to calm the shaking.

“The water heater is good to go if you need a bath.”

“A bath?” Soaking in a tub of hot water sounded like the stuff of dreams right now.

Lyric’s stomach growled loud enough to be heard over the ruckus outside.

Asa grinned and tilted his head toward the downstairs bedrooms. “Why don’t you get warm and dry, and I’ll find us some breakfast.”

She tightened her jaw as she tried to stop the chattering of her teeth. “You want me to dry your clothes again?”

He looked down at his wet pants. “I’ll get those started while you get warm. We can dry yours too.”

She’d thrown on her pants straight from the dryer before rushing outside, and she was lamenting the loss of their warmth. “Looks like we’re back in the robes.”

Asa scrunched up his nose, making an adorable face at odds with his masculine features.

“You like the robes,” she teased.

“They have their perks,” Asa said, shrugging one shoulder.

Lyric narrowed her eyes. “There’s more than one?”

“Nope. Just the fluffy softness,” Asa answered quickly.

Smirking, Lyric let her gaze linger on him. Flirting with the hot cop and lounging around in robes together was dangerous. Now he’d offered to make her breakfast while she relaxed in a hot bath, made possible by his fantastic knowledge of generator operations.

“A candle-lit bath sounds perfect,” she said as she turned to go.

Just before she rounded the corner, she snuck a peek at Asa. He was leaned back against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed over his chest, and his stare was locked on her.

She might not need a bath to warm up if Asa kept looking at her like that.

9

ASA

Asa stepped out into the icy morning, grateful he’d taken the time to layer up first. Everything was covered in a thick sheet of white, and the sting hit his lungs like a punch.

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