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Mia disappeared into the bedroom, the door softly clicking shut behind her. Grant turned down the volume on the news and stretched out on the couch after placing a few pillows under his head. The low drone from the television was lulling him to sleep and soon his lids felt like lead weights. It had been a damn long day, and he had another one just like it in the morning.
Before he knew it, he was asleep, with one ear cocked for any commotion outside the door to the hotel room.
He must have drifted off because he had to pry his eyes open when he heard the sound of muffled footsteps. Mia had come out of the bedroom, her face pale, and her eyes haunted. She was sitting on the floor in front of the television, her arms wrapped around her knees, her head resting on top. She’d changed into a pair of sleep shorts and an old t-shirt, a hole near the hem by her ribcage.
“Bad dream?” he asked, keeping his voice to a whisper.
She didn’t answer right away but then nodded.
“There’s more ice cream if you want it. That’s always good for bad dreams.”
That’s what hurricanes were for - lots of junk food.
“Ice cream is good for that?”
“That’s what my dad used to give us. Mom wasn’t thrilled about it, but it seemed to work.”
“I don’t think it will help.”
It was quiet again, the sound of the newscaster could barely be heard. From what Grant could see, it was still a mess outside. Every now and then a branch would hit the building and there would be a giant gust of wind, only for it to die down and then start all over again.
He didn’t speak and neither did Mia. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but there was definitely a tension in the room. He didn’t want to make it worse by saying something stupid.
“Can I sit next to you?”
The poor woman was scared. She’d probably had a dream about her shitty ex, and now she was terrified he was going to show up and drag her back.
“Of course, you can.” He swung his legs over the side of the couch and sat up, patting the cushion next to him. “Here, take this blanket and wrap up. I promise nothing is going to happen to you.”
This time she smiled, her features relaxing, and he was reminded that she was quite attractive. He’d been trying to ignore that since he’d found her on the side of the road.
“Are you going to check under the bed for monsters, too?”
“And the closets,” he assured her. “My brothers and I are champion monster fighters, so you don’t have to fear anything.”
She levered to her feet and came to sit next to him, but instead of wrapping up in the blanket she scooted closer and draped it over both of their legs.
“I can share.”
“Thanks.”
That tension that he’d felt earlier was still there but had morphed into something far different. He might be imagining it, however. Mia wanted comfort and strength. She wanted his assurances that everything was going to be fine.
He could give her that. He had to ignore some of his own instincts to wrap his arms around her instead of that fuzzy blue blanket, pulling her close to his chest. From there he could feel the weight of her body against his, smell the sweet scent of her shampoo. He’d already caught a whiff when she’d been inside his vehicle and her hair was wet.
Coconut and vanilla. And rain.
“When I woke up in a panic, I didn’t know where I was for a moment,” she said. “Then I remembered that you rescued me, and you were right outside the door protecting me. I had to come out here and make sure you hadn’t left me alone.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
His throat had tightened at the emotion in her tone. He hadn’t known Mia but a few hours, but…he cared about her. He shouldn’t but he did.
“I had to be sure,” she replied. “Just knowing that you were here made all the difference. I don’t know what I would be doing if you hadn’t found me, but I’m guessing I might be injured or dead.”
“But that didn’t happen.”
“It could have happened.”
