My stomach roared in reaction and my recalcitrant cock twitched as her hips rolled in time to whatever beat she was listening to. Between the fall outside and distraction with the movers, I hadn’t really gotten a good look at her. Okay, there had been a full body check when she’d helped me inside, but the pain, cold, and multiple layers between us had shielded most of her.
She was a tiny thing, that much I remembered. And shockingly strong for someone who barely reached my chin.
The shapeless hoodie hid everything until she lifted her arms and the expanse of her golden skin along her lower back made me swallow my tongue. Her waist nipped in then flared out to an ass that should be illegal. Especially with how she moved. The dip of her spine where it disappeared into the...were those pajama pants?
I frowned. Hedgehogs?
Dear God, how old was she?
I shut my eyes for a moment, but I couldn’t resist another peek. The waistband was rolled down a few times and still the frayed hem pooled down around her feet, showing off bare toes.
Fuck.
I needed to stop freaking looking at her.
Based on how her hips were moving, I wasn’t sure I could handle her music.
She froze with her arms in the air. “Oh, hey. You’re awake,” she shouted as she stirred whatever was on the stove, recovering my Dutch oven. She licked her thumb, then pulled off my headphones and set them on top of a box.
“Uh, yeah.” I glanced out the window to see the snow was sticking to the glass. A gust picked up and the mix of ice andsnow rattled the glass. The sky was a pale orange, pregnant with more snow. Add in whatever amazing thing was on the stove and it threatened to lure me intoa dangerous contentment. Pushing that thought away, I moved my foot and the zip of pain reminded me why I was in this predicament.
“Hope you don’t mind. I was getting hungry. Figured you were too.” She hurried into the living room. “We should probably wrap you up before you’re completely immobile. Did you take some Advil?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
She stopped over to see the dog first, kissing his nose extravagantly and scratching his ears. “Aren’t you the bestest boy,” she cooed.
“You let him stay?”
She paused. “You thought I was going to put him out in that?” She stood up and went to the window. “There’s at least a foot of snow and ice out there.”
“No.”
“Good, because if you said yes I was about to take that chicken potato soup home with me.”
“You made it with my food.”
“You can bill me.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her green eyes snapping with indignation.
Annoyed that she was still in my space and I didn’t hate it, I shut my mouth. Because damn, it did smell good. And she did help me out. I wasn’t sure why she did, but even I couldn’t be that much of an asshole.
“Is there a reason you’re so salty? Can’t you just save it for the soup?”
My lips twitched, but I didn’t smile. It was a damn close thing.
“Tough crowd.” She rolled her eyes and sat on the coffee table beside my foot.
I immediately braced and tried to move it away.
“C’mon. I need to see it.”
“Are you a nurse too?”
“No, but I have seen a million sprains, remember?”
I frowned, vaguely remembering her saying something about a brother. “Hockey?”
“Yep. The delirium wasn’t that serious, I see. Some sleep and a fireplace does the brain good.”
