“Now—if you’d like—come sit down and get under a blanket.”
I frowned, wondering why he’d said that.
As if in answer, Brady clarified, “You’re rubbing your arms. You’re cold.”
I looked down to see that he was right. My hands were moving up and down the smooth fabric of my jacket. Now that I wasn’t dying from embarrassment or full of furious anger, the cold had seeped in without me noticing.
Brady returned his hands behind his head and closed his eyes like he didn’t care what I decided to do.
So I sat. Then I burrowed beneath the top layer of the blanket mound.
He cracked one lid open. “You know, we could snuggle for warmth.”
“Oh my God,” I growled.
“I’m just saying!” He closed his eye, but there was no hiding that grin.
Brady
It was an hour later, and I could hear her teeth chattering.
We’d dimmed the electric lantern, and it emitted only a faint circle of cool blue light. But I could see how stiffly Mac held herself.
The blankets were plentiful, but they were rough and thick and not very well insulated. It was like trying to cover up and keep warm with a scratchy suit jacket. The blankets might have been economical, but they weren’t comfortable like a quilt or a fuzzy fleece.
Despite the cold, Mac had been hell-bent on ignoring me. I shouldn’t have pushed. Obviously, I’d rattled her.
I was going to lose a thumbnail if I kept nervously fiddling with the key ring in my pocket, though.
“Will you please just come lie down with me?” I finally blurted. “Just for warmth. We do not have to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about. But you are very clearly freezing.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head.
“I’ll never tell anyone. It’ll be our secret.”
Her eyes locked on mine, and I justknewshe was thinking about the other secret we shared.
So I hurriedly added, “I’m tired of listening to your teeth clickety-clacking. I’ll never get my beauty rest if you’re over there getting hypothermia.”
Mac glared like I knew she would.
I flung back the blanket covering me and spread my arms wide.
She looked like a woman facing a firing squad, but she eventually crawled over to me. I swallowed hard and focused on not getting an erection at the sight of her on all fours.
Once she’d snuggled into my side, her head resting on my shoulder and her arms wrapping around my chest, we got the blankets situated on top of us. The only sound besides the crickets outside was our steady breathing.
I wrapped one arm around her back and pulled her close. We didn’t talk, and all I could think about was how good she felt, how well we fit together, how nice it was to be close and quiet—even if we were trapped in an old shed.
After long moments, she finally murmured against my chest, “How are you this warm?” Her tired voice was a little muffled from the fabric of my vest.
“I’ve always run pretty hot.” I grinned against the top of her head. Her dark hair was soft and cold beneath my lips. “Admit it, Macaroni. You think I’m hot.”
She snorted. “Yeah. A hot mess.”
“Nope. A smoke show.”
“Like a dumpster fire.”
