The frozen grass crunched under my feet as I hurried around the shack. Once I’d located the firewood, I took as much as I could. Back inside the shack I dropped it in a small pile by the fireplace and did three more trips.
From the cupboard off the living room he unearthed matches and little firelighters and even kindling.
Jackpot.
In no time I had piled the fireplace with logs and started a fire. It would take some time until the house would be warmed up, and the flames had to be stoked and fed all through the night. I could do that for him.
“I’ll teach you how to tend to fire later, but for now I want you to sit your arse back down on the couch.” I pointed at a fluffy fleece plaid. “I’ll heat up our food when you’ve warmed up a bit.”
Noah didn’t even argue. Like an obedient little puppy with zero fight in him he plopped down on the sofa and wrapped in the blanket I’d got for him at Nøkken.
Hold your tongue, Lewis. Yeah, he’s hot, but he’s still Ollie’s little brother. And your fake boyfriend.“I put too little wood in the fireplace, that’s why it never caught,” he said in a small voice, more to the fire and himself than to me.
His tiny smile lit up the fucking room. It warmed me so thoroughly it was as if I’d torched this whole dingy shack and wasn’t just burning a couple of logs.
I took a seat next to him and slipped my arm around his shoulders.
Fuck this.
I knew I’d care more that Noah was technically out of bounds if Ollie gave a fuck about his brother.
Noah needed to warm up, and I had a higher body temperature. It was a no brainer. With all the fur we tiger hybrids were pretty much walking, talking furnaces.
Noah relaxed against my side and huddled closer.
“Oh no,” he said after a couple of minutes of silence between us and pointed to the window opposite us. Noah and I stared out into the swirling mass of snow. It was coming down hard and almost horizontal.
How the hell did this happen so quickly?
“There’s no way you’ll be able to drive in this weather. Not even with your car,” he mumbled and slid his arm across my stomach. He didn’t sound sorry at all.
“Oh no,” I said in feigned concern but the smile on my face betrayed my true feelings. “Looks like I’ll have to stay here and make sure you don’t freeze.”
Chapter 15
Noah
My stomach dropped like I had missed a step on the stairs when Lew grinned at me, and warmth spread from my core to my limbs.
He’ll stay the night.
“Didn’t you say something about food earlier?” I asked him. It was about dinner time, and I was ravenous after the afternoon’s excitement.
Not just for food, though. Christ, I was so freaking horny I would blow like a teenager if he so much aslookedat my cock.
“Oh, yeah, I grabbed Thai food for us from a place in Kincardie.” He sat up and extracted himself from my hug reluctantly. I added hesitation to the mental file I kept with proof that he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
He. Wants. Me.
I’d suspected as much at Windmouth Castle, but our post-run-and-gaming-makeout session had confirmed it for me.
And he’s staying the night!
I followed him into the kitchen, smiling at his broad back.
Use me, Lewis Sinclair!
“I hope you like what I picked,” he said and leaned against my kitchen counter. It creaked slightly under his weight. I supposed he was roughly five hundred pounds, with his bulging thighs and cute paunch. I couldn’t wait to snuggle my ass into it. And those pecs… Then I caught his eye and tore mine away.
