Page 32 of Holding Ground

It’s been way too long since I’ve gotten laid—it takes every single ounce of willpower to tear my eyes away.

I blink, then spin on my heel, heading for the hallway. “I’ll find you something dry to change into.”

Anything I give her is going to be way too big, so I just grab the first pair of sweatpants and T-shirt I find.

When I return from my room, her arms are crossed over her chest, probably since she saw me staring at her minutes ago.

“Sorry, I didn’t think to grab an umbrella or anything before I raced out there to see if you were okay.” I hand her the clothes. “They’ll be too big, but they’re warm and dry.”

She takes them from me, shivering.

I look away, not wanting to take advantage of the situation just so I’ll have material for my spank bank.

“Thanks for these.”

“You can use the bathroom down the hall to change.” I gesture, and she goes without saying another word.

I go to my room and change into dry clothes, and by the time I return, she hasn’t come out, so I stand at the sliding glass doors, looking out over the backyard. Every time the lightning flashes, I get a glimpse of the bunkie, and the damage doesn’t look good. It’s hard to tell because the tree fell on the far side of the building, so I won’t really know what the situation is until daylight.

The hardwood creaks behind me, and I look over my shoulder.

Every muscle in my body coils tight when I get my first look at Emelia in my clothes. The hunter green T-shirt with the logo for my camp hangs off one shoulder, and she’s swimming in my pants. There’s a huge bulge under the T-shirt where she’s rolled the waistband several times.

Fuck. Seeing her in my clothes like this…

I clear my throat and turn my head back around, discreetly adjusting myself.

The thunderstorm continues to rage outside as she steps up beside me.

“I wasn’t sure what to do with these wet clothes.” She holds them out between us.

“I’ll put them in the dryer for you.”

I take them from her as a loud crack of thunder shakes the entire house, and we’re plunged into darkness. Emelia yelps.

I don’t know what it is, but something about the sound—like a dying hyena—makes us both laugh. We don’t stop right away, and it’s not until we’re quiet again that I realize how long it’s been since I’ve laughed with a woman.

“I guess I’m more freaked out by being woken up by a tree falling on the bunkie than I thought.” Her voice is a little breathless, and in the dark like this, all I can think about is whether this is what it would sound like to be in the same bed with her.

“Anyone would be freaked out. Guess I’ll just go hang those in the shower. You good here on your own for a second?”

“Yeah, sure.” She wraps her arms around herself, and I fight the urge to pull her into my arms, though I can’t account for it.

Objectively, Emelia is hot. So it’s no surprise that I feel an attraction to her. But this urge is driven by the need to comfort. Something I don’t understand because I don’t like this woman or what she represents. I should hope that this scares her right out of town.

Using the periodic display of lightning Mother Nature is giving me to find my way, I get to the coffee table, pick up my phone, turn on the flashlight, and head to the bathroom.

Once Emelia’s clothes are hung over the top of the shower curtain pole, I go back to the kitchen. She’s right where I left her, looking at the backyard as rain pelts the windows.

“You’re going to have to sleep here tonight.” Clearing my throat, I refuse to consider the way saying those words out loud makes me feel.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” She turns to face me, and I point my phone toward the floor so the light isn’t shining in her face.

“Course not. I have a guest room you can stay in. It’s not fancy or anything, but it has a bed and mattress. And a roof.”

She chuckles low in her throat. “What more can a girl ask for?”

“Follow me.” I lead her down the hall to the room across from Baylor’s. “The power should be up and going by the morning. This happens a lot when there’s a bad storm. County keeps saying they’re going to upgrade things so we don’t have this issue, but I haven’t seen it yet.”