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She nodded and they ate in silence—both knowing with a certainty that something likely might happen but they were going to fight it until they simply couldn’t deny the attraction any longer.
Jeremiah exhaled as he chewed tersely. “It’s going to be a long night.”
“Tell me about it,” Miranda agreed on a sigh. “A very long, frustrating night.”
Amen to that.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MIRANDA FINISHED HER makeshift dinner and swished her mouth with a gulp of water before eyeing the bed as if it were the enemy. She started talking just to alleviate the tension in the room as she checked the blankets to ensure nothing creepy crawly was also sleeping in the bed. “I don’t know why we’re so freaked out about this. We’re both adults and, besides, we’re going to be wearing all our clothes, so it’s not as if we’re going to be rubbing up against each other naked.” She forced a laugh at the idea. “I mean, it’s just like camping, right? We’re going to bunk up for necessity and be completely mature about the situation so that no one can say anything about it.”
“Of course,” he agreed. “But I think it’s best to keep this to ourselves to avoid becoming the gossip of the week.”
“Right. I mean, we don’t need to explain to anyone what happened. We can just tell people that we went our separate ways after tagging the bear. No one needs to know.”
Miranda ignored the improbability of her suggestion and clung to the possibility that it might work. She finished fluffing the thick insulated blankets and stood beside Jeremiah, staring at the bed, waiting.
“I’d prefer to sleep on the outside, if you wouldn’t mind,” Jeremiah said.
“I suppose for one night that’ll be fine.” Miranda took a deep breath and climbed into the bed, scooting over to the far side nearest the wall. She pulled the blankets to her chin and stared at the ceiling while Jeremiah climbed in beside her. Good God, she felt like a nervous teenage girl. She stiffened when Jeremiah’s body pressed against hers. “We need to share the space,” she reminded him with irritation.
“It’s a very small space,” he countered, equally irritated. “I don’t think we’ll be able to sleep on our backs. We’ll have to spoon.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “I am not spooning you.”
“It will simply save space and allow both of us to share body heat,” he said. “I promise my suggestion is nothing more than being logical given the situation. Trust me, I’d rather be anywhere but lying beside you right now.”
Ouch. “Is that so?” she said, grudgingly flipping on her side and allowing her backside to settle into the cove of his big body. “Well, hopefully you’ll be able to suffer through one night.”
There was a long pause and then Jeremiah said, “Don’t take it the wrong way. I like the feel of you against me. That’s the problem, Miranda. I like it too much. Before you get all screechy about not being interested in a relationship, I’m not looking for a girlfriend. But I am attracted to you and it’d make my life a lot easier if I weren’t. And even though we are adults, it’s not so easy to remind my libido of that fact when you’re pressed up against me. That’s all I’m saying.”
Her face safely hidden from view, Miranda allowed a tiny smile. She knew how he felt because she felt the same. Why’d he have to be so handsome? She remembered in fresh detail how it felt to be touched by him, to feel him moving inside her, filling her to the point of near-delicious pain.
“And there’s something else,” he added softly, and she stilled to listen. “I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since that night together and I’m exhausted.”
“Me, too,” she admitted on a whisper. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. Let’s get a good night’s rest and think about it in the morning.”
“Okay.” She smiled and relaxed, her body toasty and warm and feeling wonderfully sheltered by Jeremiah. She almost wished they didn’t have so many clothes between them. She wanted to feel his skin against hers but as she yawned she accepted that this was probably as close as they were going to get to a repeat of their time together. As she tumbled into sleep, Miranda thought this was something she could get used to...if things were different.
* * *
JEREMIAH’S ARM WAS wrapped firmly around Miranda’s midsection and it felt completely natural to have her against him. His body settled into the lethargy of sleep, and within moments, he was oblivious, but his extreme exhaustion wreaked havoc with his mind and soon his REM sleep was filled with vivid dreams.
