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She frowned at him. Flicked the water on her fingers off into the creek. For a second, he worried she’d tell him to screw off, march off on her own again. Could he let her leave? No, no he couldn’t. He’d stand by her side no matter what she decided, but hopefully she didn’t know that.
“Fine. I’ll get rid of it.”
That was all he needed to hear. There was no time for him to revel in the victory of Anna choosing him, or to explore the weird warmth spreading through his chest. If he gave her time, she might’ve changed her mind. Hayden gripped a sleeve in each hand and then ripped, tearing the piece of clothing in half and dropping both pieces to the ground.
Anna gasped. She stood and spun around, fury in each move she made. “Are you freaking kidding me? You assho—” Her foot caught a loose rock, plunging her backwards into the icy water.
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Her fall into the creek was more embarrassing than anything else. The shallow water was freezing, only not iced over because it was flowing so quickly. Now her pants and her sad excuse of a bra were soaked, and her jacket was in two pieces on the ground at Hayden’s feet. She tossed her shirt somewhere, so at least she had one dry piece of clothing.
Like the hero he was, Hayden rushed toward her, offering a hand to lift her up, which she vehemently swatted away. She didn’t need his help. Didn’t need anybody’s help.
Anna dipped her hands into the icy water, pretending it didn’t bite at her skin, and pushed herself up to her feet. She pushed past Hayden, ignoring his questions and protests and attempts at an apology.
The only thing on her mind was getting to the shack. Getting inside. Stripping the wet, freezing clothes that stuck to her skin and wrapping herself up in the dust-covered, ratty blanket in the place.
By the time she made it there, her teeth were chattering, fingers and toes numb, and soft shivers ran through her body. She slammed the door behind her, not bothering to check if Hayden was on her heels, though she assumed he was.
The only thing on her mind was warmth.
She yanked the wet clothes from her body, struggling far too much with the rough material of her pants, which was far less comfortable while wet. Eventually she’d kicked off her boots and socks, gotten her pants off, and tossed her wet bra and panties to the floor.
The soft shivers had gotten stronger, rocking through her as she tried to hold her jaw shut to stop the clattering of her teeth.
Blanket, she needed to get under a blanket. If Hayden wanted to be useful, he better be out there starting a fire for her. She’d do it herself, except he’d destroyed her clothes and frozen her fingers. Yep, completely his fault, not her own clumsiness.
A loud bang made her jump as the front door slammed open, Hayden barreling through it.
“W-w-w-what th-the h-h-hell,” she couldn’t even get out a sentence. Couldn't ask what the hell he was doing or tell him to get out or rage about the parts of him she’d chop off if he so much as looked at her naked, shaking body.
Since she couldn’t talk, she instead reached for the ratty blanket on the bed, but Hayden moved faster than her, stepping in front of her. His eyes were on her forehead—smart man—as he wrapped a weird, silvery sheeting around her. Pulling it tightly around her shivering form, he then grabbed the blanket from the bed, wrapping that over the silvery one.
“This will insulate you, keep the warmth in a lot better than a normal wool blanket.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms over the blankets. “We need to get your body temperature up. Quickly.”
“F-f-f-f-fi—” It should definitely not be this damn difficult to get out the word fire.
“A fire requires wood, which I can get, but it will take time. You need to warm up now.” His eyes shot around the small cabin. “Unless you want me to burn this? I don’t think the owner will mind.”
A laugh burst from her mouth. It sounded all wrong through her chattering teeth, but it felt warm in her chest nonetheless. Hayden offered her a smile, a sight she’d never seen before. She certainly wouldn’t admit it, not even to herself, but that smile warmed her chest, too.
“Come,” he said, opening his arms and reminding her that he was still shirtless. “Body heat.”
She wanted to argue, but before she could, he’d closed his hands over her shoulders and pulled him into his chest, completely enveloping her with his large body. Thanks to the blankets, the only part of her skin that touched him was her cheek. That cheek felt so damn warm, she snuck her hands out of the blanket to press them against his chest, as well.
Between the lack of sleep, the stress of nearly dying yesterday, and the constant shivers and shakes that were rocking through her body, it had been a rough twenty-four hours. Anna’s knees wobbled under the exhaustion she felt, but Hayden caught her with ease, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bed.
He laid her down, walked over to shut the door, and then eased into the bed beside her. He pulled open the blankets and eased himself inside, pulling her body to his, flesh to flesh. She wanted to protest, but the cold kept her mouth shut.
At least, that’s what she told herself.
It definitely wasn’t the tender way he worked to warm her. The silent care he offered. The easy way he averted his gaze so that it never ran over her naked form, as if it was completely natural for him to not ogle a woman in pain. The gentle touch of his calloused hands over her bare back, holding her tightly as she clung to his warmth.
No, it was none of that. Just the cold. Definitely just the cold.
“D-don’t have d-dry c-clothes,” she choked out.
Hayden brushed a hand over the back of her head, tucking it perfectly beneath his chin. “I have a change of clothes for you.” The strong hands on her back rubbed into her muscles, hitting sore points she didn’t even know were sore. “Three, actually.”
