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“Yes. I think it might be getting worse.”
“We need to get you some painkillers and food. Maybe a nap.”
“I have to get off your lap.” But she didn’t move.
“Are you sure there isn’t something I can do? You can tell me. I think we’re long past getting embarrassed with each other, right?”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get past that. I mean . . . from the moment I asked you if there was a man with a machete standing behind me, to freaking out over snow touching me, to basically blurting out my every fear . . . yeah, you would think I couldn’t feel any more embarrassment. But I’m sure I will do something else ridiculous.”
He sensed she was close to tears again. Poor baby, this had all been a lot for her.
“Shh. You’re just tired. Everything will be better tomorrow.”
“Yeah? I guess it can’t get worse, right? Okay, so when I get overly anxious, I find that being held really tight or having something press down on me helps.”
He thought about that, even as his arms tightened around her.
“I don’t usually have anyone to hold me tight like this,” she confessed.
Crap.
She was breaking his heart right now.
“So I usually make do with a weighted blanket.”
“Do you have one with you?” he asked.
“Yes.”
She gradually relaxed in his arms. It was feeding the needy beast inside him. The one that wanted him to claim her, own her, possess her.
But he needed to get that fucker under control before he ruined everything.
“All right. Why don’t we get it out, and then you can lie under it for a while?”
“Okay, it’s in the duffle bag. I’ll get it.”
“I’ll get it,” he told her. “You just sit here.”
He lifted her off him, prepared for her to protest.
Hell. There was a part of him that wanted her to protest. To tell him that she didn’t want him to let go of her.
Fuck. He needed to get a rein on himself.
Setting her down, he forced himself to get up and move over to the bag she’d indicated. He pulled out the weighted blanket. It was a deep purple with silver stars.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, reaching for the blanket.
He wanted to insist that he tuck it around her, fuss over her. But maybe he should take a step back.
So he handed it over. He watched as she dragged her handbag up onto the bed and placed her hand inside.
“Is there something you want in there?” He nodded to her handbag.
“Oh no. I mean, shoot. It’s just Wally.”
