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Allegra scanned the wreckage. Where the hell was she supposed to find blankets? The back of the airplane was gone which meant so was her luggage and he’d searched the two front closets so if there were blankets, they’d be in there wouldn’t they? It wasn’t like there were overhead bins or anything.
He glanced up at her. “Check in that closet.” He pointed to the one on the right behind the cockpit. It was the opposite one to where his jacket had been. “I thought I saw some in there.”
She nodded and moved passed him, stepping very carefully on the cushion bed. No need to make them dirty. She started to giggle. She was about to spend the night in the fuselage of a downed plane during a snowstorm and she was worried about dirt on the cushions? The giggle turned into laughter and then more laughter as she doubled over trying hard to catch her breath.
“Hey,” Xavier said.
But she couldn’t stop. Hysteria. Shock. Prolonged exposure to stressful situations. The medical side of her brain identified the problem, as the emotional side of it wanted to throw her fucking hands in the air.
He came over, pulled her up and then wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay. You’re okay,” he said as he rubbed his hands on her back, keeping her close to his chest.
She leaned into his arms. Tears started to fall down her cheeks and her giggles wavered. She drew in a shuddering breath.
Xavier stared at her and for a minute she thought he might slap her but then he dropped his head and kissed her hard on the mouth. And just like that, her laughter stopped. Shock rippled through her. His lips were warm on hers. Inviting. She relaxed into his arms. Xavier raised his head and stared at her.
“Better?” he said but still stared.
“I…I just…”
“It’s shock. You’ve been through hell and your body is trying to process it. Laughter is just one way to do that.”
She wanted to argue with him but there was no point. He was right. She just lost her shit and he’d pulled her back from the brink. She should be grateful not pissed off. It was just so damned mortifying. Heat flooded her cheeks. It could’ve been worse, she reminded herself. He could’ve slapped her. Probably should have. Instead, he’d kissed her. Same shock value and a lot less pain, even some pleasure.
“I’m okay,” she mumbled finally. “Sorry. Just lost it there for a second. I’m fine now.” She realized she was still hanging on to him and he had his arms around her waist. She cleared her throat and inched away from him. Turning, she opened the closet. She stared. What was she looking for?Blankets, you ninny. Right. The heat in her cheeks warmed her as well as humiliated her as she dug through the closet. There was one on the floor. She brought it out and started to close the closet.
“Leave it open,” Xavier said as he took the blanket from her and handed her a piece of metal. “Put that in front of the door so it stays open.
“Why?” She was totally confused, the effects of her breakdown still befuddling her thinking.
“There’s a broken window in the cockpit and even though the cockpit door is closed, some cold air is getting through. Having the closet door open helps block any drafts coming from that direction. At least it won’t blow on us directly.”
“Oh.” That made sense. She needed to engage her brain if they were going to survive.Enough nonsense, she scolded herself. As an emergency medicine doctor, she’d been trained to keep calm under extreme pressure. She was better than this. Better than freaking out.
The extra stress of the erroneous data added to the crash had put her over the top. She was sure of it. She’d had no sleep and had eaten very little. She would have to rectify that as soon as possible once they were rescued. Her game needed to be on point with Damon.
It seemed silly to even think that way, but Allegra knew herself well and she was goal oriented. She needed a goal if she was going to get through this in one piece and just surviving the night wasn’t going to cut it.
“Okay,” Xavier indicated the cushions, “why don’t you sit? I’ll get you a bit of water.”
He was treating her like she was fragile. Like she was going to lose it again any second. She couldn’t blame him honestly but she needed to set him straight.
“I’m sorry I lost my shit, but I’m fine. You’re right. Shock can sneak up on anyone. I’m alright now. Much better.”
He nodded and handed her a bottle of water. “Drink some slowly.”
“You don’t have to worry. I’ve got it. I’m okay. I can take care of myself.”
“Uh-huh,” he said and gestured to the water bottle.
She gritted her teeth. One small outburst and now she was a nut case. Great. She sighed.Whatever.She drank some water and then sat down on the cushions. She handed the bottle back to him and pulled her coat tightly around herself. Each breath leaving her mouth was creating a larger steam cloud. How low would the temperature drop? It already felt like they were flirting with the freezing range. It was going to be hard to keep warm without a fire.
“You’re sure we shouldn’t risk a fire?” she asked trying to keep her teeth from chattering.
He shook his head but didn’t turn away. “It’s too dangerous to risk. Plus, it’s not like we have anything to burn. I don’t want to burn random shit because we’re gonna end up breathing in whatever fumes are released and God only knows what chemicals are in everything. It’s too dark and too snowy to go out and find wood that wasn’t wet.”
He had a point.
“Okay then. We’re going to have to curl up together, skin to skin or as near to it as we can if we’re going to stay warm. So, which side of the cushions do you want?” she asked as she started pulling off her coat.
