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“I know your arm hurts, but we need to get you into some decent clothes before we leave. The T-shirt you’re down to won’t protect you from zip. I noticed a few holes in your jeans, and my sister left a few of hers here so you can try them. ”
Without waiting for a response, Seth pushed the covers away and helped her sit up on the couch. Then he carefully pulled the flannel shirt around her shoulders. She thrust her good arm through the armhole and then slowly straightened her injured arm so that she could fit it through the other sleeve.
He buttoned the shirt up, his fingers lingering at each one as he worked down her chest. Her breasts tightened and throbbed, and it embarrassed her that her nipples thrust against the softness of the material. The shirt was large enough that he might not see, but she was acutely aware of each touch.
The awareness startled her, but it was pleasant. No, not pleasant. That was too mild a word to describe the pleasure that hummed through her veins like sweet honey. It was warm and electric and it brought her to life—into the sun after so long in the cold.
To her surprise, he didn’t waste any time divesting her of her jeans. He unbuttoned the fly and helped her to her feet and then pushed the loose material over her hips until she stood in only her panties and the too-large flannel shirt hanging to her knees.
She stole a glance at Michael, her cheeks flaming, but he had discreetly looked away.
“Hold on to my shoulder,” Seth directed as he held the jeans open at her feet.
She braced herself, her fingers sliding over the well muscled cord of his neck until she gripped his shoulder. Then she stepped into the pants and allowed him to
pull them up her body and fasten the waist.
They fit her well with only an inch or two to spare at the waist. Her hips were slimmer but they hadn’t always been. There’d been a time her curves were lusher and she was more rounded. Living on the streets made a person lean and efficient.
A sudden thought occurred to her. It was quick and painful and cut her to the core. How long would they want her to stay with them? A day? A week? How much harder would it be to go back to the life she’d forged for herself after having a few days in the sun?
Michael caught her gaze and must have seen the bleakness she felt. He crossed the room, his lips drawn. Seth had barely stepped back when suddenly Michael was there, so close she could feel the vibrations from his body. She could smell him. His warmth enveloped her and drew her closer.
He smoothed his hand over her hair, his fingers trailing through the strands and then resting at her nape. “What are you thinking?”
It didn’t occur to her to be anything but honest. “I was imagining how hard it will be to go back to my life after you…” She couldn’t bring herself to say anything more. Sometimes the truth was more painful for being spoken.
Michael cursed low and hard, and then he cupped her jaw in his palm and tilted her head up as his lips came down over hers. It was a shock to her senses. A jolt that rocked her spine and sent tingling awareness in waves over her body.
It wasn’t as sweet and gentle as Seth’s kiss. The aching awareness she felt with Seth was more like a bomb burst as Michael fed on her lips.
Oh God, what must Seth be thinking?
She pushed at Michael with her good hand, and he stepped back immediately. Her breaths coming in ragged bursts, she wavered and stepped to the side, distancing herself from Michael as she sought out Seth’s reaction.
He was there. By her side, his arm slipping around her waist in support. His lips pressed to the top of her head in a gesture of comfort—and reassurance?
She looked up, searching his gaze for any sign that he was angry, but she saw something else entirely. She saw concern for her. And something that looked remarkably like acceptance.
Michael caught her hand and rubbed his thumb over the tops of her knuckles. “This is going to sound crazy to you, Lily, but we don’t want you to leave. We aren’t going to keep you a few days and then toss you out. I don’t expect you to believe it—yet—but I don’t want you to worry. ”
Seth squeezed her against him and murmured low in her ear, “We want you to stay, honey. Trust in that if nothing else. ”
She took a deep breath and prepared herself to take the plunge. She was a little lightheaded, and at the same time a surge of…anticipation licked through her veins. For the first time in so very long, she felt alive—like she had something to live for.
There was a word for it, an emotion so alien to her that it took a moment to grasp. There, shining like a beacon at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel was…hope.
Chapter Eight
Lily dozed most of the way to Clyde. Michael had arranged a few pillows in the backseat of his Jeep and covered her in a blanket so she’d be comfortable. Seth followed in his truck.
The trip took an hour longer due to the weather and the fact that Michael didn’t want to jostle Lily once they got off the interstate and onto the county roads.
By the time he pulled up to his cabin, it was already dark. Lily stirred and raised her head, the blanket sliding from her shoulders to her waist.
The rear door opened and Seth stuck his head in. “You okay, honey?”
Lily nodded, but Michael could see the wariness in her eyes. He got out and waited as Seth helped Lily from the backseat. After wrapping the blanket tightly around her, Seth hurried her toward the door, but she stopped and turned her face upward to catch the fluffy snowflakes that spiraled downward.
She closed her eyes when one stuck to her lashes, and then her entire face lit up with her smile. Michael was enchanted. He stared dumbstruck at how beautiful she looked bathed in soft moonlight as snowflakes danced around her.
Then she opened her eyes and started forward again at Seth’s urging. When she reached the porch, she paused again, her gaze sweeping over the entrance.
“This is yours?” she asked Michael.
He was discomfited by her scrutiny. It irritated him that he was suddenly self-conscious about a home he was intensely proud of. It was nestled at the base of the mountain his parents lived on, purposely rural and surrounded by huge ponderosa pines. It was just minutes to town but far enough away to afford him the privacy he craved and the isolation he thrived on. But now he worried it would be off-putting to Lily. What if she didn’t want to stay?
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s mine. ”
Her smiled was brilliant. “I like it. It’s exactly like something I would have chosen. ”
The yearning in her voice made him ache. The approval relieved him.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said huskily.
