“Of course you can survive it, but it won’t be pleasant. Come on.”
“James—”
“Scarlett.” He beat me to the punch, admonishing me with my name before I could form another fully constructed thought on why I shouldn’t use his body heat tonight.
I was sure it was also a thought not far from his mind that if I was literally sleeping against him, there was no way for me to escape tonight.
“You just want a sleeping buddy in case you have another nightmare, don’t you?”
James’ shoulders sank just a hair, but his face remained stiff. “If that’s what you have to tell yourself, sure. Now get over here.”
“Bossy,” I tutted. “So bossy…”
James raised his eyebrow as if to challenge what was wrong with being bossy, and with the moonlight streaking in through branches above and highlighting his high cheekbones and glinting his honeysuckle eyes, it wasn’t a bad look on him.
Not a bad look at all.
I continued to stare at him, thoughts running over one another about how I fucked up my chance to escape—again. There was no running at this point now that I’d woken James up. I’d have to deal with breath in my lungs for another day. Maybe two.
Didn’t mean I had to be a friggin’ popsicle while I did it though.
With a dramatic sigh, I strolled back over to him and sat down between his legs, my back coming flush with his hard chest.
“Oh fuck, you are warm.” I pushed myself back into him, nuzzling into his chest and relishing in his body heat.
“I naturally run hot.”
“Try and not sound so arrogant about it.”
“It’s not—” He sighed, forgoing the argument before it even started.
A smile stole my lips up my cheeks, the muscles stretching without giving me the option. An ease settled over us as I got comfortable against him, shifting my legs to criss-cross. My knees bumped against his thighs as he got comfortable too, bending his legs just enough to sort of cage me in away from the chill of the wind.
I rested my head on his shoulder and breathed a sigh as the heat from his body burrowed beneath my skin, warming the blood in my veins with a pleasure the fire never did.
The fire was too hot. James was just right.
My fingers were the only things that bore the brunt of the cold, and I brought my hands to my chest to hold them close. The hand that was gashed open remained just that, unfolded and susceptible to the icy breeze since I physically couldn’t make a fist.
The man behind me raised a hand to cradle mine that was fucked up, turning it side to side. The cut along my hand seemed almost an eerie black in the shine of the pale moonlight.
“How am I ever going to return you to your father like this?”
I allowed my head to loll back against his shoulder, quieting my voice just for him. “You know you don’t have to bring me back…”
Whether he meant to or not, the rough of his beard brushed against my temple. “I’m starting to think you’re determined to make me lose my job.”
Without caring if I should or not, I leaned my head to rest against his chin where I could feel the gentle scratch of his beard more. Something about it was relaxing. Not sure what.
But I liked it.
“You’re the one who said you didn’t like it much anyway.”
Long fingers teased through mine as my hand lay in his palm, and I teased right back.
“I used to.”
“I used to like a lot of things too. Then I grew up.”