“That’s not a good idea,” he said, causing my jaw to drop.
My first instinct was to sit up so I could face him. He had other ideas. The arm that had been casually draped over me, now tightened as he tucked it under my breasts. The top of his hand rested between the right one with his palm against the mattress.
“You can let go. That wasn’t an invitation. I caught a chill,” I protested.
“Whatever you say, Highness. Get some sleep.”
Words that would have made my prim mother blush flung through my head as I gritted my teeth to keep them from spilling out.
Then something happened which caused a smile to blossom on my face. What had appeared to be some form of a snake coiled in his pants began to thicken and harden. Apparently, he wasn’t as unaffected by me as he pretended to be.
“Just a normal reaction, Highness. Stop smiling and get some sleep, unless you’re prepared to do other activities that could keep us warm.”
The nerve of the man. Cockiness oozed from his pores. That didn’t explain how he’d known I was smiling when I was faced the other way.
“That’s a girl. Sleep now.”
I closed my eyes and tight, and not because he said so. Only to forget that he was holding me close and it felt nice. Maybe more than nice if I could accept that. What girl didn’t want to be held, especially when you’d never been held like this?
I’d sleep in the bed with a few guys and they would spoon for a few minutes if I were lucky before turning away, leaving me cold and empty on the inside.
Schoolgirl fantasies filled my head as I pretended the guy holding me was a prince of a man who would sweep me off my feet. I let those wishful thoughts carry me into dreamland.
The smell of bacon woke me up. That was when I noticed that I was alone, and I hated that I hadn’t memorized the feeling of safety and comfort that I’d gotten from having him so close.
I also realized the fire was once again blazing.
After sitting up, I stretched, surprised how rested I’d felt. I’d been tense lying beside the beguiling man. Yet somehow I’d also found the rest I hadn’t felt since hearing my grandmother was in the hospital.
Grandmother. I rolled off the mattress so fast, I bounded on the floor reaching for my phone. I landed with an umph and a grunt. I glanced up to find Grant eyeing me before walking away with an almost imperceptible grin on his face.
Why was I constantly making a fool of myself in front of this man like a girl with a crush, something I totally didn’t have?
Flipping over my phone, not only did I notice my battery was nearly dead, I also saw there was no signal. I also had a recent text. The storm must have stopped long enough for something to get through.
The text came from Christian, not Dad, as I didn’t label him as such on my phone. He hadn’t ever really been a dad to me.
Christian: Where are you? Call as soon as possible.
Was my grandmother okay? I found myself choked up.
“I have to go.” The first time it came out as a whisper. I said it again with volume and Grant nodded.
“I was going to talk to you about that. I have the generator going, but it won’t last. I need to check on my dad. I can’t get in touch with him. But first we eat.”
He set two plates on the small table. A girl could get used to having an attractive man cook for her. Only this man was far from mine.
Though my stomach was tied in knots, I forced the food down my throat. I wanted to run down the mountain to get in touch with my father. Thankfully, I kept the tears at bay while we ate in silence. Grant seemed preoccupied with worry for his dad, which was why I didn’t fight for him to drop everything and leave. He had things at stake too.
Then somehow, without words, we acted like a coordinated team. I quickly did the dishes as he put out the fire. I folded up the blankets after he took my bag and one of his own to stow on the four-wheeler.
In fifteen minutes, I was once again wrapped around him with bags tied around my feet. With my hands tucked under his coat, we made our way on the ATV through the thick layer of snow and what continued to fall heavily with no end in sight.
When we arrived, the place looked deserted. Though he’d taken the time to help me off the ATV, once he was off, he ran toward the office, which was shrouded in darkness.
His fear ratcheted up my own as I followed a few paces behind him.