Erin’s teeth chattered and her skin looked blue. Her chin rested on her knees and she stared forward at the windshield, which was now covered in snow.
She had quite the bruise on her cheek. Bored and beyond manners, he stared at her. She could be pretty—until she opened her mouth.
He frowned when he noted the smeared makeup around her eyes. Black smudges traveled down her cheeks, the kind women got when they cried. But she hadn’t cried since he found her. Had she been crying when she crashed?
He thought back to the bar and the things he said to her. Had he made her cry?
No way. Erin Montgomery didn’t have a soft side. She was made of nails and spit and tar and whatever else they used to glue demons together.
Yet, she looked so small and innocent at the moment. Childlike and sort of scared. It was messing with his head. He didn’t like feeling anything but hate for her.
His feet were warmer now, so he reached for his coat. “Here. Put this over your legs.”
Startled by his voice, she looked at him as if she’d forgotten he was there. She took the coat. “Th-th-thanks.”
On second thought, maybe talking would keep them warmer than sleep. “What were you thinking about?” He watched as she swathed her legs in his coat.
“That if I died here, no one would care.”
“Jesus, Erin. Could you be more fucking dark?”
“You asked.”
He didn’t even know how to respond to such a bleak comment. “We’re not gonna die here.”
She looked up at him with big eyes and a cloud of vapor formed between them. “I can’t f-f-feel my fingers.” She tucked her chin into the collar of her coat, exhaling her breath down her body. She continued to squirm as if trying to burrow into herself.
“I once read an article on hypothermia. It said that two naked bodies produce more heat than one clothed.”
She glared at him. “I’m not getting naked with you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like I’m really after a glimpse of your tits. I was just sharing useful knowledge.”
Her lips firmed but split apart when her teeth continued to chatter. Several minutes passed and her quivering got worse.
“I wouldn’t look.” The truth was, he was freezing, too. If snuggling up with the devil could somehow produce a little heat in this car, he’d take it. “Come on, Erin, it’s fucking freezing.”
“No.”
They sat in shivering silence.
Finally, she cursed. “We can sit closer. But that’s it.”
Accepting any chance at stealing her body heat, he accepted the offer. For several minutes they fumbled around, trying to fit her on his lap, but it wasn’t working out the way he envisioned. The steering wheel was in the way and they needed more room.
“This isn’t working. We need to try the backseat.”
She scooted over the center console and he shoved her through the opening between the front seats, impatient to get to the part where they found warmth.
“Ouch! Asshole.”
“Sorry.” He could have been a little more gentle. Climbing into the back, he stretched over the chilled leather, angling his feet toward the floor. “Lay on top of me.”
She hesitated when he held out his arms, but reluctantly lowered her body over his.
Her hair smelled like strawberries and snow. He blew the strands away from his face, resenting the soft fragrance. She nuzzled closer and he stiffened.
“Watch it.”
“I’m trying to get comfortable.” She squirmed some more, and his body took notice.
“Damn it, Erin, stay still.”
She ignored him and straddled his hips, hiking her knees against his side and using his jacket as a blanket. Finally, she lowered her head to his chest and stilled.
The heat of her thighs pressed against an exposed stretch of flesh where his shirt had rumpled. The skin grew hotter by the second.
“Do you feel that?”
“Your obnoxious hard-on?”
“No.” And he wasn’t even fully hard. “How hot our skin is getting where it’s touching.” She was silent, so he added, “And it has nothing to do with you. My dick’s not selective.”
“Well, my vagina is, so don’t get any ideas.”
“Oh, please.”
“Begging won’t help you.”
He chuckled. Was that a joke? He never realized she had a sense of humor.
They lay like that for several minutes. It was warmer than when they were sitting apart, but they were still shivering.
Little by little, he worked his hands down his side and casually shifted his shirt higher, exposing his ribs. Erin was completely still aside from her quivering.
His finger grazed her thigh, meeting a blazing stretch of flesh. He needed to get her skin on him. He was losing his mind from the cold.
Ever so subtly, he pulled her dress higher. She stiffened but didn’t object. When the skin of her flat belly finally pressed to his, it was like scalding lava. He shut his eyes and sighed.
Greedy for her warmth, his hands wrapped around her hips and pressed to her back. She flinched. “Your hands are cold.”