“I don’t have cooties, you know,” she said, laughing softly.
“You might,” he said with such boyish seriousness that she laughed even harder and playfully smacked his shoulder.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never slept with anyone before,” she teased.
“I haven’t.” Well, not technically anyway. There was that time he fell asleep on the couch when Taryn was here, but he didn’t count that. It hadn’t been intentional.
She paused. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
“No.”
A few moments passed in silence while she processed that. He lay perfectly still. Her body heat spread to him beneath the thick comforter. When she turned, her arm brushed his.
“Hey,” she chastised softly. “Stay on your own side.”
Despite himself, Kane grinned in the darkness as he felt her shift toward him a little more, daring him. “I am.”
“No you’re not. You are most definitely trespassing on my side.”
“I take up more room than you.”
She snorted softly, a delightfully feminine sound that had him grinning even wider. “Yeah. Well just stop it, mister.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The long trip, the fresh air, and the generous amounts of liquor Kane had added to her hot chocolate ensured that Rebecca fell asleep well before he did. He remained still, lying on his side, his back to her, letting her heat soak into him like a soothing balm, while listening to the gentle, even sounds of her breathing. He had fully intended to retreat to the living room as soon as he was sure she was completely out, but it proved to be a lot harder than he thought it would be.
After only about thirty minutes, Rebecca rolled over toward him, spooning against his back with a deep, contented sigh, her arm wrapping around his midsection like she was cuddling up to the world’s largest teddy bear. It was... nice. He couldn’t remember when the last time was he’d let someone hold him. It had probably been his mother, and she had died just before his fourteenth birthday. He recognized on some level that probably indicated some serious issues on his part, but he really didn’t care to think about that. For now, for just a little while, he would let himself have this.
When he opened his eyes again several hours later, their positions were reversed. Rebecca was on her side with her back to him; he had wrapped himself around her much smaller body, caging her against him. His face was buried in her silky hair, her arm was wrapped around his possessively, as if he might try to escape. It felt incredible, with the possible exception of the intense ache clawing in his balls from her bottom nestling up against his monster hard-on.
His body ached for her. Everything about her called to him on some elemental level – her appearance, her touch, the sound of her voice, the scent of her skin. Without thinking, he inhaled deeply, drawing her into him, but soon realized his mistake. The scent of her heated skin trapped beneath the sheets was more than he could bear. She sighed, shifting slightly. Even that tiny movement shot through him like a bolt of lightning.
Kane carefully extracted himself, tucking the covers tightly around her. He put on some coffee, then promptly headed out into the below-freezing dawn, hoping to chill some of the irrational desire he had for her.
*
Rebecca knew the exact moment Kane awoke. He pulled her closer, breathed deeply – and then tensed. She pretended to be asleep as he pulled away, not wanting to embarrass him. In the quiet of the early morning, she heard him moving around the kitchen, then the front door opened and closed.
She lay there for a little while, moving over to his side to feel some of his residual heat. Then she buried her face in his pillow and breathed deeply.
He had murmured her name in his sleep, several times. When she repositioned herself during the night, he had followed suit, unwittingly seeking her out in the large bed. She knew he would never have done either of those things had he been awake and aware; nonetheless, her heart swelled at the thought that somewhere, deep inside, Kane wanted her. It only seemed fair, after all.
There would be no more sleep for her this morning. Not unless Kane returned and pulled her into his arms again. And she was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen. As the last of his body heat faded from the bedding, Rebecca forced herself out of the warmth and comfort and padded to the shower.
*
Kane remained outside, taking deep breaths until his head cleared somewhat and his overheated body cooled. Regaining his self-control wasn’t easy. He couldn’t seem to completely ignore the residual tactile memory of her body molded to his, or the sweet haven of silk and satin that he’d rubbed his face in. It didn’t help that his mind kept replaying the sound of her soft, velvety voice asking him about sex and soul mates, either.