Moving slowly so as not to wake her, Chappy stood. He put another couple of logs on the fire, then gently pulled the laptop out of Carlise’s grip, touching the mouse pad to bring up the document she was working on. Thankful she didn’t have it password protected, he hit save, just in case, and closed the computer before placing it on the small kitchen table.
Then, without a second thought, he leaned over and put his arms under Carlise’s legs and around her back. He lifted her easily and carried her toward the bed.
This moment had been in the back of his mind all night. Their sleeping arrangements. He wanted her in his bed. Wanted to be in it with her. They’d slept curled together when he’d been sick, but his gut said she’d feel awkward about doing so now, when he was no longer out of his skull with fever. If he were a gentleman, he’d put her in his bed, then go sleep on the couch.
But he didn’t want to do that.
“Riggs?” she mumbled into his chest. Her arm had curled around his neck as he’d carried her the short distance, and he held his breath as he eased her onto the mattress.
“Yeah?” he asked quietly.
“I’m cold.”
The blankets she’d been buried under had fallen off when he’d picked her up, and Chappy quickly got her legs under the blankets on the bed and pulled them over her.
“Better?” he asked.
“Ummmmm.” She was obviously still mostly asleep.
Chappy stared down at Carlise for a long moment, internally arguing with himself. He should turn and go back to the couch. Sleep there. It would be presumptuous to do otherwise, and she’d probably freak out if she woke up in his arms.
But his feet wouldn’t move. He felt rooted to the spot. Indecision tore at him. Stay or go?
When she shivered under the covers, his decision was made.
Earlier, Chappy had pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and while he usually slept in nothing more than a pair of boxers, he lifted the comforter and lay down on the mattress fully clothed without hesitation.
Carlise was cold, and she’d be warmer with him next to her. But with his clothes on, he’d hopefully avoid making her uncomfortable in the morning. Skin on skin would be more effective in keeping them both warm, but he wasn’t willing to do anything to make her think he was taking advantage. Keeping his clothes on wasn’t a difficult choice.
The second he curled himself around her, a memory flashed through his head of lying with her just like this, his bare legs entangled with hers. Of slipping his hand under her shirt and resting it on her soft skin.
To Chappy’s surprise, his cock twitched.
He forced himself to think about something else. About going out in the cold to start the generator in the morning. Shoveling snow. Calling JJ eventually and asking him to come up to help him with Carlise’s car.
The thought of her driving away instantly killed any lust he felt.
With every minute he spent in her presence, he wanted ten times more. That sort of attachment didn’t happen to him. Usually, people annoyed him. Quickly. Even his friends sometimes. He liked being by himself. Was a natural introvert. But he was extremely comfortable with Carlise.
She mumbled something, then turned in his arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Her nose was chilly, and she wiggled against him, pushing both hands under his shirt to rest on the bare skin of his chest.
Chappy smiled, even as he sucked in a breath at her cold fingers against his skin.
“You’re warm,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Shhh,” he replied, resting his chin on top of her head.
One of her legs pushed between his, so she was now snuggled against him as tightly as she could get.
Chappy had never felt more relaxed. They were both fully dressed, but the moment still felt intimate. Carlise wiggled against him a bit longer, then finally sighed in what he had to believe was contentment.
For a moment, he still worried about what the morning would bring. Wondered if she’d be angry that they were in bed together. If they’d still be as intertwined as they were now. If she’d be scared of him because he’d very clearly chosen to sleep next to her.
But the longer he lay with Carlise in his arms, the more his worry faded away. He’d deal with her reaction in the morning. He’d convince her there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. They were merely sharing body heat. The cabin got chilly at night as the fire died down. It was the logical thing to do.
And she was safe with him. Completely, one hundred percent safe. He’d never hurt her. Would hunt down anyone who tried.