That made him smile. “Noted. No surprise visits.”
I blinked at him, my heart rate finally returning to normal, and I realized he shouldn’t be here, surprise or not. “I thought you were working this morning.”
“I’d planned on it,” he said, standing to shrug out of his jacket and toss it over my reading chair. “Storm’s rolling in like a bitch, though. Not safe to be out on the water.”
I glanced toward the window where I could see freezing rain coating the glass, the world outside gray and hostile.
“So you came back,” I said, something warm unfurling in my chest. It hadn’t even occurred to me that he’d come here to ride out the storm instead of heading home.
“So I came back.” He toed off his boots and socks and peeled off his damp sweater, tossing it to land on top of his jacket. “Figured you might want company.”
I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. “You just wanna crawl back in bed with me.”
“Fuck yeah, I do.” He was already stripping off his thermal undershirt, revealing the broad expanse of his chest and the trail of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans. “Been thinking about your soft, warm body the whole drive back.”
He shucked off his jeans and kicked them into the corner of the room, leaving him in just his boxer briefs.
I lifted the corner of the duvet in invitation, and he slid in beside me, his skin cool against mine as he pulled me into his arms. I pressed my face into the crook of his neck and inhaled the scent of cold, winter air and coffee and something uniquely him.
“You’re freezing,” I murmured.
“Then warm me up.”
I did, wrapping my arms around him and tangling our legs together until there wasn’t an inch of space between us. It wasn’t sexual—not yet—though I knew we couldn’t stay that way for long. We couldn’t seem to keep our hands off each other. Even now, with exhaustion pulling at my bones, I could feel that strange, overwhelmingwantbuilding low in my belly. I’d never craved someone like this before. Never felt this constant pull, this need to touch and be touched.
It was new. Terrifying. And completely addictive.
Cade’s breathing had evened out, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm beneath my cheek. I thought maybe he’d dozed off until his hand slid up to tangle gently in the hair at my nape.
The wind howled against the windows, and somewhere in the distance, I heard the crack of a tree branch giving way under the weight of ice.
A low rumble vibrated against my ribs, and for a second I thought it was thunder—until Cade groaned.
“Wait. That wasyou?” I asked, pushing up onto my elbows and looking down at him.
“Don’t judge me. I’m a growing boy.”
“Ah, so the breakfast you brought wasn’t because I get hangry.”
“I mean, it wasn’t only because of that.”
I huffed out a laugh. “All right, Murphy. I’ll play. What’s in the bag?”
“Peppermint cinnamon rolls from Dockside. Got the first batch out of the oven.”
“Oh my god. That’s so perfect.”
He grinned up at me. “I know.”
I smacked his chest lightly, but I was smiling. “Cocky bastard.”
“Again, I say: you like it.”
I did. God help me, I really did.
Cade reached over and grabbed the bag, pulling out two enormous cinnamon rolls dripping with cream cheese frosting and little bits of peppermint candy canes.
“Here." He handed me one along with a napkin. “Eat before it gets cold.”
