Leah let the blanket loosen a bit. Underneath, he could see she was wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned withPeace, Love, and Mahjongacross the front, pink fleece bottoms, and thick socks.
“This is great and all, but…we can’t very well stand here all night.”
True. But he wasn’t sure how she would take the only other solution he could think of.
“Can I propose another approach…purely scientific?”
His dick and dirty mind might beg to differ whether or not there was anything pure or scientific once she crawled in bed with him.
But he took that chance, sliding under the covers and holding them up for her to be enveloped.
“Sharing body heat. You can leave yourschmattaon if you’re more comfortable.”
“Schmatta?” Leah sputtered in mock outrage, flapping the blanket like bat wings. “I’ll have you know; floral plaid is the new black.”
Still, she opted for unwrapping, draping it on top of Avi’s bedspread before climbing in, her back to him. That curtain of dark hair, now spiraled up in a fat bun and resting on the pillow, was temptingly close. “Is it now the same amount of heat, just shared between two people? Or does it only increase the heat of the less warm person?”
“Um…neither?”
“Explain it,” she demanded, rolling to face him. “Explain it like I’m five.”
“We lose energy at our surface; heat radiates away from us. Currently, we are two bodies, double the surface area.” He patted the space between them. “Nothing’s really changing. Right?”
Leah nodded into her pillow, and he took it as a cue to continue.
“If two bodies make contact,” – she snuggled in a little closer at his words – “and touch…”
Her hands pressed tentatively to his chest, cool against the thin fabric of his T-shirt. Avi glanced down, amused. “Are we demonstrating?”
She shrugged. “I’m a hands-on learner.”
He covered them with his own. “Now we’re decreasing the surface area.” His bent knees bumped hers. “Less heat loss…with the same heat production.”
“Damn,” she whispered. “Where were you when I was failing Chemistry?”
Avi pretended to think. “Probably practicing for my Battle of the Bands debut.”
His quip totally earned that playful kick to his shin.Worth it.
Someone had to say something.Leah’s mind scrambled for something to cling to, anything that would keep her from falling into his dark amber eyes with those impossible lashes. Falling onto that top lip that seemed just ripe for kissing.
“Just so you know, when I get too warm…I’m a sleep-stripper.”
“A what?” The laugh he sputtered ruffled a stray lock that had fallen loose from her bun. He was that close.
“Surely it’s more common than sleepwalking…taking off layers in the night without waking? It’s definitely a woman thing.”
“Um, I think it’s a Leah Gellman thing.”
That’s right, I’m sure he’s slept with a lot of women. Willing test subjects of some scientific theory or another. For all that uncountable consummation. They probably didn’t have to sleep strip because they hopped right into his bed, already hot and naked.
And here Leah was, crawling into his bed in fleece and wool socks.
A Leah Gellmanthing. A surprise well of tears sprang to the surface
“I’m sorry.” She turned quickly so he wouldn’t witness her mortification.
Avi scoffed at her apology. “You’re hardly Mother Nature.”
