“You’re such a dork.”I shove at his chest with my good hand.His firm, broad, muscular chest.I quickly pull my hand back like it was burned because I was one second away from feeling the poor man up…and maybe giving him a nipple tweak.
He laughs good-naturedly.“I’m your dork.”
You sure are.Now you need to realize it.
“Can you help me turn down the blankets on my side, Ollie?It’s awkward for me.”
He pulls down the blankets on my side.I think I count six layers.
“Wow, this looks so cozy,” I say as I slide under with a sigh.I’ve never been on a sofa bed this comfortable.“Ooh, it is.”
Ollie pulls the covers over me and gently tucks me in.When Marsha jumps up, he tucks her in under the top blanket.He walks around the foot of the bed and climbs under the covers.Even with six layers covering me, having Ollie next to me takes it to the next level.I don’t care that my nose will probably freeze, it’s worth it to be this close to him.We’re lying side by side, a few inches between us.So close, but so far apart.I can hear his heart beating, or maybe it’s mine.
“Ollie,” I say, “I’m so glad you’re here.I don’t think I could go through this alone, even without a sprained wrist.I never thought I’d say this, but I guess it’s a lucky not-break.”
He chuckles quietly before turning on his side to face me.
“Phoebe, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be tonight than here with you.”
An indignant meow is heard.Ollie raises on an elbow and reaches across me to scratch Marsha between her ears.
“And you too, Marsha,” he says in a placating tone.
With him reaching across me, we’re so close.It would be easy for him to lower his arm, pull me toward him and kiss me.I wish I could see his face, but with the flashlight off, we’re in total darkness, and I can make out his form but not his features.My breath catches in anticipation, but I release it slowly in disappointment as he retreats to his side of the bed.
“I guess we may as well try to get some sleep,” I say.“Hopefully the storm will be over in the morning, and we can figure out what we need to do to clean up and get out of here.”
“Yeah,” Ollie says into the darkness.“I’ll see what it looks like tomorrow.Maybe I can move the trees enough so we can maneuver your car around.How does your car drive in the snow?”
I shrug even though he can’t see me.“It can handle a couple of inches, but there’s no way it’s going to be able to get through unplowed roads.And we can’t even really tell what’s the road and what’s a marsh here.”
Ollie’s minty breath blows against my cheek when he sighs.
“Yeah.Well, let’s try to sleep, and we’ll see what the morning brings,” he says.
“Sounds like a plan,” I say with my own sigh.I roll to my left side, facing Marsha with my back toward Ollie.I use my good hand to pull the blankets up and over my ear so only the part of my face from my nose up is sticking out.My left hand is tucked under my cheek, and my right arm with the wrapping is resting straight down my side with my wrist at my hip.My knees are bent, and I can feel the heat from Ollie’s chest a few inches away from my back.I wish I had the courage to scoot back and snuggle against him and be the little spoon to his sexy big spoon, but I don’t.The only spooning happening tonight is possibly me and Marsha.Oh well.
“Good night, Ollie,” I say.
“Night, Phoebe.Sweet dreams.”His deep, smooth voice is like another cozy blanket settling over me.
If I can dream of him holding me, they’ll be the sweetest dreams I’ve ever had.
9
OLLIE
I’mstartled awake by my ringing phone.I was having the best dream of cuddling with Phoebe, finally holding her in my arms because she’s mine.Wait.It’s not a dream.We’re spooning, with my arm across her abdomen and her hand resting on mine.Our fingers are entwined as much as her wrap allows.Our bodies are pressed together from chest to hip.I got up during the night to pee and see if it was still snowing.It was, and the house was getting colder, so I shifted into my Bigfoot form to be warmer and share the heat with Phoebe.I’m still basically the same as I am as a man, but a little bit taller and broader and a lot hairier.
“Is that your phone?”she asks while petting the hair on my forearm.I feel each stroke throughout my body, and it makes my already half-mast morning wood wake all the way up.
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to answer it?”
“Yeah.”My sigh comes from the tip of my hairy toes as I carefully roll away from Phoebe’s cuddly body and grab my phone from the table on my side of the sofa.“Hello?”
“King?This is Liam Morgan.”
