A gust of wind whistled from broken front window to broken back window and left goose bumps on them both. Millie shivered, but she still held out the blanket to him.
With her arm up like that, he had a clear side view of her vest stretching over her full breasts and her nipples clearly outlined. Desire hammered in his loins, and his bodythrummed.
She’s cold, that’s all. It’s not about you, numb-brain, nothing to do with you. She’sjust cold.
There was nowhere dry enough to sit except in the small circle before the fire, an impossibly intimate space.
For God’s sake, he couldn’t fight on three fronts simultaneously. He made a brutal effort to curbhis body.
Just then his phone started ringing. He’d left it along with the rest of his pocket’s contents by the side of thefireplace.
Saved bythe bell.
“Do you need to answer this?” Millie asked without looking at him.
Over her shoulder, he could see the caller ID flash on the screen.
BW.
Beatrice.
“No,” he said.
“Are you going to take the blanket, or are you waiting for my armto cramp?”
“You’re an impossibly stubborn woman.” The phone went on ringing.Which battle do I want to win? Which battle do I want to lose?His body had made its choice already. “Fine, we’ll share theblanket.”
Finally the phone stopped ringing as he lowered himself to sit behind Millie. He could have sat next to her—there was enough room, just, on the narrowing slates—but sharing the blanket would press them together like lovers. He really didn’t need to see her from the front, or let her see him. With his legs on either side of her, he pulled the blanket around his back and wrapped the ends over both his legsand hers.
She passed his phone to him over her shoulder. He took it from her, pressed the off button, and held it down, waiting for it to turn off. Before the screen went dark, a text message came through with aping-ping.
Darling, I got the lovely flowers. So happy we straightened everything out between us. Can’t wait for Fridaynight. Xxx
Then the phone powered off.
As always, Beatrice had perfect timing.
Later the same night. Blue Sage Cottage
The storm raged outside, but here in front of the fire, the two of them sat in a bubble of silence. Not awkward but not comfortable. As if they were both afraid of breaking the fragile balance.
Millie brought her knees up and put her arms around her shins; she could still feel George’s chest a few heat-filled inches behind her back. His knees were bent level with her elbows.
A strange kind of embrace.
“Try to go to sleep,” he said. “We have a long night.”
Sleep how? Sitting like this? Then sliding into his arms? “What time is it?”she asked.
His left hand was on his knee, holding the blanket. He raised his wrist with his watch facing her. Eleven. Daybreak wasn’t until nearly four.
Long night indeed. Heat radiated from the fire but much more from his body. She tried to shrink into her own skin, not to torment herself. “When does the tidego down?”
“Not sure, but we’ll check when it’s daylight again.” He, too, seemed careful not totouch her.
She watched the flames. Useless to pretend he wasn’t there, behind her, almost naked. She could feel the hairs on his thighs, his chest. She had to be a masochist, allowing herself to sit enveloped by him like this. Knowing he wasn’t hers.
Who wasBW? Was it a woman? One who wouldn’t like it if she knew where George was spending the night? Is that why he didn’t take the call? Jealousy crawled like a viper from the back of her mind, down her spine and into her heart, an intolerable sensation that wouldn’t stay quiet.“George?”
