“I’ll start with the bath,” she said and scurried away.
“Now you’ve worried Christine,” I accused.
“It wasn’t me who took off running.”
“No, it was you who chased me.”
He sighed and we were inside.
The warmth against my chill skin felt prickly.
I did need a hot bath.
Seriously.
Carefully, he crouched while tilting me, and let my legs go, but when I was on my feet, he held me steady with his arm around me.
“I can stand, Dair.”
He let me go only to slip the raincoat over my head (which would make one assume it was a poncho, when it was not).
Raising my arms hurt my back again.
Even so…
“I can take off my own stupid coat, Dair,” I snapped.
Before I could even begin to back away, he picked me up again.
It twinged my back.
Not good.
But again…
Even so.
“Dair, put me down,” I demanded.
He stopped in the hall and looked at me.
“Do you love me?”
Oh no.
A direct question.
I looked over his shoulder.
“Blake,”—he gave me a squeeze—“are ye in love with me?”
I turned on him as best I could in my position. “I don’t know how, since you’re insufferable, but I am.”
Oh my God.
Did I just dip down two inches because his shoulders sagged in relief?
I didn’t have time to assess if I was correct.
