Rowan stood and padded toward the bedroom, casting one last look at me before disappearing behind the door. My whole body strained after her, but I stayed put, lowering myself onto the couch even though every spring groaned under me in protest.
My legs hung off the side at an awkward angle, and my shoulders were too wide for the cushions. But my discomfort didn’t matter as long as she felt safe.
I stared at the ceiling, listening to the storm and the soft sounds of Rowan moving around the bedroom. My bear pawed restlessly at my insides, wanting to be even closer to her.
I didn’t know how long I lay there before I heard the door creak open.
“Bexley?” Her voice was sleepy.
I sat up instantly. “Yeah?”
She stepped out, wrapped in an oversized sweater, rubbing her arms. “Sorry. I didn’t want to bother you, but it’s freezing in there.”
“You’re not bothering me.” I glanced out the window above the couch. “Looks like the temperature dropped, and the rain has turned into snow. You’ll be warmer out here by the fire.”
While Rowan took the blankets from the bed, I braved the cold to grab extras from my truck.
She hovered, watching me arrange a nest on the floor near the fire. Then she whispered, “What about you? You’re going to freeze on that couch.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Her gaze darted between it, me, and the fire. “We could both sleep on the floor. For warmth.”
My bear nearly flipped the couch over in approval.
I swallowed hard. “If you want.”
Her cheeks warmed in the firelight. “I do.”
Even with the storm battering the cottage and the power off, everything was right in my world because I spent the rest of the night next to my mate.
5
ROWAN
Iwoke to warmth that didn’t belong to the fire alone. Blinking at the dim orange flicker of the dying fire, it took my brain a moment to catch up. Then I remembered Bexley showing up in the middle of the storm, right after the lights went out, while I was in the shower.
My eyes flew open. We were still in the nest of blankets he’d made last night, the fire now little more than a bed of glowing embers. A glance out the window confirmed more snow was falling.
And Bexley was right beside me on the floor. We were barely touching, but he was close enough for me to feel the heat rolling off his body.
I’d never woken up next to anyone before. And certainly not with a man built like a mountain lying mere inches away.
Instead of panicking, I just lay there and enjoyed the moment. Hyperaware of the desire he’d awakened in me and wondering why being this close to him felt like something I’d wanted my whole life without knowing it.
My cheeks filled with heat when I finally dared to turn my head and discovered Bexley wasn’t asleep. He was propped upon an elbow, watching me with an intensity that made butterflies swirl in my belly.
“Morning,” he rumbled, his voice rough from sleep.
“Hi,” I whispered.
He pushed up to sit, the movement shifting the blanket and giving me a breath-stealing glimpse of his broad chest. Even in his black T-shirt, it was impossible to miss the ripple of muscle.
Worry flickered across his face as he glanced toward the frost-edged windows. “Storm’s still going. Probably dumped a ton of snow overnight.”
Wind whipped against the siding, rattling the windows just enough to remind me how isolated we were, snowed in with the power still out.
I shivered, and Bexley assessed the dying fire with a practiced eye. “I’ll get the fire going again.”
