“Guess we should watch the movie.”
I give him a small, clipped nod. When his hand pulls from mine, I scoot a hair away from him so I’m not directly touching the man.
Distance is good.
But if it’s so good, why do I feel so cold again?
Chapter 7
Owen
My feet hurt.
Tiny prickles of pain pierce through my haze, dragging me into full awareness. The sound of chattering teeth are what fully pull me from my slumber.
I’m in the backyard again.
In my boxers and nothing else.
And I’m not alone.
“Owen, please come back inside,” a panicked voice says over the hiss of the frigid wind. “You’re scaring me.”
Her words fully snap me out of it. Standing in nothing but her pajamas is Mei. Sweet, worried Mei. My brain goes from being confused straight to fixer mode. She lets out a squeak of surprise when I scoop her into my arms bridal style. I trudge through the snow with my ass on fire and nearly slip on the icy porch steps on my ascent. Mei clings to me as if I might drop her.
Not going to happen.
As soon as we’re inside, I set her to her feet and then lock up the house. The alarm makes its familiar beeping sound as it engages again. My feet really hurt and I wonder how long I’d been standing out there.
“I’ll get a fire going,” I rasp out as I hobble toward the living room.
“Are youawakeawake?”
The concern in her voice for me makes me want to hug her. So, I do. I tug the slight girl to me and crush her in my hold.
“I’m sorry for scaring you,” I murmur against her honey-scented hair. “I just want to get the both of us warmed up.”
She nods and then I release her, hating how hard she shivers. While I start the fire, I note that she disappears. I can hear her rummaging around in the kitchen and then the microwave beeps. As I lay out a blanket to sit on in front of the fireplace, Mei emerges from the kitchen with two mugs in hand.
“Carol sent me with some tea. She says it’ll help you sleep.”
I’m skeptical, but I accept the drink she’s made for me. We sit close on the floor, our legs stretched out and feet pointed toward the fire. The fiery warmth makes my toes sting as the feeling returns to them.
“This is nice,” I murmur after a sip of the tea. “I like it.”
I’m not sure if I’m happy with how she acquired it, though. As if reading my mind, Mei speaks up.
“I wasn’t talking bad about you or anything. Just casually asked Penny’s sitter if she had anything to help with sleep. Carol drinks it and says it helps with her aches and pains too.”
“That was nice of you to get it to try,” I say and gently lean into her. “I feel bad, though.”
She snorts out a soft laugh. “For something you can’t control and for someone caring enough to want to help you?”
“Well, when you put it that way,” I grumble playfully. “Thank you.”
We’re quiet for a few moments. It’s not an uncomfortable silence at all. If anything, Mei relaxes me. Or it could be the tea. Even before the tea, though, I felt as if I could let my guard down with her.
Is it because she’s so young?
