His eyes adjusted to the dark, taking my outline in. “What are you doing?”
“Just thought you’d be interested to know I’m about to die from hypothermia.”
“You’re cold?”
“Yes.”
“Did you pack extra clothes?”
“I’m wearing everything I’ve got, and I’m still freezing.”
He took a couple of deep breaths before he got up and unzipped his sleeping bag all the way, rolled me over, and laid it down beneath us. He unzipped my bag and motioned for me to climb in beside him. There was only a brief hesitation before I joined him. I had zero shame about burrowing my head in his chest and tangling my feet in his legs.
He seethed in a ragged breath atmytouch. I let out a sigh of relief athistouch.
“How are you even alive right now?”
“Want to hear how low I’ve fallen?”
He grunted a noise that I took as a yes.
“First, I’m here.” I motioned my hand at myself draped all over him like sunscreen. “And second, I’m almost cold enough that I’m contemplating shoving my hand into your armpit.” There was a deep chuckle before he covered his hand over mine on his chest. The relief of sharing Logan’s body heat was immediate. I did not, however, let that cloud my head.
Logan began moving his thumb across my frozen hand laying on his chest. I yanked it away.
“Don’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because this isn’t a fun cuddle. It’s survival. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Maybe rubbing your hand is for extra warmth. Friction.”
“It didn’t feel like that was your goal. Let me be clear, you’re a giant heating pad to me right now. Nothing more.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“You being a walking furnace and sleeping halfway out of your sleeping bag while I’m a human popsicle doesn’t seem fair either.”
He grabbed my hand and placed it back on his chest, covering it once again. This time with lessfriction. “It’s all that running. I told you it would kill you someday.”
I elbowed him in the side, feeling both satisfied and hollow at the grunt exiting his mouth.
* * *
I awoke feelingcozy but on high alert.
Here were the stats: It was still dark outside. I was using Logan as a human body pillow. I was rolled onto my side, my left leg tangled into his legs, and my hand was still pocketed under his hand. I had finally thawed out enough to sleep. Except, now I was awake again.
Something had woken me.
I waited, my body tense, for the sound to come again.
A grunt outside had me gripping Logan’s shirt at his chest. We were going to die. There was a bear outside, and we were going to be on the news for getting ripped out of our sleeping bag and torn to shreds.
My chest was pumping, but I sat still, tried not to smell like food, and listened intently for another noise. Maybe it was a deer passing through?
Did deer grunt?
