This wasn’t about attraction. This was about basic human decency. I wasn’t going to let a woman freeze in my house just because she worked for a company I hated.
But I also wasn’t going to sleep on the floor like some kind of martyr when I had a perfectly good king-sized bed.
We were both adults. We could share a bed without it meaning anything.
I stood up, my knees protesting after an hour on the hard floor, and headed down the hallway. The rain was still coming down hard, drumming against the roof. Another crack of thunder shook the house as I stopped outside her door.
The soft click of typing came from inside. She was working, probably writing up reports about all the ways people had tried to cheat her company out of money they were owed.
I raised my hand to knock, then hesitated.
Her laugh echoed in my memory. The way her eyes had stopped frowning, genuine and unguarded for just that one moment when she’d seen my couch.
Damn it.
I knocked.
Chapter 3
Rachel
An hour and a half later, I was almost done with the last report.
My fingers were clumsy on the keyboard from all my shivering. I’d long since slipped under the covers to work, and I could see my breath now, small white puffs that dissipated in the cold air.
It had been toasty warm when I first got here, but now it was obviously much, much colder.
I wonder if he’s one of those guys who turns off the heat at night?
Some people do that to save money, and I got the feeling he didn’t have much set aside. Not based on how his home looked.
The power flickered once, then twice, and then the worst thing in the world happened. My internet connection died completely.
I stared at the spinning wheel on my screen, willing it to reconnect, but it didn’t.
“Come on, baby, I just need ten more minutes.” I could live with spare accommodations for the night, but Ineededan internet connection to do my work.
A knock at the door made me jump.
“Just a minute,” I muttered as I set my laptop aside and opened the door.
Clayton stood in the hallway, his arms crossed over his chest, expression unreadable. “Furnace died. Temperature’s dropping fast.”
“I noticed. Is there anything you can do?”
“Not tonight. Parts won’t be available until morning, assuming the roads are clear.” He shifted his weight, and I watched the muscles in his forearms flex beneath rolled-up sleeves. “My room’s warmer. You can take half the bed. But I’m not sleeping on the floor.”
I blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” His tone was blunt, practical and utterly devoid of anything resembling flirtation. “It’s going to get close to freezing in here. Don’t argue with the weather. Grab your blankets and follow me.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll just make other arrangements.” I bristled, already reaching for my phone, pulling up the three-hundred-dollar Airbnb listing.
I’d pay the difference out of pocket if I had to. I’d doanythingto avoid sharing a bed with this man who made my thoughts go fuzzy.
The listing showed “Booked” in bright red letters.
I stared at my phone, willing the word to change. But it didn’t.
