She fell into an uneasy sleep that only lasted a few hours. When she woke up, the tip of her nose was cold to the touch, and she was shivering under the layers of blankets.
Another pair of socks. Another sweatshirt. Maybe even her cable-knit hat. If she could will herself out of her cocoon, she could arm herself with another layer of clothing. She braced herself, shrugged off the blankets, and exposed her body to the cold air, wincing as she pulled on more socks. Then she rushed down the hall toward the coatrack next to the front door where she rooted through the basket of outerwear until she found her hat.
When Josie’s bedroom door creaked open, she froze. Tom, silhouetted in the gloom, stood in the doorway with a blanket wrapped around him like a cape.
“I may have underestimated the odds of frostbite,” he said with a chattering of his teeth. “I think it’s time we come up with another plan.”
Ten
Tom knew what he had to suggest. It was the only thing that made sense. And he was far, far too excited about it, which meant he needed to find a way to make the suggestion without sounding like the creep Finn had thought he was until about twelve hours ago.
“So I’ve—” he began, but she cut him off.
“Will you sleep with me?”
The blanket slipped from his numb fingers to puddle at his feet as Finn made a strangled sound.
“I mean,oh my God,notthat.But I think maybe if we shared blankets, we might be warmer. In the same bed. Wearing clothes.”
Even though sharing a bed and blankets and body heat had been the same thing he was thinking, her words still left him momentarily mute.
“Never mind. I’m walking outside now,” she muttered. “Let the blizzard claim me.”
“No!” He lurched forward. “I was going to suggest the same thing. It’s the smartest option.” Smart. Yep, this was purely a matter of survival. “So, uh, your room or mine-slash-your roommate’s?”
“Mine of course. Do you want me to dig up a hat or gloves for you from the stash?”
It was a good idea, but no way was Tom covering his hands if they’d be anywhere near Finn’s skin. “Nah, I’ll give it a go without.”
He crossed to the threshold of her room and paused. The memory of Finn’s head resting on his leg while he’d read to her on the couch had kept him up—yes,literallyup—and now he was about to crawl under the covers with her.
You can do this. Don’t make this weird. She’s only being practical, and so are you.
“Which side?” His voice rasped, and he prayed she’d chalk it up to the late hour and the amount of reading aloud earlier.
When she pointed to the right, he went obediently, dragging the blankets he’d stolen from Josie’s bed. Finn slid into the other side, and together they layered the blankets around and on top of themselves. When they were done, they were tucked in and bundled so tightly that he could barely move, with Finn as a little mound of fabric next to him.
“Better?” he murmured.
“Yes,” she said with a sigh.
A shiver ran through her body, and he edged closer to her, wanting to shield her from the temperature.
“I used a little battery to check the news on my phone.” He spoke into the dark, not ready to fall asleep quite yet. “Sounds like the power company’s working overtime to get everything restored.”
“I don’t envy them.” She shuddered, which shifted her close enough that her hat brushed the tip of his nose.
“The offer still stands to chop your furniture into a burn pile.”
Her elbow connected with his midsection, although the impact was blunted by the three shirts he was wearing.
They lapsed into silence, but the cadence of her breathing suggested that she wasn’t close to sleep yet.
“Tom?”
“Hmm?”
She rolled to face him, and the moon offered enough light for him to see the silvery outline of her features. “Just curious. How many of your students are in love with you?”
