“No signal?” he asked.
The boat rocked gently as she glanced over her shoulder. “I thought you were asleep.”
Her chattering teeth disrupted the flow of her words. Shelby got chilled in an air-conditioned restaurant. She used to carry a sweater withher even in the summer. Under the current conditions she was probably miserable.
Guilt sliced through him. “You’re cold. Let me warm you up.”
“That’s okay.”
“Your shivers are shaking the boat.”
Nothing but silence. He got it. She wanted the warmth but not his nearness. He couldn’t blame her. The closeness would serve as a reminder of what they’d once had. He wasn’t too keen on jogging his own memory. But it was getting colder. He wouldn’t mind a little warmth himself. Maybe then they could both fall asleep and forget they were stuck in the middle of the lake.
“Come on, Shelby. I’m not proposing marriage. Just a little shared body heat.”
Water splashed nearby as a fish jumped.
“Well... when you put it like that, I guess it would be foolish to say no.”
Taking that as permission, he slid over and pulled her against his chest. He tucked his knees into the back of hers and put his arm around her. His hand accidentally fell on hers, and he would’ve let go except it was like a block of ice. He wrapped his hand around it, half expecting her to jerk it away.
But she didn’t. Instead she scooched back into his chest, tucking her head under his chin.
And holy smokes. She felt so good snuggled up against him—and not just her warmth. His heart hitched.Do not make this personal. All you are is a warm, willing blanket.
“You reallyarea furnace.”
“And you’re an ice cube.”
“It’s colder than I thought it would be.”
The frigid water and metal beneath them didn’t help. He tightened his arm around her, cupped her hand more tightly. “Maybe we can getsome sleep now.” That might be true for her, but his chances of sleep had just decreased exponentially. Because the scent of her hair teased his nostrils, and the feel of her soft curves against him made him recall other times he’d had his arms around her.
Like that first kiss on the Fourth of July, for instance. He’d known they had something special the minute his lips touched hers. She was hardly his first kiss, but hers made all the others irrelevant. The way she yielded to him made him downright heady. He couldn’t believe Shelby Thatcher was kissing him back and with so much fervor. She was so soft. So responsive. All he wanted from then on was to make her his own and to belong to her in return.
When it actually happened, it was like a dream come true.
Getting to know her was the kind of pleasure he’d never experienced. Having her in his corner brought a wave of relief he hadn’t even known he needed. It was no longer him against the world. They were a team. She was on his team.
And when they were alone... She had this ticklish spot on the side of her neck. Every time he kissed her there, even if they were half gone with passion, she hitched her shoulder and giggled. He often did it on purpose just to get that very reaction. The sound of her laughter lit him up.
“Thank you for staying in Grandville.”
Her words cut through the silence, and the pleasant memory evaporated.
“I know I haven’t been very welcoming.”
A band tightened around his chest. “It’s okay. I definitely owe you big-time.”
“I probably expected too much from you back then.”
“Nah.” He shifted his hand on hers, warming her fingertips. “I was the problem, not you, Shelby.”
“We were just kids though. When does that ever work out?”
Maybe that was true. But he’d wanted them to work just the same. Thought they’d have a future. His childhood had just warped him. Caused him to make a poor decision he would later regret.
“But look at you now. You didn’t stop reaching for your dreams. And somehow, despite the way you were treated, you became a wonderful person.”
