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“Incorrect.” His long blondish-brown hair falls around his face as his head shakes. “That means it should be my choice whether or not I give up my bed.” He chuckles. “My mom would kick my ass if she found out I made a lady sleep on the couch. Hell, if I can’t get comfortable, I’ll stretch out on the floor in the office. I’m easy. I don’t complain; I find a solution.”

Dammit.

That’s hot.

Too bad I can already tell that he would turn me down in a heartbeat if I suggested that we should just share the bed.

* * *

I wake up freezing for the second time. The first time I woke up, I directed Echo to lie on my feet. It helped for a bit, but I have no idea how long I was out.

I’m groggy as I trudge to the hall closet, grabbing the extra blankets Bryant told me about when he showed me the apartment. It takes trying to turn on the lamp on the bedside table before I realize the power is out.

“Shit,” I whisper, pulling my hand to my face.

My fingers are frozen.

That seems like a bad sign.

I layer the two heavy blankets over the bed, but a terrible thought occurs to me. If I take these, Lawson won’t be able to use them. Heading back out into the hallway, I frown at the thermostat.

Oh yeah…

It won’t tell me the temperature because the power is out.

It was in the low twenties, based on what the weather forecast said earlier, and it was supposed to drop even more overnight.

Without the heat going, it’ll get dangerously cold in here.

Rolling my shoulders back, I make the call to wake him up. He’s much more likely to know what to do, and I’m starting to shiver just from being out from under the blanket.

Echo follows me into the living room, and I grimace when I spot the massive alpha. His feet and part of his calves hang off one end of the couch. He has his forearm thrown over his eyes. The blanket only covers from his chest to his ankles.

Jesus.

I should have pushed harder for him to take the bed. Coming to a stop next to him, I lean down and give him a little shake.

“I’m so sorry to wake you, but⁠—”

Lawson pulls his forearm off his face and blinks at me. He wraps his arm around my lower back and asks, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

I’m not sure he’s awake enough to even notice the move, but it pulls me closer to him. It’s strangely comforting, like he wants to shield me in case there’s danger close by.

“I’m sorry to wake you,” I repeat. “The power went out. I woke up shivering.”

Even though I know he isn’t anything like Tommy, I still brace for the explosion my system thinks might be coming for having the audacity to bother him while he was sleeping.

“Shit,” he says, patting my lower back with his huge palm. “Okay, let me think.”

“Bryant mentioned there’s no generator,” I tell him. “I thought maybe you could come sleep with me. Body heat and whatnot…”

His hand digs into my back as he sits up, his hair falling around his face. “Do you know how long ago the power went out?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I was asleep. I woke up once and asked Echo to lie on my feet. I think it was likely already out then. I fell back asleep after that, but it didn’t last long. I couldn’t get warm, no matter how deeply I burrowed under the blanket.”

“Damn, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” I smile tightly. “I would have been way worse off if you hadn’t shown up.”