"Good morning," she said, drawing her legs away and pulling the covers up to her chin, while keeping her eyes locked onto his.
"Er, what… how…"
Her words rushed out to cut him off. "It got really cold in the night. I tried to wake you up, but— dude, you sleep pretty hard. I combined our resources and… Please don't be mad. I-I was cold." She trailed off, and he strained to hear the last bit.
He'd expected indignation at him feeling her up. Oh my god, I felt her up! Her words tumbled through his non-caffeinated brain as he struggled to put the story together with last night's power outage. Once it clicked, he rolled onto his back and laughed heartily.
"You—Miss Prim and Proper Merry Sunshine—crawled into bed with me." He laughed some more. Then wiped his hand over his face, before dragging it through his hair.
"You're not mad?" she asked.
"Why would I be mad?" He turned his head and studied her, wondering if she'd been awake when he'd copped a feel. She didn't seem too distraught, mostly she looked guilty. His sense of humor took over. "It was quite pleasant to wake up next to a warm female body in my bed this morning." A mischievous urge took root that he couldn't resist. He dropped his voice an octave and asked, "What are you wearing?" He grasped the covers as if to lift them up to take a peek.
Claire squealed and clenched the quilt in a death grip. When he didn't move any further, but grinned at her instead, she gave him a tentative smile back. "You're playing with me. I always thought you were grumpy in the morning."
"I am grumpy in the morning, but this situation is ridiculous. You can't help but laugh. What time is it?" He glanced at the antique wall clock. Late enough, there should have been more light shining through the window. "It's quieter outside."
"The storm's abated?" Claire grinned. "Finally! Although it's not completely gone, is it? Is that rain I'm hearing?"
"Sounds like it," he said. "It's still overcast outside or the room would be brighter."
They lay listening to the light patter of soft rain. Noah was alarmingly aware of Claire lying in bed next to him. He wanted to stretch, but wasn't sure how to do so without touching her. He was about to suggest she get up when she spoke.
"I slept wonderfully last night. You're a good bed partner."
He rolled onto his side to face her, with one eyebrow cocked. "You looking for a good bed partner, Claire?" The words were out before he could contain them. Damnit, Raines. That instinct to charm so often overrode his common sense. He scowled at the sudden image of his brother laughing at him. Shut up, Tristan.
"No!" She blushed prettily, distracting him from the thoughts in his head.
"No?" He leaned toward her and, when she didn't move away, he reached for the wayward curl covering her face and tucked it behind her ear.
"I just… I was just cold. And you know, nature videos always say body heat is best." She sighed. "It seemed like a good idea in the middle of the night when I was freezing. I'm really sorry if I crossed a line. I'll just go."
Guilt flooded him at her dejected tone. He reached for her chin and nudged it up. "Hey, look at me. We're okay. I'm not offended. I think it's funny. And, uh… I'm sorry for groping you when I first woke up."
Her eyes widened.
"Oh," he said, mentally kicking himself. "Yes, well… apparently, we cuddled up nicely during the night. Body heat and all." His desire to pull her into a blistering kiss warred with his need to maintain distance.
She rolled onto her side and faced him, her gaze dipping to his lips. This was bad. If she moved closer, he wasn't sure he could stop. Her lips begged to be kissed. He leaned forward slowly, giving her time to pull back.
Claire focused on Noah's lips as he leaned in. Is he going to kiss me? Her heart hammered in her chest and her lips parted in anticipation.
The kiss was tentative, his lips softer than she expected. She caressed his jawline, the shadow of his beard rough against her fingers. His kiss grew bolder, and she sighed into it. The noise must have signaled something to him, because he pulled her roughly against him, then slightly under him. His hand roamed, and hers followed suit. The shock of bare skin under her hands faded quickly as she continued to explore his chest and back. Her mind stuttered at the muscles moving beneath her fingers. He felt strong. Solid.
His tongue ran along her lips, and she opened her mouth to him. A part of her brain acknowledged when he squeezed her bottom and ground his erection against her, but she was living in the moment, absorbing the sensations of their tangling tongues. She ran her hands through his hair, amazed at how velvety it felt slipping through her fingers. Fine and soft were not words she associated with this man.
The jarring ring of a phone startled them both. Still entwined in the embrace, they stared at each other, their breathing harsh. Reluctantly, Claire moved and he let her go. He reached across her, the scent of his body invading her senses and awakening parts of her that shouldn't be stirring while on a road trip with a coworker. She'd never hated phones more than she did at this moment.
"Apparently, the phones work without electricity," he said as he lifted the handset to his ear. "Hello?" he answered.
Claire watched Noah as he listened to the caller. Her fingers itched to trace the line of his jaw and smooth his hair where she'd mussed it.
He caught her gaze and stared back at her as the caller continued to speak.
"Thanks for the heads up. I'll let Claire know. And yes, I'd be interested in accompanying you." He listened some more, his eyes never leaving hers. She grew warm under his golden gaze. "Sounds good. See you then."
He reached over her again to hang up the phone. Afterward, he stopped and pressed his forehead to hers before placing a chaste kiss on her nose. "We need to discuss what just happened, but we don't have time. Archie and Devon are driving to the airport and have invited me along."
