I stiffened.
“Shared body heat, Olivia. That’s it.”
I knew that. Logically, I did. I didn’t have to be a native-born Alaskan to know we needed to conserve our energy and maintain our body temperatures. But feeling him surround me like he was struck too close to one or two fantasies I might have had when my deep level of denials regarding Noah failed me.
“We’re going to be okay, Olivia.”
He thought I was still tense because of the circumstances. Not that I was trying not to enjoy being in his arms. That was good. I could only imagine how mortifying it would be for both us if he ever thought I’d entertained any sexual thoughts about him.
“I’m not scared,” I told him.
Which was odd because I wasn’t. We had food. We had water. We had shelter. Once Cal realized we never made it to the mainland from the rig, he would know there were only a limited number of places where we could be. This network of islands between the rig and the coast being one of them.
“Good. Then relax and go to sleep.”
That probably wasn’t going to happen. I closed my eyes and tried not think about how I felt. My nose was cold, but the rest of my body was pretty cozy. Noah’s body heat felt more like a furnace.
I wondered if this was what Jenny experienced when she got to spend nights with Noah. Because that had to have happened already, right? After a month of dating. Noah didn’t strike me as a man who would be patient about waiting for sex.
No, he was more of a slam-her-up-against-the-wall-and-press-his-whole-body-into-her kind of guy, so she would know he wanted her and how badly.
Not that I’d ever let myself have that fantasy, either.
Silly as it was, I felt a little guilty enjoying this so much. I knew he was only doing it to keep me and himself warm, but still, Jenny would be hurt to know how much I liked the sound of his breathing. The strength of his arms closed around me. His smell, which now was a little woodsy.
Only Jenny wasn’t here tonight and there was no situation that was going to change that. In the end, I was able to relax and drift off to sleep.
My last thought was wondering how many nights I would be able to steal this from Jenny.
Did that make me a bad person?
* * *
Ark
Fuck me, I was hard. I still hadn’t woken up enough to process where I was, but shit, I knew I wasn’t alone. I could inhale the scent of a woman.
No, not a woman.
Thewoman.
With long, dark, thick hair I could run my fingers through. And a sweetheart ass I could grind my hard cock against. Damn, that felt good. So I did it again. I pushed against her harder and harder.
I wanted to be inside her. I wanted to turn her over so I could see those killer blue eyes getting all dark and smoldering any time I elicited a response from her. Anger, desire. Sometimes it was hard to tell between the two.
I nuzzled her neck. Took in that essence of the floral shampoo she used.
I reached around her body to cup her full, luscious breast. There was too much clothing between us. Why hadn’t I gotten her naked first? Because I told myself, if I ever had the chance to get Olivia naked, I would take it. Damn the consequences.
Not that she would want to have anything to do with me that way. She hated my guts.
Wait. Why was she in bed with me if she hated my guts?
“Noah?”
God! The way she said my name. In that rough, throaty voice. I wanted to hear her say my name like that when I was making her come. Not that she would ever let me do that, either, because again…gut hater.
“Noah!”
