Page 9 of Unexpected Temptation

A case of shivers woke Amelia. She looked groggily around the room.

The fire that had burned down a bit, and the darkness out the window told her it was still nighttime.

She didn’t want to look through his closets for more blankets and didn’t want to wake him.

She wrapped the thickest blanket around her and silently made her way to the big chair by the fire.

“What are you doing, Sweetheart?”

Amelia gasped and jerked toward the sofa.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. What’s wrong?”

Amelia’s eyes raced over the thick muscle of his bare chest and shoulders down to the veined forearms and wrists. The blanket that lay over his waist dropped a bit when he sat up to rest on one elbow.

“Amelia, if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll have you on the bed and under me before you know it, and I know it’s way too early for that.”

Amelia swallowed as her eyes widened in shock, and she tightened her grip on the blanket.

“I-I’m ... sorry. I can’t believe you just said that.” She watched him shrug.

Amelia moved from one foot to the other and gritted her teeth to prevent them from clicking together from the cold.

“Well, I thought you should know. Don’t be sorry, just know the ramifications of the situation. Now tell me what’s wrong?”

“I’m cold, and I can’t seem to get warm, so I was going to sit by the fire.”

“Come here.”

Amelia’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“Because it’s the best and quickest way to get you warm.”

Amelia tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“Quicker than sitting by the fire?”

“It’s one of the things they teach you in the military, and with you, I can wrap myself around you, so you’ll be getting all of your sides warm at the same time.

A fire won’t be able to do that.” Jaylen held out his hand.

“Come here, Sweetheart. I would never hurt you or push you to do anything you didn’t want to. ”

Amelia took a small, shuffling step toward him, then another, and then another, until she stood and looked down at him. “I believe you won’t hurt me, it’s just that...”

“You’re afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?”

Amelia sputtered out a laugh. Her smile fell. He had already embedded himself in her heart because of the way he’d taken care of her and talked so sweetly to her. She didn’t want the situation to be harder than it had to be.

“I’m afraid my emotions will get in the way, and it will make my leaving harder.”

Jaylen softened. “It will be okay, Sweetheart. I’m just going to hold you. You can keep the blanket wrapped around you and between us. Now come here. I can see your shivering is getting worse.”

Without another word, Amelia sat beside him and let him pull her down in front of him.

Jaylen turned on his side with his body against the back of the sofa and cupped his body around her back before arranging the blanket to cover all of her.

He pulled the light blanket he’d been using up over both of them to keep in his heat and then wrapped his arms around her to pull her tightly against his chest. His body temperature was usually higher than the average man’s because of his muscle bulk, and she needed all his heat.

“Sssss,” she hissed. Her shivers mellowed within moments as his essence enclosed her in heat. “Good Lord. I can feel the warmth through the blanket. You’re like a furnace.”

Jaylen chuckled. “Thank you, I think.”

“I would love to have some of that. It seems like I’m always cold.” Amelia tightened her grip on the top of the blanket and talked herself out of moving back against him.

“Well, now you have me.”

Amelia stilled at the assurance in his tone. “Only for a few days,” she reminded him.

“We’ll see.”

Amelia looked at Jaylen over her shoulder to determine if he was messing with her. She felt a tide of crimson slide over her face when their eyes connected.

Jaylen drew in a shuddering breath as he stared down at her.

“Go to sleep before I kiss you. Because if I start, I’m not going to stop.”

Amelia stared at the heat reflected in his eyes, turned away from him again, and stared into the fire. With the heat wrapping around her, she once again fell asleep quickly.