Page 6 of Wrong Number, Right Grizzly (Dial M For Mates #7)

RONAN

I felt so much better after my shower. Not only did the chill that was running through me fade away, but it gave me time to clear my head.

The sound of the shower pelting against the shower wall and against the tiles drowned out the storm and distracted me from the chaos that was currently in my head.

I’d have stayed in there longer if I hadn’t been concerned about the water running cold.

My plan was to climb right back in bed and try to capture sleep. The day was long, and the warm air had managed to relax me enough. Sleep felt possible. Turned out my plan was flawed on so many levels.

After drying off and wrapping a towel around my waist, I went out and was surprised by what I saw.

Nix was there, and he’d not only managed to get me clothes that were dry and comfy—albeit nothing I’d want to be walking around in the office in or even the box store or taking out the trash, but comfy.

And he had snacks, lots and lots of snacks.

There was nothing special about the snacks.

They were hardly what I would call fancy.

My guess was that they were something that the office manager had and let him buy, because they weren’t typical vending machine snacks and they definitely weren’t convenience store aisle of awesome snacks.

Still, they were exactly what I needed, something to fill my belly.

I threw on the clothes he’d picked out for me, while he showered.

Although I guess he didn’t really pick them out so much as they were the ones that existed.

We were like a little old married couple wearing matching outfits.

Only we really weren’t a couple, and I had to keep reminding myself that.

It shouldn’t have been hard, we just met.

But still, when I looked at him, I saw more than a stranger. What was wrong with me?

My stomach was begging for food, and I didn’t pretend to hold back, eating one snack after another after another, until I was finally full.

“I’m not gonna lie, this was a pretty awesome dinner. Thank you.” I tried not to stare at Nix, all freshly showered and somehow even sexier than before.

He looked at me as if he didn’t quite believe me at first, but then a huge smile bloomed across his face.

I’d seen glimpses of his smile before, but now that I’d witnessed one that reached his eyes, I wanted to see it again and again and again.

There was such warmth and kindness there.

This man had done so much for me and for no other reason than I misdialed and he was there.

I dropped the wrappers in the bin. When we first got trapped here, I’d been hoping to get at least instant noodles. Somehow, this was better. Even though some of them were stale and none of them were things I typically picked out, they were the best meal I’d had in a long time.

Nix gathered up the leftover snacks and put them on the dresser, and I went to brush my teeth for bed, having now eaten.

This time I climbed right under the blankets, making sure not to cover my head.

I should’ve still been nervous, scared even.

Everything was up in the air. Nothing about our situation had changed in any real way.

I still didn’t know when I was getting home, whether my car was safe and if it would be functional afterward, how we were going to eat tomorrow, all the things—but none of them seemed to matter.

I was happy to be here in this hotel room, in this creaky little twin bed with scratchy blankets, mold in the corner of the ceiling, cracks in the walls, and a stranger in the bed near me. It didn’t make sense, but then again, what about life did?

I rolled onto my side, facing Nix’s bed. He’d flicked off the light before doing the same.

“Good night, Ronan.”

The proper answer was to say good night back. It had been a long day, and I’d already imposed on him so much, but I didn’t give him the “right” answer. Instead, I asked, “Are you sleepy?”

Thanks to the light casting in from the street, I could make out his form, head propped up on his hand. He wasn’t just preparing to answer my question, he was preparing to have a conversation with me, and I was glad for it.

“Yeah, me neither. It’s kind of a wild day. How come you were driving when the storm was about to hit?”

He asked a very fair question. “I was at a work convention, and it went late and I got impatient. I wanted to get home. See how well that worked out.” I had to laugh, because if I didn’t, the panic from earlier would set in again.

I didn’t want that. “And then, instead of the highway, I thought I would be clever and take the shorter route through these county roads. And here we are.”

“Here we are, indeed.” There was so much warmth in his voice, and it was hard not to read more into it than was there. I had to remember this wasn’t a blind date. This was a stranger helping a stranger in their time of need, nothing more.

“What about you? What do you do for work?” Switching the subject felt like the best plan.

Nix went on to explain all about what he did, and I listened, asking questions when I didn’t understand, mostly just enjoying the cadence of his rich voice.

How I wished we were in one of those books where they go in the hotel room to discover there’s only one bed.

Then we’d be having this conversation from just inches apart.

And my fantasy had nothing to do with wanting to get him out of these sexy motel-branded sweats and have my way with him…

although I wasn’t opposed to that idea. It had more to do with wanting to be close to him.

But we weren’t sharing the same space, and our beds were far apart…

not far in a truest sense, but in the I-couldn’t-snuggle-up-to-him sense. I couldn’t feel his warmth.

“Do you have to work in the morning?” I was going to feel awful if he did.

“Naw. We’ll take care of the tow truck, get some breakfast, figure everything out.”

“I really can’t thank you enough.” I was kicking myself for not grabbing my suitcase when he came to get me.

I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of it, just snagging my backpack instead.

Putting on the white noise machine I had in there would’ve helped drown out the storm and maybe help us drift into sleep, because as much as I loved talking to him, the clock was ticking on and we weren’t getting sleep this way.

“I’m glad it was you who came. I… I mean, the tow truck would’ve been great, but if it had to be a stranger, I… I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“I do,” he said.

“Huh?”

“I understand what you’re saying, and I’m glad too. Let’s try and get some sleep now.” He lowered his head to the pillow.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Sorry for yakking at you.”

“Don’t be sorry. I loved hearing your voice, and now I’m looking forward to hearing your snores.” He chuckled.

“Hey, I don’t snore,” I lied, and then felt guilty about it and backtracked loudly. “Fine. I snore a little.”

“And I bet it sounds adorable.”

I had no idea how to answer that, and instead closed my eyes, wanting to both obey and savor the thought of any of me being adorable to him.

This time, instead of worrying and panic setting in, my mind was 100% on Nix…

the type of man he was showing himself to be, the way he looked in those sweats, how he took care of me and arranged the snacks so I could see them all.

And his positivity and encouragement as he directed me to get rest, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a hectic day.

There was something about him, and a not-so-small part of me kind of hoped my car wasn’t going to be fixed tomorrow and that we could possibly spend a little more time together.

How messed up was that?