Page 16 of Next to You

I gently touched the tip of her nose with my fingertip and then lightly kissed her forehead. “But don’t tell anyone else.”

She smiled. It was tremulous and faded fast, but it was real. “I swear, Spencer, I won’t say a word. You’re right. We’re okay. We’re not sliding around in the snow at risk of hypothermia or attacks from a serial killer. I’m keeping all my toes, and we don’t need demon salt. Like you said, we’re safe, right? We’re in this sofa bed together, warm and alive. Yeah, it’s dark, and the weather is crazy, but at least we’re not alone. I could be in my car right now, huddled under the floor mats and that gross blanket I keep forgetting to take inside to wash. Now we have two secrets together, don’t we?”

“I guess we do. No one will find out about you and Skipper McFadden, and you won’t tell anyone about my thing.”

She twisted her fingers over lips like turning a key in a lock. “I already forgot about it. Spencer Cassidy is not afraid of the dark. I know nothing.”

“Ha, thanks.”

“I feel better. Maybe I can fall asleep after all.”

“Same.”

“Spencer?” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Will you hold my hand?”

“Absolutely. And Lucy?”

“Yeah?”

I took her hand and kissed the back of it. “I need this as much as you do.”

Chapter 6

Spencer

Iwoke to light shining through the window, and at some point as we slept, Lucy had draped herself across my chest as if she were always meant to be right here. Not one inch of her sweet little body was not touching me. So much for holding hands—she had her legs wrapped around mine, her full breasts were flattened against my chest, and her arm was bent, with her hand in my hair. I vaguely remember her running her fingers through it while she slept, but I couldn’t be sure since I was most likely at least half asleep when it happened. Or maybe this was a dream, and I hadn’t really woken up yet.

Slamming my eyes shut, I fought against getting hard, thankful that, by some miracle, I hadn’t woken up that way. She was warm and soft, and I had no idea how to get her off me when every part of my being wanted to pull her even closer, to get lost in her and forget we were stuck here in an uncertain situation.

I glanced out the window and saw nothing but white. Snow covered the trees, and the sky glowed brightly from its reflection. It was almost as beautiful as Lucy.

Shit. We would probably be stuck here for a while. But would that really be such a bad thing?

I watched her sleep, trying to convince myself I wasn't a creep for staring. But where else could I look when she filled my entire field of vision? Not to mention how gorgeous she looked while asleep had occupied every single one of my thoughts. Her already beautiful features had softened. I was fascinated by the delicate bridge of her nose and the shadow her lashes cast on her high cheekbones. Her lips were full and pink, and I found myself wishing I could lean in and kiss her awake.

Carefully, I removed my hands from her back, clenching them into fists at my sides. I wanted her bad. To be fair, I had always wanted her, and that was the problem. But the timing had never been right. Now, it seemed we had nothing but time.

There was a hitch in her breath as she stirred in her sleep. Was she waking up?

I had no idea what time it was, but it felt early.

“Spencer?” Her soft murmur interrupted my conflicting thoughts, and I tried to gather my wits.

“Good morning.”

“Oh God. I’m sorr—Gah!I won’t say it.” She rolled away and pulled the covers over her head. “You really are like a space heater. Obviously, I couldn’t resist. Where are my manners? Good Morning. This is not at all awkward. Oh my god.”

“Everything is okay. You’re right. I am warm and completely irresistible,” I teased. “And didn’t we talk about not being awkward with each other last night?”

She rolled to face me, and a sheepish smile slid across her face as she lowered the covers. “Yeah, I can’t help it though. I’m a mess.”

“You’re not a mess. You kept me warm last night, just like a little blanket. Seriously though, how are you feeling?”

She met my eyes with a clear-eyed gaze. She looked better. The tinge of panic I’d kept seeing last night was gone. “So muchbetter now that I’ve gotten some sleep. I haven’t had much in the last few weeks.”

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