Page 8 of When She Needs Them Most

“Damn, man, you actually managed to make that soundmoresketchy than it probably looked to begin with,” the other guy says, laughing. “That takes skill.”

I undo the deadbolt and flip the bottom lock before pulling the door open slightly.

The man I don’t recognize immediately zeros in on my stomach as his eyes widen.

I slide a hand down, yanking at the bottom of my pajama top, but that just makes my boobs pop out instead. I frown and try topull the top back up, but then I can feel a cool breeze on my lower baby bump.

Life is hard being pregnant.

“I’ll bet,” Kase says, giving me an easy smile that shows off his perfect, white teeth.

My cheeks heat. I think I said that out loud.

God, he’s just as attractive as he was earlier.

“We brought takeout,” the other guy says, shaking the container. “But I’m kind of wondering where you’ll sit to eat it. By the way, I’m Lincoln.”

I give a polite smile. “Chelsea.”

He holds out his free hand, and we shake. “Holy shit, you’re freezing.”

“I was wrapped up in a quilt, but I ditched it to answer the door. I need to call someone to check on the furnace, but that’ll have to wait for tomorrow. Come in so that we can close the door.”

“I can try to take a look at it.” Kase steps inside as his nose twitches. “Is something burning?”

“Um, I hope not.” I glance toward the door to the basement. “I did smell smoke when I first turned on the unit, but that’s why I didn’t jack up the heat.”

“That doesn’t sound safe.” Lincoln follows Kase inside. “Tell me you’re not planning to sleep on an air mattress?”

“My furniture comes tomorrow.” I smile tightly, closing the door because it really is freezing. My slippers scratch against the floor as I aim for the bay window to grab my blanket. “We’re thinking of it as an adventure.”

“Do you have someone with you?” Lincoln asks. His brown hair is longer on top than the sides, and it falls over his forehead as he glances around. The Henley he’s wearing seems stretched to capacity over his strong chest, and those dark jeans sculpt to his thighs like they were made for him.

And I’mstillin my pajamas.

I pull the quilt around my shoulders. “Just me and Luna.”

Kase smiles, nodding at my stomach. “Is that the baby?”

“Yep.”

“The thermostat says it’s fifty-nine degrees. That’s not safe. I mean, I doubt you’d freeze to death or anything, but it’s cold enough to cause concern.” Kase takes a few steps in my direction. “We’ve got a guest room. Why don’t you come stay at our house for the night?”

“What? No, I’ll be fine. I’m totally good. I’ve got two blankets and a quilt.” I glance between them. “That should be enough, right?”

“Where are you from, sweetheart?” Lincoln asks.

I take a step back, running a hand over my stomach as Luna wiggles around.

I let two strange men inside my house after dark. God, I’m such an idiot. This was a bad idea.

“Oh, hey, I know that look.” Linc lifts the hand not holding the takeout. “We’re right at the bottom of the mountains. It might not be freezing in here yet, but you give it a couple of hours without adequate heating, and you’re going to be cold as hell. That’s all I meant.”

“We do seem sketchy.” Kase sighs. “It’s fine. If you won’t feel comfortable coming to stay at our house, how about you let us carry over a real mattress and a couple of extra blankets?”

“No, goodness. That’s way too much.”

“It’s the bare minimum you’ll have to accept to get Kase out of your house. He’s a worrier. He’s going to stress all night that you’re over here, freezing to death.” Linc grins, waving the takeout box. “Your food is probably getting cold as we debate.”

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