Page 89 of Major Love

I look up at Jason’s handsome face, that concerned expression on his brow making my heart clench.

“You didn’t have to do this,” I whisper.

But I’m so grateful that you did.

His chest rises for a moment, and then he rubs the pad of his thumb against my cheek.

“I didn’t have to,” he replies quietly. “But I wanted to.”

A rogue tear streaks down my cheek.

And then the whole dam breaks loose.

“Sweetheart,” he rumbles, his brow arching in shock, but before he can close the small distance between us I somehow manage to do it first.

I have to jump up onto my tip-toes to throw my arms around his broad shoulders, and he quickly understands what I need as he hunches lower so that I can embrace him.

In the next second, my snow-boots are swept effortlessly off the ground, and Jason holds me tighter, his warm palm settled against my lower back.

I swipe at my cheeks as I rest my chin on his broad shoulder, blinking quickly to try and remove the tear-induced blur from my eyes.

“I didn’t mean to cry,” I whisper, my lashes fluttering at the feel of his stubble. His palm strokes me more firmly and I add, “Blame it on the hormones.”

He chuckles quietly and turns his head, brushing a light kiss against my temple. “You got it, baby,” he rumbles teasingly, before carrying me gently toward his truck.

I pull back from the hug and look down at him, my heart thundering at the hunger that I see in his eyes.

He swipes his tongue over his lower lip, averting his gaze as he hunches down.

And it takes me a second to realise what he’s doing and then I’m laughing out loud.

My butt hits the soft mattress and I grin up at him as he helps me wiggle into place.

“Oh, wait! I’m on the wrong side,” I say quickly, remembering where he’d placed the hot water bottle.

“That’s your side,” he corrects me, and the truck lurches as he heaves himself into the back.

He smirks at that, which makes me bite back a smile of my own, and he nudges me back over to the right as he sprawls out on the sheets.

“But your hot water bottle!” I protest, gesturing to the area beneath my thighs that’s toasty warm.

He laughs and picks it up, before tucking it firmly back on my side of the truck.

“Sunday,” he laughs, his rough voice low and teasing. “Who d’you think I got it for? The hot water bottle is for you.”

My heart flips in my chest and, before I can recover from what he’s just said, he adds, “Plus, that side is closer to the porch heater. So unless you wanna sit inside the truck, that’s gonna be the warmest spot.”

If we had actually gone to Phoenix Falls’ annual Valentine’s cinema night then maybe I would have wanted to sit inside the cab of Jason’s truck. But, as it is, with just the two of us out here… with nothing but the evergreens and snowy mountain ridges as our company…

I can’t think of anything better than cuddling beneath a blanket-fort under the stars.

Jason watches me with amused eyes as I snuggle down into a comfortable position and then he lies back and bends one muscular thigh, resting it against the side-panel of the tail-bed. Then he hauls his laptop onto his outstretched leg.

He holds his bodyweight on the elbow that’s resting beside mine, the large swell of his firm bicep pressing against me as he types.

“I can’t believe that we’re gonna have a movie night in the mountains,” I admit, trying to hide my awe-struck smile by biting my thumb for half a second. Then I lean closer toward the laptop as he pulls up a streaming service and ask, “What’re we watching?”

“There’s this really good documentary about mountain bears,” Jason rumbles, and my jaw instantly drops, a half-laugh choking out of me.

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