Page 54 of Survive the Night
For some reason, that made her want to cry. Otto and Bean had time, but did she? Did they? Blinking, she focused on Bean, who’d started his sneaky sidle toward them again. Otto, occupied with giving Hortense a Cheeto, didn’t have a carrot waiting, but Bean still stretched his neck out…and snatched Otto’s hat. The horse, his prize dangling from his mouth, took off for the other side of the pasture.
“What?” Otto reached toward his now-bare head, looking startled. Sarah began to laugh. Still holding on to the hat, Bean trotted along the fence, head and tail up.
Sarah laughed harder until she had to bend over and hold her stomach. “Sorry!” she gasped between breaths. “He just looks so…proud.” That set her off again.
“He does, doesn’t he?” Otto didn’t sound annoyed. He sounded…bemused. When she looked up at him, wiping tears of laughter from her face, she saw he was watching her with banked heat and something else in his gaze—something that looked a lot like affection.
* * *
By the time they got back inside, Sarah’s nose was numb from the cold. She didn’t care, though. She would’ve stayed outside all night if it meant she could keep Otto company. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. He had to head in to work, and she had to quit clinging to him.
He walked out the door and then stuck his head back inside. “Lock the door after me.”
“I will.” The commanding tone made her shiver in a good way. Whether Otto was being sweet or bossy, she liked him. She more than liked him. Even though she knew she’d probably have to leave him, it was too late to protect her heart. It was already his.
She turned the dead bolt and then stayed there, staring at the closed door, long after the sound of Otto’s truck engine faded. Her plan of playing it safe and guarding her emotions had failed. It was time for a new strategy. Now that Aaron, Jeb, and Logan were all in jail, she could move back in with Grace, Jules, and the kids, but the idea didn’t have any appeal. As much as she was learning to love her new friends, everything inside her wanted to stay close to Otto.
Why did she have to run away from this? The thought sent a rush of terrified delight through her. She’d fallen for Otto. It was too late to stop it, so why not enjoy the time she had with him?
As the word enjoy echoed through her mind, she shivered in anticipation.
She’d do it. If she was forced to leave Monroe, then she would deal with it, but now… Now, she was going to soak up every single drop of joy she could. She started to smile. Otto was going to have a surprise waiting for him when he finished work the next morning. With a whoop that made Xena jump, she ran for the stairs. Her clothing options were limited, but she was going to find something that could pass as seduction-worthy.
* * *
Sarah lasted until almost midnight before an especially terrifying creaking sound sent her scrambling for the bunker, two dogs and one cat right behind her. She climbed into the bunk she’d been using, pulling the sheet and draped sleeping bag up to her chin. After reviewing her clothing options, she’d realized that nothing had been even close to sexy, so she’d grabbed an oversized T-shirt from Otto’s room. He’d seemed to like seeing her in that when they’d slept next to each other.
Xena and Mort jumped onto the cot, settling into their usual spots behind her knees and against her waist. Although she knew the dogs would annoy her all night with their poky feet and poorly placed bodies, it was reassuring to feel them curl up against her, their warmth and size comforting. Bob tucked himself in the curve at the back of her neck, purring almost silently. He was the quietest cat Sarah had ever known—not that she’d known a lot of cats, but she’d never heard Bob meow or make any noise, except for the one time she’d been rushing to get into the bunker and had accidentally stepped on him. He’d yowled then, and who could blame him? She still felt terrible about doing that.
She snuggled into her warm nest, deciding to wake up early so she could go upstairs and be waiting for Otto in his bed like she’d planned. That was her last thought until she woke up to a tickling sensation on her right cheek. Without opening her eyes, she brushed at it, grumbling wordlessly. She was so warm and still tired, and she didn’t want to wake yet.
A male chuckle woke her completely, and she lifted her eyelids to see Otto bent over the cot, his fingers lightly brushing her cheek and a sweetly smoldering look in his eyes.
“Hi,” she said groggily, lifting her hand to return the gesture, stroking her fingers across his stubbly face. He smiled at her, and it was impossible not to smile back. “I meant to be waiting for you upstairs.”
His smile disappeared, and he looked startled. “Upstairs?”
“Yes.” She’d been nervous about this moment, but now that it was happening, she wasn’t hesitant at all. This felt right. “In your bed.”
He swallowed, and she watched his throat, loving that she could affect him so strongly. Instead of saying anything else, she slid her fingers to his jaw and down his neck. Once she got to his shirt collar, she paused, self-consciousness finally kicking in.
“Unless you don’t want to?” Her hand dropped away from him at the thought. If he rejected her, or laughed, or did anything except grab on to her suggestion with both hands, she knew she would be completely mortified.
“I do.” His firm words pulled her out of her panicky thoughts, and she relaxed. “If you’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” Ever since she’d decided to do this, she hadn’t had a moment of doubt.
His smile was back, wider and brighter than before. “Let’s go upstairs, then. If I try to join you here, the whole cot will collapse.”
Pushing herself up onto her elbows, Sarah looked at the dogs and cat heaped on top of her. There wasn’t a single inch of clear space on the cot. She laughed. “Good idea.”
Her chuckle turned into a surprised squeak when Otto caught her under the arms and lifted her out from the heap of animals. Mort made a grumbly sound but didn’t open his eyes. Xena jumped down and slunk under the cot, the sudden movement obviously too much for her. Bob gave them both a condemning look, but he didn’t move except to twitch his tail in an annoyed fashion.
Placing Sarah on her feet, Otto pulled her against him. Immediately, her body temperature shot up as her muscles relaxed. It was a strange feeling to have two such opposite reactions simultaneously, but that was the Otto effect. He made her feel extremely safe and like she was about to jump off a cliff at the same time.
Leaning down, he kissed her, and Sarah quit thinking about dichotomies. Her lips parted and he accepted the invitation, deepening the embrace, using his lips and tongue and even his teeth to make her crazy with need. The world around them disappeared, and all she knew was Otto. When he withdrew, she made a sound of disappointment as she tried to follow his mouth.
“Upstairs.” If his raspy voice was any indication, he was just as affected as she was. “This floor will not be comfortable.”
