Pull You In (Rivers Brothers #3) - Jessica Gadziala Page 0,18

adjusting the flame again when it blackened the glass. "You take this and walk up the stairs. I will follow behind to catch you in case you fall. Then you can take this into your room to get ready for bed while I lock the place up. I doubt anyone is showing up in this shit."

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "And thanks," she said, taking the lamp from me. "For, you know, not thinking I've been ridiculous about everything," she clarified, turning to walk out of the room, leaving me to follow behind.

"So for being a halfway decent person? You really don't have to thank me for that, Katie."

With that, we went through our new nightly routine. I gave her the flashlight in case she needed it. Then we both turned in.

I figured I would toss and turn, not having done much to burn off any energy, but I passed out within a few moments of getting into bed.

I probably would have slept soundly through the night.

Except then there was a soft voice calling my name.

"Rush?" it called, getting louder, pulling me fully awake to find a flashlight pointed at the ceiling, giving soft light to the whole room, showing me a bed-tossed Katie who was, inexplicably, wearing three sweaters, and had a blanket wrapped around her.

"What's up, baby?" I asked, scraping a hand down my face.

Outside of the blanket, I could feel the chill in the air. And even as I noticed that, I became aware of something else.

Chattering.

As in teeth.

"Are you shivering?" I asked, squinting at her small body, shrouded in layers.

"I know. It's crazy. I'm always cold, though. And since the heat went out, it got so cold. I had four blankets on and it wasn't helping. I just... I know it is a lot to ask, but could you maybe start a fire downstairs, so I can sleep there?"

"No," I said, shaking my head, watching as her face fell, her eyes looking a little stricken before her gaze dropped. "Katie, no. That's not what I meant. I'll make you a fire. But you'll be warmer if I do it in here. Smaller space. And, for the record, it's not a lot to ask to keep you fucking warm, babe."

"I, ah, I will just grab an extra blanket or two to sleep on," she said, turning to walk away.

"Wait wait wait," I called, pausing long enough for her to turn back. "What?"

"A blanket," she repeated. "For me to sleep on. The floor is hard," she added, brows pinching like she thought I might be dumb.

"Christ. You're not sleeping on the fucking floor, Katie," I said, shaking my head. "There's a bed here."

"Yeah, I mean... that's your bed."

"We can share it," I told her, watching as her gaze skittered from it to me, to the floor, and back again. "Like a life-or-death, survival situation, sharing body heat. That's it," I told her, even though I knew damn well I could have easily just swapped over to her room, and have been warm enough to get some sleep. I didn't need to stay here, share the bed. But, for some reason, I wanted to. That was probably shitty of me, but I was choosing not to think about that.

"Are you sure? Really, the floor will be fine. I, ah, I like a hard bed."

"Shit, you're a terrible liar," I told her, chuckling, as I climbed out of the bed.

"Fine. I like a really soft bed actually," she admitted.

"And here one is," I told her, waving my arm toward it.

Her gaze went to the bed for just a second, then my forearm, bicep, shoulder, chest, lower, making me suddenly aware that I didn't have a shirt on.

"Baby," I called, trying to force my lips into a straight line, knowing she would take a smile the wrong way as her gaze shot up. Sure, I might have enjoyed being eye-banged by a cute woman, but she would likely be mortified caught doing so. "Get in the bed, Warm up. I'll work on the fire."

With that, she did, if for no other reason than to avoid talking about her long once-over. Though, as she settled in the bed, I could feel her gaze on my back as I piled firewood, opened the flue, stacked some kindling, and reached for a long matchstick.

It was strange and interesting that my back somehow felt warmer before my front did even as the fire burst to life.

"Alright," I said, going back toward the bed, sliding