Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
“Huh. Trying the same tricks it pulled in the shower, you think?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t know.” Kelli shook her head. “But I do know it’s a trope in romance books where the man and woman wind up snowed in and there’s only one bed so they have to share it.”
“The list!” he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. “This must be what ‘forced proximity’ means.”
Kelli nodded.
“I think you’re right.” She cleared her throat. “The bed really is plenty big enough to share without, uh, touching if you don’t want to.”
She felt like she had to add the last part about him not wanting to touch. For a moment there on the couch, it had seemed like they were about to fall into bed together and do more than just sleep. But then Klaus had suddenly gotten cold and distant—she didn’t know what to make of that. It was almost like he couldn’t decide if he liked her or not. Either way, Kelli wasn’t going to push it.
Right now he seemed to be deliberating. She watched as he ran a hand through his hair and puffed out an impatient sigh.
“I guess you’re right—the bed’s big enough to share,” he said at last. “As long as they don’t shrink away to nothing while we’re in it.”
“I don’t think they’ll do that,” Kelli said thoughtfully. “I think they want us to sleep in the same bed together—not on the floor.”
“Okay.” He sighed. “Well, should we go to bed then?”
As he spoke, his eyes ran up and down her body for a long moment, giving Kelli a tingle. She could almost feel his gaze like a touch and he smelled so good. She’d really enjoyed cuddling with her big Protector on the couch. She just wished she knew what was going on with him and why he was so hot and cold.
“Sure,” she said and made herself yawn. “I’m tired—it’s been a long day.”
“Let’s get some sleep and hope that the snow melts by the morning so we can get the fuck out of here,” Klaus said.
Together they headed for the bedroom.
19
KLAUS
The warm glow of the firelight turned Kelli’s skin golden as she took off the lacy black robe that went with her silky black negligee. She pushed her hair over one shoulder and slipped under the covers of the huge bed, shivering a little.
Klaus tried not to watch her in the dim light as he got in on the other side. The bed was so big, there was a vast distance between them. Gods, he wished he could roll over and take her in his arms…but that was out of the question, he told himself sternly. He couldn’t break his vow.
So he just laid there with his back turned to the curvy little Elite, trying not to think about how incredibly sexy she looked in that short little nightdress the cabin had provided for her to wear. He was still half-hard from watching the human porn and having her cuddled up beside him. He wished he could pull her to him and…
Stop it, stop thinking like that! he lectured himself. You can’t just—
Suddenly his side of the mattress tilted up sharply and he found himself rolling towards the middle.
The same thing must have happened to Kelli because he heard her give a little shriek and then felt her soft, curvy body collide with his own. Somehow he had rolled over on his other side so when they met in the middle of the bed, her soft breasts pressed against his chest. Feeling them sent a surge of lust through his cock, even though he was still confused about what exactly was happening.
“What the fuck?” he growled at the same time Kelli exclaimed,
“What in the world?”
The two of them thrashed around for a second until Klaus realized the bed was flat again.
“What just happened?” he asked, sitting up and looking down at Kelli, who looked as shocked as he was.
“I don’t know. I…I think the mattress tilted and rolled me towards you,” she said breathlessly.
“Yeah, same for me,” Klaus growled. “This fucking cabin—fucking ridiculous!”
“Maybe it wants us to cuddle.” She sounded hesitant, as though she wasn’t sure he’d even want to cuddle with her.
The uncertainty in her voice nearly broke Klaus. She’d had a mate who didn’t care about her pleasure or her happiness for years—she had no idea how beautiful she was, or how much he wanted her. And he couldn’t tell her because of his vow.
But cuddling isn’t Bonding, he told himself. Would it really be so bad just to hold each other tonight?
“I think cuddling sounds nice,” he said. “I mean, if you want to.”
“I don’t mind.” Kelli shrugged as though it wasn’t important to her but he could see the vulnerability in her big, grey eyes. “It is pretty cold in here,” she added. “Even with the fire.”