Snowbound - Harlequin.com

58 SNOWBOUND
“I don’t need it.” The gravel in his voice startled
even him. He cleared his throat. “What I need is to…decompress.
This is my way of doing that. Be around
people in limited doses. Get over being jumpy without
a barrage of noise around me all the time.”
She looked doubtful even though he could tell she
was still embarrassed. “Is it working?”
Some days he thought so. On others, when he awakened
from a nightmare with his heart pounding and a
bellow raw in his throat, he wasn’t so sure.
“I feel better than I did when I tried to go back to
work at Robotronics.” Which was truth, so far as it went.
“It is peaceful up here.” Shouts from outside drifted
up, and her mouth curved. “Or was, until we darkened
your door.”
“You’ve been good guests,” he forced himself to say.
“Why, thank you.” She sighed. “I suppose I’d better
go check on the kids.”
He stepped aside and let her pass him, a flowery
scent lingering for a moment even after she’d disappeared
into the hall. Had she brought perfume…? No,
he realized; she’d used one of those fragrant bath beads.
John glanced toward the old-fashioned tub, picturing
her letting her bra drop to the floor, then slipping
off her panties before stepping in. He’d seen her long
legs when she changed yesterday in front of the fire.
Imagining the rest of her naked body came easily. Had
her hair been loose, to float on the water when she sank
down into the tub? Or had she bundled it up?
Loose. Definitely loose. Her hair had still been wet
when she came down for breakfast.