Snowed In

I turned on Jeremy and stuck my tongue out playfully.

“You’ll get your kiss when the radio’s fixed. Now come on.”

“But I don’t know anything about radios,” he lamented.

I winced sympathetically on the way to my little makeshift workbench. “Then you’d better hope I’m as good as I used to be.”

Forty

MORGAN

My eyes ached. No, that wasn’t right — they outright hurt. And they were crossing too, no matter how hard I squinted.

“Try it now.”

Jeremy flipped the switch and the radio’s speaker burst with static. Bright, beautiful static. Static louder and more pronounced than we’d had all day.

“Is that it?” he asked hopefully. “Is it—”

“No, not yet.”

Holding my breath, I gripped the microphone and pressed the transmit button. The static disappeared. I even leaned forward, ready to speak loudly and clearly…

Shit.

The green transmit button still wasn’t lit up.

“Damn. It’s not ready.”

Whatever I’d done so far was only partially working. We could receive a signal — if there were one out there to pick up — but transmitting still wasn’t within our power. And that was the important part. Getting help.

“Wanna take a break?”

He’d suggested two breaks so far, and I’d waved them both off. All I could picture was Boone and Shane, out there in the blizzard, getting stuff done. They certainly weren’t taking any breaks. Besides, it also didn’t help that Jeremy had given up most of his clothing. He wasn’t even wearing a shirt…

“You sure you’re not cold?” I asked. “You can go near the fire if you need to.”

The longer I stared at the stupid circuit board, the more I wanted to ogle my lover’s hard, beautiful body. Jeremy’s pectorals were like two corded pillows, tensing and flexing beneath the skin of his chest. I wanted to grab them, just as I had last night. Feel the muscles moving and shifting beneath my hands, as he held me fast and plowed into me over and over…

“I’m fine. Do whatever you’ve gotta do.”

I was tempted to send him back to the garage, to look for another screwdriver. The last one had left the building rather abruptly, embedded in the shoulder of an angry bear. It was probably miles away by now.

Jeremy shifted behind me and started rubbing my shoulders. His hands were warm despite the cold.

Concentrate, Morgan.

It was easier said than done, especially with my lover’s fingers kneading the tangled mass of tensed up muscle. My shoulders slumped, my neck giving way beneath the pressure of his awesome thumbs. I relaxed despite myself, feeling the tension drain away.

“Maybe you’re not as dorky as you think you are.”

I shook my head, not wanting him to stop. “No,” I said dreamily. “No, I definitely am.”

“Then maybe this radio’s too old to be fixed.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but maybe he was right. I was probably in over my head. Not seeing something that I should’ve been seeing, and without the help of the internet to look up manuals and schematics…

“Wait…” Jeremy said suddenly. The rubbing stopped. “What goes right there?”