“I don’t live with them.”
“Okay. Well, that’s understandable. What about a girlfriend then? Anyone special waiting for you in Anchorage?”
My shoulders tense. I take a deep breath and wonder how to answer. “No. No girlfriend. No one special.”
“Well, you sure give direct answers.” She sighs. “Short answers. What about...?”
She stops, coughing.
“Clarissa?” My eyes narrow in concern. She sounds sick.
“I’m fine,” she repeats, turning on her other side.
She’s not. She’s still a human, after all, regardless of how tough she looks and how much she’s endured. She needs something more to keep her warm. But she doesn’t want to go below.
I look around, seeing only crates and nets and fishing equipment out on deck. Odds and ends cluttering up the small pilot house. One useless heater which is cranking out barely enough to keep the windows from frosting over on the inside. Unfortunately, I have nothing further to offer her to keep her warm.
Well, except for one thing.
I check the tiller and make sure the course is laid in securely. We should be good for a while so long as the seas stay calm.
I sit down beside her, pulling her into my arms.
“Theo?”
“Shh.” I wrap my arms tightly around her shaking body. “You’re cold. Let me help you.”
Clarissa falls silent.
My nose ends up buried in her hair and I close my eyes, savoring the sweet scent of her.
Strange. I’ve been picking up a scent off her that I didn’t really find pleasant but this scent warms me to my toes and makes me smile.
After a few seconds, she relaxes into my arms, her teeth growing still and the shivers ceasing. I hear her heartbeat becoming more even, her breathing shallower.
I gaze down at her, finding her eyes closed, her lips pursed.
Good. She’s asleep.
Suddenly, she turns, letting out a soft moan as she snuggles against me, her breasts pinned against my chest and one of her legs slipping between mine.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
I, on the other hand, will have no trouble staying awake.
I let out a sigh.
It’s going to be a long night.
Chapter Five
~ Clarissa
I PUSH THE DOOR OPEN, walking out of the headquarters of the Anchorage PD with a sigh of relief.
“Is everything okay?” Theo asks, getting off the bench.
I turn to him, frustrated and unhappy. “I was able to call one of my supervisors and tell her what happened. She was shocked to hear about it but she’s glad I’m okay and told me to stay put, because someone will come for me.”