She grabbed his arm to pull him inside. “Jesus, even your coat is freezing!”
“Yeah, well,” he said, “it’s about five degrees out right now.”
“And you were working outside today?”
“Yeah. But then I went home, took a hot shower, ate. I’m fine, Tess.”
She looked him over. He wore a royal-blue parka over his regular outfit of fleece-lined hoodie, jeans, work boots, wool hat, and heavy gloves. His cheeks were ruddy from the cold, and the look on his face showed he was amused and a little confounded by her concern. So she grinned and said, “Okay, tough guy. Glad you’re here and inside now. Let’s get you warmed up.”
“Sounds good.” His eyes took on a playful sparkle. “Funny thing is . . . I can think of a few ways to do that.”
Her heart started beating a little faster. “Mmm. Me too.”
They stood there and grinned at each other, the air around them crackling.
“But how about we start with some hot tea?” she said.
“That’d be great, actually.” He pulled off his hat and gloves. Bubbles nuzzled his leg and let out loud, staccato barks. As he unzipped his parka, he crouched to pet her. “Hello there, little miss.” His large hand stroked across her fur and she licked his skin. “Kisses hello? Well, don’t I feel special.”
Tess smiled. The man was adorable with her dog. Total gold star for him. “Take off your coat, go sit by the fire and warm up. I’ll make you some tea.”
Ten minutes later, they sat together on the couch as he sipped some black chai tea. She noticed how his gray and green sweater set off his eyes, that pale mossy color she’d never seen on anyone else. The ends of his hair were still a little damp from his shower. His large, powerful frame took up space . . . actually, just his presence did. She liked that about him; her Viking hottie, big and commanding even when just sitting quietly. With a soft smile, she curled up into the arm of the plush couch, tucking her soft robe under her legs.
“So . . .” He cleared his throat. “How are you tonight?”
“Fine. Nervous, but fine.”
The corner of his mouth curved up. “Really? Well then, I’ll tell you the truth . . . I’m a little nervous too. I thought it was silly to be, but . . .”
She smiled. “Same here. Why are we nervous? It’s not like we’ve never done anything before. We’re friends, we like each other, we trust each other . . .”
“All that’s true. So I don’t know.” He sipped his tea. “Maybe because it’s not . . . I don’t know, an organic thing, how we planned this tonight? It’s not a natural progression, a spontaneous thing, like the other times we got carried away?”
“I guess.”
They sat in awkward silence for a minute. The fire crackled and popped in the fireplace. Bubbles crossed the floor and went to her doggie bed, circling around in it three times before flopping down.
“I trust you, Logan,” she said softly. She offered him a little grin. “It’ll be fine.”
His eyes warmed at that. “I’m glad. You can trust me, Tess.” He set the mug down on the glass coffee table, then turned to face her. He reached out his hand, open palm up, and she slipped her hand into his. “We’ll get this done. You’ll have your baby. One way or another. Just have faith.”
Her throat thickened from his gentle, supportive words. “Thank you.”
He smiled, then said, “Know what? Come here, but turn around. Sit with your back to me.”
Her brows furrowed as she looked at him, not knowing what he wanted. But she did as he asked. His large hands swept her long hair away, then settled on her shoulders and began to gently knead them. A moan of pleasure fluttered out of her.
“I’m scheduled for a massage next week,” she said, “but the hell with that. You’re so hired.”
He laughed, a deep rumble from his chest. “Trying to help you relax a bit, that’s all.”
“You can tell I’m that tense?”
“Yup.” His fingers made tiny circles along her neck and her eyes slipped closed. “So,” he said casually. “Top five favorite Beatles songs. Go.”