"Go back to bed." He was already off in that direction.
When he was gone, Mandy turned to face Kip. A smile crossed her face, and she tried to hold it back. She really tried, but she burst out laughing. Kip waited until she was done.
"I'm sorry," she said, holding up her hand. She was moving for the doughnuts and the hot drinks he had brought. "You just looked so scared."
"It was a bit of a shock."
"It's done. He may or may not recall that in a half hour. If you are still here." She picked out a honey glazed doughnut and the hazelnut cappuccino. She pulled off the lid and inhaled the sweet smell.
"I'll still be here," he said softly. She found a determined look in his eyes. "If nothing else I need a ride back to my hotel."
"Where is your truck?"
He held up a set of keys towards her. "I rented you car. Just for a week. Until you figure out what is going on with your own wheels."
She stared at him. "What?"
"Your car is broken. You can let me know if you need it longer, I can arrange for it."
Her heart was doing a tap-dance gymnastic combination in her chest. She emptied the contents of her hands onto the table and launched herself at him. He caught her, as she wrapped him in a hug. "You have no idea what it. Thank you. Really." She pulled back so she could look up at him. And the shock set in. She was hugging him. She was touching him as they stood in her kitchen, dressed in her robe and little else.
His scent wrapped around her, as his arms did. He looked down at her with compassion on his face, with genuine warmth in his eyes. She wanted to burrow into him. She let her head rest on his chest, resting in his gentle strength. "Your welcome." The words rumbled through his chest.
She hadn't expected to lean on someone so easily. She was used to relying on herself. She rarely asked her friends for assistance, she didn't want to be a burden. She hadn't asked him for anything and now he'd given her this gift. To him it was probably a small gift, but to her it was the world for this week. She wouldn't keep it longer than a week, even if she couldn't get her car fixed.
She sighed a little too deeply. And he pulled her closer. She realized how nice his body felt against hers. They fit together perfectly. At least it felt like that. She had to move before she got too comfortable, before she started wishing for things she couldn't have.