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Her wary gaze follows me as I cross the room. I press the back of my fingers to her forehead.

The contact strikes through me. Her skin is cool. No fever. She stares up at me while I leave my hand there longer than necessary.

“I’m fine,” she whispers.

“You’re freezing.”

“That’s what I said.”

I add another blanket.

Sophie glares at it as if I’ve personally offended her.

“Get in,” she says.

I go still. “What?”

“The bed.”

“No.”

“You’re enormous. You probably generate enough heat for a small village.”

“Sophie.”

“Strictly for warmth.”

She kicks off the covers.

Every decent thought leaves my mind. She’s wearing my shirt again. It has slipped off one shoulder, revealing smooth skin and the thin strap of her camisole. Her legs are hidden, but I remember exactly how they felt locked around my waist in the forest.

“No,” I repeat.

Her teeth chatter again.

My resolve lasts five seconds. I remove my boots and lie on top of the blankets, keeping my back to her.

“This isn’t helping,” she complains.

“It’s all you’re getting.”

“Body heat requires proximity.”

“You’re too close already.”

Silence.

Then the mattress shifts. Sophie presses against my back.

Her restrained arm is raised by the headboard while her free hand settles against my stomach. Even through my shirt, her touch burns. I stop breathing.

She tucks her cold feet between my calves. Every muscle in my body locks.

“You’re warm,” she sighs.

She has no idea what she’s doing to me. Or maybe she does.

I turn carefully. Sophie’s arm slides across my side as I face her. The blankets separate us, but not enough. Her nose nearly touches my chest, and the scent of her shampoo fills every breath I take.