Free Laura's Big Break by janet elizabeth henderson

with her parents when she was growing up. She’d always had this attitude of being stuck with things and having to make the best of it. Now that he thought about it, with her parents that was pretty much what she did have to do.
    “Get in,” she ordered. “Then I’ll squeeze in beside you.”
    He didn’t like her tone.
    “I sleep naked,” he told her.
    Her eyes narrowed.
    “Not tonight you don’t.”
    Fine, if she wanted things clinical that’s what she would get. He was a doctor. He could do clinical. He smirked in her direction as she turned away when he began to strip, but he kept his boxers on before climbing into his sleeping bag.
    “Your turn,” he challenged.
    Now this was going to be funny. He waited for Laura to strip but all she did was take off her shoes before she started to climb in beside him.
    “You’re joking, right? You’re going to wear everything to bed? At least take off your jeans. They’ll scratch the two of us all night long.”
    He could see her weighing her options.
    “If it helps I plan to keep my hands out of the bag.”
    Reluctantly, she took off her jeans. Charlie looked towards heaven and asked for some patience. With the long t-shirt and underwear she had more clothes on that she’d been wearing for most of the trip. Women. There was no explaining their logic.
    With an action that reminded him of ripping off a plaster bandage, she threw back the sleeping bag and slipped in beside him. She lay stiff as a board with her back to him. Charlie shook his head before leaning over her to zip the tent shut. Then he lay back down.
    They were both on their right sides facing the tent entrance. He put his arm over her body.
    “No way.” It sounded like she was shouting she was so close. “Keep your hands to yourself.”
    He counted to twenty, ten wasn’t enough.
    “Think about it, sweet cakes, where am I supposed to put my arm?”
    She did think.
    “Fine, but no touching anywhere.”
    “Like I want to.”
    She made a huffing sound.
    “Are you going to zip up the bag?” he asked using every tiny bit of patience he had left. Including the extra he got from heaven. She didn’t answer.
    “If you don’t zip up the bag we’re both going to be really cold in an hour or two.”
    “Fine!”
    She shuffled around and he felt the bag tighten pulling them closer together. He could feel the length of her down his body and regretted telling her to close the bag; now they would both overheat for sure. Every single nerve ending he had was aware of her. Her hair tickled his jaw making him want to bury his face in it. She smelled of nothing more than cheap soap but it was intoxicating. It was the weirdest experience, lying there in the black darkness in silence trying not to be aware of each other.
    “Go to sleep, Charlie,” Laura said wearily.
    “Yeah,” he answered.
    At least with Laura at his side sleep was a possibility. He smiled into the darkness as his eyelids grew heavy.
    Laura knew the minute Charlie was sound asleep. It didn’t take long. A few seconds. She wished she could perform that trick. It always took ages for her to fall asleep; there was too much in her mind to allow it to shut down quickly. Tonight there was more than usual. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or insulted that Charlie had gone to sleep so quickly.
    As she listened to Charlie breathing she began to relax a little. The man was like a furnace, so much for being cold in the night. Slowly, and quietly, she slipped the zip of the sleeping bag down a little to get some air in. As she moved away from Charlie his arm tightened its grip on her stomach and pulled her even closer to him. Laura held her breath. He was sound asleep and breathing deeply. It felt so good to be held, she tried to remember that it was Charlie doing the holding, but it didn’t seem to matter.
    The ground was hard beneath her; as far as she could see the thin yoga mat made absolutely no difference – she could still feel every tiny