Free Stowaway by Becky Barker Page B

her favorite authors. She picked up the book she’d started earlier and they spent the next couple hours reading in companionable silence.
    When her eyes grew tired and her concentration waned, she excused herself and headed to the shower. It felt strange to strip and bathe with a stranger so close, yet she didn’t feel threatened. Her instincts rarely failed her and he wasn’t the type to accost women. He might charm, sweet-talk and seduce, but he didn’t need to take advantage. Despite his misguided suspicions and actions, he seemed a polite, decent guy.
    Once she’d finished and dressed in some clean sweats, she found fresh clothes for him in the bedroom and reentered the living room. He’d stopped reading to put logs on the fire again.
    “Your turn in the bathroom,” she said, handing him clothes. “Do you need help? You shouldn’t get that arm wet.”
    “No. I’ll be fine. I’ll make do with a quick wash, and I can take the couch tonight.”
    She started to argue, but he waved off any discussion.
    “I slept too much today. I’ll probably be restless, so I might as well keep an eye on the fire.”
    “You’re sure?” Bed did sound good to her. She couldn’t believe how weary she still felt.
    “Positive.”
    “Then go ahead and get cleaned up so I can check your arm before I go to bed.”
    When he returned, bare-chested and with sweatpants riding low on his hips, Keri drew a fortifying breath before touching him. He smelled of soap and warm, sexy male. She checked his stitches, pleased to see how well they’d healed.
    After helping him into a shirt, she slipped the sling around his neck as he knelt. Her hormones scrambled when they touched. Having him close created a sensory overload in her body. She went to bed to escape it, but the scent of him lingered there too. It should have annoyed her, but it comforted.
    The thought of succumbing to the attraction zinging between them did annoy her. Heat suffused her body and had her kicking off the blanket. She blamed the feminine weakness on fatigue, reminding herself that it would take more than a few hours’ sleep to ease the bone-deep tiredness she’d been experiencing lately.
    Sometime during the night, she woke, chilled to the bone. She pulled the blankets over her but couldn’t stop shivering. Then a masculine arm circled her waist, drawing her flush against a warm male body. Keri snuggled closer to the heat of him, tangling her legs with his and tucking her hands between them. Heat chased away the chills. Warm and safe, she slept.

Chapter Six
    The thin bedroom curtains couldn’t dim the brilliance of the sunlight the following morning. Keri woke alone in the bed but not chilled. She frowned, trying to decide if the warm male body had been a figment of her imagination or if Lamanto had shared the bed. Either way, it suited her to wake up alone. Neither of them needed the additional temptation.
    Her breasts tingled and her nipples puckered against the soft fabric of the sweatshirt. She crossed her arms over her chest and lectured herself about how much safer it was to wake up alone. Her body refused to accept the argument, so she tossed aside the covers and headed to the bathroom. Frigid water on her face quickly doused the lingering arousal.
    As she ran a damp comb through her hair, the smell of coffee improved her mood. She followed the smell into the kitchen. Lamanto stood at the sink, awkwardly trying to stir something in a bowl.
    “What’s that?”
    “Pancake batter. I made a mess putting it together, but it’s almost ready.”
    She didn’t care about spilled flour or broken egg shells. The thought of homemade pancakes wiped all other thought from her mind. Her stomach growled.
    “I love pancakes, but I didn’t bring syrup.”
    “There’s butter and brown sugar.”
    Keri didn’t argue. She got a griddle out of the cupboard and lit a fire under it. They worked in harmony, making small talk as they cooked. Lamanto commented on the