Now You See Her by Linda Howard Page B

onto the couch and holding her close. He tucked the blanket around both of them, making sure her feet were covered.
    â€œBody heat,” he said calmly. “That’s one of the first things they taught us in army survival courses, to huddle together when we got cold.”
    Sweeney stilled, lured both by the incredible warmth wrapping around her and by the image his words brought up in her mind. She couldn’t help smiling. “I can just see all you tough young soldiers cuddling together.”
    â€œNot cuddling, huddling. There’s a difference.” He laid his hand over her feet; she was struck by the fact that his hand was big enough to cover both of her feet. Heat began seeping through her socks to her icy toes.
    Convulsive shivering suddenly shook her, despite the warmth of coat, blanket, and body, and Richard gathered her closer, tucking her head under his chin and pulling the blanket up so that her nose was covered, warming the air she breathed. “You’re going to smother me,” she protested.
    â€œNot for a while yet.” There was that note of laughter in his voice again, though when she rolled her head back to see, his mouth was perfectlystraight. No, not straight; she paused, mesmerized by the clear cut of his lips. He had a good mouth, not too thin, not too full. Not so wide that a woman would feel as if she might fall in, and not so small it looked as if he’d just sucked a lemon like Ronald Trump’s, or whatever his name was. All in all, Richard’s lips looked just right.
    â€œYou’re staring,” he said.
    Over the years she had been caught staring at people more times than she could remember, and usually it didn’t bother her, but this time she blushed. “I do that,” she mumbled. “Stare at people. I’m sorry.”
    â€œIt doesn’t bother me. Stare away.”
    There was a warm, soft, indulgent tone in his voice that gave her another one of those alarming, exciting stomach flutters. It occurred to her that sitting in a man’s lap was not a good way to discourage his attentions, or flatten her own interest. On the other hand, not only did she doubt he would let her get up, the warmth was so marvelous she didn’t
want
to get up, at least not now. Though she still shivered, she could tell the body heat thing was working, because the shivers were lessening in intensity.
    â€œWhen were you in the army?” She felt she had to say something, because just sitting there was awkward, and if you couldn’t talk to a man when you were in his lap, then when could you?
    â€œA long time ago, when I was young and macho.”
    â€œWhy did you join? Or were you drafted?” She had no idea when the draft had been abolished.
    â€œI joined. I didn’t have any money for college, sothat seemed like the best way to get an education. Turned out I had a knack for things military. I would probably still be in if I hadn’t stumbled on a knack for the stock market, too. The stock market is a lot more lucrative, and I wanted money.”
    â€œWell, you have it now.”
    â€œYes, I do.”
    His body heat was seductive, melting her bones, leaching strength from her muscles. She felt herself sinking into him, molding to him like soft gelatin. The departing chill left her limp and sleepy, utterly relaxed. Not even the hard ridge forming under her bottom could alarm her. She yawned and stuck her cold nose into the warm curve where jaw joined neck. She felt him give a little jump, but then his arms tightened.
    She should get up. She knew she should. This was asking for trouble. She wasn’t a child, and she knew how sexual this situation was, and how much more sexual it could become. But the warmth . . . ah, God, the warmth! She was comfortable for the first time since getting out of bed that morning, more comfortable, truly, than she had been in a long time, at least a year. An electric blanket didn’t provide the