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"I'll sleep on the floor," Reese said.
There was only a single narrow bed in the room. The entire town was booked solid for some annual geek convention; the only reason they'd even gotten this room was that the heating didn't work. Joss couldn't actually see her breath, but it felt like she should be able to.
She looked at Reese, then down at the icy cold tile floor. "Don't be an idiot," she said.
*****
She felt painfully naked in a t-shirt and panties. She'd dithered over whether to keep her pants on, but she didn't have spare clothes, and she couldn't afford to show up in wrinkled clothes tomorrow. John, in briefs and an undershirt, seemed to have made the same decision. He'd looked completely unconcerned walking out of the bathroom, but from the way he was lying on the very edge of the bed, she suspected he wasn't any more comfortable with this than she was.
He was also leaving her the biggest part of the thin comforter, which couldn't possibly cover both of them properly, with them huddled on opposite edges of the bed like that. So chivalrous. She rolled her eyes and shifted a little closer. "Get under the goddamn covers," she said.
He did; it didn't help much. Joss was freezing, and she thought she could feel the occasional shiver from him, transmitted through the mattress. The clock was ticking loudly in the silence, minutes crawling by very slowly while her entire body stiffened up from the cold. This was ridiculous. Neither of them were going to get a wink of sleep this way, and they needed to be on top of their game tomorrow. They were both grown-ups, veterans, people who knew how to get shit done; they could handle this like the professionals they were.
"Roll over," she said, shoving at his shoulder. He blinked at her. In the faint city light filtering through the curtains she could just barely see the way he raised an eyebrow at her in question. She shoved him again, and this time he allowed her to roll him onto his side, his back to her. Without giving herself any more time for second thoughts, she rolled up against him, her chest pressed to his back. She could feel the way his entire body went tense. "Shhh, go to sleep," she said.
Warmth was gathering quickly everywhere they touched. Joss could feel her tight muscles beginning to relax, her entire body slack and happy with the pure animal pleasure of not being cold anymore.
Reese was still holding himself stiffly. He wasn't trying to pull away, but he wasn't relaxing at all, either. Her hand was resting against his side; she could feel the tightly controlled rhythm of his breath.
"Go to sleep," she said again.
She felt him forcing himself to relax, could feel the effort it took, the way he had to consciously unclench every single one of his muscles. She wondered how long it had been since anyone had touched him; how long since he'd let down his guard in front of anyone?
By the time his breath finally evened out into the deep rhythm of sleep, his body warm and easy against hers, she knew what a sign of trust it was. She leaned her face against the warm skin of his shoulder, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.
END