SHELTER

Chapter 12

Jolie was exhausted. Her plan to buy Warren a new IPod was brilliant but seriously hampered by the fact he lived in a tiny little town devoid of even a Walmart. She'd been forced to drive 50 miles to the next largest town to get her hands on one and it had been a total madhouse due to the proximity to Christmas.

With electronic device in hand she'd called in a large everything pizza for pickup and texted Warren she was going to be late with her apologies. When she'd finally arrived home exhausted and starving she'd displayed her most unladylike behavior to date as she'd devoured three slices of the heavily laden pizza.

She hadn't lied when she'd answered him about what she had been up to. She truly had been forced to run out of town to obtain a last minute Christmas present, she just failed to mention it was for him or what it was.

She was slightly embarrassed about her behavior toward Noelle. Before she'd known it her inner bitch had engaged in response to the other woman's attitude. Something about the way Noelle had been leaned in trying to brush her body against Warrens had irritated her deeply but she'd resolved to ignore it. Then when the little red head had put on her snide smile and tried to make Jolie seem like some sort of simpering female trying to bribe Warren into liking her.....well that was just about it.

Warren hadn't seemed to mind one bit and in fact seemed to enjoy Jolie's pointed severing of the red headed third wheel. She only felt bad about what abuse he may have had to take after she'd made her exit. Despite what Noelle had intimated when they'd first met, Jolie didn't think Warren reciprocated the red heads obvious interest in him.

After dinner she'd snuggled into the couch intending only to watch a couple of episodes of their shows before heading off to bed. She awoke in unfamiliar darkness some time later. The feel of the upholstery and the heavy quilt clued her in to the fact she was still on the couch. She was facing the opposite direction she'd started in since her left side was against the back and her neck was bent at an odd angle against a hard warm pillow.

Slowly her mind came around to the realization that there was not a hard warm pillow but that she was in fact leaned up against a very fit body. She also became aware that a muscled warm arm was currently draped over her shoulder and across her chest holding her securely in her current position.

Jolie wiggled to adjust her head a little and tried to decide what to do about her predicament. She was sure that the right thing to do would be to carefully extricate herself and sneak off to her room in hopes that Warren had no idea what was going on and would remember nothing in the morning. Even if he did remember she could blame it on her crazy restless sleep activity.

The problem was that she was really comfortable and had absolutely no desire to move. The simple contact satiated a gnawing craving she'd been feeling deep within her gut. He smelled like warm clean cotton. Despite the hardness of his chest, the rhythmic rise and fall and soft material of his shirt were soothing.

In that moment she made a decision. Admittedly she'd probably hate it in the morning but right now she wasn't going to think about that. Right now she was going to savor this little bit of human interaction and contact. She shifted to her side and settled herself more comfortably against his warm chest. His arm tensed and pulled her closer before going limp again. Jolie relaxed into the warmth of his body and drifted back into sleep.

*********

 Christmas Eve dawned brightly with sun shining brilliantly on a thin layer of fresh snow. Jolie cracked an eye and tested her ability to handle the brightness but kept the other pressed firmly into Warren's chest. It seemed to be doable so she shifted to enable the opening of the other as well. She let her eyes roam about the room as she adjusted. Their final destination was locked onto a pair of gorgeous green obs.