Chapter 7

Amelia jerked awake. It was completely black in the truck and she winced at the painful crick in her neck. She had dozed off with her head leaning against the glass and her neck was stiff and sore from the unnatural position.

It was cold in the cab of the truck and despite the blanket wrapped around her she was freezing. She tried to keep her teeth from chattering and rubbed her icy hands together under the blanket. She was wide awake now, too uncomfortable and cold to go back to sleep. She glanced to her left at the sleeping form of Daryl. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she could see him sleeping in the same position he had been before.

Worrying that Ellie was freezing too, she steeled herself against the cold and pushed back the blanket. She moved slowly, trying not to disturb Daryl. Her whole body had broken out in goose bumps and her teeth were chattering harder than ever.

Leaning into the back seat she peered at Ellie. The girl had wiggled one hand free and her thumb was securely in her mouth. Amelia slipped her hand in between the sweatshirt and Ellie's body. She felt warm enough to Amelia so she tucked the blanket more securely around her and eased back to the front seat, trying to avoid Daryl's legs and feet. A hard hand closed around her wrist and she gasped in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Daryl's raspy voice broke the quiet.

"Just checking on Ellie." She whispered. He was still holding her wrist and she tried to tug herself free. He refused to let go and took her cold fingers in his own.

"You're freezing."

"I'm fine." She responded.

"Oh yeah? 'Cause your teeth chattering and shaking woke me up." He said grouchily.

She sighed exasperatedly, "So sorry. I'll try to keep the teeth chattering to a minimum." Feeling angry and tired and scared, she attempted again to pull free, wanting nothing more than to curl back up under her blanket and try to warm up.

Instead of letting her go he pulled her towards him with a hard tug. She lost her balance and fell against him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, struggling to sit up.

He hooked his hands under her arms and half-lifted, half-dragged her up his body until she was lying against him.

"Stop your damn squirming." He grumbled. "I ain't never gonna fall asleep with you making the whole truck shake with your shivering." He leaned forward and snagged the blanket around his legs. Amelia, too tired and cold to argue, helped him drape the blanket over their bodies. She buried her face in his neck and he grumbled a little about her cold nose but didn't pull away.

Amelia shook and shivered and tried to keep her teeth from chattering. Despite Daryl's body heat she felt chilled to the bone. After a few minutes, Daryl sighed irritably and reached between them, unzipping the sweatshirt he was wearing.

"Here, this damn thing's big enough for the both of us." He opened the sweatshirt and Amelia scooted closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his trim waist, placing her cold hands on the small of his back and pressing her upper body against his. Daryl zipped the sweatshirt up around the both of them, repositioned the blanket and pulled the hood of the sweatshirt back over his head. He rested his chin against her head, she could feel the gentle scratchiness of his stubble against her forehead, and he roughly rubbed her back in an effort to quell her shaking.

Amelia shifted her lower body trying to find a comfortable spot for her legs. Without saying anything Daryl reached down and grasped her thigh in his hand. She didn't resist when he pulled her legs apart and pushed one leg between her own until she was straddling his hard thigh, her hip wedged between his body and the back of the seat.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded against his throat and although she felt like she should ask him to move his hand from her leg, she couldn't deny that his touch was comforting to her.

Within a few minutes the combination of the blanket and Daryl's body heat began to warm Amelia. As she grew warmer she could feel the tension leaving her body and surprisingly, began to feel tired.

"Let me know when I get too heavy." She murmured sleepily. "I'll move."

"Ayuh." He grunted, knowing he wouldn't. As Amelia slipped into sleep he bent his head and breathed in the scent of her hair. He reached up and held a strand of her dark hair between his fingers. It was silky soft and he brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. Her face was tucked into his throat but he didn't need to see her face to remember how soft her lips had been against his. He reached around and ran his thumb across her cheek and over her bottom lip. She stirred against him and sighed. Just the feel of her breath on his throat was enough to give him an erection and he snatched his hand away from her mouth, heart thudding in his chest. His hand still gripped her thigh and he could feel her breasts pushing against his chest. Irritated by his reaction to her, he leaned back against the pillow in an attempt to put a bit of distance between them. It didn't work. Amelia, apparently not willing to give up her heat source, snuggled even closer. Still sleeping, she muttered something he didn't understand but he jerked, releasing his breath harshly, when her lips brushed the hollow of his throat.

He was wide awake now, a full-blown erection throbbing in his pants, and he cursed quietly. He was going insane. He was a Dixon for God's sake and it wasn't like him to let a woman affect him so easily. If Merle could see him now, cuddling a woman like a little pansy, he would kick his ass. Although he wasn't as bad as Merle, who believed that women had only very limited uses, he had damn little experience with them and the experience he did have wasn't in holding them or wondering how soft their skin was. Merle wouldn't care if the woman froze to death or not. The reminder of his brother, the realization that he still had no idea if Merle was dead or alive, was enough to cool his desire. He pressed his head into his pillow and stared at the ceiling of the truck, trying to ignore both the painful memories and the woman in his arms.