Chapter 64: Can you share a bit of your body heat with me?

Ray strode over with long, purposeful strides, prompting the men in the area to instantly snap to attention.

Adjusting his glasses with a casual hand, Theo offered a composed report. "Just verifying Sister-in-law’s vitals. Her heart rate jumped a bit from the recent scare, but she’s stable."

Ignoring him entirely, Ray let out a sharp grunt. He bent down and scooped up May—who was huddling tightly in the corner—lifting her, heavy coat and all, straight into his arms. His thick, powerful forearms clamped around her waist like unbreakable iron bands, instantly engulfing her delicate sweet scent with his presence.

"Ray..." May murmured softly, nuzzling her face directly into the warm broadness of his chest.

Ray lowered his gaze, his calloused chin skimming across her forehead. Without warning, he tilted his head and delivered a teasing, deliberate bite to the soft lobe of her ear. May gasped as a sudden shiver shot down her spine, leaving her entirely lightheaded and weak at the knees.

"Did any of these bastards mess with you while I was gone?" Ray growled softly, his warm breath fanning against her ear in a tone that brooked no argument.

With flushed, tear-brimmed eyes, May shook her head quickly. "No, not at all. They were on their absolute best behavior."

"Sister-in-law speaks the truth! We were total angels," Alex interjected with a grin, blinking his innocent, puppy-dog eyes rapidly.

Ray shot him a harsh side-eye without loosening his grip on May. "Jack, get over here and lend a hand. Help me fix this broken piece of junk."

Jack, who had been lingering awkwardly in the corner with a bright red face, felt like he had just been handed a lifeline. He scrambled over immediately, grabbing the bag of repair tools off the ground.

The two labored for over half an hour before finally reviving the heavy armored vehicle’s engine, making it roar back to life.

Outside, the blizzard raged with violent intensity, pounding the mountain slopes with hail as the temperature near the bunker entrance plunged toward minus thirty.

"Everyone, get in!" Ray barked.

The internal compartment of the freshly repaired transport was cramped to begin with. Squeezing six massive, broad-shouldered men alongside one petite girl turned the interior into a suffocatingly tight space.

Ray took the wheel in the driver’s cab, while Mitch and Ace squeezed onto the far right of the rear bench, with Theo sandwiched in the middle.

Just as May tried to slip into the seat beside Theo, a slender frame darted past her like lightning. Capitalizing on his leaner build compared to the bulky muscle-bound men, Alex wedged himself right into the space on May’s left, pressing his arm firmly against hers.

"Move over! I can barely breathe back here!" Mitch growled from behind.

"Oh, come on, Mitch! You’re huge, so you take up more space," Alex fired back, sticking his tongue out playfully. "I’m tiny, so I just want to huddle next to Sister-in-law for a little warmth."

The armored beast roared, its deep mechanical thrum drowning out the ambient noise. Without an active heating system, freezing air seeped through the tiny cracks in the chassis, making everyone shiver.

Huddling his shoulders, Alex leaned closer to May, resting his cheek almost directly against her shoulder. Sweeping his long eyelashes up and down, he whined softly in a trembling voice: "Sister-in-law, it’s freezing... Drafts are coming from everywhere. Can you share a bit of your body heat with me?"

Overwhelmed by his persistence, May shifted slightly to her right, only to bump straight into Theo’s rigid shoulder.

"Alex, you’re a grown man. How can you be this afraid of the cold?" May muttered under her breath.

"No matter how big I get, I’m still your younger brother," Alex whispered softly.

In the dim shadows of the cabin, his fingers slyly slipped beneath the hem of her heavy coat. Through the thin layer of her clothing, his fingertips gently brushed against the outer curve of her thigh, slowly tracing upward.

May sucked in a sharp breath, her spine instantly going rigid. This little green tea act... Acting all fragile on the outside while taking shameless liberties in secret!

The armored transport crawled like a snail up the winding mountain pass, its tires crunching loudly over the icy road. Under the cover of her coat, Alex’s fingers continued their sneaky wandering, skimming over her thin trousers and leaving a tingling warmth in their wake.

"Alex! If you don’t cut it out right now, I swear I’m going to kick you!" May warned in a hushed, furious whisper, her face burning hot.

"Kick me all you want, Sister-in-law, but I’m not letting go—it’s way too cold," Alex whispered, leaning in closer until his warm breath grazed the back of her neck. "Besides, you smell so good... much better than a heater."

May was utterly speechlessly exasperated. His ability to play the helpless victim was clearly second nature.

From the back row, Mitch let out a contemptuous scoff. "Alex, how old are you again? Clinging to a woman like a child—have you no shame?"

"What do you know, Mitch? This is called mutual body warmth, right, Sister-in-law?"

"Mutual warmth my ass—"

"Shut up, both of you," Ray’s icy command cut through the cabin from the driver’s seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Silence instantly fell over the vehicle.

Outside, the snowstorm reached a crescendo. The windshield wipers struggled back and forth, but visibility had dropped to less than five meters. The mountain trail was terrifyingly narrow—bordered by a steep cliff wall on the left and a sheer drop into the abyss on the right, with a sheet of black ice covering the entire path.

Adjusting his glasses once more, Theo spoke in a measured tone. "Something is wrong with the terrain. I’m picking up vibrations beneath the ice."

Before the words fully registered—

BOOM!

A heavy, muffled tremor reverberated from deep underneath the floorboards. It wasn’t the engine—it was coming from deep within the mountain itself.

The entire armored vehicle lurched violently to the right as if struck from underneath by a massive force.