by Rinelle Grey
She turned to Tyris, hoping to find the answer in his eyes, but he just stood there. He didn’t step towards her, didn’t take her into his arms. Instead, he gave her a warm, encouraging smile, and waited.
Didn’t he realise that all she wanted right now was for him to take her into his arms and continue where they’d left off back at the hall?
How could he? Every time he’d made a suggestion that they give things a go, she’d backed off. Told him she didn’t want to risk getting hurt. Why would he think this time would be any different?
Marlee fingered the little dolphin at her neck, only barely able to feel the outline through her thick woollen gloves. A lucky charm, Tyris had said, one that helped him get over his fear. Could it help her too? Could it help her cope with the thought of watching Tyris walk out the door and never coming back?
It was unavoidable. Even if she did nothing. If they pretended to be together all this time, one day it was going to be over. And that was already going to hurt far worse than she’d counted on. Could it really be any worse if she gave herself the chance to actually care about him?
“Marlee?” Tyris asked. He waited for her response.
If it would hurt when Tyris left anyway, she should let herself enjoy it in the meantime, shouldn’t she? Marlee took a deep breath and stepped towards him. His arms opened to meet her, a smile on his face. It felt right.
His hands reached for her waist, but to her disappointment, he didn’t pull her close. “Are you sure about this?” His eyes searched her face.
What was he looking for? Had she misread him? He seemed to want this as much as she did, had said he did, but now he hung back. She hadn’t felt this awkward before, not with anyone else. Then again, nothing she’d learned about relationships up until this point seemed to apply.
Marlee searched for the words to explain. “I... I avoided getting involved with you before this because I knew it would hurt when you had to leave. Tonight I realised that it’s going to hurt anyway. Even though we’ve kept our distance, I’m going to miss you, even if we don’t do this.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Tyris said softly. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek.
Marlee shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. She just wanted him to kiss her.
But still he hesitated. “Is it me you want or a baby?”
“I’m never going to have a baby. I just want you.” Her heart ached at her words, wanted to cling to a last shred of hope, but she squashed it ruthlessly. Hope only lead to being hurt. Better to be realistic and take what she could have now.
As though her words removed the last of his hesitation, Tyris bent and kissed her. His lips met hers and ignited an internal flame, banishing from her mind all thoughts of a baby or their future. There was only here and now and the smouldering fire between.
Time seemed to stand still as they kissed. Marlee’s arms moved around his neck of their own accord, and his hands slid down her waist, a surge of heat following them. She stood on tiptoe just to feel them slide lower, cupping her bottom through the thick material of her coat. The temptation to discard it was strong, but it was still too cold, even inside.
She should stoke the fire. But she didn’t want to move.
Well, not move away from Tyris anyway. When he slid his hands under her coat, stroking her back, she shivered in anticipation and wriggled just a little to encourage his hands to explore more. He obliged, letting his hands gently graze the side of her breasts, sending tingles down her spine to pool in her stomach.
Tyris pulled at her coat, and eager as she was, she knew that they were going to need something to keep warm. She pulled back just a little, and Tyris sighed in resignation. “We need to either get under the blankets or light the fire,” she told him.
He pulled her close, debating the merits of each. “Fire,” he said finally. “I don’t want blankets obscuring my view.”
Her flaming cheeks competed with the heat in her belly. “I-I’ll light it.” She stumbled over the words.
She pulled off her gloves, threw them onto one of the chairs, and knelt down to stir life into the fire. When Tyris disappeared behind the curtain, she felt disappointed. But when he reappeared a few moments later with the pallet, a pillow, and a quilt, she smiled in approval.
The fire began to eat up the wood hungrily, and slowly, the room warmed. Marlee stood at the end of the pallet, looking down at Tyris, suddenly feeling shy. He patted the bed, and she came down to lie next to him. His proximity dissolved some of her nerves, and his hand reached up to her cheek and stroked it gently, dispelling the rest.
Heat built inside her, having nothing to do with the ambient temperature. Marlee pulled back from a kiss to remove her jacket. But that did little to cool her down. So she peeled off her jumper as well. Tyris lay with his hands behind his head, watching her with a smile. Then he reached out to pull her down on top of him.
Marlee giggled as she landed, a little off balance. But his hands steadied her, and she used an elbow as support so she could watch his face. Slowly she began to unbutton his shirt, and with each button, his breathing grew shallower. She slipped her hand inside the opening and ran it over his chest. She found a nipple in her exploration and stopped to caress it.
Tyris groaned and pulled her down for a kiss, but she didn’t let up on his nipple, and in response, his hand came up to cup her breast. Even through the material of her dress, his touch sent thrills through her. She strained to bring her body closer to his. His finger worked its way around to rub over her nipple through the fabric of her dress, and a moan escaped her lips.
That seemed to unleash something in Tyris because he rose on one elbow and rolled them both over, until he was on top of her. He kissed her passionately, his lips brushing across hers then sliding down her neck and across her shoulders, nibbling and sucking gently.
Marlee could feel his hardness nudging at her even through all the layers of clothes, and suddenly she didn’t want to wait. She’d waited long enough for this moment. Freeing her hands, she edged Tyris’s shirt off his shoulders. He paused long enough in his kisses to help her then sat back in the firelight, smiling.
His tousled hair flopped down over one eye, such a change from how short it had been when he had arrived. He lowered his head, rubbing his cheek against hers, sprinkling kisses on her neck, her ear, and her hair.
She tangled her hands in his hair, holding him close, his kisses sending flickers of desire through her. She longed to feel his skin next to hers, warm and smooth. Clothes were a hindrance. She wriggled a little, and he drew back, sat up, and pulled her dress over her head in one motion. She was about to toss the dress carelessly to one side when she paused, the beautiful dress shouldn’t lie in the dirt. She aimed it in the general direction of a chair.
Tyris sat back on his heels, watching her, reflected flames flickering in his eyes. A half smile hung on his lips. He rose beside the pallet with slow grace, and unbuttoned his trousers. His eyes didn’t leave hers, and her breathing quickened. He let his pants slide down and kicked them aside, and Marlee just stared in wonder.
He lay back down next to her and pulled her gently towards him. Kissing her again, his hands stroked from her hips up to her breast then down again, curving around to pull her against him.
Passion and urgency swamped her, and she tugged at him, urging him closer. He murmured something soft, something about taking it slow, but Marlee wasn’t interested. She bumped her hips against his a couple of times, and he laughed, a breathless laugh of surrender. His knee slipped between her legs, gently parting them. Marlee pulled his head down, and his lips met hers as he entered her.
Their sighs echoed together in the quiet room. Tyris moved slowly within her, and Marlee’s hips rose to meet him, urging him to increase in speed. With each thrust, passion grew, until it threatened to spill over. Someone moaned softly. She was surprised to realise the sound was hers.
Perspiration dripped down Tyris’s chest, glistening i
n the flickering light. When he held her close, their sweat mingled, until she wasn’t sure which was hers and which was his.
Tyris’s breath came in short, heavy gasps, and he thrust breathlessly a few last times before lowering himself gently on top of her, spent. His head rested on her shoulder, and he kissed her neck gently. Marlee ran her hands through his hair and down his back. She didn’t want to let him go. Her arms tightened around him, and he raised himself onto his elbow to smile down at her. “Why have we waited so long to do that?”
Marlee giggled and felt him spasm inside her. “Stubbornness I think. It rarely seems to do me any favours, but somehow I can’t seem to get rid of it.”
He looked down at her, his eyes suddenly serious. “Don’t ever give it up either Marlee. You are perfect just the way you are.”
She blushed. “I’m not,” she said, “but I’m glad you think so.”
He shook his head and laughed. He pulled back, sliding out of her, and Marlee couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She didn’t want it to be over. Not yet. He lowered himself beside her and ran his hands over her body, gentle now. Marlee reached out for him, wanting to prolong the intimacy.
As his hands dipped lower and trailed along her inner thigh, her breathing quickened again. Tyris kissed her, his lips lingering over hers, almost distracting her from his fingers feeling their way up, gently parting her folds and stroking in places that sent quivers of pleasure darting through her. Waves of feeling rippled through her, until her whole body trembled against him. He slid his other arm around her, holding her close. Marlee buried her head in his shoulder, overwhelmed by the intensity building in her. She wanted him to stop. She never wanted him to stop.
Just when she thought she couldn’t possibly stand it anymore, the tension spilled over and throbbed through her as she let out a guttural moan. Tyris’s fingers stilled, and she clutched at him as though she were drowning. She breathed his name, and he kissed her slowly.
Marlee snuggled close to him, aware of his hand, still resting between her thighs. She’d made love many times, but never had anyone touched her like that. Pulling back from his shoulder a little, she smiled.
He smiled back. Then he cleared his throat. “Um, Marlee, there’s something I need to tell you. I know you said...”
A sound distracted her from his words. “What was that?”
“Well, you know how I told you that on my planet...”
Marlee interrupted him as she heard a creak again. “No. That sound. Listen.”
Tyris paused, and in the silence, it came again, clear as day. A groan from the beams of the roof. Before either of them could speak, a loud crack broke the silence. Instinctively Marlee ducked her head, curling towards Tyris.
A section of the roof, covered in snow, collapsed onto the floor in front of them. A blast of cold wind rushed over her naked body, cancelling out the warmth of the fire.
She screamed.
Chapter 19
A shiver shook Tyris as a chilling wind blew through the damaged roof. Marlee huddled against him, her face hidden in his arms. Keeping one arm tightly around her, he pulled the quilt over them then reached blindly for the clothes they’d discarded with such abandon earlier. Aside from their boots, which stood near the door, now buried in snow.
He handed Marlee her clothes, all except her dress, which he couldn’t reach, and dressed under the quilt as hastily as he could. With his exposed skin covered, he sat up and stared in disbelief at the jumble of wood, thatch and snow in front of him, blocking the only exit.
Thank goodness they hadn’t been directly under the fall. Considering their complete lack of clothing, that wouldn’t have gone well at all.
The covers moved next to him as Marlee pulled on all her extra layers. Then she dragged the quilt around her over the top of her clothes. Even so, she still shivered intermittently. Tyris put his arms around her and rubbed her shoulders vigorously through the covers. “Are you okay?” he asked. He edged over closer to the fire, but even the flames did little to compete with the wind.
“I think so.” Marlee’s shivering lessened, and she leaned against him as though gathering strength. Then she turned towards the snow, her back straightening. “What are we going to do?”
To cover the fact that he had no idea, Tyris regarded the snow seriously for a few minutes. “We could try to dig our way out, but I’m concerned about bringing down more snow.”
He really, really didn’t want to be buried in snow again this winter. Or ever.
“Can we get out the window?” Marlee asked.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Tyris jumped up to check the one window he could still access, pulling back the woollen curtain and pushing at the shutters.
They didn’t move so much as an inch. “The snow’s covering them outside, it must be higher than I thought.”
Another shiver ran through Marlee. “We’re trapped.”
Tyris stared around the room, fighting the feeling of helplessness that threatened to overcome him. Why had the house been built with only one door? At least, unlike the window, it didn’t open inward. He examined the blockage, trying to determine how deep it was and what their chances of digging their way out were.
The main roof brace that joined the wall just above the door had snapped under the weight of the snow, breaking again just above the middle of the room, where it was held up by two supporting beams. The whole thing still creaked and groaned. The beam in front of him, jammed in by the snow, was holding them up, but if he tried to move it, he could bring the roof down on their heads. And the many smaller supports that ran off the centre beam were still attached, blocking them from the rest of the room.
Through the gaps, he could see piles of snow between them and the door, waist high and littered with smaller roof supports and thatch. He reached out to tug on the beam gently. How tightly was it still attached? Another shower of snow rained down from above. He retreated, muttering in frustration.
Marlee watched him silently, so he took a deep breath. He had to remain optimistic, for her sake. “We need something to reinforce the roof or more snow will come down when I start digging.”
Marlee’s face immediately brightened, and she moved around the house with purpose. Tyris turned his attention to the snow in front of him.
The roof met in an apex above his head. That was where they needed the support. But it was the highest point of the roof. They didn’t have anything that could reach that sort of distance. Nothing at all. Anything useful, including the few tools Marlee owned, lived in the cupboard near the door that was now as inaccessible as the exit.
Marlee disappeared into the bedroom. He had no idea what she thought she might find in there, but while she was gone...
He took a deep breath and pulled as hard as he could on the broken support. It gave way under a shower of snow and thatch. The roof above groaned under the load. At any moment, it could give way. He pulled on the beam, now half buried under the snow.
“What are you doing?” Marlee appeared back in the living room, her eyes wide.
“Stay back,” Tyris ordered. He pulled on the beam, trying to dislodge it from the snow.
Then Marlee was beside him, adding her strength to his. “If you were going to try something like this, you should’ve waited until I was here to help you.”
Tyris hid a smile. No point in telling her he had been trying to protect her. That wouldn’t go over well. “Sorry,” he said.
The beam moved, then came free with a suddenness that sent them tumbling backwards. Tyris caught his balance then without pausing, he hefted the beam up, standing it under the remainder of the centre beam and wedged it in.
Snow blew in from the now open gap between them and the rest of the house, settling over everything in the room like a white blanket. But they had a clear path to the door.
Tyris watched the roof for a moment, looking for any signs of movement, but it seemed to be holding. For now. “Head for the door.”
“But I need to get some clothes, and...” Marlee looked back towards the bedroom.
“There isn’t time,” Tyris said urgently. Now that he’d stopped moving, the cold was already starting to numb his cheeks and toes. In front of him, the snow grew deeper by the minute.
Marlee took one last look around the house then followed him to the edge of the snow, looking out over the expanse doubtfully.
Broken roof struts and thatch littered the loosely packed snow. How were they going to get across? And even if they made it to the door, it’d be nearly impossible to open it with the snow piled up against it.
Tyris stepped up the sloping snow, watching where he put his feet. His socks were soaked in minutes. Hopefully he’d find their boots as he cleared the snow away.
He took a few steps, sinking up to his knees in the snow. The areas of thick thatch were more stable, he didn’t sink as far there, but he was still concerned about stepping on sharp pieces of broken beams. “Follow behind me,” he told Marlee.
He fought his way to the door, squinting his eyes against the windblown snow. If it was this bad within the protection of the still standing walls, what would it be like once they stepped outside?
He stopped a few feet short of the door and took a deep breath. With a few feet of snow on the floor, the walls ended not too far above his head, but they were still too high to climb. They’d have to dig their way out.
Only an arm’s length away lay the cupboard where the snow shovel was kept. But its doors were blocked by as much snow as the front door. There was no other option. He began to dig into the snow with his hands. He heard shuffling behind him and turned to see Marlee retreating back across the snow. “What are you doing?” he yelled over the wind.
But she didn’t hear him. Tyris was torn between going back for her and getting the door open. The urgent need to get out of the house won, and he continued digging.
His fingers moved past the numb stage into pain, and he’d still barely made enough room to pull the door open a finger width. He sat back on his knees, staring at the door. The cold of melted snow seeped in through his trousers making him chillingly aware that they didn’t have long before frostbite set in.
