I settle her on the settee and pull over one of the chairs to rest her foot. I sit, pulling the supplies I pilfered from the cabinet in the bathroom to my side and get to work.
I wipe down her foot first, making sure it's completely clean and dry before I wrap it with a bandage. I gently rub some anti-inflammatory around the ankle before securing it with the wrappings.
“That should do it. If it wasn't so freezing in here, I'd fetch some snow to help with the swelling. Keeping it elevated will have to do for now.”
“I'm much grateful for that. I don't fancy getting frostbite.”
I laugh and shake my head at her. I fetch a pillow off the bed and prop her foot up on the chair, but it's not quite high enough.
“You might have to stretch out on the couch and put your foot up on the armrest to get it high enough.”
“Oh, okay. But then, where will you sit?”
“I don't need to sit. You get some rest while I hang our clothes. There's a drying rack in the kitchen space that will be perfect. Then I can see what I can do with the food we have for dinner.”
“Okay.”
I'm not used to Raina being this agreeable. It takes me by surprise, then concern grips me. She must really be in a lot of pain. Without another word, I head into the bathroom and grab some pain killers I saw. Thankfully they are in date and seem untampered with. I grab one of the bottles of water I packed in my duffle before heading back to Raina.
“Princess, take these. They’ll help with the pain … and swelling.” I add the latter, which isn't quite true, when she begins to protest.
Always the tough cookie. She sighs but swallows two of the pills with half the bottle of water.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
I help Raina shift on the couch so her ankle is raised higher, propped up with the pillow, but notice a huge amount of her legs are bare and covered in goose flesh. I take the second blanket and cover her thighs and legs with it.
“No, no. You won't have one if you give me both. You need out of your wet clothes too, Gavin.”
“I'll be fine. The place will warm up soon, and I'll be making us food. Can’t really be wrapped in a blanket while cooking, now can I?”
“I guess…” She trails off, getting this odd, faraway look in her eyes. I want to ask about it, but think better of it.
Retrieving the clothes rack from the kitchen, and Raina’s wet clothes that have been left on the floor by the bed, I have them hung up in no time in front of the fire. But I now find myself out of things to do and have no excuse not to strip down out of my wet clothes. Except I don't have anything to cover myself with, or to keep warm.
I relent, the cold really starting to set in, and undress with my back to the Princess, but I can feel her watchful eyes on me as I take off my layers, one by one. I just finish removing my pants, leaving me only clad in black boxer briefs, when Raina's sharp intake of breath has me quick to turn around.
“Uh…” she mumbles, her eyes roaming everywhere, my skin prickling with the sensation. “Sorry … I uh … moved my foot the wrong way.”
“Do you need me to check it?” I ask, frowning. She's never been a good liar.
She shakes her head adamantly. “No. I just won't move.”
I nod and head to the kitchen. I rummage through the cupboards and drawers, a can opener. We’re getting somewhere. I pull out two cans of soup and two cans of beans from my duffle and present one of each to Raina.
“What’ll it be? The selection is sparse, but it'll fill our bellies well enough.”
“Hmm, soup?”
“Alrighty then.”
I get the cans open, opting for beans myself, and twist on the gas-powered stovetop. After five minutes, and no luck getting it going, I conclude there is no gas hooked up, or it's out of juice. Either way, dinner is not getting warmed up via this.
I rummage in the cupboards but can't find anything I could use to put in the fire to warm the cans up. If there were more light for me to see well into the cupboards, I’d likely find the cookware I need to put the food on the fire. I guess I could put the cans themselves in, well the unopened ones, but I risk them blowing up.
“I have bad news,” I announce. “Dinner will be cold, I'm afraid. There's no gas, and there isn’t anything to warm it up in the fire. Not without risking the cans blowing up.”
“Oh. Then I guess I'm having the packet of chips for dinner,” she says with a chuckle. “I feel rather rebellious. I've never not had a real meal.”
“I'm sorry, Princess.”
She waves her hand, dismissing me. “Oh don't be. It feels like a rite of passage. Don't all women and men my age eat quick and crap in college?” I nod, agreeing. “Well, then. I didn't get that rite of passage, but now I do.”
I shake my head, smiling despite myself, and toss her the bag of salt and vinegar chips while I tuck into my cold, bland beans. Yummy…
After dinner I add a few more logs to the fire and try to coax it to get bigger and brighter. The little place is still not very warm, which makes me wonder if there is a draft somewhere. My front is warm standing in front of the fire, but my back is freezing.
“Gavin?”
“Yes, Princess?”
“It's still freezing in here.”
“I know, I'm sorry. I'm working on it.”
“No, I didn't mean it like that. It's not your fault. But you should take one of these blankets. I can see the tiny hairs standing up and goose flesh all over you. You're freezing.”
“One is not enough to keep you warm. You are injured and need it more. I'm fine.”
“Uhuh. Like my foot was fine?”
“No.”
“Right. Well, if you won't take one for yourself, you need to share mine. It's survival 101. Body heat.”
I frown, wanting to argue with her but knowing she's right. I am freezing, and truth be told, she doesn't actually look much warmer.
“Okay. Only while the logs catch light and warm up.”
She says nothing but begins to scoot before I stop her with a hand up.
“Wait.”
I come up behind the couch and push it closer to the fire, moving the clothes to one side instead of in front of it, then come around to the front. I lift Raina’s legs up and slide in under them, then replace her bung foot on the elevated pillow atop the armrest and readjust the blankets to cover us both.
“Better?” she asks with an unmistakable note of self-satisfaction.
“Yes. Get some rest.”
She shifts down further, pressing her rear to my thigh and curls in like a cat against my side. She seems so small like this, so fragile. Yet she's possibly the toughest woman I know. She is a force to be reckoned with when she puts her mind to something. I'm not sure how far we’d walked, but it was far fiercer conditions than some soldiers have ever trained for, and she’d done it on a bum ankle. Without one word of complaint. She is truly amazing. More amazing than even she knows.
Staring into the fire, it's hard not to think about how close we came to being killed in that car crash or even if we’d been trapped in the elements any longer would have surely done us both in. God, it was so lucky we came across this cabin. I don't even want to think about how close I came to losing Raina. Sure, the job is part of it. I'd be gutted at letting down the King, but mostly, if I'm being honest with myself, if anything happened to Raina, I’d be destroyed. She has become far too important to me, too vital to my existence. There is no way I would ever admit it to her, but it’s a truth I can't deny any longer. Not to myself at least.
“It’s getting dark…” I whisper. “We have to stay put until morning. Keep you safe and warm until help arrives.” Basically only speaking to distract myself.
She presses her body against mine, all but crawling into my lap.
“What are you doing?” My voice comes out hoarse.
She giggles seductively in my ear. “What you told me to do, keeping warm.”
All
my warmth heads south, and I struggle not to move and adjust myself. Shit, this is bad. And so, so inappropriate. Every second is a struggle to keep it professional. I am barely handling seeing her like this. Feeling her warm body, skin to skin, pressed tightly against mine… It's no wonder my body is reacting, and if she keeps this up, she is bound to notice.
I’m fairly confident that she is a virgin, but she's throwing off some serious sexual vibes. She's never been this bold before. Never so hard to ignore. I lick my lips, suddenly feeling parched, and try to think of anything other than Raina mostly naked and pressed against me. Anything to stop my arousal.
Granny running in a bikini … stepping in dog turd…
“I know the situation we are in sucks,” she hedges slowly. “And it's mostly my fault, but I am also kinda glad to be here like this with you…”
She lifts her face to mine, practically presenting those perfectly plump, pink lips. The very ones I ache to kiss, to feel pressed against my own.
“Kiss me? Please,” she whispers urgently.
My lips part of their own volition at the request.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this, Gavin. Craved this, craved you.”
She rubs her full, barely covered breasts against me, and all my resolve melts away like snow in a puddle at my feet. I can't think about anything but pressing my lips to Raina’s.
Fuck the consequences. I’ll worry about them when they come.
CHAPTER NINE
Raina
In a heartbeat, all my wishes, all my dreams are come to fruition. Nothing could have prepared me for the reality of Gavin kissing me.
It's like Christmas, birthdays, and Halloween are all mashed together to make one epic holiday. Amazing, heavenly, and utterly soul-changing.
He starts off whisper-soft. Cupping my face in his warm palms, he slowly presses his mouth against mine. With a gentleness out of character for a big, burly man, he brushes his lips against mine so tenderly, so reverently, I tremble.
Oh god.
I've been kissed before, but never like this. Gavin’s purposeful brushes of his lips with mine are nothing like the sloppy drunken kissing I've been subjected to in clubs. This is spine-tingling, time standing still, good. And he's barely touching me.
With a nervous shake, I bring my hands out of the blanket, running one of them up to one of Gavin’s massive biceps and grip it tight. The other, I use to dig my fingers into the surprisingly soft, short tresses at the base of his head.
My small moment of boldness seems to awaken something in Gavin, his lips pressing harder to my own, more driven and determined. His tongue sweeps out to lick the crease of my mouth, and my lips part instinctively, a soft whispered moan escaping to only be swallowed up by him.
The sounds and movement eggs him on more, and he dives his tongue into my mouth, deliciously caressing my own with such skill I'm a in awe and bewildered.
My bones feel like butter, and I grip him tighter, for fear of melting away. He breaks the kiss, releasing me of the overwhelming sensation of his mouth on mine, and his tongue in my mouth, allowing me a moment to catch my breath. Only to move his skill to my neck and the sensitive area below my ear, licking, nibbling, and kissing all up and down my skin.
He's driving me insane. I feel flustered and hot all over. The chill of the room completely forgotten in the heat our bodies are now generating. I need more. I want to feel more of him. I press my body tighter against Gavin, and he groans sexily in my ear.
“Gavin…” I moan in a whisper, making his name sound like a prayer.
“God, you feel so good.”
“Touch me?” I plead.
He trails his hands from my neck, down my bare arms, running his fingers like feathers along my skin, and causing goose flesh to break out.
“Like this?”
I nod, words failing me.
Gavin moves his mouth along my jaw, down my neck, and to my collarbone, tracing the lines and divets with his tongue. I groan, my head falls back, and my thighs clench when his hands move to my breasts, clad only in my Simone Pérèle bra. The feel of the lacy fabric rubbing against my hardening nipples is making me crazed.
He replaces his hands with his lips and sucks one breast into his mouth, fabric and all. He gently bites the hard nipple, and I gasp loudly, a warm sort of trembling pulse hits me south. My thighs clench again, desperate to relieve the pressure building up between them.
Gavin releases my breast and looks up at me with what I can only call a wolfish grin spread wide across his face. He knows exactly how crazily turned on I am and what he's doing to my body. Without a word, he repeats his torture on my other breast, but a little harder this time, eliciting a cry from me.
“Oh, God…”
“He’s not here, Princess. It’s just you and me. Scream as loud as you want, no one will hear you.”
Emboldened, I capture Gavin's face in my hands and bring his mouth up to mine, kissing him with everything I have. It's rushed, hungry, and the most passionate thing I have ever experienced. All teeth, tongues, and lips in a furious dance so divine, I feel like I'm pulsating all over.
Without stopping our intense kissing, Gavin shifts us, leaving me pressed against his side, and my legs still up on the armrest. He slides his hand down my waist, along the curve of my hip until it reaches my panties. He pauses for a second before diving beneath the fabric to squeeze my bare ass. I groan as he releases my mouth, but not before tugging on my bottom lip with his teeth.
“I need you to tell me to stop.” His husky voice feels like a caress, and it takes me a while to absorb his words. “We can stop this, right now, but I need you to say it. Tell me to stop.” He’s almost pleading with me, like he wants me to stop him.
“I don't want you to stop. Ever. Make me yours, Gavin. Have me. Take me. I'm yours.”
He needs no further encouragement, taking my mouth roughly with his again. He teases and torments me with his tongue, nibbles, grazes, and bites me with his teeth, and in this very moment I can’t think of anything sweeter than this.
That is until his hands continue their wayward path, cupping the very edge of my cheek where it meets my thigh. His fingers dangerously close to that sweet spot between my legs.
Gavin moves his hand around, dragging his fingernails up the front of my thigh, and I'm completely unable to breathe right. My breaths coming hard and fast, and I feel Gavin smile against my lips as his hand moves higher and higher, closer and closer to the front of my underwear.
His pinky teases my inner thigh, all the way up until he hits the apex, making me gasp into his mouth before he breaks the kiss. I'm practically panting, I'm breathing so hard and erratic. Gavin doesn't say anything, only looks deep into my eyes as his fingers leave the top of my thigh and brush the bare skin beneath my panties.
His eyes go a delicious dark blue, ravaged by a hunger I've never seen. He looks animalistic and sexy as sin. A rumble sounds low in his chest, like a growl. I think he likes what he found.
Once, twice, three times, his fingers graze me. I shudder and bite my lip, holding my breath, waiting for his next move. He doesn't make one, only continuing to stare deep into my very soul, and then I see it. The unasked question, the approval required. The last line to cross.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I nod.
Ever so slightly.
And oh God!
He dips a finger, tracing it along the seam all the way down to—
“So wet.” A wave of embarrassment hits me at Gavin's whispered words, but it's completely forgotten when he bites his lip and presses his thumb down firmly on my aching clit.
I gasp loudly, or moan, I'm unsure, but it matters little as Gavin retakes my lips. His other hand pressed firmly behind my head, he dives his tongue deep into my mouth for a carnal, breathtaking, devouring kiss. He claims my mouth so thoroughly it's hard to breathe at all. Especially when his finger is doing wicked things to my body.
But I know for a fact I stop breat
hing altogether when Gavin slowly slides a finger inside me. A pleasure like nothing else I've ever felt rushes through me, and I gasp out Gavin’s name, my head falling back as I break our kiss.
“You feel incredible. So … incredibly … tight.”
I can't speak, I can't move; I can only pant. His wicked finger gliding in and out, in and out. Over and over, while his mouth plays with my breasts through the constricting fabric of my bra.
My legs part, allowing him better access, and he chuckles darkly against my skin, making my breasts tingle with the vibration.
“So greedy. So hungry for more.”
God yes. I want more. More, more, more…
And he gives it to me, sliding a second finger in, and my whole body convulses, feeling so full, so…
“Jesus,” he groans, his erection throbbing hard as steel along my ass pressed tightly against him.
He rubs it against me, thrusting his fingers deeper, and a hot pulse rocks my core, making me clench hard around him. He takes my mouth again fiercely, whispering against my lips ‘not yet.’ But I'm unable to comprehend what he means, too lost in all that he's doing to me. Too crazed to do anything but kiss him back with a ferocity of my own.
Our mouths don't stop their furious pace as Gavin lifts me off the tiny couch. Squeezing my ass with both hands, he walks with me wrapped tightly around his waist, to the small bed in the corner of the room, and we collapse awkwardly on top, still attached at the lips and hips.
Mouths and hips grinding against each other. The friction of Gavin’s rigid length rubbing against my wet panties has me on fire, and I grind against him harder, desperately wanting him inside me.
Gavin lifts himself up on his arms, hovering over me, and slowly tries to detach his lips from mine. Continuing to press wet kisses on my mouth, making me giggle against his lips.
I lean up to meet his mouth, deepening the kisses, and take advantage of the angle, undoing my bra with one hand behind me, while the other pulls it down my arms. In a few seconds I have it off and discarded on the floor. It takes Gavin a few moments to realize until I brush my bare breasts against his hard chest. He stills above me. Slowly untangling our lips, he leans back on his legs to take me in.
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