Page 28 of HaL

“Your hair is not adequately long enough to warm you if it is trying to grow.”

Her eyes follow my own, only for laughter to echo through the room. “Here I am, buck naked in your arms, and just when I think you’re checking me out, you are looking at my goosebumps.”

Without thinking, I pull her closer as I look around the room for the intruder. “What is this animal you speak of?”

“Oh, calm down, sweetcheeks. It’s only an expression and the hairs on my arms and legs are simply reacting to the change in temperature. It’s completely natural.”

“Your mammary glands are also stiff.”

“Wow, what a way to turn a girl on! … You mean my nipples are stiff? Now that could be because of the cold, or the fact that this handsome yeti picked me up all caveman style and I thought things were finally going to get frisky with us, but I will let you think on that further.”

Her reactions and words startle me as I have never been addressed in such a private or personal way. Even though I fight the urge, the small bright red patch of curls hiding her breeding entrance keeps drawing my eyes, and of course, she is watching my every move.

“Sorry about the shrubbery, HaL. I need a good trim. Wasn’t planning on getting any action anytime soon, so I’ve been slacking in the grooming department.”

I pull her closer, my beast enjoying the feel of her naked hip as it slides against my own uninsulated form. “Your words do not make sense, Dawn.” She looks away for a tic, and her skin starts to turn colors.

“Heaven help me, can you not see the blush already spreading across my neck and up my face? I’m not one to be bashful HaL, as I do believe I’ve mooned half of North America in all the hospital gowns I’ve worn over the years, but a girl can be embarrassed when one as perfect as you is blatantly staring at her pubic curls that need a good trim.”

Horrified and slightly angry, my words come out rough. “You cut your female curls?!”

“Well, yeah … most guys don’t like to track through the thick brush in order to get to the fertile plains!”

“I absolutely forbid it … Why would you mutilate your body in such a way?”

She raises an eyebrow at me and her expression shifts from laughter to slightly angry. I realize I have said something she did not like, and I immediately log it in my mind as something not to do again.

“Okay, first of all, HaL, you can’t forbid me to do jack shit … it’s my body, but I’ll take into account the fact that a good trim bothers you. It is very common, and even expected, to shave regularly in my world; hair is seen as unclean and unkempt. It’s not like it hurts me; does it bother you when your hair is cut?”

I am even more horrified at the thought of someone trying to remove my hair. “I have no clue … at no point do we cut ours … ever. And I apologize for overstepping. I simply do not want you to hurt yourself. Our worlds have very different outlooks on things, it appears. I would prefer you leave your curls alone, but it is your body.”

“I’ve had a lot of weird conversations in my lifetime but being naked in a hot yeti’s arms while talking about what did you call them … my female curls, is topping the list in the unexpected. You think you could help me wrap this towel thing around me so that I’m not flashing everyone? It’s slightly chilly in here.”

“We must get you proper garments. This is one of the warmest areas you will ever be in, and I can feel your body trembling against mine.”

Dawn jerks when I yell, “TROZA!”

She must have been close because the door slides open only a few tics later.

“Hold your fur on, what are you grumbling about now, HaL?”

“Dawn is already chilling, her nipples are hard, and the goosethings are trying to escape her arms and legs.”

A sharp laugh leaves Dawn’s lips right before she tucks her head into my shoulder. Her whole body shakes from the laughter she is trying to hold back. Troza also has a grin on her wrinkled face, but I am not sure what either of them finds so funny.

“HaL, you are in luck.” That is when I notice the garments lying over her slender arm. “Since I was on my way in here with these anyway, I will forgive you for acting like a heathen with no manners. Merra and Neve just finished these two garments, so let us see how they work out.”

Standing here holding Dawn in my arms, I fight the urge to simply run off with her to my den, but I know she needs protection from the elements that the rest of us do not so hesitantly, I set her down.

Troza holds up two different garments, each in pale silver. She opens the self-sealing seams on the side and motions for Dawn to step into the legs.

Dawn starts to giggle. “It has built-in footies … I feel like a kid running around in a onesie.”

Troza looks up at me, and I shrug. Neither of us has a clue what she is talking about.

Dawn sways lightly, and I slip an arm around her back, steadying her as I help Troza maneuver the material around her tiny frame. We work it into place until the seals begin to close.

Once Troza has finished, I reach down and help her back to her feet, where she had been kneeling in front of Dawn. I watch her for a moment, wondering what she is looking for. Every few steps, she stops to tug at a section, smoothing it down or adjusting its position before continuing around Dawn.