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At last a big yellow wheelbarrow loaded with firewood, followed by a windblown snow-covered Dexter pushed opened the door.
Anxiously, she followed him back to the fireplace and began unloading the wood hoping he would remove his wet garments and dry himself in front the warm fire. However, he didn't. Instead he retraced his steps, returning five minutes later with a new load of wood, repeated the routine until at last the stack was refilled once again.
When at last he did remove his wet coat and soaking boots, the first words out of his mouth were, “I'b beat. I'b boing beb.”
“Pardon?” She frowned, then her eyes widened in horror. “Your injured mouth, it froze. You can't speak.”
He simply nodded his head, then turned to leave.
“Where are you going?”
Frustrated, he gestured upstairs.
“You can't sleep up there. The bedrooms are freezing.”
He closed his eyes and Laura could almost hear him counting to ten in an effort to compose his temper.
Quickly, she stated, “There's a pull-out couch here in the living room. It's quite warm in front of the fireplace.”
His dark eyes shot her a l
ook.
She frowned, puzzled. “What?”
“Wheb you sweeb?”
Frowning harder, she attempted to understand his garbled words. “I don't understand.”
Sighing in frustration, he gestured toward the couch, then jutted a finger in her chest then pointed the same finger back at the couch.
Laura's eyes grew in shock. “How dare you? I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last—”
Dexter shot his eyes heavenward before turning to the other couch, which did not pull out, and dropped his big weight on it.
Ashamed, Laura bit her lip. He wanted her to take the sofa bed. “Thank you. Though I think it best if you sleep here. What with your injury and all.”
He sat up angrily. “I'b hurb my moub, I'b not pawawized!”
Again she shook her head.
Totally perturbed by this point, he stupidly tried to clarify, “I'b hurb my mout—@#&*!” Though the words were unclear, the cry was not. Immediately, she went to him.
“Don't talk, you'll only open the wound again.”
The look he shot her was utter annoyance.
Wanting only to heal, she reached up and gently placed a finger alongside the bandage.
She half expected him to angrily thrust her hand aside but, instead, was surprised to discover he allowed her to tenderly stroke his swollen lip. Her eyes focused only on his lips, with the flickering shadows of the fire dancing across his handsome yet stern face.
It occurred to Laura then that he had gone completely still. Overcome with emotion, she allowed her feelings to take over her good sense. Gingerly, she trailed her fingertips down and off the adhesive and on to the soft moist swelling of his bottom lip. Beneath her touch, she felt him tense then release an unsteady breath as his lip quivered against her fingers. Worried she might have offended, she snapped her hand back.
Bewildered, she felt that same hand gently retrieved and placed back against his lips. Lifting her eyes, she came face to face with a man she had never seen before. His wonderful hazel eyes were mingled with dismay, desire and yes, even desperation. Quickly he dropped his gaze and closed the shutters on his emotions. And yet, he did not remove her hand. Instead, he began placing tiny flutter of kisses against their fingertips sending a shiver of delight up her arm.
With his other hand he reached up and began blindly tracing his own fingers across her dazed lips. She gasped at the unexpected desire his touch evoked. He noted her reaction, giving the smallest devilish grin at the corner of his good mouth. Then with expertise, he allowed his lips to leave her fingertips, down their long sinewy lengths, across her now sweaty palm and around the pulsating nerves of her tiny wrist.
At this, an unsteady gasp escaped her throat and fluttered across his rugged fingers still delighting in a leisurely exploration of her lips. Seizing the opportunity, he slid one finger into the folds of her moist mouth. Startled, Laura's eyes widened in shock at the unexpected arousal from such a simple act. Then acting on instinct, for it certainly could not have been anything else, she closed her lips around the rough skin of his masculine finger and began a sensual sucking both with her lips and tongue.
