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After tossing a bundle of kindling wood into the hot coals, she began blowing until a tiny flame came to life. Rubbing her hands together over the warmth, she then added a couple of logs to help feed the fire.
“Lord, it’s cold!” Dexter's voice startled her.
She spun around and was confronted with his naked torso once again as he sat up on the sofa bed rubbing the back of his head sleepily.
“Th-the fire died out.” With little success, she attempted to control her voice.
Noticing her sitting by the fire he slipped his legs over the side of the bed, reached for his pants and slid them on before getting up and joining her by the fire. Immediately, she wished he hadn't. Or at the least, put a shirt on as well. For a woman of twenty-eight, she was unusually innocent. Never before had she ever been near a man as naked as he was at that moment. Cowardly, she drew further back into the shadows.
Holding his hands over the flames, he repeated her earlier action and rubbed his hands together for warmth.
“I guess the power hasn't come back on?” He looked her way momentarily, before shifting his attention back to the fire.
She simply shook her head, not daring to speak. At her lack of speech he searched the dark corner she cowered in and noticed her shivering. “Come closer to the fire and warm up.”
Against her better judgment, she did as commanded, grasping the blanket close to her chest.
“You going to share that blanket?”
Her hands froze. A sudden, very clear image of the two cuddled together under the close and warm enclosure of the woolen blanket, leaped remarkably visible in Laura's mind. She felt her entire body flush from the picture and shifted beneath his securitizing gaze.
Noticing her sudden discomfort, he sighed heavily before getting to his feet. “I wasn't asking you to sleep with me.”
He dragged a blanket off the sofa bed and returned to her side. Settling comfortably beside her and wrapping the blanket warmly around his shoulders and blocking out his naked torso, he said, “Happy?”
She only nodded, admittedly relieved, causing him to frown. “Now what's wrong with your voice?”
“Nothing.” With his nakedness now covered up, she was able to gather some sense of equilibrium. “I'm glad to see your lip must be feeling better.”
He touched it experimentally, then shrugged. “Guess I'll live.”
The reality of his words stung. With a crack in her voice she said, “I could have ki-killed you if you—if you hadn't—”
He looked across at her and noted the distraught look scarring her features. “Let's not get into that again.”
She nodded, but the glow from the flames caught a glimmer in the corner of her eye. Unexpectedly, he reached over and touched the soft curve of her cheek. “You did the right thing.”
Her eyes met his. It was not a long comforting speech of any sort, but Laura felt a warm flush of forgiveness from those deep penetrating hazel eyes.
Heart pounding, she smiled and received no response. She really wasn't surprised, but what held her spellbound was the fact his hand remained, lingering gently against her cheek while his eyes fixated on her face. His piercing gaze studied her features in the glow of the fire leaving her speechless. She wanted him to say something, anything. She wanted him to take the moment further. Far beyond now into utopia where reality vanquished and bliss reigned.
The pounding in her chest beat away the seconds as she waited breathlessly, his eyes never once leaving her face. She swallowed, drawn by a need stronger than any force she had ever experienced. In the dark shadows and the silvery glow of the room, she moved silently, closing the distance between them. The kiss she placed on his swollen lip was tender and sweet and yet at the same time honest and heartfelt.
He should have been pushing her away by that point, but he remained still, the only noticeable movement was the quickening of his breath. Drawing back slightly, she looked at him warily, however, his eyes were transfixed, not daring to leave her face.
She moved closer and whispered against his lips, “I-I need you.”
This time his eyelids fluttered shut, closing out his emotions. She waited, holding her breath, entirely expecting him to reject her. But the surprising, sweet caress of his hands as he reached for her, held no trace of rejection. Instead, a tender and exquisite touch explored the tiny curve of her back as he drew her into his arms.
A heavenly explosion shot through her every being as his lips claimed hers for the first time in a gentle yet feverish kiss.
Her response was instantaneous. A small, uttered cry of happiness escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms about his robust neck and gathered him closer. He responded to her touch, with a longing as untamed as the wilderness surrounding them. Grasping her tiny body in a steel grip he explored the deeper depths of her moist mouth, seeking and clutching. It seemed he couldn't get close enough. Laura's own needs skyrocketed, her hands diving into the dark thickness of his hair as desperately she answered his call.
His quest continued with his hands, as he eagerly and impatiently pushed aside her blanket and groped at her pajamas. The need to have his hands touch her naked skin was overwhelming. In earnest, she shrugged out of her clothes never once removing her hungry lips from his.
Then he touched her, his large roughened hands stroking every inch of her heated skin. Something deep inside her burned ardently, bringing her blood to a roaring boil. She needed him desperately, needed to return kiss for kiss, touch for touch.
Famished of the simple want and need of this man, she devoured him with both hands and mouth. The heavy woolen blanket, which already slipped from his shoulders, was completely tossed aside exposing a muscular chest and back which were now free to explore. Like a blind woman, she allowed her hands to trace back and forth the astounding contours of his body. Even as inexperienced as she was, she was not unable to recognize the fiery excitement her touch aroused. It gave her a sense of power and for the first time where Dexter O'Reilly was concerned, a feeling of belonging.
