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“I’ve never been in a tornado, Sam,” Riley cried out and pulled Sam toward her. Nodog settled down and curled up at their feet.
“Hey, you’ll be fine here, Riley. No need to fret.” Sam chuckled. “You gotta have some faith.”
“Faith? Faith in what?”
“Why shore, in the Lord.”
“You sure do talk about Him a lot…” Riley whispered. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you was a preacher.”
“I’m a Christian, Riley, aren’t you?” Sam asked.
“I wish you wouldn’t ask me that. I don’t rightly know…”
“God takes care of his own, Riley, and we…are his own.”
“People die every day…”
“That’s right, they do. And if they are Christian they go to a better place, Riley. Don’t you know that?”
“Of course I know it, I just ain’t sure this ain’t the day.”
“Cain’t be sure of the day for dyin’, but you can have faith…”
“Sounds like you got enough for both of us…” Riley answered, looking about and not liking what she couldn’t see. “Maybe you should have been a preacher.”
“I thought on it, once. But reckon I wasn’t headed in the right direction.”
Riley reached for him before he knew what she was doing when a crashing sound had the door nearly bursting open.
“Easy there, it’s okay, nothin’s gonna hurt you. I won’t let it,” Sam whispered near her ear.
Sam steadied himself but let her cling, knowing she wasn’t faking as her whole body was shaking against his now. The crashing noises from above drowned his thudding heart as he pulled her ever closer. An intangible thread stretched between them. She was warm and soft in all the right places and it pleased him that she reached for him for security.
“What’s in your pocket?” she gasped, pulling away to look.
“Just the dream catcher. Thought maybe it’s powers would help us a little.”
“Good thinking; sure wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
Sam smiled.
“Please Sam, please hold me…” she cried. “I’m so scared.”
Sam started to shove her away, but when her hands reached to pull him against her, he held her tight. Her head rested just below his chin; she’d lost her hat long ago so her hair tickled his chin, a soft tickle. She pulled him tighter. “Oh God Sam, are we gonna die?”
The roar from the storm was nearing overhead.
The frantic quality of her voice had him suddenly calming.
“No…not yet…Just shut it out, don’t listen to what’s goin’ on out there. Don’t think on it. You’re gonna feel a real decompression, and it’s gonna pull everything, even your skin, but don’t be scared. Just don’t think on it.” Sam managed to sound calm although holding her sent new awareness through him. “Think on something good, something warm and cozy, like a fire.” He was totally unaccustomed to having a fully grown woman hang onto him so. His body began to respond to hers and his arms went about her for reassurance, resting just below her breast. A thumb absently stroked her there, absently feeling the small swell of her breast before he realized what he was touching. But she grabbed him even closer and clung. “I’m so scared, Sam.”
“Hush now, I won’t let it hurt you,” he whispered somewhere near her ear. “You gotta trust me on that. I got a feelin’ it ain’t our time yet.”
But there was more than just arms wrapping around arms. His protective nature sprang forward, and yet the reality of it hit Sam squ
are in the face. Riley was a special person, and he had to protect her, for Riley had done the impossible. She had reached some inner core in him, broken and shattered his well protected heart.
But when she moved her head to look up at him through the darkness, she seemed to stretch the distance to find him. Her lips touched his chin first, by accident, bumping, lingering, then bumping, and he thought it was his imagination, until he heard her indrawn breath, and Sam was unprepared, for her gasp when he felt the soft breath she sighed and at last their lips met. He didn’t know if he kissed her or she kissed him, but it was as natural as breathing when it happened. A soft coming together, his mind whirled as her lips moved slowly, tentatively over his, as though searching for something. He savored the sweetness of her innocence as they quickly created a dreamy intimacy, shutting out the world and the turmoil of it. If he could put the storm out of her mind, he would, but was that why he enjoyed kissing her so much?
