Her hands cupped my cheeks and I shivered at her warmth. I would’ve smiled at the earful she was giving me had I not been so damn cold. I still couldn’t feel my toes and that was beginning to worry me. With all the layers I had on and the fire going in front of us, I should be able to at least move them by now.
But I couldn’t.
She looked into my eyes and I felt myself relax. The bags by the door were long forgotten. A gust of wind lurched the door open and snow came pouring into the cabin. Whitney jumped from my lap, sliding across the wooden floors so she could catch the door. It took all the strength she had to get it closed. Then, I heard her gather up the bags and toss them onto the kitchen counter.
I still couldn’t feel my toes and I knew that wasn’t good.
“Whitney,” I said.
“Yes?” she asked. “Yes, I’m right here. What is it?”
She ran around to face me and I could tell how worried she’d been while I was gone. Her eyes were red and her hands were shaking as they sat on my thighs. I couldn’t imagine the worrying she must’ve done once the sun started to set.
“What do you need?” she asked.
“I can’t feel my toes.”
Immediately, she dropped to the floor. I felt her pick up one of my legs and set it in her lap while she slowly worked my boot off. My socks were practically frozen to my legs, and I could hear her drawing shaky breaths as she peeled the crackling fabric off my feet.
“You’re not going out again in this,” she said. “I’m very serious, Liam.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I knew her hands were cupped around my toes but I couldn’t feel them. I looked down and willed my toes to move, trying my best to get them to jump start. I could feel Whitney’s worried stare on my face as she worked my second boot off. Then, she worked on getting my frozen sock off before she tried warming them up herself.
She grabbed a blanket off my lap and wrapped them around my feet. She rubbed her hands together and tried to scoot herself off to the side so the heat of the fire would hit them. My shivering was subsiding but that deep, aching cold was still there. My joints were stiffening and my muscles were beginning to ache.
This just wasn’t going be enough.
“Could I ask you a question?” Whitney asked.
“Sure,” I said.
“How many times did you deploy when you were in the Navy?”
She looked up at me with those big blue eyes and I shook my head in exasperation. I was way too cold to have this conversation, nor was I ready to open up that chapter of my life again. I’d come to the mountains to get away from that life. To never have to talk about it or indulge it or think about it ever again.
“Whitney, I’m just too… cold… right now,” I said.
“I’m sorry,” she said, snickering. “Really bad timing.”
I saw the guilt rush over her face but I could also see that it didn’t diminish her curiosity. If she was wearing my clothes, that meant she had to go rummaging around in my room. That didn’t really bother me too much. I figured she’d want something new to wear eventually. But it meant she’d probably found my Purple Heart.
“I know what’ll warm you up,” she said.
She dropped my feet and all I wanted her to do was come back.
I heard her rummaging around in the kitchen before she stuck something into the microwave. A few minutes later, the wonderful smell of coffee permeated the room and I could feel my salivary glands kick into overdrive. I wanted the blackest cup of coffee she could give me, at the hottest temperature she could make it.
And when she brought it over to me, I sighed.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Not a problem. I’ve got soup coming in a few seconds, too.”
I sipped the hot coffee gratefully. It warmed my insides, knocked the icicles off my bones, and helped my joints relax. I felt the couch cushion compress beside me and I looked over to see Whitney with a bowl in her hand and a smile on her face.
Her gaze danced around my head.
“This new hairstyle looks good on you,” she said.
“Compliments to the stylist,” I said.
“I hope you keep it up after I’m gone.”
Her words pierced me more than they should’ve and I tried my best not to show it.
When the old man at the shop told me we’d be stuck here for at least two more days, I hadn’t been as annoyed as I should have been. When Whitney had first shown up in my life, she’d been nothing but a nuisance. But over the past couple of days, I’d gotten to know her. I’d discovered both a sassier and a softer side to her. I’d felt her beneath my body and I’d woken up to her presence in the same room as me.
She’d etched herself into me somehow and it was going to be hard to let her go.
I traded her the mug for the bowl and tipped it up to my lips. I practically poured the hot soup down my throat, ignoring the burn and savoring the way my body was finally thawing back to life. My arms didn’t hurt when they moved and it no longer hurt to breathe, but when I went to move my toes, they still weren’t budging much.
“Would you like some more?” she asked.
“Actually, I think I’m gonna need some warm water. My toes still aren’t moving much.”
I saw the worry cross her face but she quickly took the dishes to the kitchen. I heard her pad down the hallway as I got up off the couch. I gingerly walked my way into the bathroom. She was hunched over the tub as she fiddled with the knobs and, the moment the hot water started steaming up the room, I started shedding my clothes.
The water ran while Whitney helped me take off the rest of my clothes. She unbuttoned my shirt and slid it down my arms before I tossed it into the hamper. I noticed her clothes were in there as well and I figured she’d taken a shower while I was gone. I could see her cheeks flushing as she helped work the frozen buckle of my belt loose. I watched her turn away from me as I sat my naked body into the deep tub.
“Need anything else?” she asked.
“There is one thing,” I said.
“What?” she asked.
She whirled around before her eyes widened. She was flustered beyond belief and it honestly looked good on her. The red tint to her cheeks was starting to trickle down her neck and the way her eyes raked over my body caused me to bite back a groan. Whether or not she realized it, her breath was coming in shorter pants. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. Her fingers were twirling themselves in the excess fabric of my sweatpants.
Every involuntary sign was there that told me I should simply go ahead and ask for what I wanted.
“I’d like you to get in with me,” I said.
Her eyes shot up to mine and I could see them widen. I feared she was going to turn me down. I thought maybe I’d overstepped my boundaries when I saw her fists clench at my question. I could tell she was deliberating, trying to figure out if this was a good idea or not.
The water was still running, filling the tub and finally defrosting my toes before she made a decision.
She walked over to the water and turned it off. The moment she turned her back to me, I figured I’d been turned down and I honestly couldn’t blame her. We were both in awkward territory and trying to figure out how we were going to get her back to the resort. I could tell she was still limping slightly on her ankle and, eventually, she’d feel too cooped up to stay any longer.
I heard something fall to the floor and whipped my head up.
Slowly but surely, she inched her way out of my clothes. They fell to the floor in piles before she turned around and I got my first good look at the beautiful body I’d taken a couple of nights ago. Her skin was lightly tanned and glistened with a reddish tint. Her hips were thick and her breasts were supple. Every curve and every dip of her body was begging to be touched by my hands. She stepped into the tub and settled right between my legs and, immediately, my dick jumped to life as she settled back into my chest.
“How are your toes feeling?” she asked.
“I can move them now,” I said.
“That’s a good thing. Wouldn’t want to lose those.”
“That wouldn’t be ideal in this situation, no.”