Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
With a sigh, she gives me her back, shoves down her pants, and lowers her gorgeous bare ass to the ground.
Gripping her waist, I support her slight weight over the hole and try to give her as much privacy as the position will allow.
The wind pounds against us, stripping away all warmth, all comfort, but it’s not life-threatening in the short time this will take.
“You’re beautiful,” I say at her ear, my body folded around her to shield her from the wind.
The awkwardness of the situation is undeniable, but out here, survival trumps modesty.
Once she’s done, I help her cover her exposed skin. Then I set her away from the hole and take my turn.
As I piss, her arms come around me from behind, and she hugs me with her whole body. Maybe she’s seeking warmth, but it feels like an apology, a thank you, and something else.
This is what it feels like to be loved by a woman.
I have nothing to compare it to. Brotherly love is all I know, and that’s…not this. With Leo, it’s an obligation of support, strong and certain, a cohesion so hard we can’t be separated.
But Frankie’s love is satiny. It’s tender and fluid and warm with affection. It must be earned. Protected. Appreciated. Whatever she’s doing, it’s transforming me, making me a little softer and a lot more complete.
I show her a gentleness I’ve never extended to anyone else, and I find I’m a better man for it.
We return to the cramped confines of our tent. The cold seeps through the thin fabric as we wrap ourselves in the sleeping bag, seeking warmth in layers and proximity.
Shifting and reaching, we come together as close as humanly possible, chest to chest, her tiny frame curled up against the mantle of mine.
“I’m sorry for making you go out there.” I brush my nose along hers.
“I’m sorry for being difficult. I…” She groans. “I just really don’t like the cold.”
“You may have mentioned that a time or two.”
“I like this, though.” She combs her fingers through my short beard, brushing away ice crystals.
I started growing it out a few days ago in preparation for this hike. “It’s a barrier against the cold.”
“How’s that working for you?” She plucks out a chunk of ice and holds it up, her eyes glittering in the dark.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
“You have. Just a few minutes ago, actually. While I was peeing in a snow hole. The timing wasn’t great.” She wings up a brow. “Did I pee on your boots?”
“Do I care?”
“You should. It’s only the first day. Given my luck, I’ll start my period while we’re out here.”
“I packed provisions for that.”
“Stop!” She laughs. “You did not!”
“Why is that funny? You said it could happen anytime, and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“Oh, man, you’re…” She strokes my face, my hair, and returns to my mouth, tracing a finger along my lips. “You’re ruining me.”
I feel her touch everywhere, deep beneath my skin, like a balm on the wounds inside that never healed. Every moment with her is another stitch, another bandage, closing up my damaged parts.
“You’re healing me.” I tighten my arms around her.
“How are you real?” She slides her hands beneath my fur collar, caressing the skin on my neck. “Men like you don’t exist.”
“No?”
“Nope. You’re one of a kind. I want to put you in my coat. Can I do that? I need to feel you against me while I sleep.”
Her coat belonged to Wolf. Definitely not big enough for both of us. But my coat?
I open the clasps on the front of my furs and tuck her inside, right up against my chest. The heavenly sound she makes raises my body temperature by several degrees.
“Much better.” She rests her face against my throat, tangles her legs around mine, and within minutes, she’s asleep.
I lie awake, listening to the sound of her steady breathing.
My vigilance doesn’t end with the zip of a tent flap. It’s a constant, unwavering commitment to guard her against the threats of the night, the unseen dangers that prowl beyond the thin walls of our shelter.
But I do rest my eyes, taking short naps and waking quickly at the slightest sound.
She sleeps just as fitfully, her face turned up toward mine, her lips so close that when she sighs, I taste her sweet breath on my tongue.
The zipper on her coat hangs open a few inches, exposing the silky skin of her throat.
I want to sink my teeth there and leave my marks like the ones Leo left on her thighs.
I want to hold her in my arms just like this the entire time we’re gone.
I want to consume her attention and make her blood pound with every look, the same way she does to me.
I want all this while my brother waits in the cabin. It’s only fair. He had her for months to himself.