Reckless Rescue (26 page)

Freed from worrying about Nelor, Marlee danced and ate. Tyris stayed at her side, and every time he brushed up against her or touched her more deliberately, the urge to be alone with him grew stronger. When the howls of the wind picked up outside and people began to head home early, Marlee wasn’t even slightly upset.

“I’m sorry your party is ending so soon, Marlee.” Jaimma gave her a hug.

Marlee hugged her back. “It’s fine. It’s just a birthday. We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“Not if this storm picks up we won’t,” Jaimma said. “I’d say we’ll all be snowbound by tomorrow morning.”

Marlee liked the sound of that. Trapped in her house for several days with no one but Tyris. No visitors to interrupt, no shovelling snow, no visits to the hall. She shivered in anticipation and hoped Jaimma mistook it for a reaction to the cold wind that blew in the door.

“Well, in a couple of days then. It’s been a wonderful evening, my favourite birthday yet,” Marlee said.

Jaimma looked at her, eyes narrowed, then laughed. “Right. Yes, it probably is more than soon enough to be getting home. I’m sure you’ll find other ways to celebrate there.”

Marlee blushed but couldn’t deny Jaimma’s assertion. Her friend laughed again and kissed Tyris on the cheek. “I’ll see you both after the storm.”

Jaimma danced off into the storm, and Marlee turned to Tyris with a smile. “Let’s get home,” she said.

“Sounds like a good plan,” Tyris said. His eyes met hers. He took her hand.

She couldn’t get home fast enough.

But when they arrived there, and Tyris closed the door behind them and began pulling his boots off, she felt lost. What if he hadn’t meant anything by the gift? He didn’t have many belongings. Maybe it was just all he had?

She turned to Tyris, hoping to find the answer in his eyes, but he just stood there. He didn’t step towards her, didn’t take her into his arms. Instead, he gave her a warm, encouraging smile, and waited.

Didn’t he realise that all she wanted right now was for him to take her into his arms and continue where they’d left off back at the hall?

How could he? Every time he’d made a suggestion that they give things a go, she’d backed off. Told him she didn’t want to risk getting hurt. Why would he think this time would be any different?

Marlee fingered the little dolphin at her neck, only barely able to feel the outline through her thick woollen gloves. A lucky charm, Tyris had said, one that helped him get over his fear. Could it help her too? Could it help her cope with the thought of watching Tyris walk out the door and never coming back?

It was unavoidable. Even if she did nothing. If they pretended to be together all this time, one day it was going to be over. And that was already going to hurt far worse than she’d counted on. Could it really be any worse if she gave herself the chance to actually care about him?

“Marlee?” Tyris asked. He waited for her response.

If it would hurt when Tyris left anyway, she should let herself enjoy it in the meantime, shouldn’t she? Marlee took a deep breath and stepped towards him. His arms opened to meet her, a smile on his face. It felt right.

His hands reached for her waist, but to her disappointment, he didn’t pull her close. “Are you sure about this?” His eyes searched her face.

What was he looking for? Had she misread him? He seemed to want this as much as she did, had said he did, but now he hung back. She hadn’t felt this awkward before, not with anyone else. Then again, nothing she’d learned about relationships up until this point seemed to apply.

Marlee searched for the words to explain. “I… I avoided getting involved with you before this because I knew it would hurt when you had to leave. Tonight I realised that it’s going to hurt anyway. Even though we’ve kept our distance, I’m going to miss you, even if we don’t do this.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Tyris said softly. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

Marlee shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. She just wanted him to kiss her.

But still he hesitated. “Is it me you want or a baby?”

“I’m never going to have a baby. I just want you.” Her heart ached at her words, wanted to cling to a last shred of hope, but she squashed it ruthlessly. Hope only lead to being hurt. Better to be realistic and take what she could have now.

As though her words removed the last of his hesitation, Tyris bent and kissed her. His lips met hers and ignited an internal flame, banishing from her mind all thoughts of a baby or their future. There was only here and now and the smouldering fire between.

Time seemed to stand still as they kissed. Marlee’s arms moved around his neck of their own accord, and his hands slid down her waist, a surge of heat following them. She stood on tiptoe just to feel them slide lower, cupping her bottom through the thick material of her coat. The temptation to discard it was strong, but it was still too cold, even inside.

She should stoke the fire. But she didn’t want to move.

Well, not move away from Tyris anyway. When he slid his hands under her coat, stroking her back, she shivered in anticipation and wriggled just a little to encourage his hands to explore more. He obliged, letting his hands gently graze the side of her breasts, sending tingles down her spine to pool in her stomach.

Tyris pulled at her coat, and eager as she was, she knew that they were going to need something to keep warm. She pulled back just a little, and Tyris sighed in resignation. “We need to either get under the blankets or light the fire,” she told him.

He pulled her close, debating the merits of each. “Fire,” he said finally. “I don’t want blankets obscuring my view.”

Her flaming cheeks competed with the heat in her belly. “I-I’ll light it.” She stumbled over the words.

She pulled off her gloves, threw them onto one of the chairs, and knelt down to stir life into the fire. When Tyris disappeared behind the curtain, she felt disappointed. But when he reappeared a few moments later with the pallet, a pillow, and a quilt, she smiled in approval.

The fire began to eat up the wood hungrily, and slowly, the room warmed. Marlee stood at the end of the pallet, looking down at Tyris, suddenly feeling shy. He patted the bed, and she came down to lie next to him. His proximity dissolved some of her nerves, and his hand reached up to her cheek and stroked it gently, dispelling the rest.

Heat built inside her, having nothing to do with the ambient temperature. Marlee pulled back from a kiss to remove her jacket. But that did little to cool her down. So she peeled off her jumper as well. Tyris lay with his hands behind his head, watching her with a smile. Then he reached out to pull her down on top of him.

Marlee giggled as she landed, a little off balance. But his hands steadied her, and she used an elbow as support so she could watch his face. Slowly she began to unbutton his shirt, and with each button, his breathing grew shallower. She slipped her hand inside the opening and ran it over his chest. She found a nipple in her exploration and stopped to caress it.

Tyris groaned and pulled her down for a kiss, but she didn’t let up on his nipple, and in response, his hand came up to cup her breast. Even through the material of her dress, his touch sent thrills through her. She strained to bring her body closer to his. His finger worked its way around to rub over her nipple through the fabric of her dress, and a moan escaped her lips.

That seemed to unleash something in Tyris because he rose on one elbow and rolled them both over, until he was on top of her. He kissed her passionately, his lips brushing across hers then sliding down her neck and across her shoulders, nibbling and sucking gently.

Marlee could feel his hardness nudging at her even through all the layers of clothes, and suddenly she didn’t want to wait. She’d waited long enough for this moment. Freeing her hands, she edged Tyris’s shirt off his shoulders. He paused long enough in his kisses to help her then sat back in the firelight, smiling.

His tousled hair flopped down over one eye, such a change from how short it had been when he had arrived. He lowered his head, rubbing his cheek against hers, sprinkling kisses on her neck, her ear, and her hair.

She tangled her hands in his hair, holding him close, his kisses sending flickers of desire through her. She longed to feel his skin next to hers, warm and smooth. Clothes were a hindrance. She wriggled a little, and he drew back, sat up, and pulled her dress over her head in one motion. She was about to toss the dress carelessly to one side when she paused, the beautiful dress shouldn’t lie in the dirt. She aimed it in the general direction of a chair.

Tyris sat back on his heels, watching her, reflected flames flickering in his brown eyes. A half smile hung on his lips. He rose beside the pallet with slow grace, and unbuttoned his trousers. His eyes didn’t leave hers, and her breathing quickened. He let his pants slide down and kicked them aside, and Marlee just stared in wonder.

He lay back down next to her and pulled her gently towards him. Kissing her again, his hands stroked from her hips up to her breast then down again, curving around to pull her against him.

Passion and urgency swamped her, and she tugged at him, urging him closer. He murmured something soft, something about taking it slow, but Marlee wasn’t interested. She bumped her hips against his a couple of times, and he laughed, a breathless laugh of surrender. His knee slipped between her legs, gently parting them. Marlee pulled his head down, and his lips met hers as he entered her.

Their sighs echoed together in the quiet room. Tyris moved slowly within her, and Marlee’s hips rose to meet him, urging him to increase in speed. With each thrust, passion grew, until it threatened to spill over. Someone moaned softly. She was surprised to realise the sound was hers.

Perspiration dripped down Tyris’s chest, glistening in the flickering light. When he held her close, their sweat mingled, until she wasn’t sure which was hers and which was his.

Tyris’s breath came in short, heavy gasps, and he thrust breathlessly a few last times before lowering himself gently on top of her, spent. His head rested on her shoulder, and he kissed her neck gently. Marlee ran her hands through his hair and down his back. She didn’t want to let him go. Her arms tightened around him, and he raised himself onto his elbow to smile down at her. “Now why on earth have we waited this long to do that?”

Marlee giggled and felt him spasm inside her. “Stubbornness I think. It rarely seems to do me any favours, but somehow I can’t seem to get rid of it.”

He looked down at her, his eyes suddenly serious. “Don’t ever give it up either Marlee. You are perfect just the way you are.”

She blushed. “I’m not,” she said, “but I’m glad you think so.”

He shook his head and laughed. He pulled back, sliding out of her, and Marlee couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She didn’t want it to be over. Not yet. He lowered himself beside her and ran his hands over her body, gentle now. Marlee reached out for him, wanting to prolong the intimacy.

As his hands dipped lower and trailed along her inner thigh, her breathing quickened again. Tyris kissed her, his lips lingering over hers, almost distracting her from his fingers feeling their way up, gently parting her folds and stroking in places that sent quivers of pleasure darting through her. Waves of feeling rippled through her, until her whole body trembled against him. He slid his other arm around her, holding her close. Marlee buried her head in his shoulder, overwhelmed by the intensity building in her. She wanted him to stop. She never wanted him to stop.

Just when she thought she couldn’t possibly stand it anymore, the tension spilled over and throbbed through her as she let out a guttural moan. Tyris’s fingers stilled, and she clutched at him as though she were drowning. She breathed his name, and he kissed her slowly. 

Marlee snuggled close to him, aware of his hand, still resting between her thighs. She’d made love many times, but never had anyone touched her like that. Pulling back from his shoulder a little, she smiled. He smiled back.

Then he cleared his throat. “Um, Marlee, there’s something I need to tell you. I know you said…”

A sound distracted her from his words. “What was that?”

“Well, you know how I told you that on my planet…”

Marlee interrupted him as she heard a creak again. “No. That sound. Listen.”

Tyris paused, and in the silence, it came again, clear as day. A groan from the beams of the roof. Before either of them could speak, a loud crack broke the silence. Instinctively Marlee ducked her head, curling towards Tyris.

A section of the roof, covered in snow, collapsed onto the floor. A blast of cold wind rushed over her naked body, cancelling out the warmth of the fire.

She screamed.

A
SHIVER SHOOK
T
YRIS AS
a chilling wind blew through the damaged roof. Marlee huddled against him, her face hidden in his arms. Keeping one arm tightly around her, he pulled the quilt over them then reached blindly for the clothes they’d discarded with such abandon earlier. Aside from their boots, which stood near the door, now buried in snow.