Something touched my nose.
I smiled and tilted my face up.
Then my eyes fluttered open.
“Hey.” I pulled the sheets over my mouth. “I fell asleep again?”
“You did.” A proud smile slid across his face. “Sorry for kissing you. I didn’t mean to wake you up, but then you did on your own.” His smile widened. “And you smiled.”
“I’m sure I did.”
He shook his head. “No. You’ve never done that before. That I’ve seen, anyway. You usually look scared when you wake up.”
My cheeks heated. “You’ve seen that?” I’d always woken with my heart racing, but I didn’t realize my terror was visible from the outside.
He nodded. “But this time,” he kissed my nose again. “You smiled.”
“I’m smiling now, too.” I lifted the sheet over my mouth and then pressed my lips against his. He yanked the barrier away. “My breath!” I squealed.
“Don’t care.”
And he really didn’t.
“I have to get up,” he said after we’d finally finished saying our good mornings.
“No,” I whined. “Why?”
He laughed. “The storm must have dumped two feet overnight. I’ll be a pretty shitty caretaker if I don’t start taking care of it right now.”
I groaned as he slid out of bed and let the cold air rush in under the covers. He grinned devilishly, then tucked the covers more tightly around me. "There, you good?"
I smiled at him, but he probably couldn't see it because I'd pulled the comforter up to my freezing nose. He padded across the room, completely naked, then paused and stretched, giving me a perfect view of the way the muscles across his shoulders rippled.
I remembered what it felt like to run my fingers over each one of the tiny muscles that twitched between his ribs and the triumphant pleasure that coursed through me was nearly as strong as the orgasms he'd given me last night.
"Stop," I said I commanded.
He turned around and looked at me.
"Now turn all the way around," I instructed.
A gleam shone in his dark eyes and he turned slowly towards me.
"Stop right there."
"Should I flex or something?"
"That would be fine with me," I teased.
He clenched his arm up in the classic bodybuilder’s pose. "How's that?”
I licked my lips. "Pretty good, but there's only one problem."
“Problem?”
"Yeah.” I wiggled up to a sitting position and leaned to the side. “From this angle, I can't see your cute little ass."
He grinned and executed a clumsy pirouette. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
“You’re what I'm looking for," I promised. Then I shivered. "But I'm also looking for a fire, too."
“Some caretaker I am, huh?”
I shivered again and flopped back down under the warm covers. ”I have no idea how you’re standing there naked right now."
He grinned. “I’m a polar bear, what can I say?"
"I think you actually are," I said, shivering dramatically. He laughed and went around to the wood stove. I heard him shuffling around and the scraping of the wood as he pulled it out of the box. Then he came back into view, crouching, screwing his brow intently as he stirred the coals so the fire sprang back to life.
I could see it playing about in golds and oranges against the same places those flames kissed.
But I was too deliciously warm to do anything but lie here in his bed.
Once the fire was stoked, he started dressing. "I gotta start digging this out. You’re never going to be able to get back to your place.”
I shook my head and stretched. "I wasn’t planning on ever leaving.”
"As good as that sounds, you might want a change of clothes.”
“Why would I need clothes when I’m with you?”
“Valid point. What about food, though?”
“Are you saying I eat a lot?"
"I'm saying I'd better have some supplies, right? At the bare minimum, I need the delivery guy to bring more hot chocolate.” He grinned. “In case you need rescuing again.”
I reached for him. “Rescue me now?”
His eyes darkened and he leaped for me. I screamed when his cold feet brushed my bare legs. Then he pulled the covers over his head and disappeared.
And suddenly I was screaming for a whole different reason.
Three orgasms later, we were both way too hot in the bed. I pushed away the covers and grabbed one of his sweaters from the discarded pile on the floor. "I'm going to go make coffee," I shivered. “You want any?"
He shook his head. "Not now, but maybe after I finish the porch and the walkway."
“Shouldn’t you have started that hours ago?” I teased.
“I got distracted.”
“It’s going to take you forever.” I glanced out the kitchen window as I started the coffee maker. “It’s so deep.”
"Looks that way.” He shrugged.
His sheer ability to take everything in stride was such a revelation to me. With Derek, it didn't matter that the task was going to be hard. What mattered was that it needed to be done. I sat back on his bed, tucking my feet under me. "You sure I can’t help?" I said.
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "I'm pretty sure you're only offering to make yourself feel better, but you're off the hook. I only have one shovel."
I tutted. "That's a real shame."
He smiled wryly. “Yes, isn't it, though?" He kissed me again, lingering on my lips for so long I didn't need the fire to feel like I was burning, then headed out the door.
As I sat on the couch waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, I listened to the roar and pop of the fire, and the soft sounds of Derek's shovel scraping against snow.
I hadn't felt this warm and safe and cherished since I was a child. Possibly ever. The way he looked out for me, the way he took care of me, without calling attention to it…
Like Grandpa did. Maybe that’s why Grandpa took him in. He must have recognized a kindred spirit.
I’d always felt safe here at my grandpa’s house. Now it was mine and Derek’s and I felt the same safety again. But the kind of safety that makes you bold.
If I was a newborn baby before, now I was a fearless toddler hell bent on bulldozing her way through the world, because I knew Derek would pick me back up and kiss my booboo if I fell.
It was the kind of selfless love that I sang about. But never knew existed until now.