Chapter 11

Trish sorted cheerfully through her small pile of clothes before deciding on a cute pair of overalls. After brushing her teeth and combing her hair, she turned her attention to the stove. Holdar had banked it the night before so she managed to get it going again by adding a few more logs from the waiting pile. Now what? Her cooking skills were admittedly limited, but how hard could it be?

Harder than she expected, as it turned out. Things were not going well when Holdar stomped back into the cabin. He'd been looking as grim as he had when he left but he gave her an astonished look, then burst into laughter. Wow. A grim Holdar was hot but a laughing one was even more attractive.

Hiding her own smile, she lifted her chin and did her best to look dignified.

"There's no need to laugh."

"Princess, you have flour on your nose and your hair and the floor, along with what looks like two eggs and half a box of sugar. What were you trying to do?"

"I wanted to make muffins. To surprise you."

"You certainly surprised me." He dropped the logs he was carrying in the basket and joined her, running his finger through the flour on her face. "I can see you're going to need another bath."

"You could join me."

A shadow crossed his face but although he shook his head, he still didn't look as grim as he had when he entered.

"Another time. Would you like me to take over the muffin making? I'm not as good as Grondar, but they'll be edible."

"Unlike mine?" she said dryly. "Go ahead. But I want to watch."

She washed away as much of the flour as she could, then watched as he walked her through the process. He was an unexpectedly good teacher, both patient and thorough. The results were golden brown and delicious and she grinned at him as she took a second muffin.

"Every bit as good as Grondar's."

"I doubt that, but thank you."

"What are we going to do today?"

As much as she hoped he'd suggest returning to bed, she wasn't surprised that he had something else in mind.

"We have work to do."

"Work?"

"Yes. We're going to wash the windows."

She wrinkled her nose.

"I suppose there isn't much else to do. And it would be nice to be able to see clearly."

The morning flew by. She worked on cleaning and scrubbing the inside of the windows while he worked on the outside. There was a surprising amount of satisfaction in clearing away the years of grime and dirt to reveal clear glass. By the time they were finished it was long past noon.

"I suppose you have more chores in mind for this afternoon?" she asked as they finished the last of the sandwiches.

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to go swimming? There's a small swimming hole a little way down the stream. The water will be cold," he warned, "but I thought you might enjoy it."

"That sounds wonderful - except I don't have a bathing suit."

He shrugged.

"Just wear what you have on, or your underwear."

"Or nothing at all?" she teased.

He swallowed. Hard.

"If that's what you want."

She was tempted, but decided to wear the shorts and shirt she'd worn to clean the day before. They weren't a whole lot larger than a one piece and they needed washing anyway. She changed, then walked happily through the sun-dappled woods asking him questions about everything she saw. He knew a lot more about the plants and animals than she'd expected and she remembered what he'd said about Others preferring to be close to nature.

"Why haven't you ever moved back here?"

"Not a lot of security jobs in a small town."

Despite his casual tone, his fists had clenched.

"Is that all you want to do?"

"It's what I'm best suited for," he said harshly, then sighed. "Sorry. It just seems like I spend a lot of time defending my choice."

"If that's what you want to do, then you should do it. And I agree that you're very good at it. I just wondered if that was all you ever wanted to be."

"I guess so."

She could tell by his expression that he'd never really considered the question before and she was pleased that she'd brought it up. Then the path widened and she forgot all about questions. A small waterfall tumbled down a series of rocky ledges, feeding a clear pool that glittered in the sunlight.

"Oh, it's beautiful."

He looked pleased by her enthusiasm but didn't respond. He'd previously changed into a pair of shorts but now he stripped off his shirt, then dove in and surfaced at the base of the waterfall. The water splashed over the wide green expanse of his shoulders, droplets gleaming in his dark hair.

"Are you coming, princess?"

She nodded and dove in, gasping as the icy water closed around her. By the time she reached him, her toes were going numb.

"I know you said it would be cold, but this is like ice," she complained as she threw herself into his arms.

"I'll keep you warm," he promised.

His heat surrounded her as his big hands cupped her ass and pulled her close. His erection was already pressing against the wet denim of his shorts and she squirmed against it, trying to find a more comfortable position. His cock pulsed against her stomach and she grinned up at him.

"Does that mean you're happy to see me?"

"Princess," he groaned, but his arms tightened around her.

"Kiss me."

He obeyed, his mouth closing over hers, so hot and hard and demanding that she forgot all about being cold until he raised his head.

"You're shivering. Come on, let's get you out of here."

She nodded, her teeth chattering, and he quickly carried her back to the sun-warmed bank and dried her off. He hesitated over her wet t-shirt, rubbing slow circles over her breasts.

"You'd dry faster if you took this off."

Since the water had rendered the thin cotton essentially translucent, she shrugged and nodded, raising her arms so he could pull it over her head.

As her breasts bounced free and his eyes immediately focused on them, she realized that the thin cloth had made a difference. She felt much more naked - and more excited - now.

"Fuck, you're beautiful," he growled as he cupped her breasts in his big warm hands.

"Mmm, that feels good."

His thumbs rasped across her sensitive nipples and she shivered, but this time it had nothing to do with cold. He went down on his knees in front of her but he was so tall that his mouth was at the perfect height to draw a taut peak into his mouth, shockingly hot against her cool skin.

His hands tightened on her waist as he moved from one to the other, her hands tangling in his wet hair as her arousal flared higher and higher.

"Please," she whispered. "Don't stop."

He didn't answer. Instead he concentrated on her breasts and she forgot all about asking. Her whole world shrunk to just him, the heat and strength and power of his big body, the rough caress of his hands and his mouth, the way his scent surrounded her. His hands tightened on her waist as she tried to wiggle closer and then his teeth clamped down, very carefully, over her nipple and the electric shock of that contact sent her flying into a climax.

He held her though it, tucking her close against him until she stopped shaking, then eased his grip enough to smile at her. But then his smile faded, his face turning strained and hard.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I marked you."

Confused, she looked down at her body. True her nipples were red and swollen but it had felt wonderful. His eyes had gone lower and she saw the faintest red outline where his hands had grasped her waist.

"It's fine," she said soothingly.

"It's not fine," he snapped. "I shouldn't be trusted with any female, let alone a delicate human female." He rose to his feet and grabbed his pole. "I'm going fishing."

He stomped away upstream before she had a chance to respond.