15
15
The Thaw
P art of her brain cringed, but a bigger part was too damn cold and fragile to care. God, what were the chances though? She watched his broad form as he walked to the kitchen and memories of the night before jumbled in her mind.
Feeling too many things all at once, her body shivered still not accepting the warmth of being inside. There was a wooden bench at the front door. She slid down onto it and tried to will her frozen fingers to work so she could get her boots untied. Fingers fumbling, she was not getting anywhere. Mean Hot Cop approached her, towering above her where she sat fighting frustrated tears.
“Ye’re freezing lass.” He knelt in front of her, taking her frozen hands in his. He cupped his large hands around hers and blew warm breath onto them. Quinn welcomed the warmth, but his gentle compassion overwhelmed her. It was the last thing she expected from him.
She felt spent and on the edge of a tidal wave of emotion, barely contained.
Hot Cop continued to blow hot breath onto her hands and gently rubbed them in his. Sweet relief began to trickle through her as her hands thawed under his ministrations.
“Thank you.” Her voice shook. Tears pricked her eyes. She could’ve died out there, the thought was sobering. The cold still seemed to have its grip on her, but it was getting better and she felt safe now. Safe with him.
He glanced up at her face for the first time, and Quinn saw in his intense blue eyes the instant he recognized her. She braced herself, fearing he’d turn into Mean Cop again—disapproving and cold. She felt so frayed and was already so cold. She’d probably crack if he did.
“Where are your friends?” he asked concerned, tension etching between his dark brows.
“Oh no, they weren’t with me.” She assured him realizing he must have assumed she’d been hiking with her friends, and they were still out there. Thank God, that was not the case. “They headed home this morning. I was hiking alone…” Her voice trailed off. Regret bit at her, she should have stayed at the inn. Worked on her novel. She should have known better than to hike alone, not to have turned around when the snow got thick.
He didn’t say a word as he let go of her hands. Quinn felt a harsh stab of disappointment, but then to her surprise, he went to work untying her boots. She tried to contain the flood of emotions that were threatening to consume her. Perhaps it was all the pent-up adrenaline, but his kindness was hitting every emotional cord in her.
Exhausted and cold, she just watched him as he silently worked. It was strange to see the hulking muscled man kneeling before her. He wore a dark long-sleeved fitted shirt, and she could make out almost every detail of his perfectly sculpted shoulders and biceps. His head was down as he focused on the task of her boots which allowed her to take in his thick clean-cut dark hair with a little extra messy length on the top. Even now, she couldn’t deny that she found him stupidly hot. This time, it was maybe his kindness that made him even more appealing though. He seemed far from the jerk cop she’d witnessed. When he realized it was her he’d rescued, she’d half expected him to kick her out of his cabin. But instead, he was seemingly taking care of her, and she found herself truly grateful.
Quinn had always been a strong independent woman. She’d had to be. Despite everything life had thrown at her and all she had faced, she always found the silver linings. But she had never experienced anything like tonight. On that mountain under the branches, while the wind and snow were a torrent around her, she genuinely feared that she might freeze to death before getting out. To be so completely at the mercy of her environment, with her very existence on the line, left her feeling as tenuous as an icicle in the late winter's sun.
The man kneeling in front of her had rescued her—saved her life. Overwhelmed by a vulnerability that shook her to her core, she found herself completely surrendering to his care. She’d done her best to stay strong on that mountain, but now she felt the strength she’d held onto so tightly begin to melt away under his touch and kindness. For once, she let go of the need to be strong. Her energy was zapped, and her strength felt depleted. Somehow, instead of feeling weak though, she felt herself mindlessly relax into his warm care. Until this moment, she wouldn’t have known how to allow someone to take care of her, but she had nothing left to resist his help—and she didn't want to.
He gently held her leg as he helped her slide one foot at a time out of her winter hiking boots. She whimpered as the pain of frozen toes bit at her. They throbbed as they now slowly began to thaw.
“Ye were out there for quite a while,” he stated matter-of-factly, handling her frozen feet with care to avoid worsening her discomfort.
Alex could tell the lass had been through an ordeal. In the brief interactions he’d had with her, this was the quietest he’d known her to be. He could sense that she was processing the experience she had gone through. Likely she was in a bit of shock. It disturbed him to think what would have happened if Bear hadn’t found her. Alex felt a wave of protectiveness. He had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around the lass. God, he was relieved that she was there safe with him. He silently vowed that he’d take care of her and not let any harm come to her.
Being as careful as he could, he gently slid off her thick wool socks from one foot and then the other. Her bare frozen feet rested on his thighs just above his knees. When he pressed his warm hands onto them, it struck him how fully his hands engulfed her wee feet. Good , he thought, all the better to warm them .
The lass’s feet were vivid red and white in some parts. To his chagrin, Alex also noted the cherry red polish that adorned the feminine feet in his hands, reminding him of his unbidden attraction to her.
“I dinnae think they are frostbitten. Do ye huv any pain, lass?
Quinn nodded. “A bit, they feel burny and like they are throbbing.”
“Likely ye’ll be okay once we get ye warmed through,” he said as he took care to gently rub each foot.
“That feels good.” She sighed, and Alex glanced up at her face still wrapped in the hood of her coat.
Her eyes were closed and she had the most beautiful pleasure-filled expression on her face, and without warning, Alex envisioned her under him looking similarly as he slowly glided in and out of her. Swallowing, he forced his eyes away and set her feet gently back down as he stood up. Thoughts like that were dangerous, and he needed to leash them in immediately. The woman needed his help, and he’d be wise to keep his focus on that.
“Come, lass, let’s get ye by the fire.” He held out a hand to help her up, and it felt impossible not to notice how delicate and distinctly feminine her hand felt in his. Christ, it brought out every masculine urge in him to protect her like some kind of gallant knight from the fourteenth century. When she faltered with a whimper of pain and grabbed onto his arm to steady herself, somewhere deep in his core, he intuitively understood, like trusting the sun rises in the east, that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect this lass and keep her out of harm’s way.
Not letting himself think on it, he instead focused on the task at hand. “Let me help ye,” he said, and she nodded trustingly. It broke him that she stood about as stable as a newborn kitten.
Alex didn’t ask. He just took control and scooped the lass up into his arms. Perhaps he should have thought it through as he had to steel himself not to appreciate the feel of her petite, curvy body nestled so perfectly against him.
They looked at each other face to face.
“It’s easiest, aye?” he asked, belatedly realizing he hadn’t cleared it with her.