Damn, she was so pale, so cold. How did he make love to her when she was so lifeless?
Touch her; bring her to life.
The words echoed in his head, and he finished stripping her naked. Once he did, he placed her gently on the pallet and covered her with a blanket while he quickly stripped off his clothes, discarding them at his feet.
He took a moment to move the table and chair and drape her clothes over the end of the table closest to the fire. Then he grabbed the edge of the pallet and carefully dragged it, and a sleeping Dawn, over in front of the fireplace. Without delay, he joined her beneath the covers.
He snuggled her against him, her body so cold that it ran a chill through him, and he couldn’t stop from shivering. And though her cold flesh continued to chill him, he didn’t let go of her. He pressed her even closer against him, letting his body’s heat seep into her and hopefully warm her. He rested his cheek against her cold one for a moment before he rained kisses over it and grew upset when she remained unresponsive.
Not a move. Not a flinch. Nothing.
He had grown accustomed to her having no voice, not issuing a sound. But gestures, moving, were her way of communicating and so this silence was more disturbing than ever to him. It was as if death had already claimed her, and that he would not allow.
He eased her to rest on her back and a little more aggressively ran his hand over her cold flesh, squeezing her breasts, pinching her nipples, taking a moment to splay his hand over her stomach where his babe lay nestled, and then he slipped his hand between her legs to massage her thighs before spreading them and thrusting a finger inside her.
A low growl echoed down through his chest, so annoyed was he that she had not responded. He had thought—damn—he thought that her body would spring to life like it always did when he touched her intimately. Fear nipped at him and he shoved it away. He had kept fear at bay, never allowing it to control him and he damn well wouldn’t let it sneak in now.
He did what he had wanted to do since he had taken her in his arms. He kissed her. He pressed his warm lips to her cold ones, and though she still did not respond, he did not let it stop him. He continued to kiss her and none too gently. He nipped at her lips, tugging at them with his teeth, hoping to heat them and bring them to life before returning to kiss her again and again. As he continued assaulting her with loving kisses, his finger teased between her legs, working to stir a response from her.
He kept his body close against hers, his one leg draped over one of hers, his chest partially covering one of her breasts, and he sent a silent prayer to the heavens.
When still she didn’t respond, he began talking to her.
“I should thrash you for being so foolish, but I won’t as long as you wake up and let me love you. I want to love you so badly that it hurts. Feel how hard I am for you?” He took her hand that he thought felt warmer, or perhaps he had wanted to think that, and placed it on his hardened groin, holding it there. “I’m forever hard for you. Do you know that, Dawn? I look at you and grow hard. I but touch you innocently and I grow hard. I see you smile and I grow hard. And when you touch me here,” —he squeezed her hand around his thick shaft—“I feel like exploding.”
Her hand remained limp, and so he tucked it between his legs where it was nice and warm. And he returned to tease her nipples only this time with his tongue as his hand massaged warmth back into her cold flesh.
He would stop every now and then to threaten or express his love.
“Don’t you dare die on me or I’ll war with the heavens to get you back.”
Still she didn’t stir.
“Damn it, woman, I love you and I will not surrender you to death. You belong to me; death cannot have you.”
He continued with his touches and his tirades until with a sigh he leaned his brow to hers and said, “Voiceless or not, I love you and I always will. You are mine; you belong to me.”
He felt her stir then and he saw her eyes flutter and he gently slipped over her and into her, his thrusts tender as he continued to stir her back to life. Her body began to respond, and he felt warmth return to her limbs. Relief spread through him and he grew harder knowing that each thrust was like a breath of life to her, so he continued feeding her breath after breath until…