“You want to wash my underwear?” he questioned a bit embarrassedly. Lando had always taken care of his own personal needs and her request seemed somehow foreign.
Christy giggled suddenly at his expression. “I don't mind. Really, it's no big deal. You are feeding me after all and you did technically save my life.”
Lando was thinking. If he hadn't brought her in from the storm she would have died of exposure. He was feeding her. After the blizzard had finally ceased its relentless assault a few days prior, he had caught and cooked more fish that she had eagerly partaken of. It was he who gathered and returned with wood for their never-ending need for warmth, it was he who brought water to be boiled and consumed. Seeing her face alight with such a positive attitude towards him, he could see Christy seemed earnest and somewhat eager at wanting to return the favor. But, perhaps not his underwear—too personal.
“Maybe you could just rinse out my shirt. It's starting to smell like fish,” Lando offered, wanting to give her at least a small acknowledgment of her attempt.
“Sure. By the way I'm happy to hear you haven't been coughing anymore,” Christy said, then went to dump the dirty water out of the bowl and retrieve more.
Lando snorted softly. He was also grateful he didn't have to cough anymore. Perhaps acting wasn't for him, after all. He had been feeling the need for a stunt throat double.
Lando watched her leave and resisted the urge to trail after her. When he had awoken that morning, he had been panic-stricken to find her missing. He had been furious with himself; he never missed anything. He should have been aware the moment she arose, the moment her breathing shifted; the absence of her presence should have alerted him. He had raced frantically from the cave and, finding her footprints in the snow, he had followed them, quickly scanning the area as a stalker, a predator. She should not have left without informing him of her intention.
She couldn't possibly have been contemplating escape. She must know he would find her. She had to know she would die without his aid. He would not harm her. Perhaps he should have explained this again while he held her in his arms last night, as he had every night since the night of the blizzard and she had expressed such need for his presence. He had just felt she had grown accustomed to him.
Lando had crashed through the somewhat densely forested bush when her footprints had suddenly vanished. In an upheaval, Lando had stopped short and spun about as Christy had bellowed out a horrified protest, rising quickly from behind the shielding foliage.
“You don't have to watch absolutely everything I do, do you?” Christy grouched as she marched past him, still struggling with the zipper on her pants, mortified.
Lando had followed her back to the cave feeling a bit sheepish. He then watched curiously as she rifled through her duffle bag.
“What are you looking for?” he finally asked after a moment as she looked thoroughly, to no avail.
“Clean panties,” she said finally, sitting back on her heels.
“I'm not a pervert, Christy. Why would I pack your underwear? What would be the use?”
Christy blushed crimson. “But my socks are here,” she questioned curiously. Then after a brief hesitation, she also mumbled he had packed her pads.
“Mittens,” he replied shortly. Then, a bit embarrassed, he muttered back about pads being absorbent, and if he were to cut himself... “They are, after all, made to absorb blood. Doesn't really matter from where. Or as added insulator to my boots; they're thin enough to stick down the sides...”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“You could always rinse out the ones you're wearing,” he offered helpfully.
“Yes, I guess I could take them off then go down to the stream,” she replied thoughtfully.
Lando didn't like the idea of her going to the stream. Her hands would get too cold. Frostbite could set in, or hypothermia. He had noted she still moved stiffly, as if in pain. Just that morning he had handed her two more Tylenol, noting her pain. Bending over in a crouched position would not benefit her paining ribs; he had cautiously checked them out as she had slept and had noticed the bruising.
“I'll bring you some water,” Lando informed her instead. “I can set up a clothesline over the fire for you and fill the bowl with water. It's empty now anyway since we finished the broth. That way you can even heat the water and use it when it's warmed.”
“Why don't I get the water from the stream while you set up the clothesline? Let me do something so you're not doing everything,” Christy suggested. “I don't want you thinking I'm too much of a burden.”
Lando didn't think he liked that suggestion either. Though the snow had been melting, the rocks were ice-covered and slippery. If she fell in she could hurt herself, or drown, or be swept away in the fast flowing current.
So what! The mean voice in his head was at it again. Then you won't be responsible for her anymore, you won't need to share your food or protection anymore and she said it herself, she's a burden.
Though the louder, kinder voice reasoned in a gentler and coaxing tone, Yet you will be all alone. You won't have her warm, accepting body pressed up against you anymore.
Lando didn't like that thought one bit. She had given up struggling against him their first night together when he'd slept beside her. She now turned within his embrace, her warm chest pressed next to his, her heart-shaped face curled in the crook of his neck or shoulder, as though she liked the security he offered.
He enjoyed the warmth she emitted, the way her hair haloed around her, its softness. She rarely cried out from her aloneness, giving him a sense of triumph and arrogance because he felt he was responsible for helping her feel safe. He enjoyed pressing his large body firmly against her small one; he liked the feel of her softness against his hardness. He wanted to continue to drink in the sight of her warm, liquid brown eyes, eyes that didn't seem as fearful of him anymore, and he would like to run his hands through her light brown and sunset-colored, flowing hair. He wanted to touch her naked flesh passionately, he wanted...
Damn! Maybe he was a pervert, after all. Giving his head a sound shake, Lando compromised.
“I'll come with you so I can find two good sticks,” he finally told her, rising.
Christy agreed; however, she tossed a fast glance to the back of the cave that still held a great deal of wood. Lando watched her as she shrugged curiously at his apparent absentmindedness and she followed him out.
Now, after Christy had left the second time to fill the bowl, Lando could not think up an excuse to follow her. He didn't like the anxious feeling engulfing him. He had never worried over another human being in his entire life. He liked not the fact he was concerned. It made no sense. She was a grown woman and more than capable of taking care of herself. Wasn't she? Yet, when the voice inside his head screamed the command, GO! Lando didn't hesitate. He went racing frantically from the cave without further thought.
Lando was already running even before her screams of terror reached his ears. His heart pumped wildly within his breast. He was jumping logs and rocks, ducking branches in order to reach her.
Upon approaching the stream, Lando could see Christy floundering in the fast flowing icy water, though she had not fallen in. No doubt she had jumped in to escape the massive Kodiak eagerly trailing after her helplessly flailing body.
“Hey!” Lando yelled, waving his arms, hoping to gain the bear's attention. The bear ignored him, intent on smaller, easier prey. His huge brown body moved steadily, unhurriedly into the freezing stream as though he sensed his victim was helpless to evade him.
“Lando!” Christy screamed.
Lando had left the gun in the cave. He had put it in the duffel bag when he had tuned into Christy's fear of it—just the sight of it had made her quiver in fear. He pulled the flare gun from behind his belt. This, he was able to reason with her, was something useful to carry upon his person at all times. Christy had offered up no argument.
Lando took aim and fired. The blast of red light
ignited and flew. The huge bear howled an ominous roar in outrage as his back suddenly burst into brilliant flames. The Kodiak stopped to claw at his back, growling loudly, his body twisting and writhing in pain and confusion.
Lando moved quickly, realizing he had just enraged over fifteen hundred pounds of powerfully muscled, deadly animal. Lando leaped into the icy water and grabbed Christy as she battled a merciless current. Throwing her sodden form over his shoulder, Lando struggled up onto the ice covered rocks, slipping and sliding, and raced hurriedly for their shelter.
Once entering the cave, Lando placed Christy down. She clutched at him, sobbing uncontrollably, shaking violently from the cold and her fear. Lando held her tightly for only a brief moment before rifling through the duffel bag and retrieving the gun. He once again exited the cave to Christy's terrified screams. She was begging him not to go, not to leave her all alone. But he knew he had to kill the bear. Once wounded, it would be even more deadly and unpredictable.
It would undoubtedly hunt them if he did not stop it.
Christy rocked herself back and forth. Her legs felt numb from the icy cold water, her mind was gripped in terror at what had just transpired. She had screamed Lando's name over and over, yet thought it was useless. The stream was too far away, the flow of the running water too noisy. There would be no way he could have heard her from within the cave.
Christy had stumbled upon the huge creature, which was apparently intent on doing some fishing of his own. In desperation, she had thrown the bowl at him; it had bounced off a massive shoulder. The Kodiak was the largest of the brown bears. She and Sam had studied them through intense research: their massive claws, thick neck, and unpredictability. She had run hastily in a panic, only to trip from one of the large rocks by the stream, losing her footing, and entering the water. The freezing water was a slap in the face; the bear would undoubtedly add injury to insult.
The waiting was unbearable. If Lando never returned there was no doubt it would be the angry, injured bear who sought her out next. Its powerful body would rip her to shreds as it would have Lando's. Her body remained paralyzed in fear. After a few agonizing moments, Christy sobbed as the blast of a gun sounded; Lando was confronting the Kodiak. What seemed like hours passed, the hard thumps of her heart beating, resounding within her ears. A few moments later Lando once again entered the cave, his exhaustion apparent. Christy flung herself into his accepting, expectant arms, burying her face against his chest in overwhelming relief.
“It's all right, honey. It's dead. He won't be bothering us anymore,” Lando soothed. His heart was hammering inside his chest. He gripped her almost desperately against his powerful body.
“Thank you, Lando, thank you for coming when I called. I don't know how you heard me, but I am so grateful,” Christy cried and held him tightly.
Lando wondered at her words. How had he known she was in danger? It was almost an eerie feeling, being so in tune with someone else. How could he possibly have known she was in desperate need of his help? He hadn't heard her cries for help before he was already running. Before the voice had sounded... Lando listened again for the voice in his head that had been compelling him to take care of her. Did it know something he didn't? Yet nothing came to mind. What was he waiting for anyway? An ‘I told you so.’ But all Lando felt was relief and a feeling of pleasure within himself. He had done it again. He had once more saved her life.
Perhaps it was just an inflated ego that suggested it was meant to be.
Lando picked up Christy's rhythm and they rocked together as one. Lando decided suddenly he would spend less time acknowledging the mean voice in his head and concentrate on the smarter, informed one that seemed to know what it was doing.
“I've never eaten bear,” Christy commented, though she chewed contentedly and eagerly on the large, moist, juicy piece Lando offered her.
After Lando had held her, both taking comfort from the sheer pleasure of being alive, he had removed the knife from his boot and told her was going to retrieve some of the bear. He brought a large amount back in their crude bowl, which he had recovered. Christy grimaced. She had never eaten bear before, but like the rabbit, it had smelled heavenly while it was cooking. The aroma had teased her senses.
“Neither have I. I'm a city boy,” Lando commented. He also continued to stuff himself just as eagerly as she was.
They ate silently for some time. Darkness was once again falling and Lando had pulled the wooden structure to the cave closed, sealing them in. Christy had stripped at the back of the cave earlier to don her now cleaned and dried underclothing. She hadn't offered a protest as Lando's eyes never strayed from her nude form. She decided she had become used to his intense looks. He had saved her life once again. Without hesitation he had fought off one of the most fearsome creatures that walked the earth for her. Then once again he had provided her with sustenance.
Christy felt such a wide array of overwhelming emotions. No one had ever done anything so incredibly dangerous for her in her entire life; no one had ever made her feel so cherished and protected. She had removed her pants earlier at the fire to dry them and did not balk, as Lando had done the same, seeking to warm them after their icy plunge into the ice cold stream and as he had done, she had assessed him just as boldly.
“Thank you for saving me,” Christy once again voiced. She had told him a dozen times already and she thought perhaps Lando was becoming uncomfortable with the praise.
This time instead of telling her it was nothing, Lando turned intense eyes upon her. “You are mine, Christy. You belong to me.”
Christy felt a shiver of fear pass through her body. He was claiming her. His look was intent, possessive. Christy realized suddenly this meant a great deal to him. Why, she couldn't fathom. He could take any woman he wanted. What was the difference? They were out in the middle of nowhere; he could do as he wished. No, she realized, he could do as he wished with anyone anywhere; his surroundings were not commanding him.
Christy realized again what he was—a killer. Yet, he had saved her life, twice. Did he now reason her life was his? Was it? Christy grew pensive. She did not belong to him. She would never again feel she belonged to anyone; the hurt of betrayal was too much. The real question remained. Would she accept his closeness, his possessiveness?
“I am not yours. I do not belong to you,” Christy corrected him. “But I need...I want...” She faltered, afraid.
“What do you need, Christy, what do you want?” Lando asked intensely.
Again his heated eyes spoke volumes; she knew he did indeed feel she belonged to him.
“I want you,” she admitted slowly, frightened. Christy realized she sought more than just his closeness. Was it just due to the fact they were out here all alone together? They needed one another. She needed him. His presence engulfed her, overwhelmed her. She wasn't rewarding him for saving her life. She was now demanding he supply her with what he had been providing all along: life, feeling, and acceptance.
He had not just saved her physical self, he had given her an opening to her emotional needs. Lando had explored her depth of despair, and demanded resolution. Now it was Christy's turn. She approached him slowly, her intent clear. Though her slight body shook as she contemplated her emotions, unsure of her actions, she needed a release.
Lando looked at her with deep smoldering, interested eyes. She had offered. She could tell he was going to accept her offer.
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* * *
Chapter Six
* * * *
When Christy reached him, Lando took her into his arms carefully. He noted her slight body shook with violent spasms. Slowly, he ran his large hands over her small, shuddering form. She felt warm and soft against his rough, callused hands.
Lando tugged gently on her outer sweater, removing it. The cotton shirt she wore beneath it enhanced the soft curves of her breasts. Breasts full and round that fit into his hands as he squeezed softy, kneading her warm flesh.
/> Christy whimpered as Lando explored her body. Her clothing, piece by piece, was stripped away, exposing every desirable inch of her to him. It did not take him long to remove all of her garments, and she was soon writhing, helpless and vulnerable beneath his large frame.
Lando captured her lips, claiming them, gently at first, then more demanding as he explored deeper, tasting her. Christy shied back as his grip tightened.
“Please,” she whimpered, as his large hand captured and squeezed possessively on one taut nipple, rolling his thumb and finger round with careful expertise.
“Easy, sweetheart, I won't hurt you. You are mine,” Lando rasped out raggedly. His exploration did not cease, but intensified.
Lando had never felt such overwhelming possessiveness. Every part of her beauty enchanted him. Every emotion of his taking of her engulfed him. He sensed her fear of him. It caused a deep, momentary frustration. He did not want to harm her.
His large hands moved over her skittish body, caressing, soothing, wanting only to calm her. No inch went unexplored, no crevice left untouched, un-tasted. He wanted to discover her entire being. His lips and tongue trailed their way leisurely; she was so sweet. His large fingers slid slowly down her silky, flat belly. He dipped lower, cautiously spreading her thighs, searching for, then discovering her nub of desire. His thumb stroked back and forth while he spoke soothing, calming words, listening as her frightened, unsure whimpers changed to moans of desire. Her heat reached for him, drawing him to her whether she realized what she wanted or not. His own passion mounted.
Carefully, Lando positioned his body over hers. Elated, he could feel her readiness from a deeper-seeking, gently probing finger that slipped inside her wetness. Her breath caught sharply in surprise as he added another finger, then another, preparing her for his pleasure and her own. His mouth descended upon hers to breathe for her, his breath gliding down her accepting throat.
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