Harper gave a low moan as her mind and eyesight swam back into focus. Unfortunately for her, consciousness brought with it a dull, throbbing pain in her backside and leg. Her eyes drifted up and stared at what was like snowflakes over black marble.
Where am I? she silently asked herself.
It took her tired mind to take heed that something was nagging at her.
She was cold. Bitterly cold.
Her breath spilled cold fog out of her mouth when she breathed.
Shutting her eyes, her mind floated back to Alex battling the pack of rogues. Then, she remembered falling. She was falling fast and landed hard.
The waterfall.
There’s no way I would have survived that fall.
Suddenly, something touched her forehead. Something warm. Her eyes fluttered open and slowly focused on the stone ceiling again. She quickly sat up and looked down upon every layer of clothing sticking to her skin.
"Good. You’re awake," she heard a voice.
She craned her neck and grunted slightly at the sudden action.
“I know you’re eager to see me, cuddle bear, but it’s really okay for you to respond without looking,” Alex said as he walked over to her ― stark naked.
Harper’s eyes widened at his currently nude state, and she quickly looked away. “Why are you naked?”
He chuckled and flung a shirt and a pair of pants to her. “Put these on so you won’t get cold,” he told her with his back facing her.
She let out a sigh and took a glimpse of his naked butt. “You put these on,” she declined and threw the shirt and pants back at Alex.
“But your clothes will warm up and dry a lot quicker if they were off,” Alex argued.
“I’d rather not have you walk around naked.”
“Don’t be stupid, Harper.”
She scowled at him. “Well, don’t be a dick and put those on.”
He let out a sigh of defeat and annoyance, and pulled the cream linen shirt over his head, then slipped into a pair of dark corduroy pants. “…rather tight, but this will do. For now,” he muttered as he buttoned the pants.
Harper hesitantly looked back at him, and he grinned at her. “What?”
“You look hot.”
“Well, I’m cold,” she wrapped her arms around her and glanced at the calm water before her.
"Okay. Let me set this up and get a fire going," Alex said as he grabbed some twigs and set them up in a pile.
“Where did you get those? And those clothes?”
“There’s a tiny village not far from here. I borrowed this rug and clothes―”
“―you stole those,” Harper quickly corrected him.
He smirked and spread out the rug. “You know, you could remove your clothes and wrap this rug around yourself instead.”
“No thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” He sat on the rug and patted on it. “Come here. I’m warmer than that rock behind you.”
Harper slowly stood up with her arms around herself and sat down next to him. “How long was I out?”
“A couple of hours. I would have been back in no time, but I couldn’t shift,” Alex briefly looked around, “It’s as if this place doesn’t allow me to shift.”
Harper looked up at the expansive dome cave. Above them was a wide-open hole in the ceiling, providing a glimpse of the night sky filled with stars. Light from the moon streamed through the opening, acting as a spotlight on the fine pebbles and translucent water.
In a few minutes, Alex had a small fire going for them. The dim glow of the flame soon illuminated their faces and body more.
“You’re hurt,” Harper mentioned as she recalled the wounds and bruises Alex had after fighting all those rogues – not counting the ones he obtained from his fight against Viessa and Aleister’s own men.
Alex shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. As it turns out, one of the perks of being a Lycan is that I heal fast.” He smiled at her assuringly.
She stared at the fire. “I never thought you know how to make a fire.”
“I thought I didn’t, too. I just followed my instinct. Amazing, isn’t it?”
She pondered on it for a moment and silently nodded. Perhaps it was Alex’s subconscious telling him how to make fire. Could his memories be coming back?
Soon, her body began to shiver despite sitting directly in front of the fire, but she stayed silent for a moment more. She took in a breath and looked over at Alex again. “What do you think we should do now?”
“Tomorrow, we start looking for Lucas again,” Alex replied, Lucas’ name leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. “I don’t want you to see him, but I don’t have a choice. You must reject him so you won’t die. And for you to reject him,” he paused, “We must find him first.”
Harper wanted to tell him she hadn’t entirely decided yet on what to do as soon as they found Lucas. But she knew Alex wouldn’t take her indecision lightly. So she asked instead, “We have a bunch of really mean wolves after us, Alex. This place is like their territory. How are we going to survive?”
“I got you. Fiancée or not, I will never let anything happen to you.”
She took in a breath and stared into his blue eyes. The reflection of the fire in them was startling. “I know,” she whispered.
They were silent for some time, just staring into the flames.
"How’s your leg?" Alex asked afterward.
Harper bit her lip to stop it from quivering. “Much better. How d’you know about it?”
“You sometimes talk in your sleep.”
She snorted and bit her lip to stop a small smile this time.
Suddenly, a sudden harsh gust of wind blew through the cave. Luckily, their fire survived, but it didn’t help the icy cold air from filling their lungs―especially Harper.
“Shit.” She rubbed her hands over her arms quickly. Alex noticed this and put his arm around her right away. But she was still freezing and pissed as hell at herself for not thinking with her head when she declined Alex’s offer of dry clothes. She had seen him naked a few times already. She thought she should be really used to his nakedness by now.
Bound by the cold, she leaned carefully into Alex’s shoulder. Immediately grateful for the warmth.
“Harper, you're going to have to take this off.” Alex gestured to her clothes.
“I'll be ok," she murmured, then pulled herself slightly away from him. “I'll warm up eventually.”
“You won’t in that. Just take your damn shirt,” he told her in a weary voice.
She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around it to control her trembling body. "We will soon drift to sleep, and this cold will soon pass along."
“That’s just ridiculous.”
She was trying to keep her body warm and white breath from escaping her lips when she felt Alex pushing her down with him.
"W-what are you doing?"
Alex only grunted as he wrapped the rug around them. "You’re stubborn and an ass, but I can’t let you freeze to death."
Warmth spread across her back immediately when his chest pressed against it. She opened her mouth to assure him she was fine but quickly decided against it. When he offered her the shirt and the pants, it was a mistake to decline it. Now that he had offered to keep her warm, she had no intention to pass on the offer this time. Her fingers were pale, and her teeth couldn’t seem to stop from chattering.
Aside from the heat radiating off Alex’s body, his hand caressed the left side of Harper’s arm up and down to generate additional warmth. It was definitely working for her, but it caused his body to react when he felt her again pressing against him, fueling more than just warmth within him.
“Are you still cold?” he asked her.
She gave him a quick nod.
“Okay. Let me warm you up a little more,” he whispered, his breath against her ear.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a small gasp when she felt his lips pressing against her neck seconds later.
He nipped at her neck gently before placing a kiss under her earlobe. A pleasant warmth spread throughout Harper’s body.
"Alex, what are you doing?” she asked again.
He stopped kissing her only to turn her around, so she was facing him. His dark blue eyes were boring into hers.
"Warming you up," he replied. He kissed her neck again.
Harper gasped, his teeth nibbling at her neck, her shoulder, and earlobe before his mouth made its way round to her throat. Then in a second, his hands were suddenly on the bottom of her damp shirt. When he was about to tug it upward over her head, she pulled back slightly, shaking her head.
“You’re just warming me up, remember?” she muttered, biting her lower lip.
Alex shook his head in disbelief. It was just so Harper – stubborn and foxy at the same time.
His lips then were back on her neck, sucking, nipping, and biting softly, peppering kisses over every inch of her skin, from her jawline down to her line of cleavage.
He heard Harper moaned.
He couldn't believe how turned on he was becoming at the sound of her whimpers and moans alone, and he now desperately wanted to get out of his pants as they had become much tighter in the last few minutes and were still steadily becoming painfully so. But with every bit of control he had left, he didn’t make any move to remove his pants. He had other plans.
His hands moved down to squeeze Harper’s ass firmly. Harper moaned in his mouth, and that only drove him to squeeze her ass harder.
Harper was no longer cold – that she was certain. Her body was on fire, and her panties were soaked. The way he grabbed her ass and moved his hips into hers was driving her crazy.
And with one hand still on her ass, Alex's other hand moved to the small space between their bodies, slowly moving to the front, unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans.
He cupped her wet mound, and she strangled groan to escape her lips when he pressed his fingers harder against her.
"Does this warm you up?" Alex teased. She refused to answer, merely grinding her hips against his hand. Without warning, he shoved his hand into her panties, and tendering slid a finger between her wet folds. “Answer me, Harper.”
“Dammit! Yes…” she moaned.
He smirked against her ear and slid a finger inside her hot core, and started stroking her. “You’re so warm now, cuddle bear. So hot, in fact."
Harper’s breath was hot too against his neck as she breathed heavily. She didn’t care about his damn pet name for her anymore
As he continued to pump a finger into her, Alex grabbed her leg and placed it on his hip for better access while they were lying on their sides facing each other. Then teasingly, he started to make long, soft strokes between her folds, knowing she wanted more pressure but not giving it.
Harper bucked against his hand.
A smug smile spread across Alex’s lips. His middle finger and thumb parted her folds then his forefinger began to circle her swelling bud, slowly at first before rubbing it faster.
Harper raised her leg higher on his hip as a response, moving against his finger. With each whimper and moan she made, Alex knew she was getting close. Her chest felt like it was about to explode like the rest of her body when suddenly―
Alex stopped.
She opened her eyes in shock and utter annoyance and saw him staring down at her.
“Do you want me to continue?”
She blushed.
"I want to hear it, Harper."
She bit her lip.
He eased his hand out of her panties and stroked her through the fabric, leaning forward and licking her lower lip. "Say it."
“Alex…please…”
He dropped his head to her neck, suckling the flesh there lightly. Slowly, he ran his index finger along her slit through the fabric of her underwear.
Harper shivered at the contact. She was too sensitive and too close now to stop. After a moment of hesitation, words finally came out of her mouth in a whisper, "Don’t stop. Please…"
Alex moaned and playfully tugged at her lower lips with his teeth, his middle finger teasing her wetness again, teasing and eliciting light moans from her throat. "Louder."
Please…Alex…don’t stop," Harper said a little louder into his mouth.
“I won’t.” Yet he stopped teasing her once again, his eyes burning into her. “But only if you strip.”
“What…”
“Take off your damn clothes, cuddle bear.”