Fate and Destiny (7 page)

The cabin was only equipped
with a twin-size bed, which had always been enough for just him.
Destiny didn’t help matters any by sliding her body against his as
soon as he had found a position that limited the amount of body
contact. Her length pressed against him with her back against his
chest. Stifling a frustrated groan, Andrew pushed thoughts of her
out of his mind. He was there to comfort her, not to enjoy the
closeness of her body. Taking advantage of a frightened woman was
not in his nature.

Destiny pressed herself
closer to Andrew, leaving him nowhere to place his arms except for
across her waist, and under his head. She reached for his hand,
placed her palm against the back of his, and intertwined their
fingers. Then she brought his hand up to the middle of her chest
near her heart and held his hand there in hers.

She breathed a deep
contented sigh and soon she was breathing softly and evenly.
Although comfortable and secure being so close to him, he was
definitely having a difficult time with the same situation. Her
hair smelled wonderful and it was so soft and silky against his
arms and chest. He could smell his soap on her skin from the
shower, and it smelled a hell of a lot better on her than it did on
him.

Securely clasping his hand
in hers between her breasts, he could feel the weight of them
through her shirt. The worst part was her firm backside pressed so
tightly against him that he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to
control himself and she would wake up to a thickness pushing
against her. He tried once again to put a little distance between
their bodies, but she held onto his hand tighter and shivered
before wiggling back against him.

Finally, Andrew somehow
cleared his mind and drifted off to a light sleep. Not long after,
Destiny woke him by turning over in her sleep. Letting out a little
cry of pain as she moved her injured leg, the soft noise enough to
wake Andrew from his fitful sleep.

She rolled towards him,
snuggling her body against his, her face mere inches away. She
looked so peaceful and angelic in her sleep. She needed the release
from her torment. The urge to wake her and touch her all over was
almost more than Andrew could bear.

Closing his eyes again, he
tried to think of Old Lady Walters who used to live near him as a
kid. She had to have been the ugliest, scariest old lady ever.
However, every time he got a picture of her into his head, the
wrinkles and liver spots melted into the sleek supple form of
Destiny. To make matters worse, Destiny moved even closer to him.
He didn’t think it was possible, but somehow, she accomplished
it.

He opened his eyes slightly
to find her looking right at him once again. She was so beautiful
lying next to him in the waning firelight.

They stared at each other
in silence for what seemed an eternity before Destiny moved her
face even closer to his and gently kissed him on the lips without
breaking eye contact. The kiss was warm and moist as her lips
brushed against his. Her whole body pressing against the length of
him as her lips caressed his with a lover’s touch.

He could see through her
eyes straight into her soul, and the emotions and turmoil there
grabbed at his heart. She needed him to care for her, to help her
forget at least for a little while. He was more than willing to
oblige.

Hesitantly, he kissed her a
little deeper and a little harder, watching as her eyes closed in
submission. If she wanted to stop, he would give her every
opportunity. However, she showed no signs of stopping. Bringing his
hand from under his head, he slid it under her neck, around her
back, drawing her even closer to him. His other hand circled around
her waist, completely bringing her body to his. He held her close,
not asking for more, not expecting more.

His body wrapped around
hers felt right and warm. Safe. Nothing in the world could hurt her
as long as he was there protecting her. Her hands traveled over the
hardness of his well-defined chest then around to the muscles in
his sculpted back. Her lips tasted his, longer and more demanding
as she caressed his skin. Andrew’s hand eased under the back edge
of her shirt. His touch so gentle against the warm skin on her back
she wouldn’t have known it was there except for the electrical
surge that radiated from the spot where his fingers circled on her
spine.

Destiny could sense the
tentativeness in Andrew. She decided to help him along. Sitting up
in the bed as best she could, she reached down, grabbing the bottom
of her shirt and pulling it over her head. The cool air breathed
over her exposed skin, immediately hardening her nipples. She
quickly put her body back against the heat of his.

Wrapping his arms back
around her, he pulled her close, skin against skin under the
blankets. Tucking her face against his shoulder, he smelled clean
and rough at the same time. Her skin tingled over each inch that
touched his. She needed him more than she had ever needed anyone
before. A need both physical and mental. Her body hadn’t been
touched in so long that she forgot how good it felt.

Although she had
opportunities, indiscriminate sex had never interested her. The
emotional connections had to be in place to be involved physically,
and she was drawn to Andrew unlike any other man she had ever
known.

Her eyes locked on his as
she lightly touched the center of his chest. His skin was smooth,
soft and the muscles under her fingers hardened at her touch. Her
eyes unwavering, she resumed caressing his lips with
hers.

Each fluttery movement
caused Andrew’s breath to catch in his throat as she continued her
seduction. Placing his hands on Destiny’s hips, he pulled her
against him so she could feel what she was doing to him. Through
the butterfly kisses, he felt a smile cross her lips. Her hand
traced the line down the center of his chest towards his
navel.

Although she was initiating
much of the contact, Andrew was concerned that he would startle
her. Slowly brushing his lips along her mouth, around the edges,
across her delicate jaw line and down to her neck. Her fingers
continued to explore from his collarbone to his navel. Her
exploring was so slow and calculated that he thought he would
explode if she stopped now. Explosion was also probable if she
didn’t reach her destination soon.

Destiny tilted her head,
rolling over onto her back while Andrew kissed her softly down the
side of her neck. The fullness and shape of her breasts were
defined by the firelight. His fingertips tracing the side of her
body from her hip to encircle the base of her breast before running
his fingers over the pert nipple. His mouth found its way to the
neglected mate and he teased, flicking it with his
tongue.

Quiet sighs from Destiny
confirmed the pleasure he was giving her. Releasing the tortured
peaks only long enough to cover her body with his, Andrew resumed
his gentle assault. Destiny spread her knees and willingly allowed
him to position himself on her body. Her hands sliding around to
the small of his back, she pulled him against her. Her injured leg
rested across his hips, the other leg wrapped around his thigh,
securely holding him in place. His weight pressing her into the
mattress made it easy to discern how aroused he was through the
layers of cloth they still wore. Sliding her hands into the back of
the waist of his jeans, she unhooked her legs, releasing him. She
wanted to rip the denim from him and needed access to the buttons
in the front.

Andrew got the message,
easing himself from her, and quickly removing the rest of his
clothing. The soft flickering light bounced off wide shoulders,
taut thighs, and thick arms. His body was firm and muscular and she
ached to have him reclaim his place in the few moments that he was
away from her. After his jeans hit the floor, Andrew went about the
task of revealing all of Destiny to his eyes again.

Hooking his hands in the
waistband of the sweats, he slid them off in one swift move,
carefully from around her swollen ankle. She was even more
beautiful lying before him now than she had been in the shower. The
fire made her skin glow, light and shadows highlighting every
curve. Touching his lips to her ankle, Andrew journeyed up a
shapely calf, past her supple thighs, over her belly. Finally, he
found her lips, settling his body comfortably against
hers.

Destiny wrapped both legs
up and over his hips so her injured leg dangled in the air. Her
arms around his shoulders urged his body to place more weight on
her instead of his elbows.

Matching the caresses of
his tongue against hers, Andrew relinquished to her tugging him
down. He wasn’t quite sure if she was ready for what was about to
happen. Searching her face, he sought the answer. Through
desire-laden eyes, she looked up at him and licked her lips. The
wanting and pleading in her eyes was all the permission that he
needed.

Melting into her, joining
with her in a smooth, easy motion, Andrew took his time exploring
each inch of Destiny inside and out. Andrew could no longer contain
himself against the pressure, and with one long slow plunge, he
took both of them over the edge. Destiny’s whole body tightened and
clenched and she pulled him against her and held him.

Even after it was all over,
neither of them wanted to move. As the feeling began to return to
his legs, Andrew became aware of his body pressing against Destiny.
He carefully rolled to his side without letting go of her. They lay
face to face in the faded firelight. Destiny’s eyes closed and a
slight smile played across her lips.

Andrew intently gazed into
her face, trying to figure out why fate brought her to him. He
found himself easily falling in love with the complete stranger who
had mysteriously appeared in his life. He didn’t even know who she
really was.

What was going to happen to
her once the snow thawed and she would be able to leave? Would he
ever see her again? Did she feel the same things he was feeling, or
was he imagining too much? Embracing Destiny, his eyes barely
closed as welcomed sleep crept in. Instantly, he awoke when the
screaming started.

“
Put out the fire! Please!
Put it out! Help them. Someone. Please! No!”

He held onto the writhing
form next to him.

“
Destiny? Shh, honey.
What’s wrong? The fire is fine. Destiny. Wake up.”

Shaking her gently, Andrew
continued the gentle crooning. She came awake with a start, sitting
up still babbling about the fire. Andrew sat up with her, holding
her and stroking her hair. Although she quieted, she still looked
around, confused and searching.

“
Andrew? But… The fire. I
saw the fire everywhere.”

“
No honey, you were
dreaming. The fire is right where it should be.” Her fear spread
throughout him. The dream too real and vivid. She shook in his
arms.

“
I haven’t had that dream
in years.”

She gave a sickening half
giggle, half sob that sounded to Andrew like hysteria setting
in.

“
Destiny, it was only a
dream. You’re safe.” Neither of them believed his words.

“
I am never safe, Andrew.”
Her voice cracking with rage and emotion, Destiny pushed him away.
“Somebody tried to kill me! And for your information, it wasn’t
just a dream. Fire terrifies me! My parents died in a house fire. I
was eight years old. I was just a little girl!”

Realizing Andrew was not
the cause of her anger and anguish, Destiny took deep breaths to
calm down. Relaxing enough to keep her voice from
cracking.

“
It was late at night. A
nightmare woke me up. I was really scared, so I got out of bed to
go to my parents’ room so I could sleep with them.”

Andrew drew her back down
to the bed. Even wrapped in his arms, she remained
rigid. 

“
The doorknob was hot and
I smelled smoke. I opened my window and climbed out onto the roof
then down the tree in my yard. I started screaming for my parents.
I thought they would come out of the house, but they never
did.”

Destiny’s voice rose a few
octaves as she relived the terror of that night. Stroking her hair,
Andrew kissed her forehead. The tension in her body eased
slightly.

“
I screamed until I
coughed and couldn’t breathe. I tried running back to the house,
but someone grabbed me. I tried biting and screaming, but I didn’t
have any strength to fight back. Someone in a uniform put me in an
ambulance and drove me to a hospital. Smoke inhalation or
something, I didn’t pay attention to what they said. At the
hospital, I kept asking the nurses when my Mom and Dad were going
to get there. Later that night, I overheard two of them talking.
They must have thought I was asleep. The firemen found the bodies
of my parents in my room. They must have been searching for me
thinking I was still in there. They were both on the floor in my
bedroom. The smoke got to them before the fire did.”

Turning to face Andrew, she
relaxed a little more.

“
I think they were trying
to get to my room through the fire while I was climbing out the
window. If I would have waited for them, we could have all gotten
out together.”

Pain crossed her face in
the dim light.

“
I didn’t even cry. I was
just numb. The social workers sent me away to my Dad’s sister and
her husband. My parents never spoke about them and I never met
them, but they were the only relatives I had. When I was 14, my
aunt died of liver disease. I was almost happy to see her go. Most
of the time, she just yelled at me and made me do everything around
the house. I was her maid and her meal ticket.”